Full Albums features covers of every track off a classic album. Got an idea for a future pick? Leave a note in the comments!
A happy birthday to Jonathan Richman, who turns 75 years young today. We’re celebrating with a Full Album post of The Modern Lovers, his magnum opus, which is itself celebrating its golden anniversary this year. Of course, it’s actually older than that; most of the songs were four- or five-year-old demos. But as Rolling Stone said when they named it one of the top 100 albums between ’67 and ’87, the band was so far ahead of their time that when the album was finally released, it was still ahead of its time.
With two future Rock and Roll Hall of Famers backing him (a pre-Talking Heads Jerry Harrison on keys and a pre-Cars David Robinson on drums), along with bassist Ernie Brooks, Richman explored proto-punk sounds and attitudes mixed with a generous helping of naïveté. It was like a textbook on how a teen sees the world, wanting to be tough but unable to hide the joy and exuberance of youth. Capped by “Roadrunner,” a highway anthem that’s lost none of its power, The Modern Lovers was one of the greatest and most influential albums of its time.
A follow-up with this lineup was not in the cards, as Richman was becoming what Robert Christgau called “an almost powerless case of arrested development,” writing gentle children’s fare like “Here Come the Martian Martians” and “Hey There Little Insect” while his bandmates would have preferred to keep their amps cranked up. Still, whether they served as an inspiration for future bands (including their own) or a cautionary tale, the Modern Lovers continue to make and keep fans, thanks to their work getting cobbled together into one brief shining moment.
You can tell by the degree to which these covers hew close to the originals that nobody is out to remake the wheel here. These covers are played with respect – more respect than Pablo Picasso got, at least – and a whole lot of love. Enjoy.
Note: I’ll be writing about the 1986 Rhino reissue, which added three songs to the tracklist, because, well, that’s the version I grew up listening to.
John Hodgman – Roadrunner
“I have never urged anyone to vote for anything on FB,” said High Fidelity author Nick Hornby in 2013. “But here, finally, is a cause we can all agree on.”
He was referring to state representative Marty Walsh introducing a bill to have “Roadrunner” be named the official rock song of Massachusetts. Some were against it – two other state reps led an effort to name Aerosmith’s “Dream On” instead, and Richman himself said, “It’s very flattering, but I don’t think the song is good enough to be a Massachusetts song of any kind.” But Brookline native John Hodgman was a major proponent, saying, “It is woven as deeply into the cultural landscape of Massachusetts as the Turnpike itself. It is the pulsing sound of the night and the future.” He also made perhaps the best point: “THE SONG SAYS ‘I’M IN LOVE WITH MASSACHUSETTS.’ What more testimony need be heard?”
The bill ended up not making it to the floor, but at least it led to Hodgman inviting Walsh to see him perform comedy at a local theater. When Walsh accepted, Hodgman tweeted, “OH BOY. Gotta learn roadrunner on uke.” That’s exactly what he did, and he’s performed it in other shows of his since. You can really hear the love – both Richman’s for Massachusetts and Hodgman’s for the song – in this arrangement, sweet and tender on solo ukulele. Don’t be surprised if you have a lump in your throat at the end.
The Feelies – Astral Plane
Like the Modern Lovers before them, the Feelies have followed their Velvet Underground influence into the kingdom of cult favorites. Unlike them, the Feelies have been making sporadic reunions over the last fifteen years. This cover of “Astral Plane” comes from a 2017 gig in Brooklyn, and it sees their jangly pop service as a fine background for the song.
Smudge – Old World
Smudge was an Australian slacker-pop band whose guitarist, Tom Morgan, collaborated with the Lemonheads’ Evan Dando on a number of songs – he named “Alison’s Starting to Happen” after their drummer, Alison Galloway. In 2012 they opened a summer-long series of full-album concerts at Pure Pop record store in Melbourne, the first of 73 bands that covered an classic album in its entirety. If you like Smudge’s cover of “Old World,” you can listen to the rest of their performance here.
David Bowie – Pablo Picasso
Major musical artists have paid a lot of attention to “Pablo Picasso” over the years. John Cale, who produced the original, introduced it to the world when he covered it on his 1975 Helen of Troy album. Talking Heads covered it live in 1976, and they hardly ever covered anything (well, except that one time…); perhaps they were out to impress former Modern Lover and future Talking Head Jerry Harrison. The Burning Sensations cover was a highlight of the Repo Man soundtrack. Jack White and Iggy Pop also took a whack at it.
But as always, leave it to David Bowie to find a new way into the song, giving it new chords and new lyrics. It was a highlight of his 2003 album Reality, but it was when he performed “Picasso” live that it really took off.
Space Robot Scientists – I’m Straight
Jonathan Richman should have had a lot more tribute albums than he’s had, and If I Were a Richman serves as proof of that. Even with the artists on this record being of (let’s face it) minor stature, the songs stand out and stand up to the treatment they get. The version of “I’m Straight” by Space Robot Scientists sounds like a Jad Fair tribute, adding yet another layer of gawky awkwardness to a song about being straight-edge that Richman wrote before Ian MacKaye hit puberty.
Sloan – Dignified And Old
Recorded Live at a Sloan Party! wasn’t really; like Johnny Rivers’ “Secret Agent Man” before it, it’s a studio recording with crowd sounds dubbed on later. Shame, really – this does have a real basement shindig vibe to it. “Dignified and Old” sees them handling the song like the big fans that they are.
Velvet Crush – She Cracked
“The premier power-pop revivalists of the 1990s,” Allmusic.com calls the Velvet Crush, and unsurprisingly, they’re spot-on. Produced by a pre-Girlfriend Matthew Sweet, their cover of “She Cracked” captures the band sounding well rehearsed, fresh out of the garage, and ready to step into their first nightclub spotlight.
Ruby Falls – Hospital
Wikipedia defines math rock as being “characterized by complex, atypical rhythmic structures (including irregular stopping and starting), counterpoint, odd time signatures, and extended chords.” By that definition, the Modern Lovers’ “Hospital” could be considered one of the first examples of the genre. Ruby Falls, an all-female math rock band, covered it on their farewell album For the New Crop.
Young Fresh Fellows – Someone I Care About
The Young Fresh Fellows were Seattle before Seattle was cool. The Fabulous Sounds of the Pacific Northwest, their debut, came out in 1984. When a 40th-Anniversary edition came out in 2024, it included a bonus disc. Like Sloan, the YFFs performed in a party-in-the-studio setting. Like Sloan, they included a Modern Lovers cover. And like Sloan, their “Someone I Care About” was less about doing something new than saluting the (dignified and) old.
Dog Shop – Girl Friend
Can You Talk to the Dude? Volume 2 is a Jonathan Richman tribute released in France back in 1996. The track from it that I’d most like to hear is “New Teller” by Jad Fair, one of Richman’s few peer equivalents. But for our purposes, the album opener, Dog Shop’s “Girl Friend,” is a more than worthy substitute.
Collapsing Scenery – Modern World
One critic called Dog Shop’s music “equal parts abrasive and haunting—but it always leaves you wanting more.” Listen to their take on “Modern World” and see if you find yourself needing an encore.
Alex Chilton – Government Center
You may have noticed that a lot of the cover artists here have strong reputations in the low-fi indie or power-pop world. Here’s one of the strongest – Alex Chilton, of Box Tops and Big Star fame, who Paul Westerberg claimed that children by the millions wept for. His cover of “Government Center” is just as earnest and awkward as the original, but very much in its own fashion.
