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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.
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