Artist:Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers
Song:Roadrunner
Album:Roadrunner, Roadrunner: The Beserkley Collection
Today, Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers are considered to be pioneers of punk music. But when they recorded Roadrunner in 1972, Warner Bros. didn't know what to do with them. So they cancelled the album and their contract. When the small Beserkley label released the album in 1976, it caused a big commotion that led to the popularity of punk music. Richman was born May 16, 1951 in Boston. Not surprisingly, his big musical influence was the legendary 60s band The Velvet Underground. He moved to New York and formed The Modern Lovers in 1970. Drummer David Robinson was an original member of the band. He would later be in The Cars. Richman returned to Boston and added Jerry Harrison on keyboards and Ernie Brooks on bass. Harrison would go on to join Talking Heads. This is the band that recorded the 1972 album The Modern Lovers. They went to Los Angeles to record demos with John Cale of Velvet Underground. This got them a record deal with Warner Bros. They were a very popular live band. But they couldn't seem to record an album that Warners thought was good enough to release. The band split up. Richman moved to Los Angeles and started working with Beserkley Records owner Matthew King who had been with A&M when the demos were recorded. Richman formed a new Modern Lovers. Robinson was the only original member. While Richman recorded a new album for Beserkley, King got Richman to allow him to release the demos. And that's when Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers became a big sensation. You can get their Beserkley recordings on this 2CD comp from the British label Sanctuary. They turned out to be very influential on the late 70s punk movement. The Sex Pistols covered Roadrunner. Richman has continued to record sometimes with a band and sometimes solo. But mostly he is revered as the father of Punk Rock. Here's the video for Roadrunner by Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers.
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