The new group, now billed as Jonathan Richman and The Modern Lovers, found Richman turning away from the harder, Velvet Underground-influenced electric rock of the original Modern Lovers, toward a gentler sound mixing pop with 1950s rock and roll, and including a bigger emphasis on harmony vocals. In January 1976, Richman put together a new version of the Modern Lovers, which included original Modern Lovers drummer David Robinson, former Rubinoos bassist Greg 'Curly' Keranen and Leroy Radcliffe on guitar. The four songs on the compilation also appeared on singles released by Beserkley. His first released recordings appeared on 1975's Beserkley Chartbusters compilation, where he was backed by members of Earth Quake and the Rubinoos. In 1975, Richman moved to California to record as a solo singer/songwriter with the independent Beserkley Records label.
These stymied efforts to complete a debut album led to the breakup of the original Modern Lovers in February 1974. By late 1973, Richman wanted to scrap the recorded tracks and start again with a mellower, more lyrical sound, influenced by the laid-back local music he had heard when the band had a residency at the Inverurie Hotel in Bermuda earlier in the year. Despite playing live regularly, the Modern Lovers had a difficult time securing a recording contract. These demos were eventually released in 1981 as The Original Modern Lovers LP. Later in 1972, the group re-recorded some songs, along with other material, with producer Kim Fowley.
The album was strange for its time, featuring Velvets-influenced basic three-chord rock ("Roadrunner" – based on just two chords – is an homage to " Sister Ray") at a time when glam and progressive rock were the norm. Among these songs were the seminal " Roadrunner" and " Pablo Picasso", which were eventually released on the group's post-breakup album, The Modern Lovers in August 1976.
#JONATHON RICHMAN DOWN IN BERMUDA PRODUCTION DETAILS SERIES#
In 1972, they recorded a series of demos with producer John Cale (formerly of the Velvet Underground). Other notable members of the group were keyboard player Jerry Harrison and drummer David Robinson, who later joined Talking Heads and the Cars, respectively. Richman formed the Modern Lovers, a proto-punk garage rock band, in Boston, Massachusetts.
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