Best Old Music - Jonathan Richman - I, Jonathan (1992)

 

Jonathan Richman - "You Can't Talk To The Dude"

Great albums are fairly common, but fun great albums seem nearly impossible to make. Stuff like "The Dismemberment Plan Gets Rich" is fun and great, and maybe some early Weezer is too, but I can't think of anything great that manages to be this casually, enthusiastically fun. I, Jonathan combines Richman's love of 60s pop songs with the innocence and naivete he came to be known for later in his career. It's mostly guitar based, and sounds like it was recorded with a 4 track in his basement. There are no overdubs, just a dude, his guitar, and some friends.
Despite the fact that I'm generally pretty anti-tradition, one of the things I love most about the album is the fact that every song seems to be some kind of homage to early rock and roll. He introduces himself by saying, "Hi everybody! I am from the 60s." on "Parties In The U.S.A." and goes on to sing about "Louie, Louie," "Little Latin Lupe Lu," and "Hang On Sloopy." He follows it up with "Tandem Jump," which is like a hornless "Tequila." It's moments like this where he borders on novelty (also on "I Was Dancing In A Lesbian Bar," and the "Sister Ray" section of "Velvet Underground") but somehow brilliantly manages to reign things back in and keep it legit. They're great songs that are funny enough to make you laugh out loud, and I'm not sure I know how to react to something like that. It's a pretty nice curveball. I don't know...maybe they are novelty songs, but they're still really terrific. (Also possibly related: an instrumental called "GRUNION RUN.")
The ballads ("That Summer Feeling" and "Twilight In Boston") are on par with any of the pop songs the album offers. They don't require the emotional investment that a lot of ballads do, but close attention really does pay off. In fact, "That Summer Feeling" is one of the more moving songs I've heard in the last few years (on par with "Suburban Dogs" in an era where I don't have much use for ballads). It might be the best song on the album. However, Richman more frequently shows off his ability to write pop hooks that have inspired Jens Lekman to rip him off in many of his best songs. This is especially the case on "Higher Power," a perfect 3 minute upbeat pop/love song. I guess I've read that Richman was on influence on Jens, but having only ever heard the first Modern Lovers record, I was always pretty skeptical. After hearing this, it's far more clear than Stephen Merritt's influence.
So if you like fun, the 60s, the beach, lo-fi records, Jens Lekman, music, and/or are a living, breathing person, find this, or at least skim the sound clips on allmusic. It's pretty perfect.

allmusic

(This video's not really a good example of what the album is like, but it is a pretty good representation of what a terrific brave weirdo he is.)