The Modern Lovers (album)

The Modern Lovers
Studio album by The Modern Lovers
Released	August 1976 (1976-08)
Recorded	Various September 1971: Intermedia Sound, Boston, MA (track 6) March 1972: first demos with John Cale (tracks 1-5, 7) and A & M Studios, L.A., CA (tracks 8-9) October 1973: Goldstar Studios, Hollywood, CA (bonus tracks)
Genre	Rock proto-punk art rock
Length	34:51 (original release) 44:06 (1989 CD reissue) 62:13 (2003 CD reissue)
Label	Beserkley Rhino (reissue)
Producer	John Cale Robert Appere Alan Mason
The Modern Lovers chronology
The Modern Lovers (1976) The Original Modern Lovers (1981)
Jonathan Richman chronology
The Modern Lovers (1976) Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers (1976)
1989 CD reissue

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Blender
Christgau's Record Guide	A
Encyclopedia of Popular Music
Pitchfork Media	9.2/10
PopMatters	10/10
Q
The Rolling Stone Album Guide
Select	5/5
Spin Alternative Record Guide	10/10

The Modern Lovers is the eponymous debut studio album by American rock band the Modern Lovers. It was released on Beserkley Records in 1976, although the original nine tracks had been recorded in 1972 (or 1971 in the case of "Hospital"). Six of the original tracks were produced by John Cale. In 2003, the album was ranked number 381 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

The Modern Lovers were formed in 1970 by teenage singer, songwriter, and guitarist Jonathan Richman. In early 1971, the band's membership was settled as Richman, Jerry Harrison (keyboards), Ernie Brooks (bass) and David Robinson (drums), with Richman's friend and original band member John Felice joining them occasionally as his school commitments allowed. By the autumn of 1971, through their live performances in Boston and New York, they had begun to attract the attention of several record company A&R men, including Stuart Love at Warner Brothers, and Alan Mason and Matthew Kaufman at A&M. The band made their first recordings for Warner Brothers at the Intermedia studios in Boston in late 1971; these included the version of "Hospital" which was later to feature on the album.

In April 1972, the Modern Lovers travelled to Los Angeles where they held two demo sessions; the first was produced by the Velvet Underground's John Cale for Warner Brothers, while the second was produced by Alan Mason and Robert Appere for A&M. Both sets of sessions yielded tracks which, although originally recorded as demos, eventually found their way onto the album. The Cale sessions produced "Roadrunner", "Astral Plane", "Old World", "Pablo Picasso", "She Cracked" and "Someone I Care About". The A&M sessions yielded "Girl Friend", "Modern World", and "Dignified and Old" (which, although not included on the original LP, was included on later CD reissues).

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