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Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers: Rock 'n' Roll with the Modern Lovers (Beserkley PZ-34800)

Paul Nelson, Rolling Stone, August 1977

SOME HISTORY is necessary. Four or five years ago, David Johansen's New York Dolls and Jonathan Richman's Boston-based Modern Lovers were the most talented progenitors of what is now known as New Wave or punk rock. Rightly or wrongly, the Dolls were quickly written off as a last gasp of the Sixties rather than a first glimpse of the Seventies, and Richman was considered too weird for any record company to support (Warner Bros. tried for a while). Now, with punk in full bloom (in the media, at least), Johansen is revving up for a comeback on Blue Sky, and Beserkley has released three Richman albums in 18 months.

Total word count of piece: 427

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