I am not certain if this was my introduction to “Jojo” but it was either just prior or in quick succession to checking out his previous work.
Specifically, the two very different albums released in 1976 that are titled “The Modern Lovers” and “Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers”.
he former is a masterpiece that not only was part of the recipe of punk rock (“Roadrunner” was covered by the Sex Pistols among others; "Pablo Picasso" by Burning Sensations would make the Repo Man soundtrack, and be a John Cale staple) but created a genre of geek rock or "neurotic rock" that would inform The Violent Femmes, Pavement and Weezer. But it wasn’t the music Richman wanted to make. That was the latter- an album almost always described as “childlike” with songs like “Here Comes the Martian Martians” and “Hey There Little Insect”- it’s surely close to a five star album in its own right.
I was immediately a Richman fan but “I Jonathan” did help accelerate it.
It seems a perfect album. While it is well in line with the second incarnation of Modern Lovers, some of that original Jonathan is there too in the observational song “I Was Dancing in a Lesbian Bar”(what has likely become his most famous non- Modern Lovers song) and the friend drama of “You Can’t Talk to The Dude” as well as the love for raw pre-punk rock n roll on “The Velvet Underground” and “Parties in the USA”
Produced by Brennan Totten who had produced his previous record and would produce his next, I love the clear sound and how intimate it feels.
1995s You Must Ask the Heart follows a similar pattern- there’s a song about early baseball legend Walter Johnson, an upbeat cover of Tom Waits’s “Heart of Saturday Night”, “Let Her Go Into the Darkness” is a bit of the drama, a Spanish ballad and even a cover of “The Rose”.
Looking at Wikipedia, the contemporary reviews are quite harsh but I think that while it is not as good as I, Jonathan, it belongs in the same conversation.
Richman has never stopped making records but his career seems to be a difficult one to follow. I would always try to check out his new album but often would not have known about them until they showed up in some kind of Year- End conversation. Although I have my disagreements with Pitchfork.com, they seem to have consistently reviewed and championed Richman.
Recent releases are hard to find though. Richman moved from Rounder to Vapor (home of Tegan & Sara and Acetone) and then to the small Blue Arrow label.
I did a fairly good job keeping up with 2001, 2004, 2008 and 2010 records. They were typical Richman fare- more mellow and less immediately accessible than I Jonathan, but that’s my problem not his.
2016s Ishkode Ishkode and 2018s Sa we’re under my radar, but it’s not just me, their online presence is negligible.
In some ways. 2025s Only Frozen Sky Anyway seemed significant from the moment it was announced as a rare July 4 release. This came in tandem with the announcement that Richman’s albums were coming to streaming services. Not just the recent two largely unheard records but all of his 21st Century albums (Most of which, if not all, had not been online).
Only Frozen Sky Anyway is a fantastic album. It follows a similar template to those great 90s albums.
There’s a couple of songs that sound like classic Richman like “O Guitar” and “The Dog Star”. There’s the Spanish language “Se Va Pa’voler”. The album is bookended by two songs of Richman zen- the near album title opening track “I Was Just a Piece of Frozen of Sky Anyway” and closers “The Wavelet” and “I Am the Sky”. There’s biographical fare like “David and Goliath” and is that a cover of…. The Bee Gees’ “Night Fever” which sounds like an old Richman classic.
Richman’s current band is Jerry Harrison, the ex-Talking Head who was part of the proto punk Modern Lovers from 1971 to 1974 with Richman and drummer Tommy Larkins who’s been with him since 1996. The album is also dedicated in part to Andy Paley who produced the albums Rockin and Romance and Surrender to Jonathan and appeared on many of Richman’s albums through the years
Only Frozen Sky.. is one of the truly great records of the year and though there are some serious moments,
I can’t help but think there is something ageless about Richman. He seems perpetually on the cusp of middle age- the intersection of youthful innocence and elder wisdom. It felt that way on his Bezerkley Records debut when he was merely 25. It felt that way when it was quite accurate on I Jonathan at 41, and it still feels that way though on the new record now that he has reached 74 years of age.
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