1  Waiting For The Man (5 second fragment)  (Lou Reed)  

2  Hospital   (Jonathan Richman)  

3  Astral Plane   (Jonathan Richman)  

4  Ride On Down The Highway   (Jonathan Richman)  

(Jonathan Richman first demos 1970)

5  Someone I Care About   (Jonathan Richman)  

6  Hospital   (Jonathan Richman)  05:29

7  Roadrunner   (Jonathan Richman)  

(first band demos, Boston MA 3/72)

8  Such Loneliness   (Jonathan Richman)  

9  Modern World   (Jonathan Richman)  

(demos with John Cale spring ’72)

10  Song Of Rememberance [sic] For Old Girlfriends   (Jonathan Richman)  

11  Plea For tenderness   (Jonathan Richman)  

12  Fly Into The Mystery   (Jonathan Richman)  

(aborted album session with John Cale autumn 1973)

As any self-respecting aficionado of the pre-punk era will tell you, this is a copy of the estimable Punk Vault label’s Modern Lovers title, issued in the ‘90s under the same title (Punk Vault # PVCD 1003). Punk Vault had similar releases by Television, Pere Ubu, Weirdos and others. Coffee Tea Or Me has simply copied that release, including, I’m guessing, the front and rear sleeve artwork (the latter even bears the Punk Vault logo). I’m not absolutely certain, however, whether this was burned directly from one of the original CDs or if it was obtained via download (say, an MP3 or FLAC file) – there are telltale short gaps between the live cuts that would suggest just that. Indeed, plug the album title and label name into a search engine and you can instantly find it available for download or streaming (including, at one time, MP3.com, a legit, non-bootleg resource). Not sure about that album title misspelling, however.

With that sort of availability and notoriety surrounding the original release there’s not much point in launching into a full-scale review of this CDR. I will note, however, that it’s a crucial archival item of a truly seminal group who would prove influential upon many subsequent groups. It also boasts, for the most part, excellent sound on the studio material and very good sound for the live stuff.

Here’s what one review had to say (the reviewer seemed to be put off by the sound quality, but I disagree on that count, and the review is otherwise quite informative): “Historically, any CD that rounds up Jonathan Richman's earliest home demos, three songs from the Modern Lovers' first studio session, a clutch of John Cale-produced demos and outtakes, and six closing live tracks cannot help but attract attention. Unfortunately, like that set of 1965 acoustic demos that padded out the Velvet Underground box a few years earlier, raw history is not always a pleasurable listening experience. Even across a mere four songs, including a fragmentary "Waiting for the Man," Jonathan Richman's patent indiscipline loses its flavor very quickly. Bring the band in and things do pick up considerably, with a spooky organ-fired "Hospital" and, in particular, a kick-ass garage rock take on the ubiquitous "Roadrunner," proving why Cale himself was so impressed. However, Jonathan Richman's subsequent demos and the outtakes from what became the band's Beserkley debut add little to what listeners already have from this era (although such an early take on the ethereal "Fly Into the Mystery" is a definite pleasure), and the live cuts are as slipshod as any other Jonathan Richman concert recording from this period. Nothing on will be unfamiliar to the seasoned collector and, in any case, there are enough other documents of this period to render another comp a little redundant. Think of this as a "best of the rest," though, and you won't go far wrong.” – OSWALD