Customer Ratings & Reviews

The main reason I purchased this CD was a silly one. It has one of the best covers I've ever seen. When I finally received it in the mail, opening the packaging up was like opening a book. It smelled both old and new at the same time. The disc slides out of the cardboard, so you might want a spare jewel case handy. The music itself felt much like I expected it to, based on the photography included in the booklet. It is both very old and very new. It is also the most stripped down Jonathan Richman album I've ever heard. Even the electric version of "When We Refuse to Suffer" feels very spare. This rawness just demonstrates what fantastic musicians Richman and his drummer Tommy Larkins really are. Listening to this CD with headphones does not do it justice. Put this one through a good set of stereo speakers and it becomes an event. It's hard to quantify magic, but this record has a pretty big heaping load of it. I was tempted to give this album a 3, instead of a four seeing as how it doesn't have a whole lot of instantly memorable songs or startling new ideas. The mood of it all saves it. It's very otherworldly, cold, and exciting all at once. Hearing this music is like feeling a breeze on a cool summer night.