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Jonathan Richman - Living Room Demos (1974)

Track listing:
  1. I Feel Alright 0:55
  2. Veil Of Cold 2:18
  3. At My Front Door 1:34
  4. I Feel Alright 1:38
  5. Falling In Love Must Be Two Way 4:27
  6. Awkward Love 2:27
  7. Song Of Rememberance For Old Girlfriends 3:04
  8. Hey There Little Insect 4:02
  9. Going Home 3:33
  10. Love Is Strange> Brown Eyed Handsome Man 1:21
  11. Touch Me If You Want To 1:28
  12. Do You Believe In Magic 2:54
  13. It Will Stand 2:29
  14. Dialogue 1:01
  15. Instrumental 0:36
  16. Let's Take The Long Way Home 4:19
  17. Young And In Love 2:17
  18. I'm Young 2:14
  19. Government Center 2:26
  20. Scat Melody 1:32
  21. Little Latin Lupe Lu 1:07
  22. Winters Get Hard In New England 2:47
  23. Song of Rememberance For Old Girlfriends 4:10
  24. Twist And Shout/Willie And The Hand Jive/Trip to the Sea 4:17

Notes

After the Lovers broke up Jonathan resumed playing solo. This recording brings us probably as close as we'll get to hearing what those shows sounded like. Don't be misled by the long list of song titles; while there are a number of great fully-formed songs, many of these are loose song sketches and snippets. The music helps fill in the gaps between 1973 Jonathan and post-1976 Jonathan; there are a number of songs (I'm Young in particular) that would've sounded great with the original Lovers, but the vintage cover selections and the more ambitious melodies of some of the originals help point the way to new musical adventures. It surfaced as an acetate, which is a kind of LP produced in very small quantities.The looseness of the performances and the production lend this a wonderfully intimate atmosphere (hence the "Living Room Demos" nickname). There's an audience of two or three friends tops, Jonathan wanders from guitar to tambourine to acapella, repeating songs, extolling the virtues of playing solo and, at one point, asking someone take a telephone message for him.



Late 1973/January 1974 (the acetate itself was cut 1/25/74)

Lineup:
Jonathan Richman - Vocals, Guitar, Tamborine, Drum