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Jonathan Richman - Rockin' & Romance (1985)

Track listing:
  1. The Beach 2:19
  2. My Jeans 3:18
  3. Down In Bermuda 3:04
  4. The U.F.O. Man 3:22
  5. I Must Be King 2:40
  6. Vincent Van Gogh 2:26
  7. Walter Johnson 2:21
  8. I'm Just Beginning To Live 2:52
  9. The Fenway 2:31
  10. Chewing Gum Wrapper 3:21
  11. The Baltimores 3:02
  12. Up in the Sky Sometime 2:47
  13. Now is Better than Before 2:10

Notes

produced by: Andy Paley

Jonathan Richman - guitars and vocals
Michael Guardabascio - drums
Andy Paley - toy piano

Additional Vocalists:
1st female - Ellie Marshall
other females - Debbie Edwards, Jeanette Sartain
male - Michael Guardabascio, Andy Paley, Ned Claflin, Scot Woodland, Tom Nelson

While it is generally true that many of Richman's post-1980 albums are all but interchangeable, with their earnest naive cheerfulness, this stands as one of the best, if you like his schtick and need to make a choice. The production is sparse, accentuating the acoustic guitar and the doo wop harmonies (both male and female), with light but purposeful drums. Jonathan covers his usual terrain here: juvenilia ("My Jeans," "The U.F.O. Man," "Chewing Gum Wrapper"), cultural heroes ("Vincent Van Gogh," "Walter Johnson"), and optimistic paeans to the simple pleasures of life ("The Beach"). Heart-warming and melodic stuff that might well sound insipid in the hands of others.