Search - Various Artists :: If I Were a Richman: a Tribute to the Music of Jonathan Richman

Even Jonathan Smiled When He Got This As a Gift!

Malary123@aol.com | Westchesta', NY | 04/07/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've known this work in progress had been taking place for a while, so when Mark from Wampus sent me a pre-release for my opinion, I played it over and over like Crimson and Clover -- and it was way better than I had even imagined! What talented fans Jonathan has! These aren't just "sound like Jonathan" covers, everyone has their own spin! A funny story is that when a friend gave Jonathan a copy of the CD, it was after a Jonathan and Tommy show and Teller from Penn & Teller happened to be there, and Jonathan said "Look Teller -- some fans have made a record of them playing my songs!" And then Teller made a joke about "If I were a Richman" being a reference to Jonathan being Jewish (like Fiddler on the Roof, I guess! -:) Then a few weeks later, some friends saw Jonathan after one of his casual shows and asked him if he had a chance to play it. He said, with those eyes a glow of his "Yeah! And I especially loved that version of those gals singing Harpo!" And, cooincindece? Jonathan has added "Harpo" to his set list 4 times since that conversation! I think this tribute gives everyone that "Summer Feeling" to get into the Jonathan mood, and I think it even lifted Jonathan's spirits! There's not a cover on there that I don't really dig, but I have always dug the Microwave Orphans, so I like their cover, maybe especially. Just order it. You will have NO regrets except your friends will want to borrow it. You can play it at a party of non-Jonathan lovers, and they won't say -- hey, how come you keep playing this same guy? They'll think you have the hippest new happiest varied compilation of the millenium! No need to tell it's all Jonathan! Makes a great gift. I laughed, I cried, it was better than CATS!! 'Nuf said? It's a FIVE!! ~ with affection, Malary ... a big time Jonathan fan and stalker -:)"

The folks at Wampus did a great job!

Christine Beagle | Fredneck MD | 05/11/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This cd is an absolute necessity for Jonathan Richman fans. There's a great flow to these tracks, with a nice blend of Jonathan's earliest to his more recent music. We get Jonathan at his most punk (Pablo Picasso, I'm Straight, Modern World) and at his very sweetest (Government Center, Ice Cream Man, Little Airplane). There isn't a bad song on the whole thing!The opening track is from a great band called the Fee Foe 5 "Someone I Care About" who sound like ? and the Mysterians meet the original Modern Lovers (check out that organ)! The band most likely to make you wanna slam dance was definitely the Microwave Orphans, "Dignified and Old." The band most likely to make you wanna dance like the Peanuts gang - that was a tie between the Underhill's "Government Center" and Beeky's "Little Airplane." Jonathan himself recommends the Crowd Scene's track "When Harpo Played His Harp." (I was there when he said it Mal) And Geoff P. Russell's Inhibition Exhibition's has the most original version of "Hey There Little Insect" ever recorded. The disk ends with two of my favorite Jonathan songs, "Lonely Financial Zone" by Kowtow Popof, and "Twilight in Boston" by the Wampeters. Great selection of songs. 47 minutes of FUN!"

I think they all work for Wampus!

Terence Allen | Miami, Florida, USA | 12/02/2001

(1 out of 5 stars)

"Hey, I'm sorry, I'm listening to it right now and it is...absolutely horrible! If you go way back with Jo-Jo, stay away from this garbage. Who's kidding who - It appears to be a bunch of locals (DC) doing disastrous covers of Jonathan songs. No feeling, no heart, no character. Totally bogus and contrived. Jonathan deserves so much better than this."