Action Packed: The Best Of Jonathan Richman

Jonathan Richman | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 5, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Rounder / Umgd
• ASIN: B00005Y1ZJ
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #105,970 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

When the mid-'70s Jonathan Richman traded the "snotty," Velvet Underground-tinged sensibility of the original Modern Loves for a strummed, twangy electric style and an even lighter percussion sound, he didn't give up his convictions. The 22 cuts here, drawn from Rounder releases from the '80s and '90s, are as joyful and unironic as anything cut during those years. He explicitly acknowledges his roots in the innocent '60s on "Parties in the U.S.A.," both lyrically and in its borrowed "Hang On Sloopy" riff, and he reaches back to the Collins Kids' rockabilly nugget for this collection's title track. Richman celebrates urban delights ("I Was Dancing in the Lesbian Bar," "Cappuccino Bar," "Vampire Girl"), but these tunes find him digging ranches ("Circle I") and island jaunts (an expansion of "Bermuda" includes a pointed jab at the old Lovers' "She Cracked"). Openheartedly, he even cut a whole album in Nashville (well, Springfield, Missouri) style and a long-player in Spanish. Finally, "She Doesn't Laugh at My Jokes" sounds like the product of a much less damaged Brian Wilson circa The Beach Boys Love You. --Rickey Wright

Product Description

Jonathan stripped away the garage trappings of his Modern Lovers days and presented his endearingly innocent songs in stripped-down settings during his '80s/'90s Rounder years. Stomp your foot along with his as he sings Action Packed; Everyday Clothes; Fender Stratocaster; Closer; Reno; The Neighbors; When I Say Wife; Parties in the U.S.A. , and 14 more charmers!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Good, March 1, 2003

By 

Rob (Cincinnati, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Action Packed: The Best Of Jonathan Richman (Audio CD)

I, at one point, owned all of Jonathan's Rounder material. "I, Jonathan" is a great album; "Jonathan Goes Country" is better than you would ever imagine. But on all of Jonathan's Rounder albums there are some songs I really feel are not needed. "I, Jonathan" and "Jonathan Goes Country" both contain remakes of some of his better late seventies and early eighties cuts for Beserkly and Sire--"Corner Store" and "That Summer Feeling" for example--which pale in comparison to the originals. What this best of collection does, contrary to some of the other reviewers' opinions here, is give you a very good representation of his best material for Rounder. If you really want a good collection of Jonathan, buy this cd, pick up "Jonathan Sings," and "The Beserkley Years: The Best of." I would hope to God that you would already own "The Modern Lovers."

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Jonathan, don't get all excited...but I do!! and I am!!", May 21, 2002

By 

happydogpotatohead "happydogpotatohead" (New Orleans, LA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Action Packed: The Best Of Jonathan Richman (Audio CD)

Jonathan writes rock and roll songs. They could have been written in the 1950s or 1960s, but there's also a sense of timelessness about them. Like Ray Davies, Jonathan doesn't write about Big Subjects. He writes about everyday clothes, cappucino bars, love, and occasionally Bermuda or Vampire Girls for fun. And like Ray Davies, his focus on the everyday, combined with his big heart, makes him one of the best rock songwriters ever.

This is a grand collection of the music he did for Rounder Records. Jonathan sharpened his focus and honed his craft during his time on Rounder, and this terrific selection of songs shows that. Most of the music here is Jonathan as a solo artist ("believe me, it's better that way") putting his heart out there, as open as the sky and beautiful as the moon. The material ranges from the rockin' (Parties in the USA, Dancing In The Lesbian Bar, Fender Stratocaster) to 50s-style country (Reno, The Neighbors) to wistful balladry (The Girl Stands Up To Me Now, You Must Ask The Heart). Every song on here is a gem waiting to be discovered.

There's not much any reviewer can say that can match the songs themselves. Jonathan's interviewers and attempted biographers all find a guy who hasn't got much to say about his life or his music. That's because his life is his music, and his music tells you all you need to know about Jonathan. His music is clear and honest and speaks from the heart, and in the final analysis, that's exactly what music is supposed to do. To Jonathan's credit, that's what he's done since the Modern Lovers days, and that's what he says he'll do "until it stops being fun." Let's hope it stays fun for a long, long time.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Of course it ain't perfect but who's counting, December 17, 2002

By 

Michel Farmer (Peoria Illinois) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Action Packed: The Best Of Jonathan Richman (Audio CD)

As the liner notes state (which by the way are a great addition to the package) favorite songs are going to be left off.

It seems they went heavier on the Richman albums that aren't as popular and rather skim on the classic discs. Why do we get four cuts from the mediocre "Having A Party" and only two from the his much agreed upon masterpiece "I,Jonathan"? Why four from the OK "You Must Ask the Heart" and only two from the great "Modern Lover's 88".

It's a good disc because simply it's Jonathan and it's a good sampling of a phase of Jonathan's life. Keep in my mind this isn't an introduction to Jonathan's music, just a snapshot of a particular time. This is a good album to have if you can't afford the albums the songs individually came off of. You are missing out on some classics by doing that however (When Harpo played his Harp,That Summer Feeling). I suppose you are getting treated to some classics too (New Kind of Neighborhood,Parties in the USA). My only complaint with this is the complaint I have with all "best of.." collections is that it never is the best of and often times it can be the worst if. (I really think Reno is a terrible song).

Four Stars for the music, Three for the idea.