Customer Reviews

Surrender to Jonathan

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Giving a Jonathan record less than four stars feels like a sin since I would be happy if everybody listened to all of his records but Jonathan just doens't seem very focused on this one.

There are a few great songs like "Surrender", "Just look at me" and "My little girl's got a full time daddy now" but the others just don't do it for me. He's rehasing old material like he always does but "Egyptian Raggae" and "lesbian bar" are here in very lackluster versions.

"Rock and Roll drummer" is just Jonathan doing what he does best best which is being dumb but this sounds like forced dumbness (yes I realize that is a ridiculous observation). This is OK, it's just not up to par, I love my life, Jonathan.

If you would like to buy any Jonathan record, this would be number 10 to buy. Go out and listen, there is much better stuff, including the latest one ("High Heels"), "I, Jonathan", "You must ask the heart" and all the albums from the 70's (the Beserkley-years). So Go Jo JO.

This album has captivated me for months. It has a great combination of energy, enthusiasm, emotion, and fun. My favorite songs are "that little sleeper car" which is so catchy and upbead it's infectious- I actually didn't know what a sleeper car was until I looked it up, and now the lyrics all make sense! I find it is fantastic that he wrote such a great song about such a topic (and it's a great moment in time when he announces the "HORNS!" he always has a great way of narrating what's going to happen :) Also, "surrender" is wonderfully touching and the way he rhymes a different word with surrender each time drives me wild! "to hide a little thought" is a remake from his previous album, and I like this version much better, it has much more energy and emotion in the delivery, and the music compliments it perfectly! "when she kisses me" and "floatin" are my other highlights, but i could listen to this album straight through, and regularly do. Tommy Larkins' drumming is right on, and all of the musicians did a great job! I love this album and I hope you all do too!

On his first album for Neil Young's Vapor label, Richman addresses his separation from his longtime wife Gail: He considers her lasting impact on his life ("Just Look at Me"), tries to figure out why she left ("Not Just a 'Plus One' on the Guest List Anymore"), muses about his growing relationship with their daughter ("My Little Girl's Got a Full-Time Daddy Now"), and expresses his general feeling of loneliness ("Satisfy"); but that's only about a third of the disc. The remainder consists of silly stuff ("Little Sleeper Car," "French Style," "Rock 'n' Roll Drummer..."), brassy, fun re-recordings (1977's "Egyptian Reggae," 1991's "When She Kisses Me," 1992's "...Lesbian Bar," 1995's "To Hide a Little Thought"), and a pair of ballads I'll discuss later.

The results are uneven but not whiplash-inducing, thanks to Jonathan's consistently warm delivery and basic rock 'n' roll sound. That sound is a little more pop-y and slick than usual here, embellished by piano, organ and (especially) horns, but Richman still sounds like himself; his voice is one-of-a-kind, and his lyrics are as funny and poignant as ever. (No matter how polished his sound becomes, he will never, ever be mistaken for, say, Phil Collins or Sting.) Worth hearing if only for "Surrender" (which has Jonathan crooning romantic advice) and "Floatin'" (a frightening dream about drifting around on a tiny raft in the middle of the ocean just as a storm is brewing, as well as a frightening dream-within-a-dream about being stuck in a plane), two of his finest ballads. (Cute cover, too.)

I would put this up with The Modern Lovers self-titled debut, Rockin' and Romance, Jonathan Sings and I, Jonathan as some of Richman's finest and most memorable recordings. "Not Just A Plus One On The Guest List Anymore", "That Little Sleeper Car", and especially "Rock 'N' Roll Drummer Straight From The Hospy-Tel" are incredibly catchy fun. "French Style" is a terrific companion piece to the earlier "Give Paris One More Chance" (which he still performs live). This disc also includes more famous songs like "Lesbian Bar" and "Egyptian Reggae". Highly recommended! Two advices: see JR live as soon and as often as possible, and look for the Jonathan Sings! CD on eBay. I don't care if you are bidding against me and driving up the price -- they turn up there every so often and it is a must-get album, especially if you like Surrender To.

As an added bonus you get 12 additional songs. There are some really good songs on this CD. My first Exposure to J.R. was on a small radio station in N.J. They kept playing a song called Road Runner. I loved the song but could never find it. Now that the Internet is here, this is my third Jonathan Richman CD. "To hide A Little thought is an excellent example of Johnathan's style. "When She Kisses Me" really rocks. But the most rockin' song is "I Was Dancing at the Lesbian Bar." This version is a little longer then other versions I've heard and he really gets down on it. Great Great Song.

This is my first introduction to Richman's music. What a pleasant surprise. The music is simple, but tasteful and witty, ranging from pure fun (e.g., "Rock and Roll Drummer" or "Lesbian Bar") to moving, such as "Full Time Daddy". Music is sparsely orchestrated, but there's generally a strong melody.

A Curious Melancholy affects me every time I play this album. "Just Look at Me" and "Floatin' ache with confusion prefiguring the adventures on the next album, "I'm so confused".
Bookending "Surrender", these two songs encapsulate the confidence a new experience can engender, and the strange sense of loss and disconnectedness that runs simultaneously.
In between the two tales, Jonathan tells his listeners of things and places and people that offer some concrete response to orient oneself during upheaval. I suggest the great man was in the throes of divorce when writing a lot of this album.
The music is at it's best during "French Style" and "Surrender" with their rich harmonics and spot on chordal work.
A surecard was placed on the baby Jonathan at birth.
Let the world and fools beguile,
We lose it not as long as we smile.
Jonathan gives and gives and America just ignores him.