JONATHAN RICHMAN - SONGS FOR LAURA 1974
June 18, 2013 – 4:49 am
Click on the panels for a better view or to download artwork.
JONATHAN RICHMAN
Songs For Laura 1974 [no label, 1CD]
“VG homemade recording.”
“This is an interesting piece of “curiosa”. In 1998, Brad, a member of the old Jonathan mailing list, was playing a CD of his favorite artist when his girlfriend named Laura came to his place and said “this sounds like Jonathan”. Sure it did, Laura explained that she had got a recorded cassette from that guy Jonathan ages ago (24 years actually) and had never realized he was a singer, but she managed to find the tape for Brad who distributed it to the other members of the mailing list. The recording and production is homemade by Jonathan, his mike falls down once in a while. If you ever dreamed of hearing Jonathan singing “I’m singing in the rain” , here it is.” VG homemade recording.
The background to this disc is fascinating - the music even more so. In 1974, after all, Richman was both mourning the end of his Warner Brothers career, and anticipating the rebirth that would be spelled out by Beserkley. The performances here, however, can best be described as demos of demos, starkly cracked acoustic run-throughs of what were obviously his latest compositions. Plus a version of “Singing In The Rain” that might as well be one.
“Government Center,” “New Teller” and “Kumbaya” bookend a handful of unfamiliar numbers - one about thunderbolts, one about a girlfriend’s pristine honesty, one about meeting her parents, and so on… and all interspersed with asides to the tape’s recipient, Laura, Richman’s comments on the songs, and even an apology for the trials of trying to find a place to balance the microphone. “You have no idea how difficult this is!”
A very prototypical “Ice Cream Man” is revealed in “Hi Fred,” while Richman’s love of oldies explodes through “Flying Saucers Rock ‘n’ Roll,” complete with unscheduled broken string incident. Eleven songs altogether, and as pure and personal a performance as any Richman set you could name. A magical discovery! - Dave Thompson
Note: Music writer Dave Thompson has a new book out. On June 1st 1974, the Rainbow Theatre in London hosted the first ever performance by what was (at least by those folk who’d heard of the artists) described as the greatest supergroup of the era. Thompson’s book, June 1st 1974: Kevin Ayers, John Cale, Nico, Eno, Mike Oldfield and Robert Wyatt: The Greatest Supergroup of the Seventies, is about the historic gig on the day and its ramifications. Click here to order the book from Amazon.
Thanks to the person who shared this on the net in 2006.
Click on the highlighted tracks to download the MP3s (192 kbps). As far as we can ascertain, these tracks have never been officially released on CD.
Please Do Not Hammer The Links. Due to the size of some of the files, please be very patient when downloading the tracks. It could be that the server was very busy. The tracks should still be around. Please try again later. Kindly email us at [email protected] if you encounter persistent problems downloading the files.
Track 01. Government Center (3.8MB)
Track 02. The New Teller (3.3MB)
Track 03. Thunderbolts of Joy (5.4MB)
Track 04. Honest Dear (4.6MB)
Track 05. Singin’ in the Rain (5.3MB)
Track 06. So Much Respect (1.9MB)
Track 07. The Heavens Love Me (3.3MB)
Track 08. Kumbaya (3.2MB)
Track 09. Hi Fred (3.0MB)
Track 10. Flying Saucers Rock and Roll (3.1MB)
Track 11. Laura’s Song (2.3MB)
27 mins
Click here to order Jonathan Richman releases.
+ + + + +
+ + + + +
Click here for more shows that are still open for sharing.
Click here for closed shows.
(Readers can email us a request to reopen closed shows.)
8 Responses to “JONATHAN RICHMAN - SONGS FOR LAURA 1974”
pure magic
By Diamond Doug on Jun 18, 2013
Laura Palmer?????
By Stevo on Jun 18, 2013
do yer fine self a favour and listen to this billy lee riley version of flying saucers rock and roll..makes the one here sound silly.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIlYMPeA0sg
By dropkick sarge on Jun 18, 2013
I gave cassettes to lots of girls, and it didn’t work for me, either.
Oh well, at least Laura didn’t throw it away. Thanks for sharing this Big O—it’s a fun and very personal recording.
And Stevo is right about “Flying Saucers Rock-n-roll”. What a surprise–a silly-sounding Jonathan Richman dong!
By Eric on Jun 19, 2013
isn`t laura palmer from twin peaks?
how about some of that angelo badalamenti dig down deep gutty guitar that they used to open the show with. sounded like duane eddy on morphine.
cool and heavy with coffee and pie, lots of pie.
By the real drop down d on Jun 19, 2013
There’s something about Laura?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5vHRMtEDZU
Oh yeah, thanks for this download!
By Cameron Dumbass on Jun 25, 2013
While there are currently many commercial real estate options in
the Philippines, many major corporations often chose to locate their businesses inside biggest
business districts within the country. Its well-linked infrastructure and a robust economy have made corporate houses build
businesses here. All eyes take presctiption the White House to determine
if Obama’s job plan get Republican approval to stimulate the work market; however, many Democrats strongly believe that Obama’s job plan doesn’t provide nearly enough funding to accomplish precisely what it takes to help with true economic recovery.
By sacramento commercial real estate on Jul 29, 2013