A Bootleg CD circulating on Wild Child Records (?) The cover describes the recording as "unreleased demo version with bonus tracks". It seems likely that these recordings were done at Sunset Studios, Burbank, in Autumn 1981. (see Tim Mitchell's Book, 'There's Something About Jonathan' - page 132). Most of the recordings are very similar to those that were released on "Jonathan Sings!" , though a couple didn't make it onto the record.

Jonathan Sing's Demos (1981)

Jonathan Sing's Demos

Loads of unusual songs here, Jonathan's very chatty and joking throughout and everybody's having a great time. Lots of interaction between him and what is a pretty lively audience. A great show!

1983 Feb 14 Los Angeles USA Uncle Charlies

Jerry

I believe he is referring to the Roman god "Pan", the god of nature-like things: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_(god). So, maybe the grammar should be: "I'm Your God, Pan". He keeps his Pan-Pipe ready for Pan-Melodies! He lives in the woods...not much to steal...but those colors well, those colors are real (natural)

JR Fan 1

JR is the man!  He lives near my family.  I want to wear his socks

Also known as "I Can't Stand To See People With Their Feeling's Hurt"

A super fun show and one of the best we have! Lots of jokes, fooling around, and an unusual song list, plus, towards the end of the show Jonathan's joined on stage by The Baltimores, for a great version of......... well, what else but ........ The Baltimores!Jonathan at his very best!!!!

This show has also been listed as September 27 1985

1983 Mar 19 Santa Monica USA McCabes Guitar Shop

1983 Aug 27 Melbourne Australia Dallas Brooks Hall

The very first JR song I ever heard. I heard Hospital on the radio around 1976 or so. That got me hooked for life.

1983 Oct 7 Amherst Bluewall USA University of Massachusetts

Sweet!!! Someone referenced this page: http://www.boiseweekly.com/Cobweb/archives/2012/06/01/jonathan-richman-is-the-crazy-uncle-you-wish-you-had

1983 Oct 9 Bloomfield The Dirt Club

One of the best sounding shows I have of The Modern Lovers from the early 1980's.Jonathan doesn't introduce all the band members so can't be sure of the full line-up tonight, but the performers included 'The Rockin' Robins' (Beth and Ellie), Curly Keranan, and Carla Brownlee on Saxophone. Carla's Sax is put to full use throughout and some of the songs have never sounded better

"This Kind of Music", and "Hospital" are cut

1983 Oct 10 Boston USA Jonathan Swifts

With (among others) Carla Brownlee, Curly Keranan, Ellie Marshall, and Jamie Hawkins (?)

I've been to The Bottom Line a few times back in the 70's. I saw Billy Joel,Patti Smith and Elliot Murphy there.

That Patti Smith show must have been amazing

1983 Oct 11 New York City USA The Bottom Line

With Curley & Ellie, and probably Jonathans Saxophone.

"Vincent Van Gogh" starts halfway through the song

1983 Nov 15 San Diego USA San Diego State University

Personal highlights are 'I'm a Jerk' and a really nice and long 'Affection'.Deservedly Excellent.

The Penthouse Radio Show (1983)

The Penthouse Radio Show

cover files availableWith Jonathan on Sax and Curly Keranen on Acoustic Bass: no guitars! 

1983 Portland USA Reed College

Really solid album. One of his best and one of my favorites.Love The Tag Game.

Listening to Jonathan Sings right now. Depending on your speakers this album sounds so good on a decent system. Especially his vocals.

It's funny because I agree with you Jerry...but JR himself would disagree!

There are so many songs that could have ended up on this album but ended up on future albums...Vincent Van Gogh, Miracles Will Start To Happen, New Kind of Neighborhood...

Jonathan Sings! (1983)

Jonathan Sings!

With Jonathan, Curly & Ellie Marshall. A few faults with the original taping : every once and a while the microphone seems to be getting a bit of a knock which then affects the recording levels for the next 30 seconds. This doesn't happen too much at the start though it's a lot more noticeable for the last 10 minutes.

"There is No Squiltage" and "There is No Abomination" are very short

1984 Aug 3 Edinburgh UK Queens Hall

Jonathan breaks a string mid set and then spends the best part of the next 10 minutes taking time out telling jokes, the jokes are awful but the delivery's great  - Our kids really like the frog joke!

1986 Sep 5 Chicago USA Holsteins Folk Club

The single version of this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMmSH-628jI

1986 Dec 6 Berkeley USA California Berkley Square

VinnieQ

i always wanted to hear the full version of CornerStore from the film Kingpin, but i never found it..

A great show with Brennan Totten & Johnny Avila. A really lively one this one, the band is on top form: full of enthusiasm, and playing to a highly excited crowd. Some excellent guitar work is here too, especially on 'Chewing gum wrapper' and 'Conga Drums' - this is by far the best version of 'Conga Drums' that I've yet heard.Unfortunately, the tape runs out near the end of 'Walter Johnson', the shows second encore, just a couple of lines short of what would have been the end; so unfortunately, the recording comes to a bit of an abrupt ending - this though is probably the only slight flaw with the recording.Has a great atmosphere of an excellent show, superbly captured!!!!!

1987 Mar 27 Kansas City USA Parody Hall

With Brennan Totten, Johnny Avila and a lot of Sax!

1987 May 5 Scottsdale USA Anderson's 5th Estate

This song was written in the studio during the recording of "Modern Lover's 88"

1988 Jan 27 Aarhus Denmark Huset

1988 Feb 4 Hamburg Germany Logo

1988 Mar 3 Brussels Belgium Ancienne Belgique

With Johnny Avila & Brennan Totten; includes a great sounding 'Affection' peppered with ad libs. 

1988 Mar 5 Manchester UK Manchester University

Last date of the tour before the band are heading home to the states, and a fun show it is too! including a great version of  'Hospital'. Brennan Totten, guitar, and Johnny Avila, drums. At the end of the show Jonathan can be heard throwing cards out into the audience, imploring people to use them to write him - "I always write back, sometimes it takes a while, but I write back!"

1988 Mar 6 London UK Town and Country Club

A cracking show that includes an excellent and completely unknown song... 'Wild Wild Party', never seen it listed anywhere before... as well as a very early version of 'You can't talk to the Dude' introduced as a brand new song...  and with very different lyrics too. Recommended.

1988 Apr 7 Athens USA

This could be one of most rare fully-formed Jonathan Richman songs. As tantalizing as "A Little Boy In My Heart" and "I Don't Want No More Nuclear Power"

Jonathan's pretty talkative tonight with a very lively audience that's only too willing to join in with the songs wherever possible. A super show for all, that ends with Jonathan saying how much he's enjoyed himself, unusually he's more than happy to do several encore's on this one. S. E. Rogie comes on stage as guest to sing 'African Lady', one of Sooliman's songs that's usually covered by Jonathan as an instrumental. 

1988 Jun 28 London UK Mean Fiddler

A nice show this one, a bunch of instrumentals performed near the beginning and a great version of 'Closer'.'Fender Stratocaster' and 'Make a Mistake' are both described as new songs.

1988 Nov 3 Toronto Canada

A pretty interactive and friendly show with some nice chat between songs too, and an especially nice moment when a woman joins Jonathan up on stage, unexpectedly, part way through 'Affection'.Some slight background hiss during the early part but this fades away part way though. 

1988 Nov 9 Boston Cambridge USA Nightstage

From an FM broadcast " O3 Musicbox Live "  Austrian Radio (ORF). With Brennan Totten & Johnny Avila.With Brennan Totten & Johnny Avila.

1988 Feb 9 Vienna Austria Szene Wien

1990 Oct 3 Hildesheim Germany Vier Linden

I love it when JR writes songs about real people. Velvet Underground,Pablo Picasso,Walter Johnson, etc.

1990 Savannah USA

This show has the most songs of any show in this database

1991 Feb 13 Bloomington USA

It's a great solo show, of very good quality, and a new one to me. The only small flaw that I've noticed is at about 3 minutes 15 into 'This Kind of Music'. There's a 1/2 second bit where some crowd noise, or something like that, cuts in over the top of the song, the track then continues as normal. That's how the CD arrived. Also, this show could be from the 10th August or 8th October, 1991, as it came labeled 10/8/91; I've gone for the August date here, but maybe someone has a ticket stub or flyer which would confirm the date either way?

1991 Aug 10 Stockholm Sweden Daily's Bar

1991 Oct 30 Binghamton USA S.U.N.Y. Binghamton

A great recording - apart from it being a bit quiet - and an excellent solo show. Jonathan's in a great mood throughout and has loads of fun with the audience.

1991 Nov 12 Columbus USA Staches

1991 Nov 15 Bloomington USA Second Story

1992 Jan 30 New Orleans USA Tipitinas

A strange JR song. Dark and almost evil sounding at times. Unless I'm missing the point of the song entirely. It wouldn't be the first time!

Yeah, this one and The Neighbors are both dark. Still not completely sure if I really get them...and I've heard them both countless times!

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Those Conga Drums