A really good recording and something of rarity from this time. Tonight's and the following nights recording are solo performances, a lot of fun, and full of spontaneity. An added bonus too is the inclusion of  a rare recording of 'I Don't Want No Nuclear Power Plants (in My Life)', a song once planned to be released as a single with the Beserkley label. This release never came to be and the song quickly dropped from Jonathans live shows.

1979 Jul 13 Chicago USA Gaspars

JR Fan 1

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

Jerry

Highly recommended! Previously listed here as 'Unreleased Lost Elpee, 1980'. These seem be better identified as the eight-track demos that were recorded at Perfect Crime Studios during late summer of 1979 (see Tim Mitchell's book 'There's Something About Jonathan' - page 124). 

The Lost LP (1979)

The Lost LP

With Beth Harrington, Ellie Marshall, Ken Forfia, Michael Guardabascio, and Curly Keranen.

There are a few faults with the recording of "Walter Johnson" on this one

1981 Nov 18 New York City USA The Bottom Line

A solo show in the main, except for a few songs with 'the Rockin Robins' on each set, joined by Andy Paley on piano for 'Up In The Sky Sometime'.

1982 Mar 2 Boston Cambridge USA Jonathan Swifts

Recently got hold of this one, and guess what... it's as good as the following nights show.And a couple of  very rare songs too.

http://haystackpudding.com/MP3/d2497f80.html

1982 Mar 20 New York City USA The Other End

cover files available     This is a great little show! It sounds really intimate and of the 16 songs Jonathan plays 6 that I've only heard here (well maybe one or two exist on a couple of other live shows but the performance here is spot on). This is one of my favorites and listened to lots.

1982 Mar 21 New York City The Other End

I'd have probably graded this one as excellent if it hadn't have been for some very occasional loss of sound in one channel. With a few unusual songs choices that don't get performed too often, and a very unusual end of show poem...

1982 May 5 St. Louis USA Mississippi Nights

With the Modern Lovers and Beth and Ellie (The Rockin' Robins)

1982 Sep 24 Boston USA The Channel

1982 Oct 23 New Orleans USA Tupelos Tavern

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

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

Excellent recording made for Radio-Bellevue, recorded through the soundboard and mixed on-the-fly, incorporating a couple of  ambience microphones standing in front of the stage. With Ellie Marshall and Curly Keranen.

http://haystackpudding.com/MP3/3f3da275.html

1984 Jul 12 Lyon France West Side Club

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

1985 Apr 25 San Francisco USA Last Day Saloon

VinnieQ

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

1985 Jun 3 Bremen Germany Shauberg

Jonathan with Asa Brebner and Andy Paley.

William McQueen Opened.Ticket price was $8. http://www.bottomlinecabaret.com/tline_index.html

1985 Aug 6 New York City USA The Bottom Line

A great and hugely extended 'This kind of Music', something like 15 minutes in total, adds to a very memorable performance. 

1985 Sep 27 Santa Monica USA

Excellent apart from a couple of songs where Jonathan's singing away from the microphone. 

1985 St. Louis USA Heartbreak Club

Not a weak track here. 14 solid songs. One of his best easily.

After years of deliberating with myself...this one always ends up being my favorite JR album. Favorite song: "Now Is Better Than Before"

Rockin' & Romance (1985)

Rockin' & Romance

1986 Jan 21 San Diego USA The Spirit

A very low key and relaxed performance with some great guitar playing, particularly on 'That Summer Feeling' and 'Everything's got to be right'.

From http://haystackpudding.com/MP3/ddb96478.html:Jonathan was in a really good mood as he played at Holsteins, the now defunct sit-down folk club on Lincoln Avenue. Holsteins was run by the Holstein brothers, Fred and Ed, who were folk musicians themselves. It was a great place to see a show, and it was on the same side of the street as where Lounge Ax later stood, about a block north. The club was long and not wide,

1986 Sep 5 Chicago USA Holsteins Folk Club

http://haystackpudding.com/MP3/bf79337b.html

1987 Jan 25 San Diego USA Saigon Palace

1987 Feb 27 Chicago USA Holsteins Folk Club

1987 Mar 15 NY USA Knitting Factory

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

1987 Dec 26 San Francisco USA The Fillmore

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

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

1988 Sep 10 Tokyo Japan

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

Jonathan's pretty chatty tonight... inviting questions from the audience, etc, more so during the first set than the second. There's an interesting explanation of why 'Roadrunner' doesn't get performed much anymore and also an early embryonic version of You Can't Talk to the Dude'.

"Roadrunner" is a short instrumental version

1988 Nov 14 Columbus USA Staches

A Radio broadcast of the full show, quite long, at about 1 1/2 hours and with many encores. The Spanish presenters do chip in quite a bit between some songs, but nothing too much and the show isn't spoilt . A very good recording!

1988 Dec 5 Sevilla Spain Discoteca Rio

Our first recording that we got from a friend years ago, until recently this was the only live recording we had too. It's a great show as well and another favorite, 'Ring of Fire for Sweden!!!!' (You'll know what I mean when you hear it - it's a very funny recording!)

1989 Dec London UK Subterranea Club

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

This album has grown on me over the years.

This has the most "clean sheet" feel of the rounder albums...took me a couple listens to start to really hear it though. I have grown to really enjoy and appreciate this record

Very short though. Under 30 minutes I believe.

You Must Ask the Heart (1995)

You Must Ask the Heart

She's not so scary she's got all of my records! 

The term "Vampire Girl" has entered into my natural dialect because of this song

2004 Nov 4 Des Moines USA Vaudeville Mews

Doesn't seem to get played much anymore, but I love this song

This show and the ones directly below and above it were recorded by the same taper... they're all high quality recordings, each of them but, of the three, this one sounds the best, to my ears anyway. The atmosphere is just better somehow, so the performance has moved up a notch... What are the highlights?Well 'El Joven se Estremece', and 'Joy over Sorrow' are both sounding terrific tonight...