the modern lovers, 1970-1974
The Modern Lovers
Precise(r) Modern Order: a chronology, 1970-1974
a work in progress
(please comment with all corrections/memories/additions or email!)
1970
summer 1970, Boston, MA
Jonathan Richman solo demo
Waiting For the Man (Velvet Underground), Hospital, Astral Plane, Ride On Down the Highway, Cosmic Plane of the Arcane, She’s Taking the Pill For Me, Sunshine Your Eyes, Someone I Care About
10/18/70 Central Square YMCA, Cambridge, MA
possibly billed as The Highway Dance Band (with Rolf Anderson on bass), opening for The Act featuring Peter Green.
Setlist via Reddit post titled “Cambridge YMCA 1972” and captioned ‘Quite possibly their first or one of the first gigs and not yet named ‘the modern lovers’ 1972 Cambridge MA.” Later articles confirm Cambridge YMCA show with Peter Green’s Act as band’s first (see “Last of the Modern of Modern Lovers” below, also discussed here).
1971
Enter Ernie Brooks (bass) and Jerry Harrison (keyboards/guitar)
Ernie Brooks [to Legs McNeil]: “Our first gig [was] at some teen center out in Natick, Massachusetts.” Perhaps remembering this show in Newton?
4/3/71 First Church, Newton, MA
6/5/71 Commodore, Lowell, MA
with Cat’s Cradle
xx/xx/71 Cambridge Common, Cambridge, MA
xx/xx/71 Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Walk Up the Street, She Cracked, Astral Plane, The Mixer, Old World, 96 Tears (? & the Mysterians), Fly Into the Mystery, Modern World, Someone I Care About, Hospital, I’m Straight, Wake Up Sleepyheads, Don’t Let Our Youth Go To Waste, Roadrunner
9/xx/71 Intermedia Studios, Boston, MA
Roadrunner, Someone I Care About, Ride On Down the Highway, Hospital
12/1/71 Uncle Sam’s Dance Palace, Hotel Continental, Cambridge, MA
1972
xx/xx/72 Sword in the Stone, Boston, MA
Tapes labeled “Sword in the Stone” are usually a mislabeled version of Stonehenge, March ’72, see below.
xx/xx/72 Boathouse, Cambridge, MA
Tracks included on Live at the Longbranch and More
A Plea For Tenderness, Roadrunner
2/18/72 Somerville High School, Somerville, MA
2/19/72 Speakeasy, Boston, MA
3/24/72 Stonehenge, Ipswich, MA
3/25/72 Stonehenge, Ipswich, MA
3/26/72 Stonehenge, Ipswich, MA
unclear which night at Stonehenge the recording comes from
Modern World, Ride Down On the Highway, Girlfriend, She Cracked, Womanhood, Old World, Fly Into the Mystery, Dignified and Old, Pablo Picasso, Cambridge Clown, Astral Plane, Song Of Remembrance For Old Girlfriends, Such Loneliness, I Grew Up In the Suburbs, Roadrunner
4/1/72 Outer Limits, Northfield, NH
4/21/72 Long Branch Saloon, Berkeley, CA
with Earth Quake
Someone I Care About, Dance With Me, She Cracked, Hospital, Womanhood, Dignified and Old, Girlfriend, Foggy Notion (Velvet Underground), Ride On Down the Highway, Pablo Picasso
4/26/72 Whitney Studios, Glendale, CA
John Cale demos. Songs in bold included on The Modern Lovers [1976]. Discographical info via Early Jojo/Lovers Sessionography
Such Loneliness, Astral Plane, Modern World, Girlfriend, She Cracked, Roadrunner, Someone I Care About, Roadrunner, Old World, Pablo Picasso, Song of Remembrance For Old Girlfriends
4/xx/72 A&M Studios, Los Angeles, CA
Allan Mason demos, late April 1972, following Cale demos. Songs in bold included on The Modern Lovers [1976]. Discographical info via Early Jojo/Lovers Sessionography
Girlfriend, Modern World, Dignified and Old
6/xx/72 Dinky Dawson Basement Studio, Boston, MA
Kim Fowley demos. Songs in bold included on The Original Modern Lovers [1981]. Discographical info via Early Jojo/Lovers Sessionography
Roadrunner, Astral Plane, Walk On Up the Street, Don’t Let Our Youth Go To Waste, Dance With Me, I’m Straight, A Plea For Tenderness, Song of Remembrance For Old Girlfriends
6/23/72 Stone Phoenix Coffeehouse, Boston, MA
8/15/72 My Father’s Place, Roslyn, NY
opening for Screamin’ Jay Hawkins
I’m Straight
9/26/72 My Father’s Place, Roslyn, NY
with Crazy Horse
9/27/72 My Father’s Place, Roslyn, NY
with Crazy Horse
10/27/72 Radcliffe College, Cambridge, MA
I’m Dropping My Friends One By One, I Wanna Sleep In Your Arms, I’m Straight, Someone I Care About, Astral Plane, Carla, A Song Of Remembrance For Old Girlfriends, Roadrunner, Pablo Picasso, I Know I Turn Her On, Hospital, I Wanna Sleep In Your Arms, A Plea For Tenderness, Foggy Notion (Velvet Underground), I’m Straight
11/24/72 Sandy’s Concert Club, Beverly, MA
11/25/72 Sandy’s Concert Club, Beverly, MA
12/31/72 Mercer Arts Center, New York City, NY
with New York Dolls, Magic Tramps, Queen Elizabeth
Someone I Care About, Dignified and Old, She Cracked, Astral Plane
1973
1/12/73 Stone Phoenix Coffeehouse, Boston, MA
1/13/73 Stone Phoenix Coffeehouse, Boston, MA
3/16/73 Auditorium, Gloucester High School, Gloucester, MA
with Funky Potatoes
4/10/73 Inverurie Hotel, Paget, BM
4/11/73 Inverurie Hotel, Paget, BM
with Fiery Limbo Dancers
4/12/73 Inverurie Hotel, Paget, BM
4/13/73 Inverurie Hotel, Paget, BM
opening for Esso Steel Band
4/14/73 Inverurie Hotel, Paget, BM
4/17/73 Inverurie Hotel, Paget, BM
4/18/73 Inverurie Hotel, Paget, BM
with Fiery Limbo Dancers
4/19/73 Inverurie Hotel, Paget, BM
4/20/73 Inverurie Hotel, Paget, BM
opening for Esso Steel Band
4/21/73 Inverurie Hotel, Paget, BM
4/24/73 Inverurie Hotel, Paget, BM
4/25/73 Inverurie Hotel, Paget, BM
with Fiery Limbo Dancers
4/26/73 Inverurie Hotel, Paget, BM
4/27/73 Inverurie Hotel, Paget, BM
opening for Esso Steel Band
4/28/73 Inverurie Hotel, Paget, BM
5/23/73 Sandy’s Concert Club, Beverly, MA
with Joe Droukas
5/24/73 Sandy’s Concert Club, Beverly, MA
with Joe Droukas
5/25/73 Sandy’s Concert Club, Beverly, MA
with Joe Droukas
5/26/73 Sandy’s Concert Club, Beverly, MA
with Joe Droukas
7/21/73 Long Branch Saloon, Berkeley, CA
with Earth Quake
8/25/73 Swing Auditorium, San Bernardino, CA
opening for Tower of Power & Lee Michaels
Ernie Brooks (to Legs McNeil): “One of the funniest things was when we played at the Swing Auditorium in San Bernardino—the gig was set up by Warner Bros., and we played with Tower of Power in front of 10,000 people—and everyone started throwing stuff at us.”
9/1/73 Long Branch Saloon, Berkeley, CA
with Earth Quake
9/xx/73 Elektra Studios, Los Angeles, CA
John Cale LP sessions. Discographical info via Early Jojo/Lovers Sessionography
Who Knows?, Hey There Little Insect
10/xx/73 Gold Star Studios, Hollywood, CA
Kim Fowley session. Songs in bold included on The Original Modern Lovers [1981]. Discographical info via Early Jojo/Lovers Sessionography
She Cracked, I Wanna Sleep In Your Arms, Girlfriend, Roadrunner, I’m Straight, Government Center, Modern World, Fly Into the Mystery, Hospital, A Plea For Tenderness, Yea Pretty Life, Falling In Love Must Be Two Ways, Dignified and Old
10/12/73 Long Branch Saloon, Berkeley, CA
with Earth Quake
10/13/73 Long Branch Saloon, Berkeley, CA
with Rockets
11/11/73 Phil Kaufman’s Backyard, Los Angeles, CA
Kaufman’s Koffin Kaper Koncert, thrown by Phil Kaufman after his arrest for stealing Gram Parsons’ casket. With Bobby “Boris” Pickett and the Crypt Kicker 5.
1974
Exit David Robinson, replaced by Bob Turner (drums).
1/26/74 Townhouse Theater, New York City, NY
with Sidewinders. Songs mentioned in Village Voice review, unclear which night they are from, put with night 1 as placeholder.
Here We Are in Dreamland, Falling in Love Must Be Two Ways, Awkward Love, Roadrunner, Pablo Picasso
1/27/74 Townhouse Theater, New York City, NY
with Sidewinders
2/7/74 Sandy’s Concert Club, Beverly, MA
with Sidewinders
2/8/74 Sandy’s Concert Club, Beverly, MA
with Sidewinders
2/23/74 Boston Center For the Arts, Boston, MA
Boston USA, Goin’ Home, Little Latin Lupe Lu (Bill Medley), Falling In Love Must Be Two Ways, Winters Get Hard In New England, Take A Walk Around Town, Government Center, Pablo Picasso, Just Wanna Be Young, Johnny Too Bad (The Slickers), Roadrunner, Song of Remembrance For Old Girlfriends, Hey Good Lookin’ (Hank Williams)
3/1/74 Sociedad Latina, Jamaica Plain, MA
A Night At the Factory, including Hound Dog Taylor documentary and “Cosmic Cartoon”
3/15/74 Sandy’s Concert Club, Beverly, MA
3/22/74 Stone Phoenix Coffeehouse, Boston, MA
3/23/74 Stone Phoenix Coffeehouse, Boston, MA
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