Surrender to Jonathan!
Studio album by
Jonathan Richman
Released1996
LabelVapor
ProducerAndy Paley
Jonathan Richman chronology
You Must Ask the Heart
(1995)		 Surrender to Jonathan!
(1996)		 I'm So Confused
(1998)

Surrender to Jonathan! is an album by the American musician Jonathan Richman, released in 1996.[1][2] Richman was the first musician signed to Neil Young's Vapor Records.[3] Richman supported the album by touring with a full band.[4]

Production

Recorded in Southern California, the album was produced by Andy Paley.[5][6] Richman recorded the album once he had enough songs, and during a break from his touring schedule; he does not record songs on a deadline.[7][8] Some of the album's songs were inspired by Richman's divorce.[9] Richman played an Epiphone Emperor guitar.[10]

Richman used organ and horns on "I Was Dancing in the Lesbian Bar" and "Not Just a 'Plus One' on the Guest List Anymore".[11] "Egyptian Reggae" is a remake of an older Richman song.[12]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[13]
Calgary Herald[14]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[12]
Entertainment WeeklyB[15]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[16]
(The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide[17]

The Chicago Tribune deemed the album "typically blithe" and "a thoroughly swinging dose of tuneful good cheer."[18] The Vancouver Sun opined that "Richman concocts more odd choruses from things most of us couldn't say aloud, let alone sing."[19] The Calgary Herald determined that Richman's "simple rock 'n' roll has become increasingly simplistic and his cute musings increasingly moronic."[14]

The Globe and Mail noted that Richman has "managed to reach [age] 45 without sounding a single cynical note in his life."[20] Stereo Review determined that the "songwriting here is more consistent than usual, bringing the usual half-classic/half-throwaway ratio up to at least 60/40."[21] Trouser Press stated that "Surrender" "is one of the most touching songs Richman has ever written."[22]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Just Look at Me" 
2."Not Just a 'Plus One' on the Guest List Anymore" 
3."That Little Sleeper Car" 
4."French Style" 
5."Surrender" 
6."I Was Dancing in the Lesbian Bar" 
7."To Hide a Little Thought" 
8."Egyptian Reggae" 
9."When She Kisses Me" 
10."Satisfy" 
11."Rock 'N' Roll Drummer Straight from the Hospy-Tel" 
12."My Little Girl's Got a Full Time Daddy Now" 
13."Floatin'" 

References

  1. ↑ "A Master of Simple, Subtle Songs". Features Weekend. The Philadelphia Inquirer. 5 Apr 1996. p. 16.
  2. ↑ Dickinson, Chris (24 Oct 1996). "Surrendering to the Song". Get Out. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 7.
  3. ↑ Catlin, Roger (10 Oct 1996). "Album Review". Calendar. Hartford Courant. p. 4.
  4. ↑ "Surrender to Jonathan". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 11 Apr 1996. p. B7.
  5. ↑ Gettelman, Parry (7 Feb 1997). "Inside Jonathan Richman's Head". Calendar. Orlando Sentinel. p. 7.
  6. ↑ Bessman, Jim (Jul 27, 1996). "Jonathan Richman issues his 'Surrender' on Vapor". Billboard. 108 (30): 10.
  7. ↑ Rodriguez, Kenn (8 Nov 1996). "Richman finds fortune on stage, not in studio". Albuquerque Journal. p. E18.
  8. ↑ Sullivan, Jim (6 Mar 1997). "Roadrunner Returns". Calendar. The Boston Globe. p. 28.
  9. ↑ Russell, Richard (7 Feb 1997). "Richman Makes Pointed Observations on Life". Ticket. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. p. 8.
  10. ↑ Dalton, Nic (6 June 1997). "Richman, Quiet, Please". Metro. The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 6.
  11. ↑ DeMarco, Jerry (22 Nov 1996). "The New Wave in Reconstruction". Previews. The Record. Bergen County. p. 8.
  12. 1 2 Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 7. MUZE. p. 15.
  13. ↑ "Surrender to Jonathan Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  14. 1 2 Muretich, James (29 Sep 1996). "New Releases". Calgary Herald. p. D2.
  15. ↑ Schinder, Scott. "Surrender to Jonathan". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  16. ↑ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 942.
  17. ↑ (The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon and Schuster. 2004. p. 690.
  18. ↑ Reger, Rick (27 Sep 1996). "Jonathan Richman, Wednesday and Thursday at Lounge Ax". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. O.
  19. ↑ Monk, Katherine (28 Sep 1996). "The late-30s mellowing of three rockers". Vancouver Sun. p. C14.
  20. ↑ Dafoe, Chris (18 Oct 1996). "Recordings". The Globe and Mail. p. C3.
  21. ↑ Milano, Brett (Feb 1997). "Surrender to Jonathan!". Stereo Review. 62 (2): 136.
  22. ↑ "Jonathan Richman (and the Modern Lovers)". Trouser Press. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
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