Listening to Transmission makes it impossible to not think of Roadrunner.
I think this Sex Pistols version was part of Johnny’s audition to be in the band. Of historical interest because his vocals rock even though he doesn’t know the words to the song, and the band is pretty tight.
Jones, Cook and Matlock make anything sound at least decent. The Modern Lovers were an unheard legend for us for a long time. They played a New York gig opening for the Dolls at the Mercer on New Year’s Eve ’72-73. I wasn’t there but the word of mouth was impressed, and we would see them mentioned in Creem and Rock Scene, etc. They recorded in 1972 but the songs were not released until about 1976, so they had a lot to live up to and to me only Roadrunner ever measured up. Jonathan Richman was the prototype for David Byrne and the nerd rockers in his wake. I heard he used to busk in Boston, shouting out “I’m not stoned!” and “I’m not a hippie!” to passers by.
If there’s one thing we’ll forever have to agree to disagree on, Gene, it’s John Lydon/Rotten. I love him, although I’ll admit he was horrible on that Hawkwind song.
I think that first Modern Lovers is great, almost through and through. C’mon Gene, you don’t like “Astral Plane” “Hospital”? Not even “Pablo Picasso”?
I can’t hear the word avacado without thinking of “Pablo Picasso.”
I enjoy those songs in a minor kinda way. And I think Johnny Rotten was great, when he was great, which is for six or seven Pistols songs. Most of Public Image Ltd. was made to be unlistenable so I say “OK” and don’t listen. I’m sure he wrote some of the great Pistols’ lines but I’m equally sure he didn’t write all of them, or even most of them. With the original Pistols he’s great on stage too, how I wish I had seen them at the 100 Club. But nowadays he reminds me of no one more than Professor Irwin Corey. “The World’s Greatest Authority,” he began every show with “However…”