Jonathan Richman: I, Jonathan (1992)

The Modern Lovers' self-titled debut is one of the great one-"hit" wonders of the rock era, a fantastic, timeless proto-punk album that built off the Velvet Underground's sound, while up-ending Lou Reed's tales of drugs and degradation with Jonathan Richman's at times tender, at times pointed odes to clean living, romance, and old-fashioned values.

Alas, by the time of its belated 1976 release, Richman had largely moved on.  While continuing to perform with various iterations of the...