Idolator

Even in the MP3 age, there are CDs worth searching out—that require the search. "O.O.P., We Did It Again" is dedicated to great albums that are criminally out of print—and that aren't necessarily likely to become available anytime soon.

The album: Jonathan Sings! (Sire, 1983), the fifth studio album by Jonathan Richman, with and without the Modern Lovers.

Classic material: By 1983, Richman had moved on from the brattiness of the early Modern Lovers and past the deliberately childish likes of his odes to ice cream men and Martians. Jonathan Sings! is an early highlight of his "adult" period (which continues, more or less, to this day)—clear-eyed, smartly (if simply) written songs mostly about committed relationships.

Highlights: "That Summer Feeling" is one of Richman's greatest songs, though the version here is tentative compared to the one on 1992's brilliant I, Jonathan. But the prize is "The Neighbors," in which Richman charmingly refuses to kowtow to local gossip.

Why it's out of print: Probably because it sold zilch—Richman has one of the most devoted followings in pop, but his is a small cult (with a brief bump a decade back thanks to There's Something About Mary), and despite Jonathan Sings! being a critical hit even among those not especially enamored of his post-debut Modern Lovers albums (it finished eighth in the 1983 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll), it's largely faded from collective memory.

Chances it will return to print: Pretty good, given that Rhino has been steadily reissuing the Warner Bros. catalogue's '80s holdings for the past few years. This is the kind of album tailor-made for the Rhino Handmade treatment.

Cost for a used copy: The cheapest copy on Amazon is (gulp) $51.96

Jonathan Sings! [Amazon]