More wicked good early-80s Boston garage rock

After gaining attention with their debut EP, AHS 1005, and the transcendent follow-up single “Help You Ann,” Boston’s Lyres released their first full-length album. The focus remained resolutely on catchy, stripped-down garage rock, with just a hint of psych in the tremelo guitar and whining organ tone. Singer, vocalist and organist Jeff  “Monoman” Conolly wrote just as good as he borrowed, with his new songs that intertwining easily with choice covers of the New Colony Six, Kinks, Mickey and the Clean Cuts, and Pete Best’s post-Beatles “The Way I Feel About You.” Richard Harte’s production gives the instruments fidelity and definition without forsaking the band’s garage roots, and Conolly’s voice found its spot in the mix.

Rick Coraccio’s bass is more of a throb than a rhythm, which leaves drummer Paul Murphy plenty of room for his snare and cymbals. Guitarist Danny McCormack offers up economical guitar solos that make the most of his Dynalectron’s unusual tone, and Conolly’s organ lurks behind most of the songs with high-pitched notes. Best of all, the music is relentless in its danceable rock ‘n’ roll grooves, and Conolly proves himself a tireless frontman. It was hard to top the wicked guitar riff of “Help You Ann,” but the chorus of the opening “Don’t Give It Up Now” is nearly as hypnotic.

The album has been reissued several times with varying bonuses. The original U.S. vinyl had ten tracks, augmented on the promo by “I Really Want You Right Now.” The French New Rose label issued a vinyl LP that added eight bonuses (four from the AHS 1005 EP, three from the “Someone Who’ll Treat You Right Now” EP and a cover of Pete Best’s “I’ll Try Anyway”). Matador issued a CD that added nine bonuses (five session tracks, three from the “Someone Who’ll Treat You Right Now” EP and the Pete Best cover). And here, Ace of Hearts (in conjunction with Munster) includes only the five bonus session tracks offered on the Matador release.

The session tracks include covers of the Kinks (“Never Met a Girl Like You”), Wailers (“Swing Shift”) and Roy Lee Johnson (“Busy Body”) by way of the Jolly Green Giants. The two originals, “How Could Have I Done All These Things” and “Trying Just to Please With You” are solid rockers, and fit the general vibe of the album. For collectors who’ve picked up AHS 1005 separately, the out-of-print Matador CD provides the best coverage; but if you can’t find that, this Ace of Hearts / Munster reissue is the ticket. And if you can’t find either for sale here, try direct from Ace of Hearts Records. [©2019 Hyperbolium]

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Wicked good early-80s Boston garage rock

In 1981, while many of us were still discovering the Nuggets compilation and Pebbles series, Jeff Conolly had already worked backwards and ingested garage rock’s roots. Breaking out of Boston’s rock scene with this debut four-song EP, Lyres had both the muscle and melodicism of ‘60s hitmakers like the Standells, Sonics, Chocolate Watchband and Boston’s Remains. As good as was the EP (and the concluding cover of the Hangmen’s “What a Girl Can’t Do” is really, really good), the 1983 follow-up single, “Help You Ann,” was even better. With an unforgettable guitar riff and a hypnotic lyric hook on the flip “I Really Want You Right Now,” this could easily have been a regional hit that broke through to the national charts, had it only been released in 1965.

Filling out this disc are seven tracks recorded in the summer of 1980, before the band laid down the EP. Included are early versions of all four EP tracks and the subsequent single “She Pays the Rent.” The band hadn’t fully locked into their garage groove yet, with the slower tempo and muddier production of “High on Yourself” sounding more like hard soul, and “Buried Alive” leaning more to punk at that point. The vocals have also yet to find the pocket, standing startlingly out front of “What a Girl Can’t Do.” Two lost titles include  “Ain’t Going Nowhere” and the rockabilly-styled “100 CC’s (Pure Thrust).” The demos, EP and post-EP single provide a good look at Lyres’ ramp-up to greatness (all that’s missing is the 1979 single single “How Do You Know?” b/w “Don’t Give It Up Now”). If you can’t find it for sale here, try direct from Ace of Hearts Records. [©2019 Hyperbolium

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