These were the first recordings released by Lyres. What else do you need to know? It’s on UK label Dirty Water and listening to it is as close to the state of Garage Godhead that any of us mere mortals will reach.
Boston’s Lyres inarguably were, and probably still are, the pick of the turn-of-the-'70s US bands that went on to wear the “garage” tag. Not that you should use that term in front of Jeff Conolly (aka Monoman), the band’s leader on organ and vocals. And never append “The” to the band’s name. Just don’t.
DMZ pulled the pin in late 1978 and Lyres sprang from the ashes in early ’79. One recording session didn’t deliver what Monoman wanted, so the band went back into another studio (Intermedia, where Aerosmith recorded their first record) and gave it another shot. This single - originally issued in a run of 100 - was the result.
Both songs appeared on subsequent, more produced Lyres releases (“On Fyre” being a stone classic LP if you didn’t know already) but there’s lots to be said for these nascent versions. Re-mastered for this re-issue, they sound suitably stripped-down, urgent and fiery. And nothing like the thin sounding DMZ album.
Not much more to add other than an address where you can buy it. And the inevitable Singles Bar rating:
