The Lyres

• AHS-1005 [Ace of Hearts EP, 1981] B+
• On Fyre [Ace of Hearts, 1984] B

Consumer Guide Reviews:

AHS-1005 [Ace of Hearts EP, 1981]
Are these four rather Dollsish (Johansenish, really) tracks hard-rocking, or are they the platonic ideal of hard-rocking? A close call. Which is why I'm not convinced DMZ veteran Jeff Connolly makes up for his bad rep with inspired madness--either he's not inspired enough or he's not mad enough. B+

On Fyre [Ace of Hearts, 1984]
Just like their fellow neotraditionalists in rockabilly and r&b, these pillars of garage principle set themselves the nearly impossible task of substituting magic for the real thing every track out. As the best of such bands so often do, they get off on a rousing start, in this case by marshalling their two best originals, which they keep going with the help of a couple of covers through all of side one. On side two they slow down a little, and not only isn't the result magical, it's barely rhythmic. B