Customer Reviews

Promise Is a Promise

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It's hard to top two of the best, fiercest rock'n'roll albums ever made (1984's "On Fyre" and 1986's "Lyres Lyres"), and compared to those two discs, Jeff Conolly's ensuing record was kind of a letdown when it came out in '88. But with the passage of time, the album is a cut above most of what "rock" has devolved into since (maybe The Hives aside).

Fellow reviewer K.C. Fennessy has already listed the many covers and their origins (Monoman has always had good taste in covers), so no need to rehash. The "buyer beware" isn't a ripoff alert; rather, it's an alert that different versions of the CD have different extra tracks.

Amazon and Fennessy have the 16 tracks from the Matador reissue listed, and that's what I thought I was buying. Instead, I got a copy of a reissue from the Georgia label Fundamental Music, which has 21 tracks. It has five extra live tracks (origin not listed, but I think they showed up on some Ace of Hearts singles in the late '80s), all live Lyres staples: "Jezebel" (The Teddy Boys''64 raveup of Frankie Laine), "Go-Go Girl" (a tear through Marc Bolan's "Mustang Ford"), "Help You Ann," "Don't Give It Up Now" and another Sonics standard, "Cinderella" (which Jeff's been doing since his DMZ days). All are loud and distorted for your listening pleasure. Just be warned: It sounds like Conolly was messed up that night (not uncommon, which is why I stopped going to live Lyres shows), and this version of "Don't Give It Up Now" finds him ad-libbing a crass line about sex and AIDS.

Also, "We Sell Soul" is on the Matador re-release, but not the Fundamental CD. But the song, a 5-star version of Roky Erickson's first A-side with The Spades, first appeared on the cassette version (though not the CD) of the 1990 Warner Bros. Erickson tribute, "Where the Pyramid Meets the Eye," and can also be found on two '90s Lyres CDs on Taang!: The EP "Nobody But Lyres" and the full-length collection "Some Lyres."

"A Promise is a Promise" combines old, new, studio, and live material--both original and covers--from Boston's legendary garage-rock combo. Tracks 1-12 were recorded in New York, 13-15 live at VPRO in Holland (before a radio audience), and 16 live in France. Despite the crazy quilt impression, it all hangs together surprisingly well, as the performances are universally tight and energetic. Interestingly, there are two versions, both live and studio, of "She's Got Eyes That Tell Lies" by Him & the Others (there is no duplication otherwise). Other notable covers include "You'll Never Do It Baby" (the Pretty Things), "Running Through the Night" (the Mystic Tide), "Jagged Time Lapse" (John's Children, Marc Bolan's pre-T-Rex outfit), "Touch" (the Bristols) with Wally Tax, and "Witch" (the Sonics). Also worth noting: Stiv Bators (the Dead Boys) guests on opening track, "Here's a Heart." "A Promise is a Promise" isn't necessarily the best starting point for the Lyres neophyte, but for those who already know and love "On Fyre" and "Lyres Lyres," it's a worthy addition to their collection.

Rather than the three-cord melodies of their previous work, these Boston garage legends expand their musical universe a bit. The songs become a bit longer (we have an instrumental, too) and complex, and the liner notes (at least on the LP version) were a neat collection of photos and a "family tree" diagram of the band's storied history.

A few much-needed live tunes are also thrown in on the CD version, including a cover of the Sonics' "The Witch."

this album has very mitch mitchell style drumming with a very musical and creative clean guitar. THe bass shows much talent by putting in complicated basslines that still revolve around the song so it fits well. THe vocals do a good job of flowing with the music but his voice could show more expression.