30 years ago Larry Lachman had at least one thing in common with the Larry Lachmann of today. They were both tune guys.
In the early 1980s, Larry was the lead guitarist and songwriter of New Jersey's power pop band Bounce . A four piece with a pitchy chick lead singer but a way with a pop song that made me a fan.
Bounce missed their chance. Why? No reason I can see, it just didn't happen. They were this close, and the one track that has survived (at least that has survived) suggests it could easily have gone the other way. "So Excited" is a slice of the past that plays with an exuberance we've lost over the years. It clicks really nice, bouncing(!) to an Hammond organ and a nice drum pattern. Since Larry is the guitarist and I am surprised he doesn't push it more to the forefront but he handles the lick with quiet aplomb and after the opening riff, lays back .A good song and better was in the works but… the next EP is Missing in action so until I get my hands on it, take my word for it.
The Bounce gigged for three years and then called it quits. Larry claims the best thing about being in a band, besides the girls, was his friends in the band. And if you met Lachmann, who is a remarkably nice guy, you might be excused for assuming it was his influence that made it such a pleasant experience.
Lachmann has remained on the outskirts of the music scene ever since., in the late 1980s two of his songs were picked up by Mick Jones of Foreigner fame (or is that Mark Ronson's stepdad fame?) for a hair band Mick was producing. If they had been picked up by Mick,it would have pushed him through the door even if the band didn't break. Didn't happen.
Larry currently works as a freelance studio engineer and is still writing songs. He sent me another of them the other day, "Ordinary Day", written seven years ago. Larry wrote it and produced it and played all the instruments but gave the lead vocals to the guy who play Paul McCartney in Beatlemania!! That's the show Marshall Crenshaw got his break in playing John Lennon.
The song doesn't have the addictive melody of "So Excited" and the lyric is a touch generic. But the vocal is excellent and the two guitars play off each other with a magical interlocking and the bridge is great. And the guitar lick after the bridge is even better.
If you want either song, I suggest you friend Larry Lachmann on Facebook. He is a real good guy and I am sure he will send it but otherwise, I don't know quite what Lachmann is going to do with his career.
His problem is two fold:
1. He is not a great singer.
and
2. He won't play live!
SO what he needs to do is keeping on nailing down songs this good, get a band together and play around town. There are so many places, and he is so talented, I don't see why he couldn't.
What he is probably going to do is hole up in a studio, auto tune his voice and keep on writing songs. Either way, I am so there.
So Excited: Grade: A-
Ordinary Day: Grade: B+
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