Pop Music Reviews : Godfathers’ Boss Tunes an Organized Rhyme

“Plenty of boss tunes,” promised Peter Coyne, lead singer of the Godfathers during the band’s set Thursday at Club Lingerie. To a British group steeped in that country’s beat-band tradition, that’s a high standard indeed. But the Godfathers delivered on the promise, dishing up a slew of two- and three-chord rockers spiced by an occasional backing harmony or minor chord.

The best and bossest numbers were those from the group’s new album, “Unreal World,” a collage of swinging psychedelia, retro-rock and organized rhyme. If any criticism can be leveled at the Godfathers, it’s that they’re stuck in a time warp. Coyne’s two Dan Quayle jokes (themselves a bit old) were the only indication the group gave that it realizes “Shindig” is no longer on TV and the Yardbirds dropped off the charts a generation ago.

But the Godfathers, who also play tonight at Bogart’s in Long Beach and Sunday at Park Place in San Diego, are so adept at capturing the heady sound of the ‘60s they can be forgiven their lack of innovation. “Believe in Yourself” and “Drag Me Down Again” more than held their own against a faithful version of the Creation’s mod cult classic “How Does It Feel to Feel,” and the band’s encore of its proletarian anthem “Birth, School, Work, Death” fit snugly with the musical spirit of the other cover, John Lennon’s “Cold Turkey.” Flashing strobe lights during the last-named number eerily illuminated Coyne’s gaping mouth as he howled Lennon’s anguished lyrics, further adding to the ‘60s sensation.