By general consensus, the Remains were the best garage punk band Boston produced in the mid ’60s. They opened for the Beatles a few times and made two killer singles, " Don’t Look Back " and " Why Do I Cry. " Leader Barry Tashian then did a major about-face and moved to Nashville, where he played with Emmylou Harris in the ’70s; he’s since cut a string of acoustic albums with his wife, Holly. The original band quietly got back together in the early ’90s and played the Paradise twice. Now they’ve cut their first album in 35 years — not counting reissues and compilations, it’s only their second overall.

The good news is, it sounds exactly like a Remains album, maybe a bit slower and less manic for the years, but still rock solid. Even in their day, the Remains were more polished and melodic than most of their garage-band peers — it was no coincidence that that they opened for the Beatles rather than the Stones. The years in Nashville have left their mark on Tashian, whose songs all have a country edge: they’re the sort of tunes that Hank Jr. or Travis Tritt could cover with different production. But the Remains’ old energy kicks in more than once, and producer Angelo Petraglia (former Bostonian and Face to Face member) keeps it live and ’60s-sounding. " Big Ol’ Dynaflow " and " A Man’s Best Friend Is His Automobile " pay obvious homage to Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley, a reminder that garage rock had its rootsy influences. But the disc’s real standout is the opening " Don’t Tell Me the Truth, " a ’60s nugget in the style of the band’s two original hits, with tambourines ringing and Farfisas wailing. Perhaps it’s no coincidence that the song is co-credited to Daniel Tashian, Barry’s son. You take your youthful energy where you can get it.