Album of the week

It's Thursday. Got a fresh suggestion for our Album of the Week:

Larry Wallis "Death in the Afternoon" (2001)

So, Larry Wallis was this legendary guitarist from the UK who really kicked things off back in the 60s. He was a pure player—never had any interest in being some massive superstar. Apparently, the whole "music as a business" thing just rubbed him the wrong way. For him, music was strictly about the art.

Back when he was starting out, he was heavily influenced by The Shadows, but he ended up playing with a huge array of bands and rubbing elbows with basically everyone in the British underground scene during the late 60s and 70s.
He played in UFO and Bloodwyn Pig, wrote tunes for Dr. Feelgood (some of which they actually covered), and worked alongside Steve Peregrin Took—who was in T. Rex—as well as his buddy from their band Shagrat. Back then, they’d have these little jam sessions at Took’s place with guys like Twink and even Syd Barrett...

But Larry really started getting noticed once he took the reins of the Pink Fairies, a group that frequently teamed up with Hawkwind for those Pink Wind projects. After that, he became part of the original Motörhead lineup and laid down their first album, "On Parole."

Later on, he collaborated with Mick Farren, producing his album "Vampires Stole My Lunch Money," which featured a killer lineup including Andy Colquhoun (from the Warsaw Pact and Pink Fairies), Chrissie Hynde (The Pretenders), Sonja Kristina (Curved Air), Wilko Johnson (Dr. Feelgood), Alan Powell (Hawkwind), and more. He also worked on the live album by The Deviants, "Human Garbage," featuring Wayne Kramer (MC5)... plus he had a great EP and the only release by The Redbirds.

He was also a major producer for Stiff Records. Honestly, just Google him to see how much else he worked with.

Sadly, aside from a few compilations of demo recordings, this is pretty much his only true solo album.

By the way, I actually swapped a few emails with Larry Wallis just a year before he passed away. He was supposed to send me some stuff, but—well, life happens.

The opening track on "Are We Having Fun Yet?" is actually a sequel or a second part to the song "When's Fun Begin?" from the Pink Fairies album. For that track, as well as "Where the Freaks Hang Out" and "Don't Mess with Dimitra," the lyrics were penned by Mick Farren.
You can definitely hear a bit of that Shadows influence on the track "El Diablos Hangin' Ten."
Then there's "Police Car," which was probably one of his most recognizable songs—a single back in '77—but here he decided to stretch it out into a 7-minute epic, whereas the original is under 4 minutes.
The final track, "Screw It," is essentially a different version of "Do It" from the first Pink Fairies album, but in this version, he's basically taking a shot at Twink. To be honest, the Pink Fairies crew and other musicians Twink worked with all pretty much say he was a total jerk, even if he was a decent musician and singer. Larry couldn't stand the guy.
I actually had Twink try to charge me 100 bucks for an interview once, so I just walked away.

Hope you guys dig it. This is a totally different vibe from that Robert Calvert stuff you all were listening to last week.

The album originally came out with 11 tracks, though Cleopatra later released a 2CD reissue with some demo bonuses and two unreleased tracks...

You can listen to the whole thing right here. Honestly, the sound quality is even better if you don't feel like using YouTube:

https://larrywallis.bandcamp.com/alb...guitarfternoon

I tried setting it up so that once a song wraps up, it just rolls straight into the next one, but it’s being stubborn—it won't work.
If you want to hear the full album, you basically have to click the video and then hit the 'YouTube' link to jump over to the actual site. I honestly have no clue why it’s acting up like this.

Metallica - Ride the Lightning (1984)

It’s more than just metal—it’s better than anything else out there.

Dennis Hall41 said:Metallica - Ride the Lightning (1984)

It’s more than just metal; it's better than the world itself.

Once you've officially covered the metal section with this album, I'll step up and cover hip hop.😁

Faust vs Dälek - massive respect, man.





Tracklist: A1 Imagine What We Started
A2 Hungry For Now
A3 Remnants
A4 Dead Lies
B1 Erratic Thoughts
B2 Bullets Need Violence
B3 Collected Twilight
B4 T-Electronique

Dälek is that experimental hip hop outfit from New Jersey that I actually caught live once, and they left a hell of an impression on me. They've moved away from that typical gangster rap nonsense and are making actual music using quality noise samples—though I was dealing with ringing in my ears for about ten days after that show. Faust is a German experimental group, so this collaboration is pretty damn interesting to me.

Madredeus - Os Dias

shimmering neofolk



Their debut arrived as a double LP, absolutely drenched in beauty and a certain deep, oceanic blue. It’s a sixteen-track voyage through the winding currents of Lusophone melodies.

Set sail through those narrow, stone-paved streets right here .

Zabranjeno pušenje - Das ist Walter (1984)



Tracklist
A1 Valter Defends Sarajevo 1:30
A2 Anarchy All Over Downtown 1:42
A3 Abid 3:40
A4 Path to the Center of the Mine 2:07
A5 Selen, Come Back, Selen 4:03
A6 I Won't Be a Sellout in a Subsidized Movie 2:30
B1 Sheki Is On The Road Again 3:35
B2 Film Soundtrack 4:09
B3 I Remember It Like It Was Today 2:07
B4 Zenica Blues 2:27
B5 The Chechens Leave... 4:13

The whole album.

https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=...IH98sNCJvEr8dQ

Easily one of the best, if not the top two, representatives of the rock scene from Sarajevo. As a band, they might be outclassed by The Indexes, but when you look at the sheer weight of this specific album... there just isn't a higher quality work out there in this context...

Lacrimas Profundere - Filthy Notes for Frozen Hearts (2006)



My Velvet Little Darkness
Again It's Over
Not to Say
No Dear Hearts
Short Glance
Filthy Notes
Sweet Caroline
An Irresistible Fault
9. To Love Her on Knees
Sad Theme for a Marriage
"Should"
My Mescaline

"Shiver" (Bonus Track)

Madredeus, beautiful. 😍

This is the album that totally changed how I listen to and experience music. It basically redefined what a 'live album' even means.
It’s living proof that incredible art doesn't come from high-end production, fancy gear, or perfect rehearsal. It comes from the artist and their ability to navigate the unpredictable and the unknown—that raw act of unplanned improvisation. Sometimes, I guess, it's actually a 'mistake' or pure frustration—struggling with a difficult, clunky, or bad instrument—that creates these rare, almost heroic compositions. And honestly, there are only a few of those out there. Every time I listen to this, it feels 'live' all over again, both for the pianist and the listener. It gives you this rare gift: just being in the moment.



Just a heads up if you decide to stream this online: most versions on YouTube aren't actually Jarrett's original performance. They're just different pianists doing reinterpretations... and if that's the case, it's simply not the actual album.
But, the first track really has that vibe .

Full album + Discogs

Mark Cruz15 said:Top tier—maybe even the best duo from the local rock scene. As a standalone band, they might get edged out by The Indices, but when you look at the albums? Nothing touches this level of quality.

I spent most of this week torn between listening to Ride the Lightning and waiting for the devil at dawn.

In my book, the only real contenders are the legends about Elvis Presley, waiting for the devil at dawn... and Greetings from Savannah.

Puscifer - Conditions of my parola (2011)



It's a side project from Keenan... honestly, maybe just perfect for this chilly, breezy spring afternoon:

Quote : Gregory Heaney of AllMusic described IT as "a fine piece of cold weather headphone music".

Arthur Brown6 said:Their debut is an immediate double vinyl, just packed with beauty and deep blue vibes. It’s a sixteen-stage voyage through the winding oceans of Lusophone music.

Sail through those cobblestone streets right here .

Haha, instead of *sail through here*, I totally read *get the hell out of here*... 🤣

Dennis Hall41 said:This week I’ve been torn between listening to Ride the Lightning and just waiting for the devil to show up at dawn.

When you consider the myths and legends surrounding Elvis Presley, or that feeling of waiting for the morning while facing the devil... plus a warm greeting from the heart of Savannah... those are really the only worthy competitors in my book.

Man, you and I are cut from the same cloth—it's a shame I'm not at least 50% gay. 😢

I’ve actually never heard of that Elvis guy, and I wasn't much of a Kurtović listener myself. As for those three Puscifer albums, they each have at least five absolute classics, so picking a single best one is almost impossible... Besides, if you ask me, there isn't a live performance out there better than theirs or Psihomodo Pop.

Metronomy - The English Riviera (2011)


1. The English Riviera
2. We Broke Free
3. Everything Goes My Way
4. The Look
5. She Wants
6. Trouble
7. The Bay
8. Loving Arm
9. Corinna
10. Some Written
11. Underlined

Queensrÿche - Operation : Mindcrime (1988)

A
1. "i Remember Now"
2. "Anarchy — x"
3. "Revolution Calling"
4. "Operation : Mindcrime"
5. "Speak \" tata" Tate, Wilton
6."Spreading The Disease"
7. "The Mission \" DeGarmo b 8." DeGarmo

B
8. "suita Sister Mary"
9. "The Needle Lies"
10. "Electric Requiem"
11. "Breaking The Silence"
12. "don't believe in Love"
13. "Waiting for 22"
14. "my Empty room"
15. "Eyes of a Stranger"

Calling nazvati Operation Mindcrime an "excellent concept album" is a bit like calling Purple Rain a great soundtrack or Raging Bull a top-tier sports movie. You wouldn't be wrong, per se, but you'd be missing the bigger picture. When it comes to Operation Mindcrime, we don't really need qualifiers like "concept" or "metal." It simply stands alone as a massive work of art.

Mark Cruz15 said:I’ve never really heard of that Elvis guy, and I didn't listen to much Kurtović back in the day. As for those three albums from Puscifer, they each have at least five classics, so picking a favorite is nearly impossible. Honestly, if you want a killer live show, nothing beats them or Psihomodo Pop.

I am totally with you on Psihomodo Pop; they are an absolute blast and so engaging when they play live.

Personally, I find Puscifer a bit tedious. That frontman kills the vibe with his endless rambling; one time I actually felt like throwing a beer at him. If I wanted to sit around listening to someone tell stories, I’d just stay home and watch some local news.

Tribute Concert for Karlo Metikoš - Josip Lisac (1995)

About one youth
I believe everything you say
I am suffering
Give me the word
Ave Maria
While I think about us
Did I ever tell you I love you
Hazarder
Fog
janini ludilo

So, there was this real dilemma: do I pick this album or the Gubec Beg record from '74?
Mostly because that version of janini ludilo on the Gubec Beg album is just miles ahead of how it sounds here. Honestly, it’s way better.
But hey, the fresh vibe Josip gave these tracks—with that full orchestral sound and all that raw emotion—really makes this one of her absolute best works.

Jason Mendoza said:I'm totally with you on Psihomodo Pop; they are such a blast and genuinely interesting when you catch them live.

Personally, I find ZP a bit of a snooze... that frontman kills the vibe with all his rambling stories. One time I actually felt like throwing a beer at him. If I wanted to sit around listening to someone talk, I’d just stay home and watch some local news or something.

Back in 2019, I hit up Coachella a couple of times and had an absolute blast. I even caught a Nele Karajlić show later that same year.

Mark Cruz15 said:I went to Pušenj a couple of times back in 2019—maybe two or three times total—and honestly, I had a blast. I also caught Nele Karajlić in concert that same year, which was pretty great too.

If I’m not mistaken, this is their 35th anniversary tour. I was at the show back when they had the flu—they were incredible—and honestly, they're top-tier for me whenever they play live. I'm not quite sure what Amanda Robinson4 is getting at regarding Seja's boring stories potentially killing the vibe of the concert, though. Maybe she’s just dealing with a bit too much of a fever, but I haven't really noticed her rambling on too much lately—or maybe I've just gotten used to it over the years and don't even notice anymore. 😁

Charles Ramos4 said:The only thing I don't get is what Amanda Robinson4 is on about regarding Seja's boring stories potentially ruining the concert? Maybe she's had a few too many drinks, but honestly, I haven't noticed her rambling on or acting out like that for years... it just doesn't hit me the same way anymore 😁

I'm not even the one saying it, Jason Mendoza is the one talking 😁