Rating: 5 Stars
Audio CD (paid link)
Larry Wallis is Rock ‘n’ Roll. Quite simply put, he is the hard rock equivalent of Hank Marvin, along with Jeff Beck, the guv’nor of axe slingers. Like a top mercenary, Lazza has slung his weapon in many places, including Blodwyn Pig, U.F.O., Wayne Kramer, was the original and easily the greatest guitarist with Motorhead (listen to their debut album On Parole, it literally crushes skulls), was a Deviant, a Shagrat, with Steve Peregrin Took, and of course one of the Pink Fairies, despite their name, Britain’s favorite biker band.
Fifteen years went by since the last true Fairies album in 1987, the fabulous Kill’em and Eat’em. But everyone knew Lazza still had it. So the arrival of Death In The Guitarafternoon was welcomed with open hearts by the devotees.
If you like guitar driven power trio rock, low down, dirty, sleazy rawk and roll, with snarled, vicious vocals, guitar licks that kick you straight in the head, guitar solos that make you realize why guitars are called axes, a bass guitarist that drives every song into your brain, every bass player should be called Big George, a drummer who has never heard the word subtle, you have a sense of humour and like a good time, then this is the album for you.
Don’t expect anything politically correct, you aren’t goner get it. ‘Meatman’ will have all the do-gooders reaching for pen and paper writing to Dear Daniel to be signed ‘Outraged of Tooting’, steak tartare anyone? No overdubs, no keyboards, no-nonsense, just good ole rock ‘n’ roll party music. This is the sort of thing rock ‘n’ roll was invented for.
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In the early seventies, Lazza used to concentrate on short sharp shocks of songs like ‘City Kids’ or ‘Seeing Double.’ The marvelous hook choruses are still there, but with a new maturity. Some of the songs are allowed to develop into masterworks of the electric guitar. This is perhaps best shown in ‘I’m A Police Car,’ a song first released by Larry Wallis in 1977 in the midst of punk rock as a single on the newly formed Stiff Label. The greatest hit single that never was.
Larry Wallis was one of the star attractions on the Stiff Live Stiffs tour that toured Britain in 1977, including Reckless Eric, Elvis Costello, Dave Edmunds, Nick Lowe and Ian Dury & the Blockheads. Oh, for a time machine! On Death In The Guitarafternoon (correct spelling) in 2002, Larry has gone back and completely refined the song, gloriously stretching it out to a full seven minutes, forty-four seconds. Same song, same riff, just brought screaming up to date.
The Pink Fairies, Hawkwind, and Mott the Hoople were probably the only established bands that still had street credibility when punk rock arrived on the scene, and that attitude still holds true with Larry Wallis today. You don’t even have to hear the songs to know this is a potentially great album, just look at the song titles and the cartoon artwork.
‘How Do You Creep’ is a wonderful rant against old Fairy Twink, who Lazza had a beef with at the time. ‘Dead Man Riding’ is a guitar-driven workout reflecting ghost riders, ‘Mrs Hippy Burning’ will have them jumpin’ in the aisles at Tahitian Queen’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Happy Hour on Fridays or any other day.
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When the album was re-released, it was a pleasure to get a whole new CD of outtakes and alternative versions, all of which are further meat to the grist.
Double your pleasure.
I shall leave you with Lazza’s words on the album cover, “This is my band, who can dish it out, gobble it up, and deep fry the cook for good measure. These men are not normal.”
Sadly, Lazza decided that he had had enough of this planet and headed off into space in 2019, probably where he had come from. We will be lucky to see his like again.
Musicians:
Larry (Lazza) Wallis – Guitar & Vocals
Big George Webley – Bass Axe and Prowl-Car growling
Wayne Casserly – Drums and Extreme Body Art
Tracks Listing:
2. Crying All Night
3. Dead Man Riding
4. Downtown Jury
5. El Diablo’s Hangin’ Ten
6. Where The Freaks Hang Out
7. Don’t Mess With Dimitri
8. Meatman
9. Mrs Hippy Burning
11. How Do You Creep?
Bonus CD
1 Old Enuff To Know Better
2 Crying All Night (Alternative Version)
3 Forgotten Night (Saturday Mix)
4 Screw It
5 Dead Man (Original Version)
6 Mrs. Hippy Burning (Alternative Version)
7 Don’t Fuck With Dimitri (Original Version)
8 R We Having Fun? (Original Version)
9 Downtown (Original Version)
10 Meatman (Alternative Version)
Written by Mott the Dog
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