In Australia the best known band remains AC/DC but prior before them you had the Easybeats to which George Young played in that band whereas Angus and Malcolm were the guitar drive in the other. You can't escape Back In Black if you can. It's everywhere.
AC/DC originally recorded for Albert Productions in Aussie land whereas Atco originally signed them (later Atlantic, then back to Atco before they awarded the masters to the highest bidder, Sony Music. A lesser known band The Angels had the AC/DC guitar sound courtesy of the Brewster brothers but it was the vivid imagery, crooning and screams of Doc Neeson that for a short time gave the Angels a rival to the Young Brothers.
The Angels recorded three albums for Albert before CBS finally took a chance and compiled the best of the songs unto the Epic 1980 album Face to Face to which they became a one hit wonder with Marseilles in 1980 to which the earliest song Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again which came from the 1976 S/T album. The Albert version of Face To Face shows a much harder rock direction with a bit of punk overtones with lead off Straight Jacket which went into Marseilles, other songs include the more punk I Aint The One, and a live version of Live It Up. No Exit the 1979 album gets slighty better production and a more melodramatic sound with Ivory Stairs, Save Me and the title track. Upon The Angels signing to Epic Albert Productions put together their very on The Angels Greatest which slightly varies from the U.S. Face To Face, the US version having a more polished sound.
Dark Room is better than No Exit (the Australian version) , with Face The Day to which Great White had a hit single but I always enjoyed The Angels version better, it also features Night Comes Early, Poor Baby, the paranoia that is Devil's Gate and the medley of Wasted Sleepless Nights/Dark Room. Again the US version differs deleting Alexander and I'm Scared in favor of a remade Ivory Steps and Straight Jacket. It sold well enough for CBS to do another album but the end result Night Attack was spotty, as if the band was looking for a hit to get on American radio. The title track was fairly good but the rest forgettable. Watch The Red wasn't even released in the US and has been considered to be their weakest album although I never heard it.
In 1984 The Angels signed with Mushroom Records down under and MCA to release what I consider to be their best album Two Minute Warning. Evil and foreboding the beginning of Underground set the stage for some hard dark rock and roll with FM played favorites Small Price, Razor's Edge and the freaky Walking To Babylon although the meddling American label put Be With You on as a potential hit single, which wasn't.
And then they lost their way, MCA dropped them soon after Two Minute Warning was released (oddly, the then Warner backed Metal Blade reissued this album in 1989) and Howling the next album again wasn't released in the US but a listen to it revealed a lack of identity. It didn't help that The Angels were adding soul chick singers, horns and more keyboards than usual. Eddie Rayner from Split Enz played keyboards on Howling. In 1988, Terry Manning took a crack at trying to produce The Angels and Chrysalis released Beyond Salvation a album that was half Beyond Salvation and the other half remakes of their 70s stuff. Pointless but the drum roll on I Ain't The One threatens to blow up the speakers. The album stiffed although two songs did get some airplay, Dogs Are Talking and the MTV played Let The Night Roll On.
You really need a score card to figure out what the hell went on with this band in the 1990s. Red Back Fever, produced with Paul Northfield (Rush, Asia) was another clash in style and basically the band was having problems with their record label which they wouldn't record until 1998. Rick Brewster produced Sking And Bone and Kevin Shirley (Journey, Joe Bonnamassa) mixed it. Skin And Bone to which was their best album since Two Minute Warning although it was never released in the US. The further complicate things Mushroom issued the very uneven The Angels Greatest Hits (the mushroom years) which cherry picks some of their albums beginning with 2 Minute Warning and adding a second CD of outtakes, live numbers and odd remixes to which Terry Manning's ZZ Top groove just didn't do the job. To which it was the final piece of the puzzle and The Angels called it a day. Before returning back to the fold a few years later,the original Angel City band got back together in 2008 but cause such a big riff that Doc Neeson bolted for a solo career and was replaced by former Screaming Jets singer Dave Gleeson. I haven't heard their lastest Take It To The Streets, nor the new effort Talk The Talk.
The original Angels reunited for the 2006 reunion tour then Neeson had another falling out with the Brewster Brothers and moved on to a band of his own, Angels 100%. However Doc Neeson's health begin to fail him and in 2010 begin to develop brain cancer to which he beat it for a time and then it came back and eventually on June 4, 2014 died from cancer at age 67. While the major music mags ignored Neeson's passing, many bands spoke in tribute of the contributions that Doc Neeson and The Angels have done to better music from down under. While in the US they're only known for Marsalies, their only hit in the US, down under they had 12 gold albums to their credit. And the replacement players (Jim Hilburn, replaced Bailey, Bob Spencer came in for John Brewster, and Brett Eccles replaced Graham Birstrup on Night Attack) were pretty good as well. At times I think the Hilburn/Eccles rhythm section really tighten up the sound on Two Minute Warning. The Birstrip/Bailey section was a bit more loose playing.
Nevertheless, when Neeson's health begin to fail him, The Brewster brothers put together a Rock for Doc concert last year to which most of Down Under's best came out to pay tribute and even Doc himself joined on stage. Doc's final recording was released last month, a reworking of Flash And The Pan's Walking In The Rain. Picking up the lead vocalist from The Screaming Jets and Sam Brewster now playing bass, The Angels continue to be a much loved band from down under although the US never embraced them (like I did). Nothing wrong with Dave Gleason being the vocalist but for myself the Angels or Angel City, it was Neeson the voice of that band.
With that said, it begin with being signed to AC/DC's label (Albert Productions) and it ended with Skin And Bone in 1998. If nothing else, The Angels were like that other band, guitar heavy riffs, straight ahead rhythm but Neeson was a more thoughtful songwriter although more darker than Bon Scott or Brian Johnson. Great White covered Face The Day and even Axl Rose paid tribute to Doc with a version of Marsalies. It's a shame The Angels never got as big in the states as their counterparts AC DC. But The Angels were a great live band with the theatrics of Neeson being the ultimate actor a added plus. And he will be missed. One of the best singers in rock music I think. And that's all you need to know.
The Albums:
The Angels (Albert) 1976 B
Face To Face (Albert) 1978 A-
No Exit (Albert) 1979 B+
The Angels Greatest (Albert) 1980 B+
Face To Face (US Epic) 1980 A
Dark Room (US Epic) 1980 A-
Night Attack (Us Epic) 1981 B
Watch The Red (Liberation 1983) C+
Two Minute Warning (MCA 1984 reissued on Metal Blade 1991) A
Howling (Liberation 1986) B-
Beyond Salvation (Chrysalis 1988) B+
Red Back Fever (Liberation 1991) B+
Live Line (Liberation 1995) B-
Skin And Bone (Shock/Liberation 1998) B+
The Angels Greatest Hits-The Mushroom Years (Mushroom Pty 1999) B-
Greatest Hits (Liberation 2011) B-
Take It To The Streets (Liberation 2012) NR
Talk The Talk (Liberation 2014) NR
Brothers, Angels And Demons (2018) NR
Symphony Of Angels (2019) NR
Chris Bailey, bass player for The Angels lost his battle with cancer on April 2, 2013, he was 62
Doc Neeson passed away from brain cancer on June 4th, 2014 aged 67.
The Angels live on. Dave Gleeson (Screaming Jets) replaced Neeson as lead vocalist. John and Rick Brewster continue to be the link to the past Angels with Sam Brewster playing bass and Nick Norton on drums. However, I have not paid much attention to the latter day Angels. While Gleason is a fine singer in his own right, it's hard to replace Doc Neeson, tho' Jim Hilburn tried his best as well. The Symphony Of Angels album is them teaming with a orchestra. Brothers, Angels And Demons goes back to the days of the Moonshine Jug And String Band and collects pre Angels music from the Brewster Brothers, leading up the today's version of the Angels. The Liberation Greatest Hits has the recording sped up and relies too much from the live album.
Out of all the band that came up form down under, The Angels got fucked. Each and every one of their US albums had remade versions from the first three albums and Beyond Salvation ended up one half of the album and side 2 greatest hits redone. MCA rejected The Howling album and basically killed Two Minute Warning when the original A and R guys that signed them up got fired. Skin And Bone was the last album to feature Doc Neeson. The Epic Face To Face remains in print and gives the argument that The Angels were the smart man's version of AC/DC. I also think that Two Minute Warning ranks up there with Dark Room and Face To Face. Had MCA promoted it better, The Angels had a chance to make it in America but in true fashion MCA didn't. And with the passing of Neeson, The Brewster Brothers turned them into a tribute band. Australia will always hold high regard for them as well as collectors in the US. As for myself, I'll stick with the original lineup.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment