Tomorrow I will be starting this thread on the Australian rock band The Angels. In the U.S. they were known as Angel City. They released a lot of quality rock/hard rock albums and any fan of the genre should check them out. As a small taster here is the first single released by the band that became an Aussie classic ... and there is a story for this song that we may get into tomorrow. Easy reference guide Single 1976 Am i ever going to see your face again - The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread Face To Face - 1978 The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 1 Straight Jacket The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 2 After the rain The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 3 Love takes care The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 4 Take a long line The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 5 Marseilles The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 6 Live it up The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 7 Be with you The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 8 Outcast The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 9 I ain't the one The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 10 Comin' Down The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread No Exit - 1979 - The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 1 Waiting for the world The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 2 After Dark The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 3 Save me The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 4 Shadow Boxer The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 5 Can't shake it The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 6 Out of the blue The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 7 No exit The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 8 Dawn is breaking The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 9 Mr Damage The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 10 Ivory stairs The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread Live at La Trobe University 1979 No Exit - The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread Can't Shake it - The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread Ivory Stairs - The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread Save Me - The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread Straight Jacket - The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread The Angels Greatest 1980 - Who rings the bell The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread Dark Room 1980 - The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 1 No secrets The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 2 Poor baby The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 3 Wasted sleepless nights/Dark room The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 4 Face the day The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread Face the Day live 1983 - The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 5 Night comes early The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 6 Alexander The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 7 The moment The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 8 I'm scared The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 9 Devil's gate The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread Single - Into the Heat - The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread Live at El Mocambo 1980 - The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread Night Attack 1981 - The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 1 Long Night The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 2 Runnin' Wild The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 3 Fashion and Fame The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread Fashion and Fame - The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 4 City Out Of Control The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread City out of Control live 1983? - The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 5 Night Attack The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread Fashion and fame and Night Attack live on Countdown 1981 - The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 6 Nothing to Win The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 7 Living on The Outside The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 8 Talk About You The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 9 Storm The Bastille The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread Watch The Red 1983 - The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 1 Live Lady Live The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 2 Eat City The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread Eat City Live The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 3 Shoot it Up The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 4 Easy Prey The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 5 BowWow The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 6 No Sleep In Hell The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 7 Watch the Red The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread Watch the Red Live The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 8 The Zoo/ Name Dropping The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 9 Stand Up The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 10 Is That You? The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 11 Stay Away The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread Narara 1983 - The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread Eat City The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread Comin' Down The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread Mr Damage The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread Stand Up The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread No Secrets The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread Take A Long Line The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread After The Rain The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread Shadow Boxer The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread Is That You The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread Marseilles The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread Two Minute Warning 1984 - The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 1 Small Price - The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 2 Look The Other Way The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 3 Underground The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 4 Front Page News The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 5 Gonna Leave You The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 6 Between The Eyes The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 7 Babylon The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 8 Sticky Little B!tch The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 9 Razors Edge The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 10 Run For Shelter The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread The Howling 1986 - The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 1 Did You Hurt Somebody - The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 2 When The Time Comes The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 3 Don't Waste My Time The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 4 Can't Take Anymore The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 5 Where Do You Run The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 6 Man There The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 7 Hide Your Face The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 8 We've Gotta Get Outta This Place The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 9 Standing Over You The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 10 Stonewall The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 11 All Night For You The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread track 12 Nature Of The Beast The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread Liveline 1987 - The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread - The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread Beyond Salvation 1989 - The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread Let The Night Roll On The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread Dogs Are talking The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread Rhythm Rude Girl The Angels (Angel City) - Album thread
HUGE FAN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HUGE !!!!!!!! great rock and roll band !!!! riffs / melody / great friggin music to jam to ! highly recommended ! the market is dead in the u.s. for most bands anyway, so they would be paying money to tour here, where as they sell out arenas elsewhere. its a shame here.
The Angels The Angels are an Australian rock band which formed in Adelaide in 1974 as The Keystone Angels by John Brewster on rhythm guitar and vocals, his brother Rick Brewster on lead guitar and vocals, and Bernard "Doc" Neeson on lead vocals and guitar. They were later joined by Graham "Buzz" Bidstrup on drums and vocals, and Chris Bailey on bass guitar and vocals. In 1981 Bidstrup was replaced on drums by Brent Eccles. Their studio albums on the Kent Music Report Albums Chart top 10 are No Exit (July 1979), Dark Room (June 1980), Night Attack (November 1981), Two Minute Warning (November 1984), Howling (October 1986) and Beyond Salvation(February 1990). Their top 20 singles are "No Secrets" (1980), "Into the Heat" (1981), "We Gotta Get out of This Place" (1987), "Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again" (live, 1988), "Let the Night Roll On" and "Dogs Are Talking" (both 1990). In the international market, to avoid legal problems with similarly named acts, their records have been released under the names, Angel City and later The Angels from Angel City. The Angels have been cited by Guns N' Roses, and Seattle grunge bands Pearl Jam and Nirvana, as having influenced their music. Neeson left the group in 1999 due to spinal injuries sustained in a car accident and they disbanded in the following year. Subsequently, competing versions of the group performed using the Angels name, until April 2008 when the original 1970s line-up reformed for a series of tours until 2011, when Neeson left again. Alternative versions continued with new members. The Angels were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in October 1998 with the line-up of Bailey, John and Rick Brewster, Eccles and Neeson. Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, declared that "The Angels had a profound effect on the Australian live music scene of the late 1970s/early 1980s. They helped redefine the Australian pub rock tradition... their brand of no-frills, hard-driving boogie rock attracted pub goers in unprecedented numbers. In turn, The Angels' shows raised the standard expected of live music. After 20 years on the road, the band showed little sign of easing up on the hard rock fever." Chris Bailey died on 4 April 2013, aged 62, after being diagnosed with throat cancer. Doc Neeson died on 4 June 2014, aged 67, of a brain tumour. In November 1970 future member of the Angels, John Brewster on guitar, banjo, harp, backing vocals and washboard, and his brother Rick on violin, washboard, jug, backing vocals and percussion formed the Moonshine Jug and String Band, an acoustic ensemble, in Adelaide. Fellow members were Craig Holden on guitar, Bob Petchell on banjo and harp, and Pete Thorpe on tea chest bass, bass guitar, wash tub and backing vocals. In 1971 they were joined by Belfast-born immigrant, Bernard "Doc" Neeson, on guitar and lead vocals (ex-the Innocents), an arts student and former Army sergeant, who already performed locally as Doc Talbot. The folk band gigged at local university campuses and cafes. Holden left in 1972. In 1973 Spencer Tregloan joined Moonshine Jug and String Band on banjo, kazoo, jug, tuba and backing vocals. They released their debut four-track extended play, Keep You on the Move, which made the top 5 in Adelaide. It contained a cover version of Canned Heat's "On the Road Again" and three original tracks: one written by John, one by John and Rick, and one by Neeson. It was followed in 1974 by a single, "That's All Right with Me". Both releases were on the Sphere Organisation label owned by John Woodruff, who later became the Angels' talent manager for two decades. In 2015 the group were inducted into the Adelaide Music Collective Hall of Fame. In mid-1974 Moonshine Jug and String Band changed their name to the Keystone Angels, with the line up of John Brewster on lead vocals and bass guitar, Rick on guitar, Neeson on bass guitar and vocals, Peter Christopolous (a.k.a. Charlie King) on drums and Laurie Lever on keyboards. They had switched to electric instruments and began playing 1950s rock and roll on the pub circuit. Rick later recalled "There was a cult following with The Jug Band but if we wanted any real success we had to start an electric band. So we threw ourselves in the deep end. I went from playing washboard to playing lead guitar. I hadn't even played an electric guitar before then!" During July and August 1974 they ran a series of ads in Go-Set, the national teen pop music magazine, announcing that "The Keystone Angles are coming". Lever left during that year. In January 1975 the remaining members performed, as a four-piece, at the Sunbury Pop Festival, then they supported AC/DC during a South Australian tour, and later that year they were the backing band for Chuck Berry. The Keystone Angels issued a sole single, "Keep on Dancin'", on Sphere during that year. In 1976 the Angels signed a recording deal with the Alberts label, upon the recommendation of Bon Scott and Malcolm Young (from AC/DC). The group dropped "Keystone" from their name and became simply, the Angels, and relocated to Sydney with the line-up of Neeson on lead vocals and bass guitar, King on drums, Rick on lead guitar and John Brewster on lead vocals and rhythm guitar. According to Ian McFarlane, an Australian musicologist, the group "had toughened its sound into a unique brand of beefy hard rock." The Angels' first single, "Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again", was released in April 1976, which was produced by Vanda & Young. It was co-written by the Brewsters and Neeson; which is the first of three versions of that they released as singles during their career. They made their TV debut on national pop music show, Countdown. In August King was replaced by Graham "Buzz Throckman" Bidstrup on drums. In January 1977 Chris Bailey (ex-Red Angel Panic, Headband) joined on bass guitar, which allowed Neeson to concentrate on lead vocals. Bailey had also been a member of Mount Lofty Rangers, with Bon Scott, in 1974. The band's second single, "You're a Lady Now", was released in July 1977, which was followed a month later by their self-titled debut album, The Angels – also produced and recorded by Vanda & Young at Albert Studios, Sydney. It included a re-recorded version of "Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again". Most of its ten tracks were co-written by Neeson and the Brewster brothers. Neeson's work as front man allowed the band to develop an energetic and theatrical live presence; he typically appeared on stage as a wild extrovert, dressed in a dinner suit, and sometimes a bow tie, and shaking maracas. As a foil Rick remained motionless and wore sunglasses; he has stated that Beethoven convinced him not to move on stage. ----------------------- So that's all the techo stuff. The angels first album was ok, nothing to set the world on fire. Essentially it was a band trying to find their sound to my ears. I'm not going to run through that album purely because the albums that came after are and were what defined the Angels as one of the all time great Australian pub rock bands. Now the first single "Am I Ever Gonna See Tour Face Again" grew and grew in stature as an Aussie rock anthem. The crowd and the band were so close that the band sing the title in the chorus and the crowd yell to the beat "no way, get f**ked, f**k off" it is/was one of the most brilliant and yet bizarre things (back in the day at least). It became "a thing" and always happened. I guess that's just very Aussie. Doc Neeson was a powerhouse frontman, and although not having a classically good voice, certainly brought the personality needed to all the songs. All the while bouncing around like some kind of olympic trampoline artist. scaling light towers and just generally "going off like a two bob watch". Rick Brewster may not have picked up an electric guitar before, but certainly became a very good and effective lead guitarist. As a team they managed to write very many memorable songs staying pretty much in the rock/hard rock style, but there was always a little bit of punk to the band also. I am going to go through the Australian albums. Yes like acdc there are international versions, but essentially like acdc the Australian albums are better.
Great band. I have Face To Face and Beyond Salvation on CD and Dark Room, Night Attack, and Two Minute Warning on vinyl.
Face to Face - 1978 Face to Face Studio album by The Angels Released 1 June 1978 Recorded Albert Studios, Sydney Genre Hard rock Length 36:13 Label Albert Productions Producer The Angels, Mark Opitz Singles from Face to Face "Comin' Down" Released: March 1978 "Take a Long Line" Released: July 1978 "Straight Jacket" Released: 26 August 1978 "After the Rain" Released: 27 November 1978 Face to Face is the second studio album by Australian hard rock band, the Angels, which was released in June 1978.[1][2]It was co-produced by the band with Mark Opitz,[3] which peaked at No. 18 on the Kent Music Report Albums Chart.[2] For shipment of 280,000 copies, it was accredited as 4× platinum.[1] The international version was released in March 1980 under the band name, Angel City, as a compilation of tracks from both the Australian version of Face to Face and from their third studio album, No Exit (June 1979).[1][3] It also included a re-recorded version of "Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again", which had been issued as their debut single in March 1976 from their first album, The Angels. This album was a shot in the arm to the Aussie rock scene. Like Cold Chisel (Discover Cold Chisel here ) their first album slid by without making a huge impact. The first single did have an impact but not a huge one, yet. Also like Cold Chisel did later, the band had Mark Opitz at the helm and at this point in time he was one of the premier producers in Australia. The album is pretty much b@ll$ out rock from go to whoa with a couple of lighter moments. Although often compared with acdc, the Angels definitely had their own identity and this is the album that stamped that identity on the Aussie rock scene.
Straight Jacket Instantly the bands sound comes straight out at you. Like I say, definitely a rock band, but, to me at least, an underlying punk feel throughout. Australian pub rock wasn't too far removed from the English punk think and I think that's why we never really bothered about punk too much. I think the Clash did very well, but they were far and above their peers in the field (in my opinion) This is a live version of the song from 1979. Unfortunately I can't find the studio version. Live Neeson often included strange little dialogues and here is no excpetion. Lyrics He comes from a wasteland where stones misdeed into the night they pretend they feed him, then shoot him down in the search light They're putting words in your mouth so you talk like them dressing you up in a straight jacket Wearing his straight jacket, taking his pay back in scars she lies beside him and tells him that life's not too hard They're putting words in your mouth so you talk like them dressing you up in a straight jacket Caught by the fear and the anger of all you despise wanting the feeling of eden, you've learnt how to die
After The Rain This wa an awesome live track and nobody in oz will forget the Narrara festival where the Angels just stole the show, kicking off a brilliant set with this little ditty. Great riff and tons of what would come to be Angels signatures all over it. Great rock song. Lyrics Who lies on sheets of ice Who pays for paradise After the rain After the rain Who suffers fools and freaks Who hangs in guilty cliques After the rain After the rain Somebody save me The water's rising Sweet Jesus take the blame Who knows whose star is falling After the rain After the rain Who took the gold from their teeth Who takes the ancient masterpiece After the rain After the rain Who throws the winning dice Who lies beneath the ice After the rain After the rain Somebody save me The water's rising Sweet Jesus take the blame Who knows whose star is falling After the rain After the rain
ended up on a plane sitting next to Buzz about ten years back---very nice fellow who endure my endless questions about australian rock---mental as anything, vanda-young, stevie wright etc etc
nice. saw the band fueling up at the servo (gas station) near Perth Airport one time ... I really wanted to say hi, but knew they were tired and let them be.
Doc Neeson had a lot to say and somehow they fit it all into rock songs. Take a Long Line was my second song ever , after the Sex Pistols, to grab me from the radio . Similar wordy front man with power chords behind. Hadn't thought of the similarity before. I'd suggest the call and response of Ever Gonna See Your Face Again still happens to this day. Aussie icon singalong, hahaha. Think I may have heard recently the Brewster Bros are both in the current lineup. Not 100% on that and don't know who is lead vocals. Can't even fully understand how blokes can keep rocking so long.
They were one of the earliest videos I recorded off of late night music video shows. This clip came from "Hollywood Heartbeat", IIRC:
funnily enough that back cover is to the u.s. version, which was a hybrid of face to face and no exit
Love these guys, I have the Australian Albert CDs for S/T, Face to Face, No Exit and the original releases for everything else Doc was there for.
Am I ever going to see your face again - the chant The Angels tried three times in the late 1970s and early 1980s to make a hit out of the song, Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again. In the mid-1980s an unexpected chant response, "No Way, Get ****ed, **** Off" by the audience to the question posed in the title was noticed by the group. The song had become an iconic part of Australian culture, such that the song may be played anywhere at any time in Australia with the chant sung by whatever crowds are present. Although it is the most famous audience chant in Australian rock music history, the exact origins of it are lost. In 2008 Neeson and the Brewsters tried to discover who started it. The band first heard it in Mount Isa, Queensland in 1983, and were shocked they were being told to "**** off!". Neeson asked one of the crowd who said that it originated at a police sponsored, Blue Light disco. In May 2014 Rick Brewster opined, "I don't think it will ever be solved because too many people put their hand up and said 'I started it' and we don't believe any of it. We just think it's funny, it's the bush telegraph really. The whole country was doing it and then we found when we went overseas the people in America were doing it too."
Love Takes Care Pretty straight rock song here and comes over as such. Lyrics I've seen you in the moments when I lived before And I've seen you in the courtyard of a thousand doors When I thought that you were all alone Love takes care of its own Now it's a phoney situation you bring on yourself When you start to think there's nobody else Spread your wing the sun ain't meda of stone Love takes care of its own Looking at the skyline, it's so fine This time with you This time with you Now let all the cynics laugh, they'll be the first to leave Who can suggest to the truth of make believe More than when I'm aching to the bone Love takes care of its own Well I've seen you in the moments when I lived before And I've seen you in the courtyard of a thousand doors When I thought that you were all alone Love takes care of its own Love takes care of its own
Take A Long Line I guess I should point out that all the songs on this album are credited to John Brewster, Rick Brewster and Doc Neeson. This song is probably the first song to really capture the Australian public's imagination and get the band into a bigger spotlight. Again a rock song with a bit of a punk feel to it. There is also one of John Brewster's first really beautiful melodic lead breaks. The video was recorded in the Countdown studio, and being played on countdown was very important to reach an audience other than those frequenting the pubs were Aussie bands play. Lyrics He was selling postcards from a paper stand The whiskey bottle in his withered hand Put his finger on a photo from an old magazine Saw himself in the shadow of his dream They found him with his head inside a tin-pot crown Told him his feet stank and took him downtown Called him agitator, spy and thief Shut him up in solitary third degree Take a long line Take a long line Take a long line Reel him in He tried to appeal to the king of might Said "I'm just exercising my sacred right" The king he said "You ain't got no rights You're a madman, a traitor, get outta my sight" Take a long line Take a long line Take a long line Reel him in They found him with his head inside a tin-pot crown Told him his feet stank and took him downtown Called him agitator, spy and thief Shut him up in solitary third degree Then they put him aboard a well wound whirlwind Pulled out his teeth and they told him to grin He gave them a smile, pulled out a bottle of wine And said "I never existed, you've been wasting your time" Take a long line Take a long line Take a long line Reel him in Take a long line Take a long line Take a long line Reel him in Take a long line Take a long line Take a long, long long long line Reel him in
Marseilles This song, although not a single, is probably considered a signature tune of the band. It has everything a great rock song needed back in the seventies, a great pumping chord stucture, great lyrics ("learned my french from the girl next door" was always a favourite) and some more melodic lead from Brewster ... and Doc also throwing in some french for good measure. A live staple that always went down well. Lyrics Bought me a box of french cigars Bought me a black beret Get my french from a girl next door Teaching me night and day Got me thinking 'bout the south of France Vis-a-vis vous Pack my suitcase, take a chance Got nothing to lose Gimme the sound of the rolling dice Gimme a whiskey, don't think twice Deal me the card that takes my blues away Take me away to Marseilles Fast train, jet plane, money to burn Don't ask no reasons why Drinkin' champagne, playin' cool Don't even have to try Gimme the sound of the rolling dice Gimme a whiskey, don't think twice Deal me the card that takes my blues away Take me away to Marseilles
Live it up This is probably the only non essential song on the album. It's not bad and was probably added to have a live track on the album. In Australia it was essential to be a good live band. Back in the seventies and early eighties, at least, being a killer live band was a priority. If you went to play to an Australian audience and weren't great, you would want to run away, because Aussie crowds would not take some half ar$ed attempt to play live.
Be with you It's a little disturbing how few Angels songs are on youtube ... anyway, this is an early live version of Be with you. I guess this is The Angels love song and was always very popular in Australia. Lyrics Your flashing eyes are a beacon light That guides the jet-plane in the night I just want to be with you Pick me up when I'm down Feel so good when you're around I just want to be with you It's not blue the way it's been It's not night or between It's not guilt at feeling free Takes much more to conquer me I just want to be with you There's no place, no person left Don't want to be nobody else I just want to be with you darling I just want to be with you darling
