3 Stars
Audio CD (paid link)
The band Angel was discovered playing in a club by entrepreneur/bass player for Kiss, Gene Simmonds.
Under his wing, the band were set up for stardom. The band were all dressed up in gleaming white from head to toe. (Kiss predominately wore black.) Feathered long black hair with an abundance of bright streaks, impossibly high platform boots, an expense account for makeup that would have supported a small city, and that was just the band members!
Two of them could really play too. Punky Meadows not only had a great handle, but he could play like the Devil! Fast and flash. Gregg Giuffria was a keyboard wizard on an equal par with any of his peers at the time. The money now available allowed him to wig out on all the keyboard furniture his heart desired.
They were signed by Casablanca Records (also the home of Kiss), and a stage setting was built like none other for a new band. Full of turrets, spires, bridges and secret passageways for the band to dive in and out of. Which must have been a little embarrassing when Angel was a support band!
The band’s arrival on stage was historic, and itself took over five minutes as each member of the band was introduced by the booming voice of a God before he was beamed down from the heavens onto the stage. All great fun. Of course, also inspiring a scene in Rockumentary Spinal Tap.
Why Angel did not take teenage America and then the world by storm is all a bit fraught. Straight away the press hated them with a vengeance, never missing an opportunity to pile ridicule upon them. Even Frank Zappa took exception upon their feminine appearance, writing a song about them: ‘Punky’s Whips.’
Between 1975 and 1979, five albums were released—only two of them bothered the American Billboard Top 100, and they meant less than nothing to the rest of the world. With only a desolately lonely hit single, ‘Ain’t Gonna Eat My Heart Out Anymore,’ which got to Number 44 on the Billboard Singles chart, and that was a cover of the old Young Rascals hit.
Thereby hangs the main problem. Why did the management at Casablanca simply not bring in a songwriter to give the boys a sound and direction?
After the five studio album flops and with debts rapidly rising, Casablanca decided that the ‘Alive’ double album broke Kiss into the big time after their first studio albums had not fared well. So, concerts were recorded in preparation for a live album.
But it was too late for Angel.
The only really melodic song in the set is a cover of the David Bowie song which he had kick-started Mott the Hoople’s career with ‘All The Young Dudes.’
Unbelievably, the decision was taken to cut out most of the theatrics from the set. So, the big bombastic opening with the band being introduced is left on the cutting room floor. (You have to go to the bootlegs to get this.) The crowd was mixed well down; in fact, all the interplay between the gods, band and audience are left off, putting the emphasis on the songs themselves, not actually what was required. There are also long solos from all the musicians, fine in the live setting but does not bear repeated listening. Frank DeMino’s voice also rather lets him down on the more up-tempo rock numbers. Him being more of a crooner than a belter.
After its release and failure, the band split up and went their separate ways. It was all rather fun but a bit of a hopeless project.
Worth having a listen to as a period piece.
Unbelievably in 2019, a band called Angel featuring Frank DiMino and Punky Meadows recorded and released an album called ‘Risen’ to a rapturous reception from the music press.
Strange thing, this music business.
Written by Angel Mott The Dog from the Heavenly Darkside of Pattaya.
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