Known briefly as Angel City in the States, where their first four albums were released, but hideously promoted by CBS/Epic Records, Australia's The Angels were, for a time, a band worthy of so much more Stateside acclaim than they ever received.
One need only witness this jarringly triumphant live performance by the band in 1979 to realize just how criminal the level of negligence was in the CBS radio promotion and marketing departments. This was, after all, the label who refused to release Cheap Trick's At Budokan in the States until grass roots radio airplay and popular demand forced their hand.
Sadly, there is no such story attached to The Angels, er, Angel City's tenure with the label despite three albums (Face To Face, Dark Room, and Night Attack) packed to the very brim with worthy radio-ready contenders like "No Secrets", "Poor Baby", "Devil's Gate", and "Face The Day" (which Great White had the good sense to cover, albeit atrociously), among others.
How could a label not devote full resources to promoting a band who seemingly had it all: a compellingly theatrical frontman in Doc Neeson, the razor-sharp twin guitars of brothers Rick and John Brewster, and a rock solid rhythm section propelled by human drum clinic Buzz Bidstrup.
If such a line-up reminds you just a tad of Bon Scott-era AC/DC, you're not alone. The band was actually signed to the same Albert Productions in Australia that put AC/DC on the map. Of course, AC/DC's own experiences with their stateside label (Atlantic Records) were initially rocky as well as the label refused to release the now-iconic 1976 album Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap album until after Bon Scott's untimely death.
Despite such obstacles in the U.S. market, the Angels, er, Angel City, er The Angels From Angel City (yes, that's the name their final U.S. album, Beyond Salvation, would be released under) would take two more runs at the proverbial windmill of stateside fame and fortune before retreating back to their native Australia once and for all.
Thankfully, at least their homeland appreciated them, where, despite numerous personnel changes and break-ups, they remained one of the country's most popular rock bands until Doc Neeson's passing in 2014.
This live document from 1979 isn't just a brief glimpse at a great band at the top of their game, its a startling reminder of how even a great band firing on all cylinders is no match for major label incompetence.
Sadly, in such cases, it's the fans who never know what they missed until it's too late.
Tags:
bands we missed