No Secrets
Poor Baby
Wasted Sleepless Nights/Dark Room
Face the Day
Night Comes Early
Alexander
The Moment
I'm Scared
Devil's Gate
Discovered by AC/DC and managed by Albert Productions, The Angels were reportedly an influence on Guns N’ Roses, Pearl Jam, Nirvana and Great White, but their directionless 1977 self-titled debut did little to bother the charts. They came perilously close to quitting, but they decided to honour the shows they'd already booked, finding both their sound – punkish, streetwise rock’n’roll – and an audience.
Angels’ gigs were rowdy affairs. Their 1976 song Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again developed its own audience chant, the fans responding to the titular question by shouting: “No way, get fucked, fuck off!” And by the time the band were special guests on David Bowie’s 1978 Australian tour, their second album, Face To Face, had gone double platinum. By the end of the run it was triple.
With AC/DC spending most of their time overseas, by the time of 1979’s No Exit The Angels were the kings of the Australian music scene, but never really made it aboard, despite undertaking their first US campaign – under the name Angel City, to avoid any legal issues with the pomp-rock band Angel – after the release of 1980's Dark City. It was too little, too late.
“If we’d stayed in America we’d have cracked it,” guitarist John Brewster told us. “The record company were begging us to stay, but management said: ‘No, we’ve got to go back to Australia.’”
Every week, Album of the Week Club listens to and discusses the album in question, votes on how good it is, and publishes our findings, with the aim of giving people reliable reviews and the wider rock community the chance to contribute.
Other albums released in June 1980
- I'm a Rebel - Accept
- East - Cold Chisel
- Cultösaurus Erectus - Blue Öyster Cult
- Emotional Rescue - The Rolling Stones
- Rise Up - Peter Frampton
- Danger Zone - Sammy Hagar
- Saved - Bob Dylan
- The Game - Queen
- Metal Rendez-vous - Krokus
- Defector - Steve Hackett
- Endangered Species - Klaatu
- Head On - Samson
- Scream Dream - Ted Nugent
- There & Back - Jeff Beck
- Tomcattin' - Blackfoot
- Demolition - Girlschool
What they said...
"Dark Room continues The Angels’ run of excellent albums and in many ways is the most diverse release in the catalogue. Loosely speaking, it is fundamentally hard rock; but there are punky moments, slow moody songs, bluesy flourishes and even some prog tendencies. As always, the guitar work is excellent; great riffs and the solos ‘go somewhere’ with lots of melody." (AllMusic)
"Without a doubt, the highlight of the album is Face the Day, a perfect vehicle for Doc Neeson's brand of mental illness. Forget the Great White embarrassing bastardization, no one could do justice to this amazing declaration of schizophrenic paranoia other than Neeson. The mania in Neeson's eyes is real, my friends. Let's face it, he wasn't nicknamed the Mad Irishman for nothing." (The Ripple Effect)
"No Secrets opens this set, as fine a single as they released. Doc’s "can you please tell me what the time is" at the end is perfect, encapsulating paranoia and confusion. Wasted Sleepless Nights/Dark Room shows the more dramatic side of the band, again featuring an unforgettable melody, before Face The Day peels paint from the walls with it’s coruscating guitars and nails-scratching-glass vocals. One of their finest tracks." (100 Percent Rock)
What you said...
Mike Canoe: At first glance/listen, the Angels (aka Angel City in many international markets) seem to be another Australian band in AC/DC mode, right down to a gravel-voiced singer and two brothers (who are also the guitarists) calling the shots. The Angels definitely have the rhythmic pummel of AC/DC but also a flair for melody, guitar harmonies, and a vulnerability in the lyrics.
Like many a band not from around here, I first learned of the Angels (as Angel City) from early-MTV. The band's machinelike groove combined with Doc Neeson's energetic – bordering on manic – performance always stuck with me. Once it became easier to listen to their stuff I started checking out more of their discography.
Dark Room has lots of what I like about the Angels: vignettes about people on the margins delivered with a lot of personality backed by a tight and road tested band. Doc Neeson frequently writes from the perspective of an observer whether it's the fragile woman in No Secrets, the lonely people in Night Comes Early, or the shifting tableau of Wasted Sleepless Nights/ Dark Room.
I admit I was surprised when the familiar guitar riff of Face the Day started and I realized that Great White had covered them. In rousing closer, Devil's Gate, Neeson switches to first person as he howls, "Somebody help! I'm running out of time, devil's gate is opening on me."
Odds are I will never physically visit Australia in this lifetime. Bands like the Angels, Rose Tattoo, Hoodoo Gurus, Midnight Oil, and many more allow me to experience it vicariously through their words and music - like great bands do.
Brett Deighton: I’ve been living overseas for eleven months now, so this was great timing for this Aussie. The 1978 album, Face to Face, is one of my favourites and their best in my opinion. Dark Room has enough Brewster guitar and wailing Doc Neeson vocals to make it a solid album, but doesn’t quite hit these heights. The absolute stand out tracks are No Secrets and Face the Day, which were even better live! They were such a great live band. Thanks for the trip down memory lane. I’m cranking some more of The Angels and having some Vegemite on toast.
Greg Schwepe: “For $400, your clues are “Kangaroos, Koalas, Crocodile Dundee, Cool Accents, Lots of Great Rock Bands.”
“Alex, that’s easy, what are “The 5 Things I Like About Australia.”
“That’s correct!”
On this week’s edition of Rock and Roll Jeopardy we have The Angels Dark Room. And yet again, another Aussie band I’ve stumbled onto and wondered “man, why didn’t I find out about them sooner?”
Great album of listenable stuff that I would’ve have listened to over and over had I found it back in 1980 when it was released. Enough AC/DC crunch to get your foot tapping, but on the other end there’s enough of an “alternative college rock” vibe that I swear I would’ve played this on my radio show back in college. This album has “Velcro” as I had described in other reviews. Enough riffs, choruses, licks, and beats that stick with you. At the end of the album you’ll still be humming stuff you heard. Face The Day and Hot Sh*t are two examples of that “Velcro.”
Is it that plucky Aussie spirit that spills over into their music? I’m going to say I’ve never heard an Aussie band I didn’t like, but again, is it that infectious attitude that ended up in the grooves of this record? My list of Aussie things in the opening paragraph came to mind as I was thinking “well, of course you’re going to write cool music and lyrics, look at all the cool stuff around you down under!”
In listening to Dark Room I kind of got the same feeling that I got when I first heard INXS, Midnight Oil, The Divinyls, Men At Work, and of course the “OG” of Aussie rock… AC/DC.
Fun, rocking album. 8 out 10 on this one for me. Hmmm, wonder what a Qantas flight to Sydney would cost me?
Philip Qvist: Not a bad choice at all this week. I may not have listened to Dark Room until today, but I am aware of The Angels and was familiar with the two main singles from it, No Secrets and Face The Day - my highlights of Dark Room, along with Devil's Gate.
Dominated by their late singer Doc Neeson and the two Brewster Brothers on guitars, this band and album certainly rocks. It might not be the greatest-ever album to have come out of Australia, but it is a more than decent album, with no duds on it. A 7 from me for this week.
Adam Ranger: I'm really not familiar with The Angels, so it's always good to hear something new. On first listen I like what I hear. Solid new wave rock mixed with more traditional pub rock'n'roll. A sort of Boomtown Rats /Dr Feelgood mashup?
Some great guitar work throughout. Will bear another listen or two, and will investigate some of their other stuff.
John Davidson: Totally unfamiliar with the band and the album before today, so thanks for the introduction. The sound is very much rooted in the new wave /garage rock styles of the late 70s and early 80s ( as opposed to NWONHM).
Dr feelgood meets the psychedelic furs (but without the sax). It's enjoyable without being outstanding.
Final score: 7.07 (30 votes cast, total score 212)
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