The late 70's rock world was populated by fey pretty boys, and within this context that the Angels helped prime the pump for punk rock. Beginning with their debut 1976 single, "Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again," and their self-titled 1977 LP, the Angels showed great promise. However, it was with their sophomore effort, Face To Face (1978), that the Angels really announced their presence. The anger and paranoia of songs like "I Ain't The One" and "Comin' Down" were impressive, and the brisk tempo and bristling energy jibed well with the new sounds coming out of New York and London. Song for song, Face To Face is the Angels' strongest record, though the band's musicianship and studio craft continued to improve. (The American version of Face To Face - credited to Angel City - was their stateside debut; released in 1980, it compiled tracks from the band's first three Australian albums.)

The three albums that followed Face To Face - No Exit (1979), Dark Room (1980), and Night Attack (1981) - were uniformly great, some of the most intelligent, fearsome hard rock ever made. Despite that, the Angels never caught on in the United States, and 1983's Watch The Red - not their most stellar effort - was not issued here. Subsequent albums acquired a polished, metallic sheen, losing the unvarnished charm that distinguished the Angels from their peers. But unlike many of those bands - including AC/DC - the Angels didn't flame out out after their early records, continuing to release strong, consistent material for many years.

Today, the Angels remain largely unknown outside of Australia where they have long been considered a major band. For nearly two decades the group had received much acclaim internationally, and they toured worldwide with bands as renowned as the Kinks, the Pretenders, and Cheap Trick. But by 1992, with the release of Red Back Fever, their albums were distributed only in their native land; there, most (but not all) of the Angels' records remain in print. The Angels broke up in 1995, reformed in 1998 (releasing Skin & Bone), but called it quits again in 2000 when Doc Neeson retired following an auto accident. Splintered versions of the Angels continue to tour, and rumours of a reunion circulate constantly.

If you're intrigued by all this, the American version of Beyond Salvation is a good place to start. In Australia, Beyond Salvation was a completely new record, but in the U.S. it was a mix of new songs and topnotch rerecordings of their early hits from Oz. As such, Beyond Salvation represents one of the group's finest hours as well as their last, futile attempt to break into the U.S. market.

The group had been signed to a new label in America (Chrysalis), who shipped them off to Memphis, Tennessee to record with noted producer Terry Manning. There, they cut a tremendous set of new songs which ultimately became the Angels' first #1 album in Australia, spawning no less than four Top 10 singles. In Memphis, the group became local semi-legends with a series of pseudonymous gigs as Dancing Richard & The Dicks. Chrysalis, amazingly, was less than thrilled with the results, and packed them back home to re-record some early songs - hence the bowdlerized (but great) U.S. version. (Long out-of-print, Beyond Salvation shouldn't be that tough to find - try Amazon.)

Over the course of nearly 30 years, the Angels released a lot of records, and my recommendation (in the interest of time, space, money, and sanity) is to hunt down the group's first six albums - the ones recorded for Albert and Epic Records and released during the group's ascendancy. All of these records are excellent, and most aren't too hard to track down. In particular, the Australian versions of Face To Face, No Exit, Dark Room, and Night Attack are highly recommended. These albums are irrefutable proof that hard rock needn't be soft-headed; it can be inventive, clear-headed, and demanding - while furnishing a fist-pumping good time. I mean no disrespect, though, to the Angels' later albums, as each has its rewards - especially Beyond Salvation (1990), Red Back Fever (1992), and the sprawling concert souvenir, Liveline (1987).

As for "hits" collections, the Angels have released a bunch. The first came The Angels' Greatest (1980), which surveyed the group's first three albums on Albert Records, and is roughly equivalent to Their Finest Hour (1992). Greatest Vol. II (1985, later reissued as No Secrets), covers their next three albums for CBS imprint Epic. Afterwards, the Angels switched labels to Aussie independent Mushroom where they stayed through their initial breakup. Evidence (1994), which included tracks from throughout their career, capped the Mushroom era, but Greatest Hits: The Mushroom Years (1999) better summarizes this latter portion of the Angels' long run.

The Mushroom Years consists of two CD's, the first of which surveys their five original Mushroom albums, though it omits several important singles (including "Sticky Little Bitch"). The second disc reprises a set of rarities originally included with Red Back Fever (and later issued on its own as Left Hand Drive). The disc also corrals three tracks (including "Don't Need Mercy," a 1994 single) from the hard-to-find Hard Evidence Tour EP. Altogether, The Mushroom Years serves as a fine compliment to the Angels' early albums. Really great stuff - simply less essential than those raw, formative recordings.

As of this writing, the Angels have never been feted with an in-depth, career-spanning collection, and one is long overdue. Evidence (1994) took a stab at it, but Liberation Music's Wasted Sleepless Nights: The Definitive Greatest Hits (2006) nearly fits the bill. Though its 20 tracks can't really tell the story, those are nevertheless 20 incredible tracks, and Wasted Sleepless Nights serves as the single best introduction to the Angels. The really good news, however, is that Liberation, an independent Australian label, has begun reissuing the Angel's formidable catalogue, all remastered and most including bonus tracks (see more).

When shopping, however, beware; you'll face a dizzying array of imports, reissues, and collections - made even worse by the various, often incorrect way the band's name is listed. I believe, however, that you'll find the bracing music of the Angels well worth your trouble. Amazon, certainly, lists many of their CD's - most of them imported, and listed under both The Angels and Angel City. You'll find them actually in stock rather fitfully, but your purchases there help support Randy's Rodeo. If you still can't find what you need, try Australian retailers Chaos Music or Red Eye Records. Unless you live in Australia, however (which is altogether likely, if you took the time to read this far), the shipping will be steep. [top of page]