Whether you called the band Angel City or The Angels or The Angels from Angel City depending on where you were from, the band had the right recipe, especially on the second to fifth records. Start with the riffs and rhythm that sounded like a knife edge, tight high-wire tension, an unmeasured menace - the kind of unheralded genius that Malcolm Young brought to the table for the first half of AC/DC's career. Add a lyrical spice rack that veers sharply from the norm 0f the late '70s and early '80s, one that sometimes seems to have more in common with Kafka, Orwell or even Dostoyevsky than chicks and cars or dragons and wizards. Straitjackets and persecution, outcasts and big brother, no exit, dark rooms, solitary confinement and not wanting to face the day - not your typical good time party rock and roll wordsmiths here.
But to top it off, The Angels had one of the most mesmerizing vocalists the earth has ever seen, Doc Neeson. He growled, he crooned, he barked, he screamed, he muttered, he machine-gunned - he very rarely just sang. Onstage, he was one of the performers that could transport you, to a seedy back alley, a white cell, an ancient castle, or just out of yourself.
Doc Neeson died June 4, 2014. I haven't found another vocalist like Doc or another band that could make a record like Face to Face, Darkroom or No Exit.
Take a Long Line
Fashion & Fame (Live)
No Secrets
Face the Day
Marseilles
Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again (Live)
Waiting for the World
Ivory Stairs (Live)
Shadowboxer
Can't Shake It
Good doc on The Angels.
The following doc is a bit sad. I don't think it focuses on what is great about the band or Neeson, but if you want to see him get sick, here ya go.
A Very Good Rascal - the Doc Neeson Story
Buy Angels/Angel City on Amazon.
Buy Angels/Angel City on iTunes.
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