The Angels (Australian band)

Infobox musical artist |
Name = The Angels


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Background = group_or_band
Alias = Angel City
The Angels From Angel City
Origin = Adelaide, Australia
Genre = Hard rock, punk rock
Years_active = 1974 – 2000, 2008 to present
Label = Mushroom Records, Epic Records, Liberation Music, CBS, Albert Productions
Associated_acts = The Party Boys
GANGgajang
Red Phoenix
Mount Lofty Rangers
URL = [http://www.theangels.com.au/ Official website]
Current_members = Doc Neeson John Brewster Rick Brewster Chris Bailey Graham "Buzz" Bidstrup
Past_members = Jim Hilbun Brent Eccles Bob Spencer James Morley Charlie King

The Angels are a hard rock band that formed in Adelaide, Australia in 1970. The band later relocated from Adelaide to Sydney and enjoyed huge local success until well into the 1990s. For the purposes of international release, their records were released under the names Angel City and later The Angels From Angel City. Since 2001, the band's former members have toured and recorded under various names including Members of the Angels and The Original Angels Band. Due to a court injunction lodged by former vocalist Bernard "Doc" Neeson, the band name The Angels can no longer be used as of 31 August 2007.

In 2006, The Angels were featured on a postage stamp for Australia Post as part of their "Australian Rock Posters, The Stamps" collection. [ [http://www.auspost.com.au/BCP/0,1467,CH4380~MO19,00.html - Australian Rock Posters The Stamps "(Australia Post)"] ]

It was announced on April 18, 2008 that Doc Neeson & The Angels have reformed.

History

Early years

In November 1970, brothers Rick and John Brewster formed The Moonshine Jug and String Band. In 1971 the band was joined by Belfast-born Doc Neeson, an arts student and former Army sergeant and already a prominent figure on the Adelaide music scene. The band performed at university campuses and in 1973 released their debut EP "Keep You on the Move", which made the top 5 in Adelaide. This was followed in 1974 by the single "That's All Right With Me". Both these releases were on John Woodruff's Sphere label. Woodruff went on to become the band's manager for most of its career.

In 1974 they changed their name to The Keystone Angels, switched to electric instruments and began playing 1950s rock and roll on the pub circuit. In July 1974, just before Go-Set magazine ceased publication, a number of small ads started appearing weekly announcing "The KEYSTONE ANGELS are coming", possibly the first mention of the band in an Australian national rock music publication. [Go-Set magazine: (13.7.74) page 14. small insert “The KEYSTONE ANGELS are coming”, repeated page 18, and for the next few weeks] In 1975 the band supported AC/DC during a South Australian tour, and later performed as the backing band for Chuck Berry. [ [http://www.abc.net.au/longway/artist_index/angels.htm Long Way to the Top - Stories and Highlights of the band since 1974] - via ABC Long Way To The Top website]

1970s

In 1975, on the recommendation of Bon Scott and Malcolm Young from AC/DC, the band was offered a recording deal with the Alberts label. They dropped "Keystone" from their name and became simply "The Angels". As this point the band was a four-piece with Neeson on bass guitar, Charlie King (Peter Christopolous) on drums, Rick Brewster on lead guitars and John Brewster on lead vocals and rhythm guitar.

The Angels' first single, "Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again", was released in April 1976. The Angels made their debut TV appearance on "Countdown". Later in the year, Charlie King, at the time AWOL from the army, was replaced by Graham "Buzz Throckman" Bidstrup on the drums. This would be the first of three different versions of the song the band released as singles throughout their career.

July 1977 saw the release of the band's second single, "You're A Lady Now", followed a month later by their self-titled debut LP, "The Angels". By now Chris Bailey had joined the band on bass, allowing Neeson to concentrate on vocals. Bailey had been a member of [http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/m/mountloftyrangers.html Mount Lofty Rangers] with Bon Scott in 1974. They released "Round and Round", later remixed by Vince Lovegrove as "Round and Round and Round" in 1996. Neeson's move to specialist frontman allowed the band to develop an energetic and theatrical live presence. Neeson would typically appear on stage as a wild extrovert, dressed in a tuxedo and shaking maracas. As a foil, Rick Brewster would remain motionless, his head cocked to one side, for the entire performance. 1978's "Face to Face" album reached #16 in November and stayed on the Australian charts for 79 weeks. Mark Opitz engineered, and along with The Angels, co-produced the album. Peter Ledger, who designed the cover, won Best Australian Album Cover Design Award. "Face to Face" produced the band's first hit single, "Take a Long Line", which has gone on to become one of the Angels' most-recognised songs. In November, the band supported David Bowie on his first Australian tour, resulting in The Tour EP 7" single.

"No Exit", issued in June 1979, entered the Australian album chart at #8 upon its release and again at #15 in September. George Young contributed as a backing vocalist. In October 1979, Albert released the "Out Of The Blue" EP, featuring the third version of "Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again" in three years.

On New Year's Eve 1979, the band performed in front of almost 100,000 people on the steps of the Sydney Opera House. Their show, however, was cut short when a riot broke out in the audience. Doc Neeson was hit on the head with a sign and Chris Bailey was knocked unconscious by a flying bottle and hospitalised.

1980s

The band signed an international contract with CBS Records and released, in March 1980, "Face to Face", a compilation of tracks from the Australian "Face to Face" and "No Exit" albums, on the Epic label. The band billed itself as Angel City to avoid legal problems with the Casablanca Records' act Angel.

"Dark Room", produced by the Brewster brothers, was released in June 1980. The overseas version of this album featured re-recorded versions of "Ivory Stairs" and "Straight Jacket" in place of "Alexander" and "I'm Scared". American band Great White would later cover "Face The Day", from this LP as well as "Can't Shake It" from "Face to Face".

In March 1981, drummer Graham Bidstrup left the band, reportedly due to non-musical differences, and was replaced by New Zealander Brent Eccles. Bidstrup joined The Party Boys in 1983 and later formed GANGgajang. The "Never So Live" EP, issued in October, received heavy airplay and on the strength of the new song "Fashion And Fame" went to sell some 80,000 copies. In November 1981 "Night Attack", produced by Ed Thacker and the Brewsters, was released.

The band's third international album, "Night Attack" included a remixed version of "Back On You", previously only available on the flipside of the "Into The Heat" single. Early in 1982, it became apparent Chris Bailey would be unable to tour with the band in the US; American Jim Hilbun was recruited as replacement.

In May 1983, "Watch The Red", produced by The Angels and engineered by Andrew Scott and Al Wright, was issued. The first single release, "Stand Up", written by Hilbun, was a success. The album, critically acclaimed for its musical inventiveness, featured saxophone leads from Hilbun, John Brewster on lead vocals for one track, and even a piano accordion. A great deal of the material was also derived from a 40 minute jam-session, including an instrumental track and totally improvised lyrics from Neeson. The recording of the album was also dogged by a fire that gutted the recording studio, almost destroying the master tapes.

In November 1984, the "Two Minute Warning" album was released following a three-month recording session in Los Angeles. The American version of the album, on MCA, included a new version of the 1978 song "Be With You", which would become The Angels' last commercially available single in the United States. Metal Blade Records re-issued the album in 1990. Unfortunately for the band, an internal personnel purge at MCA meant that "Two Minute Warning" received no support from the label. MCA would later reject The Angels' next album.

As Angel City, they performed four songs for the 1985 Oz for Africa concert (part of the global Live Aid program) - "Small Price", "Eat City", "Underground", "Take a Long Line". It was broadcast in Australia (on both Seven Network and Nine Network) and on MTV in the US.cite web |url=http://liveaid.free.fr/pages/ozforafrika-uk.html |title="Oz for Africa" |publisher=liveaid.free.fr |accessdate=2008-03-12 ]

John Brewster was fired from the band in late 1985. In his place, the band hired ex-Skyhooks guitarist Bob Spencer in March 1986. In October of the same year "Howling" was released on the band's new label Mushroom Records. This album included a cover version of The Animals hit, "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place" which, at #6, became the band's highest charting single up to that point. John Brewster joined The Party Boys in the meantime and stayed with them until 1989.

In December 1987, the double live album "Liveline" was released. The collection spanned ten years of the band's career. The majority of the album was recorded at the Bankstown RSL Club in Sydney, with some tracks taken from earlier tours featuring John Brewster. The CD version of "Liveline" included several songs not included on the vinyl release. A live version of "Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again" was issued as a single, as was a medley of "Love Takes Care" and "Be With You". Following the success of the album, The Angels embarked on a massive tour of Australia with a lengthy two-hour set that covered the entire history of the group.

Chrysalis Records in the US issued "Beyond Salvation" (the band now billing itself as The Angels From Angel City) in November 1989. It included four new songs, three of which would later appear on the Australian version of the album, and new recordings of the classics "I Ain't The One", "Can't Shake It", "Who Rings The Bell", "City Out of Control" and "Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again", none of which was made available in Australia. Alan Niven was signed on as manager of the band's affairs in the US. At the time, Niven was also managing Great White and Guns N' Roses. Jim Hilbun left during these recording sessions and was replaced by Australian James Morley on bass. Alan Niven bailed out soon after.

1990s

In June 1990, "Beyond Salvation" was released and became the band's first and only No. 1 album. Produced by Terry Manning, the LP spawned five successful singles, including "Dogs are Talking" and "Backstreet Pickup". The flipside of "Dogs are Talking" featured demo tracks by three new Australian bands that The Angels had chosen to support them on their upcoming tour, including The Desert Cats, The Hurricanes and the John Woodruff-managed Baby Animals. The Angels then hit the road on their "Beyond Salvation" Tour with Cheap Trick as supporting act. The video for "Backstreet Pickup" was filmed the day the band were told of the album reaching number one on the charts and shows a very buoyant and enthusiastic band performing for the cameras.

"Red Back Fever", parts of which were recorded in Memphis during the "Beyond Salvation" sessions, was released in November 1991. The band toured for two years, and the song "Tear Me Apart" was included a multi-million dollar government campaign highlighting alcohol related violence. In July 1992 Mushroom re-issued "Red Back Fever / Left Hand Drive" as a two CD set.

In 1992, both Bob Spencer and James Morley left the band. The next year, the New Zealand chapter of the Hells Angels asked the band to perform for them; to this end, the remaining members asked John Brewster and Jim Hilbun to return, and thus the classic line-up of Brewster-Neeson-Brewster-Eccles-Hilbun was reunited. They immediately set out to write new material. The first results of this collaboration were included on "Evidence", a career-spanning collection of the band's hits.

In 1993, the band performed at a one-off gig at the University of Western Sydney, with The Angels co-headlining with The Screaming Jets. Other bands on the bill for the night included Mental as Anything, Peter Wells (formerly of Rose Tattoo) and one other small band from Tasmania.

In April 1995, "The Hard Evidence Tour EP" was issued to coincide with the Barbed Wire Ball tour, a national tour that also featured The Screaming Jets, The Poor and Who's Guilty. The band then took a break from recording and touring, reconvening in mid-1996 at Darling Harbour studios for the start of what would become the sessions for their last studio album.

The Angels hit the road with The Lounge Lizard Tour with Angry Anderson from Rose Tattoo and Ross Wilson from Mondo Rock and Daddy Cool in July 1997. The band backed each singer acoustically through classics from their respective bands. On 13 August 1997, The Angels signed a recording deal with Shock Records in Australia. A new single, "Caught in the Night", followed in October and a new album, "Skin & Bone", in March of 1998. Though moderately successful, the album was nominated by ARIA as one of the year's best Australian recordings. On 20 October 1998, The Angels were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame by Angry Anderson. [ [http://www.aria.com.au/pages/hall-of-fame.htm ARIA Icons: Hall of Fame] ] In November 1998 the band performed a brief set at the Concert of the Century in Melbourne to celebrate Mushroom Records' 25th anniversary.

In February 1999, "Live Line - Definitive Digital Remaster" was released. It was a two-CD set that contained ten bonus tracks, recorded between 1981 and 1983.

On New Year's Eve, 1999, The Angels performed what would be their last concert at the MGM Grand Darwin Millennium Concert. Doc Neeson announced his departure from the band following a major car accident that left him with neck and spinal injuries.

2000s

With Neeson's departure, the band effectively ceased. In November 2000, Shock Records reissued "Left Hand Drive". The following year, the ABC featured The Angels in its music series program "Long Way To The Top". [ [http://www.abc.net.au/longway/episode_4/ Long Way To The Top] Beserk Warriors 1973-1981 ("Episode 4")]

In March 2001, The Angels reformed as Members of The Angels with John and Rick Brewster, Buzz Bidstrup, Chris Bailey and Jim Hilbun on lead vocals for The Ted Mulry Benefit Concert [ [http://www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/222967 Gimme Ted - The Ted Mulry Benefit Concert] ] (released on video as "Gimme Ted"). This name was used in line with an agreement made with Neeson not to call the band The Angels. [http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,22340233-5006009,00.html "Doc Neeson wins battle of the band" "Daily Telegraph" 1 September 2007] On 24 June 2002, Shock issued "The Complete Sessions 1980-1983", a 4-CD box set collection of the band's recorded output from the period between the "Dark Room" and "Watch the Red" albums. Around this time, Brewster, Brewster, Bailey and Bidtrup began touring as The Original Angels Band, a name they continued to use until November 2006. In the meantime, Neeson, Hilbun and Westfield chief executive David Lowy formed Red Phoenix who released an album and toured briefly during 2005.

In July 2006, Liberation reissued The Angels' catalogue. Albums included: "Dark Room", "Night Attack", "Watch the Red", "Two Minute Warning", "Howling", "Beyond Salvation", "Red Back Fever", and "Wasted Sleepless Night - The Definitive Greatest Hits"Fact|date=May 2007.

On 4 December 2006, Live At The Basement [ [http://www.play4me.com.au/product/live_at_the_basement_729907_4262.html Live at The Basement] ] was released, containing all the classics recorded by the line-up of Brewster, Bailey, Bidstrup and Brewster. This group was now once again using the name The Angels, apparently dishonouring their agreement with Neeson, leading to the singer taking legal action to prevent them using it [ [http://www.theage.com.au/news/entertainment/angels-fight-for-a-name/2007/08/29/1188067191911.html Angels fight for a name - Entertainment - theage.com.au ] ] . [http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,22340233-5006009,00.html "Doc Neeson wins battle of the band"] Neeson toured as Doc Neeson's Angels, with a line-up that included Hilbun, Lowy, Dave Leslie (ex-Baby Animals) and Paul Wheeler (ex-Icehouse) who was later replaced by Mick Skelton. [http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,21956352-2902,00.html "Doc's ready to rock" "Herald Sun" 24 June 2007] Neeson released the album "Acoustic Sessions" featuring Jim Hilbun, Dave Leslie and Tim Powles on percussion and production through Liberation Blue on 1 September 2007. The Brewster-led band meanwhile released the EP "Ivory Stairs". It was assumed that Neeson's successful action would mean this line-up must bill itself as The Angels Band.

In October 2007 Neeson and band toured the Middle East playing 13 shows in 16 days for Australian servicemen and women in Afghanistan, Kuwait and other countries in the region.Fact|date=November 2007

In November 2007 on Rockwiz on SBS, Doc Neeson claimed the origins of the audience chanting "No way, get fucked, fuck off" as the response to the line "Am I ever gonna see your face again?" was from a DJ at the Mt Isa Blue Light Disco (a youth activity run by the local police).

Wasted Sleepless Nights [ [http://www.play4me.com.au/product/wasted_sleepless_nights_the_videos_1490512_4262.html Wasted Sleepless Nights - The Videos] ] was released on 11 July. It included live footage never before released and tracks recorded live from ABC's Studio 22.

Undercover [http://www.undercover.com.au/News-Story.aspx?id=4611Undercover.com.au] announced the reunion of Doc Neeson with the Brewster brothers, Chris Bailey and Buzz Bidstrup on April 17, 2008

On April 18, 2008, www.ozmusicscene.com announced that Doc Neeson had reunited with John Brewster, Rick Brewster, Chris Bailey, and Graham Bidstrup. The reformed band played a string of dates in July 2008 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their seminal album, Face to Face.

Band lineups

1975 - 1976
*Doc Neeson (bass, vocals)
*John Brewster, (rhythm guitar, vocals)
*Peter Christopolous, known as Charlie King (drums)
*Rick Brewster (lead guitar, vocals)

August 1976
*Graham "Buzz" Bidstrup (drums, vocals)
*John Brewster (rhythm guitar, vocals)
*Rick Brewster (lead guitar, vocals)
*Doc Neeson (bass, vocals)January 1977 - March 1981
*Chris Bailey (bass)
*Graham "Buzz" Bidstrup (drums, vocals)
*John Brewster (rhythm guitar, vocals)
*Rick Brewster (lead guitar, vocals)
*Doc Neeson (lead vocals)March 1981 - April 1982
*Chris Bailey (bass, vocals)
*John Brewster (rhythm guitar, vocals)
*Rick Brewster (lead guitar, vocals)
*Brent Eccles (drums)
*Doc Neeson (lead vocals)April 1982 - February 1985
*John Brewster (rhythm guitar, vocals)
*Rick Brewster (lead guitar, vocals)
*Brent Eccles (drums)
*Jim Hilbun (bass, vocals, sax, keyboards)
*Doc Neeson (lead vocals)March 1985 - July 1989
*Rick Brewster (lead guitar, vocals)
*Brent Eccles (drums)
*Jim Hilbun (bass, vocals, sax, keyboards)
*Doc Neeson (lead vocals)
*Bob Spencer (rhythm guitar, vocals)1990 - 1992
*Rick Brewster (lead guitar, vocals)
*Brent Eccles (drums)
*James Morley (bass, vocals)
*Doc Neeson (lead vocals)
*Bob Spencer (rhythm guitar, vocals)1993 - January 2000
*John Brewster (rhythm guitar, vocals)
*Rick Brewster (lead guitar, vocals)
*Brent Eccles (drums)
*Jim Hilbun (bass, vocals, sax, keyboards)
*Doc Neeson (lead vocals)

Members of The Angels - March 2001
*John Brewster (rhythm guitar, vocals)
*Rick Brewster (lead guitar, vocals)
*Brent Eccles (drums)
*Jim Hilbun (lead vocals)
*Chris Bailey (bass, vocals)
*Graham "Buzz" Bidstrup (drums, vocals)

"'From December 2001 to November 2006 The Angels were known publicly as 'The Original Angels Band' featuring 4 of the 5 original members that made the band famous
*John Brewster (rhythm guitar, lead vocals)
*Rick Brewster (lead guitar, vocals)
*Chris Bailey (bass, vocals)
*Graham "Buzz" Bidstrup (drums, vocals)

2008 - The Reunion
*Doc Neeson (lead vocals)
*Rick Brewster (lead guitar, vocals)
*John Brewster (rhythm guitar, vocals)
*Chris Bailey (bass)
*Graham "Buzz" Bidstrup (drums, vocals)

Discography

Albums

The Angels released albums under different names. The Angels (TA); Angel City (AC); The Angels From Angel City (TAFAC); The Original Angels Band(TOAB); The Angels 2006>(TA1)

Awards

* 1998 - ARIA Hall of Fame Inductee

References

Other sources

* [http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/a/angels.html The Angels]
* [http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/k/keystoneangels.html The Keystone Angels]
* [http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/m/mountloftyrangers.html Mount Lofty Rangers]
* [http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Great-White-Biography/95E445EBC2CD1C5848256B970016D4CA Great White Biography]

External links

* [http://www.theangelsrockband.com/ The Angels Website - Liberation]
* [http://www.lastbandit.com/angels.html Martin's Angels/Angel City Page]
* [http://www.ausmetalguide.com/a/the_angels.htm The Angels - The Australian Metal Guide]