Angel was formed in the early 1970's by singer Frank DiMino, guitarist Punky Meadows, and keyboard player Greg Giuffria. After their third album, Mickie Jones was replaced with Felix Robinson. Punky Meadows and Mickie Jones had previously recorded an album with the band BUX in the early '70's. This band also featured vocalist Ralph Morman who went on to record with the Joe Perry Project. Angel began as a progressive glam-rock band and progressed into a more melodic pop rock band by the early 1980's. In 1982 the band fell apart with not much heard from most of the members. Keyboardist Gregg Giuffria went on to form Giuffria then House of Lords. The band, while never officially "breaking up" came together in 1999 and put out a new studio album titled "In the Beginning." The disc featured most of the original members, but did not include Greg. I use to own ALL their albums on vinyl but traded them in for a premium price before records became worthless. The bands entire catalogue was released on cd, but in limited quantities making them all hard to find collector's items with the band's "Live Without a Net" consistently selling for close to $50 on eBay. CDNow still lists several Angel discs on their site despite the fact that they have been backordered for years.

Angel (Mercury) 1975 1. "Tower" (6:59) 2. "Long Time" (7:02) 3. "Rock & Rollers" (4:01) 4. "Broken Dreams" (5:15) 5. "Mariner" (4:23) 6. "Sunday Morning" (4:10) 7. "On & On" (4:19) 8. "Angel (Theme)" (1:39)

This is one of the most underrated progressive rock albums of all time! "Tower" is one of the greatest songs ever written, however, the entire album is a good listen all the way through. Unlike most of the albums to follow this one, Gregg Giuffria's keyboards are up front and play a vital role in the songs. Finding a cd copy was quite a chore. This album was printed in the U.S. but a friend of mine found it used in Germany and picked it up for me. I am forever indebted to you Olaf. Thanks.

I've had a few people tell me that this disc is available on CDNow, and while the disc is still listed there, it's been on backorder forever. So, you can try to purchase it there, but don't hold your breathe.

Angel-Helluva Band (Mercury) 1976

1. "Feelin' Right" (4:42)
2. "The Fortune" (8:40)
3. "Anyway You Want It" (2:31)
4. "Dr. Ice" (5:23)
5. "Mirrors" (4:28)
6. "Feelings" (5:42)
7. "Pressure Point" (5:26)
8. "Chicken Soup" (4:46)
9. "Angel Theme" (2:32)

1970's pomp glam metal meets progressive rock. Angel's second album is nothing short of brilliant. "Helluva Band" is the easiest of any Angel album to find. I've seen it several times new for under $10. I picked up this copy for $6.99 at a used shop. I later picked up a second copy for $8.99 new and sold it on eBay for upwards of $20.

Angel-On Earth As it Is In Heaven (Casablanca) 1977

1. Can You Feel It - 4:44
2. She's a Mover - 3:37
3. Big Boy (Let's Do It Again) - 3:44
4. Telephone Exchange - 4:12
5. White Lightning - 4:40
6. On the Rocks - 3:39
7. You're Not Fooling Me - 4:03
8. That Magic Touch - 3:38
9. Cast the First Stone - 4:38
10. Just a Dream - 5:15

FINALLY!!! After years of searching I have an original cd copy of this disc, and a Japanese copy at that. Many, many thanks to Olaf for tracking down this disc for me.

In any case, "On Earth" was Angel's most popular album, and if I am not mistaken, their peak in popularity in the 70's. This is with good reason as "On Earth As It Is In Heaven" is an excellent 70's heavy metal disc. Gone are the progressive tendencies of the past two discs. Gregg's keyboards are now pushed to the back seat to make way for Punky's heavy guitar rhythms and leads. This is probably due to the fact that Kiss produced Eddie Kramer was brought in to produce the band. Eddie succeeded in bringing out the best in this band, but unfortunately this would be the last album of this caliber for the band as their hunger for success would begin to push them further and further into pop territories. I have to also mention that one of my favorite songs off this album, "White Lightning" is actually a reworking of an old Bux tune.

(Thanks also to Eric O. for the CDR copy that held me over for a year before I finally found an original copy. Hey Eric, contact me, I lost your email address when my computer crashed.)

Angel-Blowing Great Guns (OH BOY/2-9111)
Live in Fresno, CA 5/10/78

This is actually the same show as 'White Heros,' only this is the entire show, split up into two discs. This has got to be one of the rarest discs in the world. I literally offered to kiss the feet of my friend who found this disc for me. Anyhow as I said in the 'White Heros' review this is a killer live set. "Can You Feel It" sounds great in this live setting, especially adding the extended Punky solo towards the end. Most of this disc is quite different from the officially released "Live Without a Net" album, especially the solos and introduction. Gregg's excellent keyboard solo alone is worth the price of admission. This solo is quite different from the edited solo on "Live Without a Net" and reminds me slightly of something Rick Wakeman might do. The sound quality of this boot, while not being perfect, is quite good (A). Overall, an excellent live cdr bootleg. One minor irratant is that the 'Gabriel Introduction' doesn't play properly on this disc. It must be a defect in the pressing because the disc is in perfect condition, so I won't be able to get rid of the Swingin Pig version below.

Angel-White Heros (Swingin Pig/GE035SP)
Live in Fresno, CA 5/10/78

1. "Gabriel Introduction" (5:26) 2. "Tower" (7:15) 3. "Can You Feel It" (6:09) 4. "On the Rocks" (5:21) 5. "Don't You Leave Me Lonely" (3:53) 6. "Telephone Exchange" (4:22) 7. "Gregg Giuffria keyboard solo/ ................Got Love if You Want It" (9:22) 8. "Anyway You Want It" (3:29) 9. "Rock 'n Rollers/ ................ Punky Meadows guitar solo" (9:46) 10. "Feelin' Right" (6:12) 11. "White Lightning" (8:52) 12. "Outro" (1:51)

Killer live set! Angel were at home on the stage, and every live performance I have ever heard of them testifies to it. "Can You Feel It" sounds great in this live setting, especially adding the extended Punky solo towards the end. Most of this disc is quite different from the officially released "Live Without a Net" album, especially the solos and introduction. Gregg's excellent keyboard solo alone is worth the price of admission. This solo is quite different from the edited solo on "Live Without a Net" and reminds me slightly of something Rick Wakeman might do. The sound quality of this boot, while not being perfect, is quite good (A). Overall, an excellent live cdr bootleg. This show has also been released on vinyl under the title "Blowing Great Guns" (Oh Boy/2-9111)

Angel-White Hot (Mercury) 1979

1. "Don't Leave Me Lonely" (4:00)
2. "Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore" (2:50)
3. "Hold Me, Squeeze Me" (3:49)
4. "Over and Over" (3:01)
5. "Under Suspicion" (4:42)
6. "Got Love If You Want It" (4:28)
7. "Stick Like Glue" (2:38)
8. "Flying with Broken Wings (Without You)" (3:32)
9. "You Could Lose Me" (4:53)
10. "The Winter Song" (3:44)

OK, I know that this is nostalgia here, as this is not even close to metal. I should hate this album but I actually really like it. Angel were desperate to make it by this time, and for some reason, despite the fact that they had the image, the cool logo, the label backing, the press, the big stage show, the chops and everything else going for them, they couldn't break big like label-mates Kiss and Parliament. So they went for the mid 70's pop rock sound. It didn't work for them either. Cool cover art. I got REAL lucky and found this one for $2 at one of those big chain cd stores.

Angel-Sinful (Mercury) 1980 cdr copy

1. "Don't Take Your Love" (3:30)
2. "L.A. Lady" (3:45)
3. "Just Can't Take It" (3:44)
4. "You Can't Buy Love" (3:37)
5. "Bad Time" (3:41)
6. "Waited A Long Time" (3:13)
7. "I'll Bring the Whole World To Your Door" (2:54)
8. "I'll Never Fall In Love Again" (3:33)
9. "Wild and Hot" (2:59)
10. "Lovers Live On" (2:58)
BONUS TRACKS
11. "20th Century Foxes" (5:23)
12. "Virginia" (3:58)

There were TWO copies of this cd for $8 each at some little hole-in-the-wall cd store in Albuquerque. Did I have $8 at the time? Of course not!!! So what do you think happens when I go back to pick them up the very next day? GONE!!! How much does that suck! Geez, these things sell for $30-$40 or more on eBay. Well, luckily I have this cdr copy to hold me over until the time when I can get a real copy at a reasonable price. This particular cdr copy came with all the artwork for both the front and back inserts.

Angel's last studio disc for ten years is actually a lot better than most reviewers said. Granted it's in a more pop oriented direction, but overall it's still one fine rock 'n roll disc. Originally this album was to be called "Bad Publicity" and had a totally different cover. Apparently, however, the label felt this would ruin Angel's image. Some promo copies with the original cover art made it out onto the market. The cd re-issue includes this banned cover art inside the insert. The re-issue also includes two bonus tracks, "Virginia" a cool power ballad, and "20th Century Foxes" a terrible disco track written for the movie of the same name.

Angel-An Anthology (Mercury) 1992

1. "Angel (Theme)" (1:34)
2. "Tower" (6:56)
3. "On & On" (4:19)
4. "Rock & Rollers" (3:59)
5. "Feelin' Right" (4:42)
6. "Anyway You Want It" (2:31)
7. "Can You Feel It" (4:41)
8. "White Lightning" (4:39)
9. "Don't Leave Me Lonely" (4:00)
10. "Ain't Gonna Eat My Heart Out Anymore" (2:50)
11. "Got Love If You Want It" (4:28)
12. "Flying With Broken Wings (Without You)" (3:32)
13. "The Winter Song" (3:49)
14. "Don't Take Your Love" (3:31)
15. "Bad Times" (3:41)
16. "Walk Away Renee" (2:55)
17. "I'll Never Fall In Love Again" (3:33)
18. "Wild & Hot" (3:00)
19. "20th Century Foxes" (3:45)
20. "The Christmas Song" (4:02)

Anthology was the first of any of Angel's music to see re-issue on cd, so of course, I had to own it. The disc contains material from all of their albums, except "Live Without a Net." It is really interesting to see the progression in this band. As was true of a lot of the 70's hard rock bands, including label mates KISS, Angel headed into a more pop-rock direction in an attempt to gain (or hold on to) a fan base. Still Angel had a certain charisma that holds true for all their music and this disc is a nice collection of it. The disc also includes a decent bio and a few photos, although I would have liked to have seen a few more. There is also a few rarities on "Anthology" including the "Christmas Song," which is a re-write of the "Winter Song" and "20th Century Foxes" which was the theme song of the movie by the same name. Unfortunately, while it may have worked for the movie, by itself it is a rather dull song. One other thing about this disc is that it rekindled my interest in Angel after hearing incredible songs like "Tower" and "On and On." Of course, to find their cds has been a struggle, as they are far and few between, selling on eBay for anywhere from $30 to $100 each. OUCH!

Angel-In The Beginning (Coalier Entertainment) 1999

1. "The Crow" (4:54)
2. "The Rain Song" (4:49)
3. "Hero" (4:08)
4. "So I'll Say Goodbye" (5:52)
5. "Long Gone" (3:44)
6. "In the Wake of the Storm (The Millennium Y2K)" (4:48)
7. "Set Me Free" (4:36)
8. "The Greatest Love of All" (5:17)
9. "Shangra La" (4:17)
10. "Trapped in Paradise" (4:43)

1999 and long lost, but not forgotten, Angel reunite to bring us a disc that sounds more like Led Zeppelin, than the pomp rock of the 1970's Angel. Ah, who cares, this is good rock and roll. I'm not sure if Angel are actually reuniting or if this is just a studio project, I assume it is the latter. In anycase, it's good to hear Frank DiMino's voice again. Guitar hero Punky Meadows makes an appearance on this disc as well playing lead on "Hero" and "Set Me Free." This indie has a cool cd cover and comes with an Angel tattoo. Hey, it's the 70's all over again. Disco sucks!!!

Well, I've been told by Angel's manager that the band is a band and not just a studio project and that the current line-up will be touring in the Summer of 2001. GREAT! Can't wait to see 'em. Hope they break out the white outifits. (Well, now I guess that would be asking to much. (-: )

An update on the 2001 tour, it seems they are doing spot dates. A fellow Angel fan went to see them in Texas and was kind enough to pick me up a cool Angel t-shirt and have the band sign a flyer. Thanks bro.

On vinyl:
Angel-Live Without A New (Casablanca) 1980

Related bands:
Giuffria
House of Lords

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