Angel Angel

 

Origin: USA

Year: 1975

Subgenre: Hard Rock, Glam Rock

Rating:    90.14   Legendary !

The Players:

Frank Dimino  Vocals

Punky Meadows  Guitar

Greg Giuffria  Keyboards

Mickey Jones  Bass

Barry Brandr  Drums

Simply releasing one of the finest debut albums of all time, Angel burst onto the scene in dramatic fashion, signing a deal with Casablanca Records thanks to Gene Simmons of Kiss. Musically, the album featured thundering riffs, a very solid backbeat, soaring vocals from Frank Dimino, all complemented by orchestral keyboards from Greg Giuffria. Although the followup, 1976's Helluva Band was close, this debut album was definitely Angel's heaviest offering. 

The songwriting is simply superb. Dimino's unique vocals are surreal; what a superb range ! Punky's guitar punctuates the proceedings nicely, with catchy and thick-chorded riffs throughout. Tower starts things off in fine fashion; this track lands squarely in my personal hall of fame. Stunning, with a fantasy theme, the listener is greeted by Dimino's unbelievable vocals. Long Time is a bit mellower, but still rocks in sections, with Frank's vocals still the high point. Another personal favorite, Rock & Rollers, threatens to blow the speakers apart. Broken Dreams is a slow and brooding rocker, featuring an interesting keyboard-guitar interaction. Mariner is the album's lone ballad, with Giuffria's atmospheric keyboards and yet another incredible vocal performance from Frank Dimino. Then, Sunday Morning leaps out of the speakers before settling down into a moderately-paced tale of medieval fantasy. On & On is yet another favorite.......so melodic, so heavy, just fantastic. The Angel theme plays as an outtro, lulling the listener into a stupified state on what was just heard. 

This album just kills ! The mellower sections just complement the heavier tracks, yet the band's performance (and especially the vocals) are incredible throughout.  A foundation of 1970's hard rock ! Essential.

Tower  97

Long Time  86

Rock & Rollers  93

Broken Dreams  90

Mariner  85

Sunday Morning  88

On & On  92

Angel (theme) Not rated