DISCOGRAPHY
References
Official Albums Release Date by Albert Productions supply me with correct release date. Epic albums and singles release dated in The Complete Sessions 1980-1983. Mushroom from ads with release date. Shock in person. Liberation Music and Bloodlines.
The Angels
12 August 1978
APLP.031
Albert Productions
3rd Re-Issue
18 August 2017
538320642
BMG AM (Albert Music) Pty Limited
Credits
Doc Neeson (Lead Vocals), John Brewster (Rhythm Guitar, Harmonica, Backing Vocals), Rick Brewster (Lead Guitar), Chris Bailey (Bass, Backing Vocals), Graham Bidstrup (Drums, Backing Vocals)
Tracks 6-12, 14-15 written by Brewster, Neeson, Brewster except for 1-2, 3, 4-5, 13, 16
Take Me Home written by Brewster, Neeson, Brewster, Bidstrup
Going Down written by Don Nix
Shelter From The Rain, Can’t Get Lucky written by Brewster, Bidstrup
Waiting For You, Going Home (Live) written by Brewster, Neeson, Brewster, Bidstrup, Bailey
Produced by Harry Vanda and George Young.
Recorded at Albert Studios, Sydney, Australia, 1976-1977
Description
The Angels were a band that has forever compared to AC/DC Australian, shared the same producers, hard rock with insistent beat, lots of hooks, charismatic frontman, always thought they had more to offer particularly, in terms of diversity. On their debut album, the band show great promise and at least one song became a classic Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again, but better albums were to follow. Although a little ‘poppy’ for the Angels, I still find this album very enjoyable. If you are a fan and are, for some reason missing this album, definitely seek it out. If you are new to the Angels, I would suggest starting with No Exit or Dark Room.
Stephen Meyer and re-edited by Tony Senatore
Face To Face
12 August 1978
APLP.031
Albert Productions
3rd Re-Issue
18 August 2017
538320602
BMG AM (Albert Music) Pty Limited
Credits
Doc Neeson (Lead Vocals), John Brewster (Rhythm Guitar, Harmonica, Backing Vocals), Rick Brewster (Lead Guitar), Chris Bailey (Bass, Backing Vocals), Graham Bidstrup (Drums, Backing Vocals)
Compositions by John Brewster, Doc Neeson, Rick Brewster
Production Consultants Harry Vanda and George Young
Produced by The Angels and Mark Opitz
Engineer by Mark Opitz
Recorded at Albert Studios, Sydney, Australia
Cover Design by Peter Ledger
Description
Face to Face reached #16 on Australian Album Charts and remained on charts for 79 weeks. The album was the first in a string of career-defining albums that, for many outside Australia, would qualify as amongst the ‘best albums you’ve never heard’ type things. Often confused with the North American compilation in which the band is also renamed Angel City for legal reasons, Face to Face proper is replete with great tracks after great tracks.
Although so is the compilation for, that matter. The songwriting team of Brewster-Neeson-Brewster is reaching full potential, and the band has found its sound-great riffs, memorable guitar solos which are often very melodic, excellent off-beat lyrics and very catchy choruses. While nobody sounds like The Angels, they still manage to ring so accessible; Straight Jacket, After the Rain, Take a Long Line and Be With You are excellent examples of this seeming paradox, but the entire album wins the day.
Stephen Meyer and re-edited by Tony Senatore
No Exit
23 June 1979
APLP.038
Albert Productions
3rd Re-Issue
18 August 2017
538320622
BMG AM (Albert Music) Pty Limited
Credits
Doc Neeson (Lead Vocals), John Brewster (Rhythm Guitar, Harmonica, Backing Vocals), Rick Brewster (Lead Guitar), Chris Bailey (Bass, Backing Vocals), Graham Bidstrup (Drums, Backing Vocals)
Compositions by John Brewster, Doc Neeson, Rick Brewster
Produced by The Angels and Mark Opitz
Production Consultants Harry Vanda and George Young
Recorded at Albert Studios, Sydney, Australia
Engineer by Mark Opitz
Photography by Brian Bansgrove, Philip Morris
Description
No Exit reached #8 on Australian Album Charts and entered again at #15 in September. The album might be the best overall, which reached #8 on the Australian album charts in July. The songs are catchy and, the riffs are innovative, generally mid-paced in tempo but with lots of string muting between the chords, making some of the songs sound amazing, like a cross between thrash metal and new wave.
Lyrically, the development of The Angels ambiguous take on the outcast starts to crystallise on this album. Often the marginalised in society are criticised, particularly if they privileged and if their choice to be alone is out of fear. Yet other times the, outcast is described in a much more sympathetic light and personified. Shadow Boxer / Planned Obsolescence, which reached #25 on the charts in June. No Exit, Waiting For The World and Out Of The Blue work wonders, as does everything else on this great album.
Stephen Meyer and re-edited by Tony Senatore
The Angels Greatest
10 May 1980
APLP.043
Albert Productions
2nd Re-Issue
19 July 2008
CDP 746274 2
Albert Productions
Credits
Doc Neeson (Lead Vocals), John Brewster (Rhythm Guitar, Harmonica, Backing Vocals), Rick Brewster (Lead Guitar), Chris Bailey (Bass, Backing Vocals), Graham Bidstrup (Drums, Backing Vocals)
Compositions by John Brewster, Doc Neeson, Rick Brewster
Produced by The Angels and Mark Opitz
Production Consultants Harry Vanda and George Young
Engineer by Mark Opitz
Recorded at Albert Studios, Sydney, Australia
Description
The album The Angels’ Greatest collection is the monster selling with all of their biggest hits. Includes Take a Long Line, Shadow Boxer, Out Of The Blue, Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again and many more.
Re-edited by Tony Senatore
Dark Room
16 June 1980
ELPS 4061
Epic
Re-Issue
07 June 2006
BLUE 054.2
Liberation Music
Credits
Doc Neeson (Lead Vocals), John Brewster (Rhythm Guitar, Harmonica, Backing Vocals), Rick Brewster (Lead Guitar), Chris Bailey (Bass, Backing Vocals), Graham Bidstrup (Drums, Backing Vocals)
Compositions by John Brewster, Doc Neeson, Rick Brewster except for No Secrets (Doc, Graham Bidstrup)
Production Consultants John Boylan
Produced by Graham “Buzz” Bidstrup* (tracks: A1), John Brewster, Rick Brewster
Engineer by Mark Opitz with Dave Marett (EMI Studios) and Dave Cafe (Paradise Studios)
Recorded at Paradise Studios (Sydney), EMI Studios 301 (Sydney), Albert Studios (Sydney), Westlake Audio (Los Angeles)
Digitally mixed and cut by John Boylan, John Brewster at Westlake Audio
Assisted by Ed Cherney
Photography by Shoot And Run
Description
Dark Room continues The Angels run of excellent albums in many ways is the most diverse release in the catalogue. Loosely speaking, it is fundamentally hard rock, but there are punky moments, slow moody songs, bluesy flourishes and even some prog tendencies. As always, the guitar work is excellent great riffs and, the solos go somewhere with lots of melodies. The lyrics provoke and challenge, I am convinced that Doc Neeson was amongst the most under-rated wordsmiths of this era. Dark Room contains two of the band’s best-known songs, No Secrets and Face The Day, nothing that is anything less than essential. Dark Room with No Exit represents The Angels at their peak.
Stephen Meyer and re-edited by Tony Senatore
Night Attack
30 November 1981
ELPS 4258
Epic
Re-Issue
07 June 2006
BLUE 055.2
Liberation Music
Credits
Doc Neeson (Lead Vocals), John Brewster (Rhythm Guitar, Harmonica, Vocals), Rick Brewster (Lead Guitar), Chris Bailey (Bass, Backing Vocals), Brent Eccles (Drums)
Compositions by John Brewster, Doc Neeson, Rick Brewster except for Night Attack by John Brewster, Doc Neeson, Rick Brewster, Brent Eccles. Talk About You by Rick Brewster, Doc Neeson, Brent Eccles.
Produced by Ed Thacker, John Brewster, Rick Brewster
Engineer by Ed Thacker
Recorded at EMI Studios 301, Sydney
Mixed by Cherokee Studios LA (assisted by Paul Ray)
Masterd by Sterling Sound NY by Grey Calbi
Photography by Shoot And Run
Artwork by Peach / Helen Nay Jana (CBS)
Description
Night Attack was arguably the Angels’ least diverse album that, for once, made the AC/DC comparisons seem almost valid. Although still a great album, one gets the impression that the strategy was to appeal to a North American market less tolerant of bands defying classification. As a result, the album is largely straight-ahead hard rock with very crisp production, only Talk About You and Storm the Bastille offers anything vastly different. Lyrical themes continue to deal with the blight of outcasts of various social strata. Long Night and Fashion and Fame were minor hits at the time, but wide North American acceptance remained elusive. Regardless, the album was, and is well worth adding to your collection.
Stephen Meyer and re-edited by Tony Senatore
Watch The Red
02 May 1983
ELPS 4364
Epic
Re-Issue
07 June 2006
BLUE 056.2
Liberation Music
Credits
Doc Neeson (Lead Vocals), John Brewster (Rhythm Guitar, Harmonica, Vocals), Rick Brewster (Lead Guitar), Jim Hilbun (Bass Guitar, Vocals, Saxophone, Organ, Piano), Brent Eccles (Drums)
Compositions by John Brewster, Doc Neeson, Rick Brewster except Live Lady Live (Brewster, T. Haefer, Neeson). Easy City (Rick Brewster, Doc Neeson). Bow Wow, The Zoo, Name Dropping Stay Away (John Brewster, Doc Neeson, Rick Brewster, Brent Eccles, Jim Hilbun). Easy Prey (Rick Brewster, John Brewster, Bitsy Brewster), Stand Up (Jim Hilbun).
Produced by The Angels
Engineer by Andrew Scott and Al Wright
Recorded at Rhinocera Recording, Sydney
Assisted by Jackie Murray
Mixed by Andrew Scott
Mastered by Otto Ruiter at EMI
Cover Design by Rick Brewster and Jim Hilbun assist by Jana Harting and Wendy McDougall
Cover Photography and Additional Photography by Shoot And Run
Photo Composites by Bob Smith for Vision Graphics
Description
Watch The Red reach #6 on Australian Album Charts in 1983 might qualify as The Angels strangest album, but very strong, one nevertheless. It still has its share of straight-ahead hard rockers such as Live Lady Live, No Sleep in Hell and Stand Up, but there is liberal use of a wide range of instrumentation on some songs, such as including accordion, saxophone and chanting vocal augmentations) and a couple of songs are just plain weird Bow Wow and The Zoo/Name Dropping. Even so, the album maintains The Angel’s consistently high standard for writing songs that are both catchy and cerebral. Perhaps somewhat of an acquired taste, but I consider Watch the Red amongst their best.
Stephen Meyer and re-edited by Tony Senatore
Two Minute Warning
28 November 1984
L 53154, D 19552 (Digpak)
Mushroom
Re-Issue
07 June 2006
BLUE 057.2
Liberation Music
Credits
Doc Neeson (Lead Vocals), John Brewster (Rhythm Guitar, Harmonica, Vocals), Rick Brewster (Lead Guitar), Jim Hilbun (Bass Guitar, Vocals, Saxophone, Organ, Piano), Brent Eccles (Drums)
Engineered by Ashley Howe and Lee DeCarlo
Produced and Arranged by Ashley Howe
Engineered Assist by Paul Wertheimer and Benny Saccone
Recorded at A&M Studios in Los Angeles May to July 1984
Except Run For Shelter, recorded at EMI Studios 301, Sydney
All tracks mixed by John Brewster and Jim Taig at EMI Studios 301, Sydney except Small Price, Underground
Mixed by Ashley Howe and Warren Dewey at Hollywood Sound, assisted by Clark Germain
Cover design by Hugh Brown
Compositions by John Brewster, Doc Neeson, Rick Brewster except Small Price, Babylon (Brent Eccles, John Brewster, Rick Brewster), Front Page News, Between The Eyes, Run For Shelter (Rick Brewster, Brent Eccles), Look The Other Way, Razor’s Edge (Brent Eccles, Doc Neeson, John Brewster, Rick Brewster)
Description
Two Minute Warning received gold status and was recorded in Los Angeles over three months and produced by Englishman Ashley Howe. MCA released the album in all territories except Australia and New Zealand, where it was on Mushroom.
The band had written and toured all the songs before it entered the Record Plant recording studio, has a difficult album to record. Another solid album, in my estimation, contains two of the band’s greatest songs in Small Price and Underground. As is typical of most Angels albums, the Brewster brothers Rick covering most of the leads and John anchoring the rhythm continue to provide a clinic to make solos and riffs memorable. It is puzzling why more ‘hard rock guitar people’ players and fans alike have not lauded their body of work. There seemed to be a plague of a minor, disaster major going on around the recordings of car accidents, engineers failing over, arrests, paranoid activity, but the margaritas during happy hour seemed to wash the pain away. The cover art a scale model purpose-built using photos of Downtown buildings.
By Mushroom, Stephen Meyer and re-edited by Tony Senatore
Greatest Vol. II
09 November 1985
ELPS 4516
Epic
No Secrets
Re-Issue
07 June 2006
BLUE 057.2
Liberation Music
Credits
Doc Neeson (Lead Vocals), John Brewster (Rhythm Guitar, Harmonica, Vocals), Rick Brewster (Lead Guitar), Jim Hilbun (Bass Guitar, Vocals, Saxophone, Organ, Piano), Brent Eccles (Drums) and Chris Bailey (Bass, Backing Vocals), Graham Bidstrup (Drums, Backing Vocals)
Compositions by John Brewster, Doc Neeson, Rick Brewster except No Secrets (Doc Neeson, Graham Bidstrup), Live Lady Live (Brewster, T. Haefer, Neeson), Eat City (Rick Brewster, Doc Neeson), Easy Prey Prey (John Brewster, Rick Brewster, Bitsy Brewster), Stand Up (Jim Hilbun)
Howling
29 October 1986
L 53226, RML 53226
Mushroom
Re-Issue
22 October 2010
BLUE 058.2
Liberation Music
Credits
Doc Neeson (Lead Vocals), Bob Spencer (Rhythm Guitar, Vocals), Rick Brewster (Lead Guitar), Jim Hilbun (Bass Guitar, Vocals, Saxophone, Organ, Piano), Brent Eccles (Drums)
Produced by Steve Brown
Engineered by Andrew Scott and Al Wright
Engineered Assist by Heidi Cannova
Recorded at Rhinoceros Studios in Sydney
Mixed by Bill Price at Wessex Sound in London
Mix Assistant by Deitmar
Cover design Jim Hilbun and Chrystene Carroll
Compositions by John Brewster, Doc Neeson, Rick Brewster except Did You Hurt Somebody (Rick Brewster, Bob Spencer, Brent Eccles, Doc Neeson, Jim Hilbun, Steve Brown), Don’t Waste My Time (Rick Brewster, Bob Spencer), Can’t Take Anymore, Standing Over You (Rick Brewster, Brent Eccles), Stonewall (Rick Brewster, Brent Eccles, John Brewster), All Night For You, Nature Of The Beast (Doc Neeson, Mark Lieb), Man There, Hide Your Face (Rick Brewster), We Gotta Get Outta This Place (Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil)
Liveline
30 December 1987
L 59001/2
Mushroom
Re-Issue
22 October 2010
BLUE 058.2
Liberation Music
Credits
Doc Neeson (Lead Vocals), Bob Spencer (Rhythm Guitar, Vocals), Rick Brewster (Lead Guitar), Jim Hilbun (Bass Guitar, Vocals, Saxophone, Organ, Piano), Brent Eccles (Drums)
Recording Engineer by Andrew Scott, Howard Page, Ross Cockle at The Sylvania Hotel, Astra Hotel, Manlyvale Hotel were all recorded over four consecutive nights in August 1981. Other performances were taken from two shows at Bombay Rock, Brunswick, Melbourne from 20 and 21 January 1983. Narara Festival, NSW on 29 January 1983. The Horden Pavillion, Paddington, Sydney show was part of the Watch The Red Tour on 09 July 1983. As part of the Howling Tour was recorded in the last two years, Bankstown RSL, Bankstown, Sydney on 07 March 1987. The album design and original layout by Rick Brewster and Jim Hilbun assisted by Yolande Gray.
Mixed by Bill Price
Digital Remaster Layout by David Williams and Electrocolour Studios Pty Ltd / Dave Monkey
Cover design by Bitsy Brewster from Shoot & Run
Compositions by Brewster, Neeson, Brewster except Did You Hurt Somebody (Brewster, Spencer, Eccles, Neeson, Hilbun, Brown), Don’t Waste My Time (Brewster, Spencer), Standing Over You (Brewster, Eccles), Talk About You (Brewster, Neeson, Eccles), Small Price (Brewster, Eccles, Brewster), Stand Up (Jim Hilbun), Easy Prey (Rick Brewster, John Brewster, Bitsy Brewster)
Beyond Salvation
10 June 1990
L 53327, RML 53327
Mushroom
Re-Issue
07 June 2006
BLUE 060.2
Liberation Music
Red Back Fever
25 November 1991
L 53352, TVD 93352 (RMD)
Mushroom
Re-Issue
07 June 2006
BLUE 061.2
Liberation Music
Their Finest Hour…And Then Some
19 August 1992
472250
Albert Productions
Evidence
28 November 1994
TVD 93368 (RMD53368)
Mushroom
Skin & Bone
02 March 1998
SHOCK025
Shock
Greatest Hits (The Mushroom Years)
16 May 1999
MUSH 33181.2
Mushroom
Left Hand Drive
06 November 2000
ANGELS 901
Shock
Wasted Sleepless Nights The Definitive Greatest Hits
02 June 2007
BLUE 123.2
Liberation Music
Take It To The Streets
31 August 2012
LMCD 0172
Liberation Music
Talk The Talk
17 January 2014
LMCD0235
Liberation Music
© 1998-2023 The Aussie Bands Music Page
The Australian Copyright by law you are not permitted to reproduce any of the content on this website, including files downloadable from this website, without the permission of the copyright owner.