The History of Angel |
First things first: let's clear up one misunderstanding regarding Angel. Some web-sites describe the band as being from Ireland. They were not. The band was actually from Essex in the UK and below we show just where in Essex each member was from:
Brian Johnson (Vocals): Becontree Joe Ryan (Guitar) West Horndon Martin Kemp (Bass) Southend on Sea Steve Rickard (Drums) Harold Hill Bob Banasiak (Guitar) Westcliff on Sea |
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In 1974 glam-rock was at its peak with names like Slade, Sweet, Mud and Suzi Quatro dominating the European charts. Angel, a lesser known band, was the brainchild of Andy Scott and Mick Tucker from Sweet. Recognising that they were probably at the top of their careers Mick and Andy wanted to prepare the way for their own future in the music business. A future in which they saw themselves as writers and producers.
Sweet were breaking away from the Chinn & Chapman school of formulated pop and had started to record their own material. Much of their work was attributed to all four members of the band comprising Andy and Mick along with bass player Steve Priest and vocalist Brian Connolly. But Andy had also written several songs of his own and he wanted these to be recorded by other artists.
Mick remembered a band called 'Pebbles' who had been playing the same circuit as Sweet in the early days but had never enjoyed the same success. So on a cold, January morning in 1974, Mick phoned Pebbles' bass player (Martin Kemp) to see if they were interested in recording some of Andy's material. The initial response was disappointing; Pebbles had split up 3 months earlier and gone their separate ways. However it didn't take long for Mick to convince Martin to contact the other band members. Within days Pebbles had re-formed. |
Under the new name, Angel, the band went back on the road and in the ensuing six months they toured the UK & Germany, made several TV appearances, countless radio performances and enjoyed chart success on the continent. Their furthest appearance from home ground was in July when they flew to Hungary for a one night concert at Budapest Stadium.
The original line-up had Joe Ryan on guitar. Joe played on Good Time Fanny and co-wrote the B-side 'Who d'ya think you're Foolin'. In July Bob Banasiak replaced Joe on guitar. Bob played on Little Boy Blue and co-wrote the B-side 'Tragedy Queen'. Both were excellent guitarists and their individual styles are evident on the two singles. |
After Joe left the band there was a ten day period before Bob joined. This void was filled by Brian Johnson's brother, Mick. In that short time Mick, an accomplished guitarist, rehearsed, did four live gigs, appeared in a promo' film, and flew to Holland to appear on the TV programme Top Pops.
Producers Mick & Andy guessed (rightly) that Glam would soon burn out. Andy demonstrated an uncanny perception of what might come when he wrote Little Boy Blue and got Brian (Johnson) to almost shout the lyrics; Punk was on its way!
Angel were most successful in Germany where Good Time Fanny reached number 6 in the charts. In a survey carried out by top selling magazine 'Bravo' the band was voted the second best in terms of future potential; not bad when you consider the number 1 slot was occupied by Queen! But Angel's success did not repeat itself in the UK and by the end of 1974 the band split up. Over the next couple of years Brian tried to revive Angel with a succession of various musicians but, exacerbated by the changing musical trends, it proved an impossible task. Ultimately Brian gave up the venture and went on to join the Belgian band 'Octopus'. |
Given the short space of time Angel were together they could easily be considered as little more than a 'flash in the pan'. Maybe, but it was a very bright flash! For more than thirty years there was little contact between band members and gradually they lost contact with each other until 2004, when Martin chanced upon a website for a pub in Stoke on Trent where Brian was performing. |
When Brian learned that Martin's brother was suffering with terminal cancer, he suggested the idea of getting as many of the original band together to do one REUNION show and use the event as a tribute to Norman and other fellow musicians whose lives have been tragically cut short. With Bob & Joe both living in California, the idea of a wholly original line up seemed remote and in any case which one of the two should be invited?
The problem was solved when Joe suggested that both should feature in the line up. Through internet contacts, he discovered that Bob was living a mere three hundred and fifty miles away in Los Angeles. It wasn't long before Steve was also 'found'. Amazingly everyone was 'up for it' and the date was agreed.
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