Helluva Band

Artist: Angel
Label: Polygram Records
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1

UPC: 731451095627
EAN: 0731451095627
ASIN: B000001DU8

Release Date: 1994-06-14

Helluva Band

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General

| Rock | Styles | Music

General

| Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Hard Rock

| Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Pop Rock

| Pop | Styles | Music

CDs $7 - $10

All Bargain Titles

Tracks:

Feelin' Right
The Fortune
Anyway You Want It
Dr. Ice
Mirrors
Feelings
Pressure Point
Chicken Soup
Angel Theme

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Customer Reviews:

The Last Album Before Angel Steered Towards Commercialization.......2007-01-29

This was actually the first Angel album I purchased. It was not without a bit of unhappiness. The album cover had the band in all white spandex, and the back of the album had the band members looking as androgynous as possible. What the heck were recording labels pushing. For those that follow hard rock, "it's the music, man" that may be a cliche, but it's a cliche BECAUSE: it's the music, man. Music is what mattered most in hard rock, and the androgyny here was only worsened by the early 80's with Motley Crue, etc. The album photos were an indication of things to come. It's unfortunate, because I consider Angel's first album, Angel, the best album ever released. On Helluva Band, there are still some gems, before the subsequent commercialization of On Earth... etc take over.

Far and away, the best song on the album is The Fortune. One's dislike for record companies is fueled when they glaringly omit this song from Anthology, which is supposed to be a Best of Angel. Record company producers are not stupid, they know this is an excellent song, and to omit this is just some sort of greed mechanism. Don't bother with Anthology, unless you really like White Hot Angel. Otherwise, get this album, and their first album, Angel, and you'll have almost all necessary Angel needed.

Addendum: I was just about to submit this review when I noticed that there is an Angel/Helluva Band combined Remastered CD package available, released as of 14 March 2006. The $23.49 cost seems a bit steep, but remastered 70's albums is greatly recommended to pick up the overtones that the normal CD transference just isn't able to do. This combined package would be recommended over buying the CD's separately.

A very solid record, being released as a 2on1 in February.......2006-02-04

This is one of the best Angel records period. This pales only to On Earth As It Is In Heaven for greatness. That is their defining album. This will be rereleased with the debut later this month on one CD. Now if only On Earth As It Is In Heaven will be rereleased as well......

If all of their albums sounded like this..........2005-09-14

these guys would still be around. ..and what a line up.. Dimino on Vocals, Brandt on Drums and Punky Meadows on Guitar.. Few bands at that time, except for Deep Purple and Led Zepplin, could match that talent (and I LOVE 70's era AEROSMITH). Throw in Guffria on keyboards, and an underated Mickey Jones on Bass and you have a great group.

Helluva Band marks a departure from their self titled album, as this one is definately a rocker. While The Fortune and Angel Theme are remeniscent of their first album, the rest of the album charts a new course for Angel.

Mirrors is an absolute classic, although for full enjoyment listen to it either through headphones or sit in the middle of a room that has surround sound.. Pressure Point is another hard rocker as are Feeling Right and Anyway You Want It. The remaining 3 songs on the album signal what was to come, and unfortunately, what was to come wasn't nearly as good as what had already transpired.

On Earth as it is In Heaven was a decent effort, but it went downhill from there.

So if you're looking to Pick up some Angel you won't do wrong to start here, just make sure that your second purchase is their self titled first album.

"Helluva Band" is one helluva record........2004-08-01

It's a real shame that this band is one of the forgotten, because this record is a classic. With high energy songs led by powerhouse vocals and dazzling keyboard effects, this is a must for all classic rock fans.
"Feelin' Right" is the straight forward rocker that kicks off the record; and it's a song that utilizes the simple classic rock formula, while incorporating a sharp and resounding vocal track to do the driving. The swirling artistry of Giuffria's keyboards was really what Angel's existence was based on though. Even on a simple straight forward rocker like this opening track, Giuffria's presence is a constant. If it's not trading licks with guitarist Punky Meadows on "Feelin' Right", it's mesmerizing us with a four minute intro on "The Fortune". Every song contains a large dose of over-the-top keyboards from an amazing player. Speaking of "The Fortune".....it just happens to be the second track on the lp. A personal favorite of mine, "The Fortune" is a progressive masterpiece. A song that transmits emotion at every twist and turn. An ominous keyboard intro leads to a delicate acoustic guitar and voice moment, which ultimately culminates in a menacing jam where we hear from every member of the band. As the album progresses, we see the classic verse-chorus-verse formula put into dramatic effect. With songs like "Anyway You Want It", "Mirrors", and "Chicken Soup" Angel utilizes every element at their disposal to make simple classic rock songs sound like something special. The spark in these songs is usually Giuffria's keys, and when it's not..... you can count on Dimino's vocals to keep you entranced. The combination of these two entities is best heard on the eloquent ballad "Feelings". A soaring and passionate joining of a tremendous vocal effort, underscored by a classical inspired piano piece. Still, in my opinion, one of the most emotional and beautiful rock ballads ever.
All of this talk about the singer and keyboard player leads one to believe that the band may be in need of a decent guitar player, right? Nah. Guitarist Punky Meadows leaves his mark on these songs also. Tracks such as "Angel Theme", which is for the most part a guitar solo, "Dr. Ice" and "Feelings" all contain excellent guitar parts. This is a rare case of a very good guitar player, sharing time with a literal genius on keyboards. Angel made this situation work unlike anyone else. And, finally, let's mention the rhythm section of drummer Barry Brandt and bassist Mickey Jones. Putting a solid backbone on all these tracks we lose sight of their important role here. With so much going on in front of them, they need to lay a thick foundation for all of these other elements to stand upon, and they do exactly that. Bassist Jones stays simple and steady, while Brandt bangs the skins with an intensity that stays consistent and solid. This record was an all around effort by a band that had reached their peak.

Angel attempted a reunion of sorts in 1999, in which they released an album entitled "In The Beginning". The record had original members Dimino and Brandt, being visited by Meadows and Jones' 1978 replacement on bass, Felix Robinson. The album saw no success, and the reunion effort soon dissipated. The chemistry and magic was with Angel for a very short period of time, and "Helluva Band" remains the best of that magical time.

For more Dr. Music reviews, visit www.new-sounds.com/DrMusic

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