Recorded during the 1979 ‘White Hot’ tour, this live Angel album was finally released in January 1980.
Written by: gdmonline
ARTIST: Angel
ALBUM: Live Without A Net (Live)
LABEL: Casablanca
SERIAL: NBLP-2-7203
YEAR: 1980
CD REISSUE: Discogs Reissue List
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA
LINEUP: Frank DiMino – vocals * Punky Meadows – guitars * Gregg Giuffria – keyboards * Felix Robinson – bass * Barry Brandt – drums
TRACK LISTING: 01 Tower * 02 Can You Feel It * 03 Don’t Leave Me Lonely * 04 Telephone Exchange * 05 Ain’t Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore * 06 Over And Over * 07 Anyway You Want It * 08 On The Rocks * 09 Wild And Hot *10 All The Young Dudes * 11 Rock And Rollers * 12 White Lightning * 13 Hold Me Squeeze Me * 14 Got Love If You Want It * 15 Feelin’ Right * 16 20th Century Foxes
WEBLINKS: Wikipedia Page
Background
I did own this CD at one point. Why oh why do I get rid of CD’s only to regret the decision months or years later? Who knows.. but here I am, reviewing the thing so long after the event. At this point in their career, Angel were nearly on the rocks stranded on the high tide mark.
Admittedly, they did have two pretty decent albums to start their career off. But their descent into a hard rock meets power-pop direction for the next few albums was probably the cause of their decline. Public indifference could not shake the bands destiny.
The Songs
Recorded during the 1979 ‘White Hot’ tour, this live Angel album was finally released in January 1980. The good thing about it, is that a lot of the material from the first Angel LP plus ‘Helluva Band’, are included here. Unfortunately, arguably their best track ‘The Fortune’ is not here, which is a shame.
Commercially, this was the last roll of the dice for both the band and the label: Casablanca. Label head Neil Bogart was used to big success with live albums, especially with the double whammy of Kiss with their ‘Alive’ and Alive II’ releases. Listening to this again seems like an exercise in futility. Much of the audience interaction is drawn out and lame. Sorry to say, much of this sounds rather corny decades later.
In Summary
As for the reissues, there is one version that fits on a single CD, but has had all the audience reaction removed, which makes for a fairly soulless listening experience. This is probably the version I owned.. lol!
In later years, the entirety of the concert was kept intact, and therefore it became a 2 CD set. As for Angel’s prediction of success for this album in the same vein as fellow Casablanca team-mates Kiss? It ended up being no more than wishful thinking, the band splitting up the following year.
Video
Don’t Leave Me Lonely
Got Love If You Want It
