2017 saw The Angels celebrate the 40th anniversary of the release of their self-titled debut album, quickly followed just a year later with the anniversary of album number two ‘Face to Face’. 2019 sees the band’s third album ‘No Exit’ also reach the same milestone, with The Angels about to embark on a series of shows to commemorate the event once more. Having been one of the important building blocks of Australian Rock and recommended to George Young & Harry Vanda of Alberts Productions by AC/DC’s Bon Scott & Malcolm Young, The Angels continued to write & record a host of wonderful albums at a fast & frantic rate during their time in the Sydney studios in the late 70’s & most of the 80’s. And with ten albums under their belts by 1986, the band can now successfully celebrate a few more forty-year celebratory tours as well as continue to astound audiences with their magnificent ‘Symphony of Angels’ shows and still find time to encapsulate crowds at this year’s Red Hot Summer Tour. Having spoken to John Brewster late last year, The Rockpit’s Sean Bennett managed to secure some talk time with brother Rick to discuss the re-recording of ‘No Exit’, working at Albert’s in the early days and why he’s been listening to The Cure Live album…
Sean: Hi Rick, hope your well. Thank you for talking to us here at The Rockpit. I can’t believe this will be your third fortieth anniversary album tour in three years…’No Exit’ – Forty years old. It’s hard to believe.
Rick: Hey Sean, no bother at all. Yes, well we did the ‘Face to Face’ album last year and we’ll probably do the ‘Dark Room’ fortieth anniversary tour next year too [laughs]
Sean: Funny you should say that because I was looking at the chronological order of the albums and you do realise that when you get to the fortieth anniversary of ‘The Howling’ in 2026, the following year will be the fiftieth anniversary of your debut album… [laughs]
Rick: [laughs] I didn’t realise that… interesting! It could all get very confusing [laughs]
Sean: These could go on for a very long time. But I have to say, listening to ‘No Exit’ again today… these wonderful albums that are part of the stepping stones of this country’s rock history are just timeless. They are incredible and ‘No Exit’ is another one of those albums.
Rick: Thank you for that. I remember we came off the back of that album feeling pretty proud of what we had created and it’s strange because I’ve had exactly the same feeling re-recording it, which we did last year – we will have that on sale at the gigs, the same we did with ‘Face to Face’ – a double CD with studio recording & a live recording too. Obviously the line-up is different with Gleeso (Dave Gleeson) singing – he’s been with us for eight years now – we have Sam Brewster on bass & Nick Norton on drums. It’s an incredible band actually – the tightest rhythm section we’ve ever in the band. There’s such a great feel to it all. We did a couple of different things on the re-recording. We decided to add some violins & brass to one of the songs because it sounded so good when we did the ‘Symphony of Angels’ shows recently. The other song I’m particularly fond of is ‘Dawn Is Breaking’, which is the first song we used an organ on back in 1979. I always wondered back then if we should put a guitar solo on it… well, this time we have and it’s become one of my favourite solos and also one of my favourite songs. It’s not one of the songs that immediately comes to mind for most people but to me it was a bit of a landmark at the time and it has the longest lyric that I’ve ever written. It’s also not a song that appears in our live set that often.
Sean: Plenty of tracks on ‘No Exit’ that would be in your regular set list and also that are fan favourites – ‘Mr Damage’ and ‘Shadow Boxer’ to name a couple but also you get to perform tracks like ‘Save Me’ and ‘Out of The Blue’ – What a great song that it.
Rick: Oh yeah I love that song! ‘Skid Row After Dark’ is also one of my favourites, it’s another great song.
Sean: Of course all these wonderful tracks were all recorded within the four walls of Alberts Productions under the loving & watchful eyes of George & Harry. It’s been incredible for me to hear these stories from the likes of your brother & also Angry Andersen. What were your memories of Alberts and working with George & Harry?
Rick: It was just an incredible time and so difficult to describe in words…
Sean: The song ‘Can’t Shake It’ just has that classic guitar riff and sound of that time…
Rick: That is actually one of my favourite songs. One of my biggest memories of Alberts was very long nights, especially for John & me because we used to come straight from a gig from somewhere like The Bondi Lifesaver or The Stagedoor Tavern, go straight into the studio and we wouldn’t leave there until maybe nine o’clock the next morning. We would work all night on the songs. George & Harry were just amazing – by the time we came to record ‘Face to Face’ & ‘No Exit’ they had handed over the production to me & John. They were always there for advice and they called themselves “Executive Producers” – they liked that title [laughs]. We would play them ideas & demos and then final takes… if George was tapping his foot then you knew you had something. It was all about ‘feel’ for him. Another thing that comes to mind is the experimentation – we found different ways to do things, different ways to mic up guitars and tried using effects. I used a Roland Revo, which was like a simulated Leslie and I put a guitar through that and used that for a few solos. It was also the first time I did double tracking solos, which even now I still love doing.
Sean: I got to talk to Russell Morris recently and he spoke so very fondly of Albert’s but from outside the group so-to-speak. His love for The Easybeats was evident and even he spoke of the magic that you guys were all making in those studios with John Paul Young, Rose Tattoo, The Easybeats, Stevie Wright, The Angels…
Rick: …and let’s not forget AC/DC [laughs]
Sean: And of course AC/DC…last but certainly not least!
Rick: They were responsible for us getting a record deal and signing with George & Harry. Angus, Malcolm & Bon went back to Sydney after touring some country shows with us supporting them and put in a good word for us saying, “you’ve got to see these guys”, which they did and phoned us up within a week or two. That was amazing because it just opened up the whole world for us. All those acts you just mentioned – there was always one or two of them working at any one time in Alberts and usually at the same time as us. It was such a busy place.
Sean: When I spoke to John he put me onto ‘The Marcus Hook Roll Band’…
Rick: Oh, what an album! And of course, all the high vocals belong to Harry Vanda on there. He had in incredible voice.
Sean: It is a fantastic album. One thing that amazes me about all the acts from Alberts that are still out there is the energy you all still have. You’ve just been out on The Red Hot Summer Tour for another year and the footage I’ve seen of you guys on stage is incredible. They must be so much fun to do.
Rick: They are fantastic shows. Poor Dave Gleeson is the hardest working man on the tour [laughs] because he was doing the Screaming Jets and then he had a break while The Baby Animals were on, then he’s back out with us and then Suzi Quatro insisted he came back out and did a song with her every night.
Sean: You mention Dave and when I spoke to him recently he said the hardest part of switching between the two bands is changing from ‘t-shirt Dave’ to ‘shirt n tie Dave’ [laughs] but he spoke with so much affection for working with you guys and being in The Angels – almost like a dream come true for him.
Rick: The feeling is mutual. It’s been great for him and great for us too. He’s such a wonderful guy.
Sean: Obviously Doc’s shoes could never be filled, just the same as Bon’s couldn’t be either but in both cases someone else came in to continue the legacy they had left behind.
Rick: Exactly. Dave does it in his own way and is always so respectful of Doc. Dave was a huge fan of Doc and a fan of the band too. We just put Doc in that place – he was an unbelievable performer. But the band goes on…
Sean: It most certainly does which leads nicely into the wonderful ‘Symphony of Angels’. Dave himself described it as magnificent and he isn’t wrong. I believe you & John both came from classical roots so that is one of the reasons it works so well.
Rick: We did, yes. I learnt classical piano for years when I was at school and then I drifted over to guitar eventually. But I went into playing guitar with classical music in my veins that’s for sure. I hold it responsible for the way I’ve always written solos. Often when my father would walk past me while I was practicing the piano, he would say to me, “Make the melody sing”. With the guitar, I just had to work things out because I never had lessons. When we started the band I wanted to be the lead guitarist but I didn’t have a clue how to play a solo, so I just wrote melodies and learnt how to play them. It was a very different approach [laughs]
Sean: Even listening to one of the more recent studio albums, you can hear that drive & energy.
Rick: Ah, that’s down to the younger members of the band keeping us on our toes [laughs]. Sam & Nick are just incredible.
Sean: Keeping the name alive. Before we run out of time I just have a few regular questions to finish with… If I booked you a table at a restaurant and you could invite three guests from the music world, dead or alive, who would you want to join you?
Rick: Oh wow [laughs], I reckon I would have to say Paul McCartney, Stevie Ray Vaughan and maybe… the third one is tricky, maybe John Foggerty… but there are Australians I’d like to have at that table too, people like Ross Wilson.
Sean: You can have a fourth because you’re an Australian rock legend [laughs]
Rick: [laughs] Thank you. I wrote a few songs with Ross about twenty years ago and it was a fantastic experience. I had the written music, we sat down and he wrote some amazing lyrics and melodies very quickly. One of those songs is called ‘I Come in Peace’ and I don’t even know how it got there but it ended up on the last album that Joe Cocker recorded. It’s an amazing version and I believe he released it as his second single off the album.
Sean: I’ll have to have a listen to that because I love Joe Cocker. What was the last album you listened to Rick?
Rick: Actually, it was ‘The Cure Live’ and the reason I’ve been listening to that is because it was given to me by a friend of mine in Sydney who is taking me to The Cure concert at The Opera House this month. I’ve never seen them before and I’m very curious about them – I know they are a great band so I’ve been listening to that so I kind of know what I’m letting myself in for.
Sean: Having not heard it myself, how does it sound?
Rick: Its sounds really good. It’s not exactly what I was expecting to be honest. Heavily keyboard based but that’s not a bad thing because I love keyboards. I’m really looking forward to the visual experience. I’ve never really followed them, just heard the odd song now and again. I was given the opportunity to see them and my friend reckons they are a great live band, so I thought well why not!
Sean: I hope you enjoy the show and I’ll quiz you on it next time we talk. Last but certainly not least, if you could be credited with writing any song ever written, what song would you choose?
Rick: Well before I answer, I would like to invite someone else to dinner… Freddie Mercury and the song is ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ [laughs]…
Sean: It’s a classic…
Rick: It’s unbelievable but there are just so many to choose from. What about ‘Hey Jude’ as well?
Sean: The list can just go on…
Rick: As is the list of people I’m inviting to dinner [laughs] I want John Lennon there too now [laughs] and Keith Richards…
Sean: [laughs] You have now officially invited more than anyone I have previously interviewed – shall I just book you the whole restaurant?
Rick: [laughs] You’re going to have to! Both floors!
Sean: [laughs] Between you and your brother… I think he picked four or five too!
Rick: He’d have picked Bob Dylan and I’m with him on that one too [laughs]
Sean: [laughs] A wonderful end to this chat, so thank you so much Rick. We wish you and the rest of the band all the best for the live shows and look forward to hearing the newly re-recorded ‘No Exit’ album. And once again thank you for sharing the fantastic insight into Alberts.
Rick: It’s a pleasure and I hope we get to see you at one of the shows.
Sean: I will try to get to one of them. Thanks Rick.
Shortly after our interview I received a text message from Rick asking, “Oh, can I add Dave Gilmour as well…?”
The Angels are taking No Exit on the road in 2019, paying homage to their third album release 40 Years On. The two-hour show features two sets, the complete album No Exit and all The Angels classics, plus a few rarities.
Tickets for The Angels No Exit tour go on sale today from 10am (Friday 8th February 2019).
Friday 28th June 2019
The Gov, ADELAIDE SA
www.thegov.com.au | www.oztix.com.au
Saturday 29th June 2019
The Gov, ADELAIDE SA
www.thegov.com.au | www.oztix.com.au
Friday 5th July 2019
Highfield Caringbah, CARINGBAH NSW
www.highfieldcaringbah.com.au
Saturday 6th July 2019
Pittwater RSL, PITTWATER NSW
www.pittwaterrsl.com.au
Friday 12th July 2019
Gateway Hotel, GEELONG VIC
www.thegatewayhotel.com.au
Saturday 13th July 2019
Village Green Hotel, MULGRAVE VIC
www.thevillagegreen.com.au
Friday 19th July 2019
The Triffid, BRISBANE QLD
www.thetriffid.com.au
Saturday 20th July 2019
Kingscliff Beach Hotel, KINGSCLIFF NSW
www.kingscliffbeachhotel.com.au
Friday 26th July 2019
Belmont 16ft, BELMONT NSW
www.16s.com.au
Saturday 27th July 2019
Hornsby RSL, HORNSBY NSW
www.hornsbyrsl.com.au
For more information, please visit www.theangels.com.au