Monday, April 20, 2009

Angel


Angel was a glam rock and heavy metal band from Washington, DC, formed in the mid-70s by Punky Meadows and Mickie Jones. It was signed to Casablanca Records, and had the image of dressing in white. Angel was discovered by KISS bass player Gene Simmons performing at a nightclub and was signed to Kiss’s record label Casablanca.
Angel's image of dressing in all white was a deliberate contrast to Kiss, which wore black. Angel sported an androgynous image and elaborate stage sets. It was slammed by rock critics, and Frank Zappa ridiculed the all-male band’s female appearance in the song “Punky’s Whips.” [2]Angel never achieved mass commercial success but acquired a following as a cult band.
Its first album was the self-titled Angel and consisted of guitarist Punky Meadows, bassist Mickie Jones, vocalist Frank Dimino, keyboardist Gregg Giuffria, and drummer Barry Brandt[3]. This lineup would hold for the following two albums, Helluva Band and On Earth As It Is In Heaven, after which Jones would be replaced by Felix Robinson.
It made an appearance in the film Foxes and Frank DiMino sang “Seduce Me Tonight” on the Flashdance soundtrack.
Although Angel never officially disbanded, members went on to other things following the release of their live album. Lead vocalist Frank Dimino joined UFO guitarist Paul Raymond in the Paul Raymond Project in which he sang lead vocals. Bassist Felix Robinson played on the debut album of the band White Lion, Fight to Survive. Angel’s keyboardist Gregg Giuffria had modest success as the leader of the band Giuffria during the 1980s as well as with the band House of Lords. The band (sans Giuffria) reunited in 2002 and released a new album The Power And The Myth on Frontiers Records. In 2006, Giuffira appeared as a guest keyboardist on World Upside Down. House of Lords released Come to My Kingdom in 2008 without Giuffria.

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