Live Without A Net

When I was out hitting the used bins for Record Store Day, I found that there really wasn't very much that was grabbing my attention. I was hoping for a nice big haul, but I ended up with only a small handful. I saw the double live Angel album, and while it wasn't a very exciting find, I figured that I'd grab it just because it was there.

I like Angel. Their first three albums are really great, heavy slabs of 70's rock/metal...but I've never bothered with anything after On Earth As It Is In Heaven from '77...completely ignoring both White Hot and Sinful. I don't know...I've read some reviews that seem to draw the line at that On Earth As It Is In Heaven album, and that Angel got too commercial after that record, so I've stayed away. I saw this Live Without A Net album from 1980, and figured that I'd take the chance. I mean, if there was a place that the band might keep the newer songs energetic and a bit more heavy, I figured it would be in a live setting, so I rolled the dice.

If I'm going to be honest, my first time though this album, I struggled to pay attention, and by the last song, I figured that I'd wasted my money. The second time through the record was a different experience, and suddenly the songs were jumping off the vinyl at me. The songs were alive, and totally sucked me in. I loved it, and the new songs sounded good enough that I might have to finally check out those other Angel records.

One thing that bothers me about this double live album is how it was pressed. For some reason, the pressing plant pressed the record with side 1 and side 4 on one record and side 2 and side 3 on the other, so flipping the first record after side 1, puts you at the end of the show with side 4. So weird.

Rock Angels Of 1975

I'm a big fan of the early Angel records, but for some reason, their first album never grabbed me. Both Helluva Band and On Earth As It Is In Heaven are fantastic, but I've often overlooked their self-titled debut...until my recent 1975 obsession. Suddenly everything clicked, and I couldn't get enough of it.

During my 1975 obsession, I may have given this Angel album more attention thatn anything else from that year...with maybe the possible exception of Queen's A Night At The Opera. It's not my top pick for that year, but it probably the one that reach for the most right now. 70's hard rock perfection.

Like some of the other albums from 1975 that I've picked up recently, this Angel record was tough to find without a bunch of ring wear ruining the front cover. I think that I made out okay with this copy, and for only $10, it was too good to pass up.

RSD 2018 - Part 1: Rainbow Demon [The 70's]

I've been struggling to keep up with this blog lately. I'm so far behind on my posts and records are stacking up. In an attempt to try and appear current, I'm going to have to move my Record Store Day haul to the front of the line, and try and knock out a quick series of posts.

Record Store Day did not disappoint this year. I didn't give a shit about any of the RSD exclusives, so I avoided the bigger record stores and just hit the used bins around town. Every store that I walked into managed to find some older vinyl that I was excited to pick up. Let's break them down, in chronological order...starting in the 70's.

[1972] I've wanted some early Uriah Heep on vinyl for a while now. For some reason, a while back, I got it stuck in my head that I only wanted the UK Bronze pressing, and I'd been kind of hold out for that. I'm pretty sure that I've seen this US Mercury pressing of Demons And Wizards at the Moody Lords store for the past couple of years, and I kept passing it by. This year, when I saw it still in the racks, I just got tired of waiting for that "perfect copy", and bought it. Cool to finally have a copy on my shelf.

[1973] I already owned a copy of Alice Cooper's Billion Dollar Babies, but seeing this copy with the hype sticker on the cover at the first store that I stopped at, I decided on a whim to grab it. Had I seen it later in the day, after I'd spent a bunch of money, I might have passed it by, but here, early in shopping day, I said "fuck it" and added it to the other records I was picking up. Plus, it was only $7, so why not, right?

One of the main reasons why I bought this copy was because my original Warner Brothers pressing was missing the perforated photo cards of the band members from the inside sleeve of the gatefold. This German pressing had those, but was missing the dollar bill insert...so now I have two pressings that are incomplete.

[1977] I really enjoy the first few Angel records. Their second album, Helluva Band, is my favorite, but the third, On Earth As It Is In Heaven, is not slouch. Great 70's Hard Rock.

Seeing that this copy came with both the poster and the merchandise insert, made this one an easy purchase at $8.

Usually I prefer it when the merchandise insert is in mint condition, and I would typically turn down a copy that has writing on it, but for some reason, the answers on this Angel form made me laugh and want it even more.