a Boy Scout and I was in the marching band as a drummer, too. We also played Greensleeves! Later on, I found rock music. That was when I heard my sister’s record Rock Around the Clock by Bill Haley and The Comets. I think Rock Around the Clock was pretty big in the ’50s when it came out. I was eleven or twelve then, when I heard it. I’m sure you know that.
REDDON: Yes, I do. It’s a very grabby tune.
ANGEL:
When I heard that song, I was so in love with it. And it belonged to my sister! I placed that record on top of the hot radiator and ruined it. That was the end of that. My sister was not very happy!
REDDON:
Sounds like something I’d have done to my sister! So I guess you could say you were instantly overtaken by rock music?
ANGEL:
Yes, that was it. Now it was rock music for me. No more march music! Later we formed a rock band where we played songs by a group called The Pretty Things, The Animals and others. I played the drums in that band, as well.
REDDON:
How old were you then, when you were in the rock band?
ANGEL:
I was thirteen, fourteen…something like that. Pretty young. And then I didn’t touch a drum kit for like ten years or something when I stopped with that rock band. Do you want to hear about the time when I touched the drum kit for the last time?
REDDON: Sure!
ANGEL: Do you know of Ken Hensley of Uriah Heep?
REDDON: I’m familiar with Uriah Heep.
ANGEL:
Ken is the guy playing the keyboards. He wrote most of the songs for Uriah Heep. He and I became friends around ’74. I went to his home a couple of times in England. One time, my girlfriend and I went to stay at his place. Ken had a demo studio connected with his huge house. There were guitars in the studio and also a drum kit. It was ten times bigger than anything I had ever touched so I asked him if I could have a go at it. He said, “Sure, go ahead.” I said, “Okay fine, I will if you go and join the others for coffee.” I wasn’t going to play in front of him, or anyone else! He agreed and left.
Then I was sort of banging away for about five minutes and I thought it was great fun. I could hear it wasn’t very good! Awful, in fact. And then, oh boy, what I didn’t realize, was the demo studio was right next to the living room. It was connected and I didn’t realize they could hear everything! So they could sit, drinking their coffee and listen to me banging away. So when I came in, they were trying to restrain themselves. But they were really laughing and smiling, you know? So I said, “All right, that’s the last time I will ever touch a drum kit!” That was so embarrassing. That really was the last time!
REDDON: A memorable end to a much abbreviated musical career!
ANGEL:
Ken and his wife were very nice people and we all had a laugh over that one. I’m still in touch with him from time to time.
REDDON:
That’s a great story. Lots of people really like Uriah Heep. In fact, they’ve come up in other interviews I’ve conducted. I’ve never gotten around to their music. I’ll put it on my listening list, which is growing every day.
ANGEL:
Over here in Denmark, and Europe in general, Uriah Heep was among the top five bands. Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, were all very big in Europe. What I liked about Uriah Heep is that they were a bit symphonic. Anyway, I hope that answers your question about my musical background.
REDDON:
Yes, it does. And it was also humorous, which is always a bonus. What is your first recollection of The Yardbirds?
ANGEL:
Well, I saw The Yardbirds at a place called KB Hallen, in Copenhagen. This was around 1965 before I started taking photos. And I actually made a review in those days of The Yardbirds concert I saw there. You know, for our school magazine. It was more like a class magazine with a circulation of about thirty!
I remember writing something like, “Keith Relf was running around the stage like a kid at a children’s birthday party!”
REDDON:
That’s a riot. Great visual there, no photo required. Seriously though, you’ve been at the popular music game for awhile now, from a very young age. It really strikes me that you were so deeply attracted to rock music as a kid.
ANGEL:
Yes, I was pretty young but I loved what I was hearing. Led Zeppelin played KB Hallen a couple of times, too. So did everybody else. It was a popular place to play.
REDDON: Were you interested in the The Yardbirds albums?
ANGEL:
I had four or five Yardbirds albums. My favourite song was The Nazz Are Blue. I sold all my vinyl so I don’t have them anymore. I bought one or two Yardbirds albums on CD just to get The Nazz Are Blue. And it sounded better back then! But anyway, I liked them, yes.
REDDON: Did you have a favourite band from those early days?
ANGEL:
The Pretty Things. They did songs called Big City, Mama Keep Your Big Mouth Shut and Roadrunner, which were among the ones of theirs I enjoyed. The Pretty Things’ first album was very raw. Today, they are considered a musician’s band. Back then, they never got the recognition. If you think of the music scene back then, you had The Beatles – the nice, clean-cut guys on one side and, on the other, you had The Rolling Stones. They were the boys the girls’ fathers didn’t want them to go out with. If you draw a line with The Beatles at one end and The Rolling Stones at the other, then you extend the line farther past the Stones? You’ll find The Pretty Things!
REDDON: Really?
ANGEL:
They were the first sort of “punk” band…not that they played punk rock music. It was more the way they performed and behaved. The Pretty Things released four singles with the same photo on the cover, except they changed the colour plate on it. It was taken at a dump or junkyard. But they were very, very nice, kind people.
If not the first, The Pretty Things were among the first bands that Peter Grant signed to Led Zeppelin’s new label, Swan Song. I think that’s further proof that the group was a musician’s band. I recall talking to The Pretty Things’ vocalist, Phil May, in London. He told me they had just signed to a new label owned by a big band but he couldn’t tell me more at the time.
I also enjoyed The Animals; their first couple of albums were super. I even liked one album by The Rolling Stones, the first one. It had great songs on it. After that, I didn’t care much for The Rolling Stones. But that’s another story. And another band I really liked was The Kinks. They were a super band…great songs.
REDDON:
