THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
1,490) The Fallen Angels — “Room at the Top”
From the Fallen Angels (see #814),”Washington D.C.’s greatest contribution to 60s rock” (Jason, https://therisingstorm.net/the-fallen-angels-the-fallen-angels/), here is a ’67 B-side and track from their first LP with “sublime psychedelic power” (Jason again), a “brilliant dynamic psych rocker with groovy echo effects and nice crazy outro” (happening45, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4QJbV_Q9Os), a “cool leadoff track”. (Dave Furgess, https://www.headheritage.co.uk/unsung/review/1714/) “This song has been stuck in the back of my mind for 50 years now”! (Unknown, https://abitlikeyouandme.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-fallen-angels-room-at-top-1968.html) Let me add that the propulsive, horn-driven number bears a certain similarity to the Friends‘ theme song, yes “I’ll Be There for You” by the Rembrandts. Just sayin’.
Jason tells us of the Angels’ first LP:
While It’s a Long Way Down is their best offering, their first Roulette album, The Fallen Angels . . . is packed with great songs and tight performances. . . . The group could lay down a groove with the best of them but on LP they favor songcraft over noodling. Jack Bryant’s moody vocals and the album’s interesting production tricks catch the ear first but the group’s energetic drive, personal lyrics and catchy melodies will win you over in the end. . . . While not an all-time classic on par with It’s A Long Way Down . . . The Fallen Angels is still a good album by a psychedelic group whose music has held up quite well – they were one of America’s best unknown psych rock groups.
https://therisingstorm.net/the-fallen-angels-the-fallen-angels/
Dave Furgess tells us of the Angels:
The[] Fallen Angels were a great psychedelic group who were based in the Baltimore, Maryland-Washington D.C. area and recorded two full length albums for Roulette Records. . . . The . . . debut album failed to cause much attention at the record shops and was quickly deleted. Usually this would have meant certain death to a group like The Fallen Angels. However the good folks at Roulette decided to give the group a second shot and they were even afforded the luxury of complete artistic control. This all resulted in the group’s stunning second album It’s A Long Way Down (which sadly suffered the same fate as the group’s debut sales-wise despite it’s obvious quality and inventiveness.) . . . . an exceptional album . . . . that actually lives up to the hype.
Psychedelic Rock N’ Roll tells us of the band’s sad denouement:
Although the [second] album was an artistic triumph, Roulette Records‘s promotional campaign was practically non-existent. With no top ten hits, The Fallen Angels were unceremoniously dropped from the label. Relegated to the status of local legends, [they] continued creating and performing original music in the Washington D.C. area until the fall of 1969 when the group disbanded. . . . [T]he February 1972 issue of Stereo Review, music critic Joel Vance wrote an insightful article entitled The Fragmentation Of Rock, which analyzed the problem of developing new talent in the industry. To illustrate the overwhelming odds against succeeding, he states:
“The Fallen Angels, for example, a remarkable band from Washington, D.C., put out two astonishing albums for Roulette Records in 1967/68. But they never made it, even though they were far better than most American groups of the time”.https://psychedelic-rocknroll.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-fallen-angels-its-long-way-down.html?m=1
Pay to Play! The Off the Charts Spotify Playlist! + Brace for the Obscure 60s Rock Merchandise
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