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THE FALLEN ANGELS

The Fallen Angels formed in 1965 in the Washington D.C. area. Initially they were called The Disciples with Jack Bryant, Howard Danchik, Wally Cook & Ned Davis of the Young Rabbits. They then went by the name The Uncalled Four before becoming The Fallen Angels. There were a number of different member throughout the history of the group, including Richard Kumer of the folk-punk outfit, The Mad Hatters.

With the management & production team of Traynor & Seidel, The Fallen Angels were marketed to AM Radio, but their music was too far-out for the straight audience, and because of this misguided marketing strategy, they received very limited exposure to the burgeoning underground music scene associated with west coast bands such as the Doors, Jefferson Airplane & Grateful Dead. Despite playing to wildly enthusiastic crowds at venues all along the east coast, The Fallen Angels had not been able to establish their identity nationwide. Even with all the problems concurrent with it's release, the first album contains some real gems that reflect the attitudes of both hope and cynicism which prevailed during the psychedelic era. Listen carefully to songs like "Introspective Looking Glass", "Your Mother's Homesick, Too" & the album's tour de force, "No Way Out".

THE FALLEN ANGELS ARE:

Jack Bryant was the lead singer, bass player and a prolific songwriter. Jack provided the creative focal point of the group and with his full beard and shoulder length hair, he was the spitting image of a counterculture "Christ" figure. Jack had an amazing vocal range, equally adept at belting out powerhouse rock/blues or subtly phrasing folk/jazz lyrics. He also was a heck of a bass player. The bulk of the songwriting came from Jack and was often autobiographical & eloquently expressed his intense personal philosophy.

Howard Danchik handled Flute, Piano, Celeste & songwriting. A classically trained musician, Howard was a comedic talent who loved to have wacky interactions with the audience members. In many ways, Howard was reminiscent of a young, psychedelic Peter Sellers.
Jack Lauritsen, also classically trained, was a multi-instrumentalist who started off as a rhythm guitarist and moved on to develop his own searing, jazz-flavored lead guitar style. In addition to providing beautiful string arrangements for various Fallen Angel compositions, and adding Sitar & Vibraphone overdubs, Jack did hilarious impersonations of then president LBJ when the band performed at anti-war protests.
Wally Cook, lead guitarist, was a master of any style. Wally had a quiet stage presence which was counterbalanced by the ferocious sounds which emanated from his guitar. He later appeared on the Ry Cooder LP, "Paradise & Lunch".
John "Thumper" Molloy played the drums with a solid, no-frills, driving intensity. Thumper typically played while wearing a black turtleneck, and given his strong upper body development, he projected a foreboding persona from behind his drum kit.

The great psych-rock selections on this, their debut LP are: Room At The Top; Love, Don't Talk To Strangers; Your Friends Here In Dunderville; I've Been Thinking; It Might Be Easier To Stay Home; Most Children Do; Introspective Looking Glass; I Don't Want To Fall; No Way Out (not the same song performed by The Chocolate Watchband); Painted Bird; Your Mother's Homesick Too; You Have Changed. This is a rare Original 1968 STEREO pressing on ROULETTE RECORDS (25358). Although I've pictured my used play copy, rest assured that this offering is totally pristine Mint & STILL FACTORY SEALED!


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