Monday, July 4, 2011

A song a day: The Angels - Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again?


The 70's and 80's were a brutal time for pub bands in Australia. You had to be very, very good or face the disdain of beer crazed locals with a taste for violence. The Angels, essentially a three chord bar band, arose from that scene with frantic live shows that were energetic and confrontational. The Angels received a huge following in Australia but what happened to Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again? speaks volumes of that era. This pretty straight forward boogie number was changed forever when some larrikins in the Northern Territory (reportedly) changed it with a little crowd participation. As every proud Australian knows, the song now goes:

The Angels: Am I ever gonna see your face again?
Audience: No way! Get fucked! Fuck off!

For me, this was part of my early experiences of music - a time when bands weren't allowed to be lame. They had to rock or get the fuck off the stage. This is what the song sounds like today...


Even as old codgers they still rock.

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1 comment:

  1. Yes, the Angels were/are some of the finest and best Rocknroll ever. and, by the way, you don't even have to be Australian to know the words. Saw 'em "back in the Day" and yes, the chorus was as it is...

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