Blue Angel (band)

Last updated
Blue Angel
Also known asBoppin' the Blues
Origin New York City, U.S.
Genres
Years active1979–82,
1987
Labels Polydor
Past members

Blue Angel was an American band, that featured Cyndi Lauper before her rise to fame as a solo singer. [3] The lineup also included John Turi on keyboards and saxophone, Arthur "Rockin' A" Neilson (guitar), Lee Brovitz (bass guitar) and Johnny Morelli (drums). Lauper and Turi wrote the bulk of their material, and the group also covered pop standards, such as Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil's "I'm Gonna Be Strong" (which Lauper covered again on a 1994 album). Blue Angel were briefly popular on the New York club scene.

Contents

The band reformed without Lauper in 1987, under the name Boppin' the Blues. Lauper joined them on stage for a one-time performance at New York's Lone Star Cafe, singing a Big Mama Thornton song and "That's Alright Mama". They have since disbanded.

Discography

Their only album, Blue Angel , was released in 1980. [4] It featured a sparse punk rock and new wave-styled cover in primary red, and floating band member photos. The album's sales were better overseas than in the United States. The only track to hit top 40 was "I'm Gonna Be Strong", which reached No. 37 in the Netherlands. Another song from the album, "Maybe He'll Know", was re-recorded by Lauper on her second solo album, True Colors , in 1986.

Blue Angel recorded a second album for Polydor in 1980; it was never released owing to a change in management at PolyGram Germany, and they, along with other artists, were dropped from the label. The band continued to gig around New York until 1982; their final concert took place that fall at Studio 54.

Albums

Singles

YearSongAlbum
1980"I'm Gonna Be Strong"Blue Angel
"I Had a Love"
"Late"
"Fade"

Re-releases

After Lauper's solo success, Blue Angel was re-released in LP and cassette formats in multiple countries. The yellow-covered Australian re-release uses a larger photo of Cyndi and includes "Blue Angel featuring" in small print above "Cyndi Lauper" in large print. The Japanese re-release also includes "featuring Cyndi Lauper", though the rest of the cover remains unchanged from the original release. In 2005, a 5000-copy compact disc pressing was released by Hip-O Select Records.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyndi Lauper</span> American musician and actress (born 1953)

Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her album She's So Unusual (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to achieve four top-five hits on the Billboard Hot 100—"Girls Just Want to Have Fun", "Time After Time", "She Bop", and "All Through the Night"—and earned Lauper the Best New Artist award at the 27th Annual Grammy Awards in 1985. Her success continued with the soundtrack for the motion picture The Goonies (1985) and her second record True Colors (1986). This album included the number-one single "True Colors" and "Change of Heart", which peaked at number three. Her cover of the Marvin Gaye song "What's Going On" was a moderate hit in 1987. In 1989, Lauper saw success with "I Drove All Night" and in 1993, had her first dance club hit with "That's What I Think".

<i>Shes So Unusual</i> 1983 studio album by Cyndi Lauper

She's So Unusual is the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Cyndi Lauper, released on October 14, 1983, by Portrait Records. It stands out for its commercial success, achieving four top-five singles — a pioneering achievement for a debut album by a female artist. The album was re-released in 2014 to commemorate its 30th anniversary, and was called She's So Unusual: A 30th Anniversary Celebration. The re-release contains demos and remixes of previously released material, as well as new artwork.

<i>The Clash</i> (album) 1977 studio album by The Clash

The Clash is the debut studio album by the English punk rock band the Clash, released on 8 April 1977 through CBS Records. Recorded and mixed over three weeks in February 1977 for £4,000, it would go on to reach No. 12 on the UK charts, and has been included on many retrospective rankings as one of the greatest punk albums of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Forbert</span> American pop music singer-songwriter

Samuel Stephen Forbert is an American pop/folk singer-songwriter. His 1979 song "Romeo's Tune" reached No. 11 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and No. 13 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. It also spent two weeks at No. 8 in Canada. Forbert's first four albums all charted on the Billboard 200 chart, with Jackrabbit Slim certified gold in Canada. In 2004, his Any Old Time album was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Traditional Folk category. Forbert has released twenty studio and three live albums.

<i>A Night to Remember</i> (Cyndi Lauper album) 1989 studio album by Cyndi Lauper

A Night to Remember is the third studio album by American singer Cyndi Lauper, released on May 9, 1989, by Epic Records. The album was originally set to be released in 1988, under the name Kindred Spirit, but was delayed until 1989 and the songs from the initial project were reworked. Although the album managed to score a top-10 single, it did not enjoy the commercial success of her previous two albums, and was met with mixed-to-poor reviews and in interviews, Lauper refers to it as A Night to Forget. Worldwide, the album has sold more than 1.5 million copies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rick Derringer</span> American musician (born 1947)

Rick Derringer is an American musician, producer, and songwriter. He achieved success during the 1960s with his then band, the McCoys. Their debut single, "Hang on Sloopy", was a number-one hit in 1965 and became a classic track of the garage rock era. The McCoys then had seven songs that charted in the top 100, including versions of "Fever" and "Come on Let's Go".

<i>The Bridge</i> (Billy Joel album) 1986 studio album by Billy Joel

The Bridge is the tenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Billy Joel, released on July 25, 1986. It was Joel's last studio album produced by Phil Ramone as well as the last to feature Joel's long-time bassist Doug Stegmeyer and rhythm guitarist Russell Javors. The album yielded several successful singles, including "A Matter of Trust", "Modern Woman", and "This Is the Time".

Jules Mark Shear is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He wrote the Cyndi Lauper hit single "All Through the Night", the Bangles' hit "If She Knew What She Wants", and the Ignatius Jones and Allison Moyet hit "Whispering Your Name" and charted a hit as a performer with "Steady" in 1985.

<i>Twelve Deadly Cyns...and Then Some</i> 1994 greatest hits album by Cyndi Lauper

Twelve Deadly Cyns...and Then Some is a greatest hits album by American singer Cyndi Lauper, released on August 22, 1994, through Epic Records. It contains a collection of singles from the singer's first four studio albums. It also contains three new songs: "(Hey Now) Girls Just Want to Have Fun", "I'm Gonna Be Strong" and "Come On Home", all of which were released as singles. To promote the record, the singer embarked on a worldwide tour. A video album was simultaneously released and contained music videos of fourteen songs.

<i>Blue Angel</i> (Blue Angel album) 1980 studio album by Blue Angel

Blue Angel is the only studio and eponymous album by the American band Blue Angel released in 1980. They were fronted by a pre-fame Cyndi Lauper. The band was fairly short-lived and the album was not a major success until after Lauper's solo career exploded.

"I'm Gonna Be Strong" is a song written by the songwriting duo Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. It was first recorded by Frankie Laine in 1963 and released as a single on Columbia Records. However, the song did not become a major hit until 1964, when Gene Pitney released his version as a single. It was also a single released by the 1980 band Blue Angel, with lead vocals provided by future star Cyndi Lauper. This release was prior to Lauper's solo career; however, Lauper re-recorded the track and released it as a single in 1994. The song was also featured on 1982's Quiet Lies album by Grammy winner Juice Newton. Though Newton never released the song as a single, her remake was later added as a bonus track to her first Greatest Hits collection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Money Changes Everything</span> 1978 single by The Brains

"Money Changes Everything" is a song by American rock band the Brains from their eponymous debut studio album (1980). Originally released in 1978, the song was reissued as the lead single from the album in 1980, by Mercury Records. Frontman Tom Gray is credited as the sole writer of the song, while production was collectively helmed by the Brains and Bruce Baxter. The song was popularized in 1984 by Cyndi Lauper, who released a cover version of the song as a single from her debut studio album, She's So Unusual (1983).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyndi Lauper discography</span>

American singer Cyndi Lauper has released eleven studio albums, six compilation albums, five video albums and fifty-three singles. Worldwide, Lauper has sold approximately 50 million albums, singles and DVDs. According to RIAA, She has sold 8.5 million certified albums in the United States with She's so Unusual being her biggest seller.

<i>I Got Dem Ol Kozmic Blues Again Mama!</i> 1969 studio album by Janis Joplin

I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama! is the debut solo and third studio album overall by American singer-songwriter Janis Joplin, released on September 11, 1969, by Columbia Records. It was the first album which Joplin recorded after leaving her former band, Big Brother and the Holding Company, and the only solo album released during her lifetime.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maybe He'll Know</span> 1987 single by Cyndi Lauper

"Maybe He'll Know" is a song by American singer Cyndi Lauper from her 1986 album, True Colors. It served as the fifth and final single of the album, released only in Europe in 1987. It is a remake of a song that Lauper recorded with her former band, Blue Angel. The two versions are slightly different lyrically in a few lines. Billy Joel joins Lauper in 'doo wop' style back-up vocal duties.

<i>True Colors</i> (concert tour) Former annual American music event

True Colors was an annual music event created by American recording artist Cyndi Lauper. The concerts were headlined by Lauper and featured various music and comedy acts. Beginning in 2007, the trek supported the Human Rights Campaign, PFLAG and the Matthew Shepard Foundation. Other local and private LGBT charities and foundations were supported as the event grew. The tour began with 16 shows in 2007 expanding to 25 shows in 2008. Lauper's set during the 2008 tour was basically the North American leg of her worldwide Bring Ya to the Brink Tour that year. An outing in 2009 was planned and later cancelled. In lieu of the tour, Lauper partnered with Broadway Impact to create the True Colors Cabaret. The show began September 28, 2009 and ran once a month at Feinstein's at Loews Regency. It featured performances from Lauper, Rufus Wainwright, Lea Michele, Jonathan Groff, Jason Mraz, Sara Bareilles, Karen Olivo, Melinda Doolittle and Broadway Inspirational Voices. The shows ran until February 2010.

<i>Bad Reputation</i> (Joan Jett album) 1980 studio album by Joan Jett

Bad Reputation is the debut solo studio album by American recording artist Joan Jett. It was originally released independently in May 1980 as a self-titled album after her previous band The Runaways disbanded. After Jett signed with Boardwalk Records, the album was re-released worldwide with the new title on January 23, 1981. The album was positively received by critics and reached number 51 on the Billboard 200.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dancing with Myself</span> 1980 single by Gen X

"Dancing with Myself" is a song by the punk rock band Gen X, first commercially released in the United Kingdom in October 1980, where it reached number 62 on the UK Singles Chart. It was remixed and re-released by the band's singer/frontman Billy Idol as a solo artist in the United States in 1981, where the song reached number 27 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. Nouvelle Vague covered the number in 2006 and released it on their album, Bande à Part.

<i>Little Light</i> (album) 2008 studio album by Allison Crowe

Little Light is the fifth studio album from Canadian singer-songwriter Allison Crowe and the sixth CD release overall from her record label, Rubenesque Records Ltd. As on her previous album, "This Little Bird", the independent musician recorded the songs live-off-the-floor, and in concert, at locations spanning the breadth of Canada - from Corner Brook, Newfoundland on the Atlantic coast, to White Rock and Nanaimo, British Columbia on the Pacific shores. The album was released on May 2, 2008.

<i>Mama</i> (Nomeansno album) 1982 studio album by Nomeansno

Mama is the debut album by Victoria, British Columbia punk rock band Nomeansno. Featuring the band's original incarnation comprising brothers John and Rob Wright, the album was released independently on LP in 1982. Nomeansno reissued a remastered version the album in 1992 on their own Wrong Records imprint, coupled with the tracks from their Betrayal, Fear, Anger, Hatred EP of 1981.

References

  1. 1 2 "Review of Blue Angel". AllMusic. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
  2. Christgau, Robert (1990). "B". Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s . Pantheon Books. ISBN   0-679-73015-X . Retrieved August 17, 2020 via robertchristgau.com.
  3. Carl R. Green, William R. Sanford (1986). Crestwood House (ed.). Cyndi Lauper. Crestwood House. ISBN   978-0-89686-300-2.
  4. Gimarc, George (2005). Punk Diary: The Ultimate Trainspotter's Guide to Underground Rock, 1970-1982. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 421. ISBN   978-0-87930-848-3.