Angel St
Encyclopedia
"Angel St" is the thirteenth single by British
band M People
, released on 16 March 1998. "Angel St" is the third and final single from M People's 1997 album Fresco. The song was written by Mike Pickering
, Paul Heard and Heather Small
and produced by M People and Chris Lord-Alge
. The song peaked at number eight on UK Singles Chart
.
despite its nine week sojourn in the sales chart Top 75, peaked and stalled at number 33 even with above average radio airplay, Never Mind Love the mid-temp soulful third track on the album was rumoured to be the third single release, but a more typical sounding single was chosen in the form of seventh track and Fresco live favourite Angel St. A brand new mix was created by Chris Lord-Alge
for the single with lighter sounding synths to support the resounding M People
virtues of believing in yourself, respecting yourself but with a leaning towards greater independence.
Special mention must be given to the Later with Jools Holland
Special filmed at BBC TV Centre in February 1998 and features the full M People
band, helped out with a 10 piece Gospel Choir including regular backing singers, Lynieve Austin, Paul Johnson, and Sarah Brown, a 12-piece String Section as well as Mr Jools Holland
himself on piano during the performance of Angel Street itself and later on Don’t look any further. They performed some all-time classic M People
songs, a couple of lovely acoustic arrangements and one very special cover of Gladys Knight
’s 'Baby Don’t Change Your Mind'. In the UK, it was screened on BBC2 twice over the Easter Holidays, at 11.30pm on Good Friday and repeated at 6pm on Easter Monday. The Video and DVD of the performance were later sold on general release.
who opens the songs with a prolonged sax riff lasting seven seconds accompanied by the drums and layers of percussive shakers and a neat underlying rhythm guitar riff, and grand piano played by Terry Burrus
who also played on last single, Fantasy Island
. Also, the London Session Orchestra provides reinforced orchestral support on the bridge and choruses arranged by Simon Hale. The song very much continues in the familiar vain of Fantasy Island
capturing both the signature M People
sound and luxuriating in lifting the spirit with pace, drive and eternal messages of the need for both self-reliance and co-operation.
single to be available on two CD formats, following "Open Your Heart
" and "Love Rendezvous
" to ensure strong sales and strengthen the bands chanced of getting their tenth Top 10 hit. Unlike the previous two single CD format releases, all formats were released on the same day. CD1 contains the radio edit and live mixes of "Sight for Sore Eyes
", "One Night in Heaven
" and "Search for the Hero
" which were all recorded from the Fresco Tour the previous autumn (in Glasgow, Manchester and London respectively). CD2 contains both the radio edit and album versions as well as two further mixes: the Joey Negro
Extended Disco Mix which is a slice of 70s funk, and ‘Genius 3’s Out in the Sticks’ vocal mix which band member Shovel provides the percussion for.
", Robbie Williams
’s "Let Me Entertain You
", and Tin Tin Out
’s "Here's Where the Story Ends
", all vying for top ten chart places with Angel St.
The single entered the chart well within the Top 10 and had been ahead of nearest competitor Tin Tin Out
’s smash hit "Here's Where the Story Ends
" for most of the week but had to settle one place behind it at number 8. Angel St
became M People
’s tenth and final top ten hit, their second number eight hit from the album and their third number eight single in total, after How Can I Love You More (Mixes) and Just for You
.
The single received average support from radio in the UK and the two CD format clearly spurred the single to sell very well in a very strong sales week, with other songs in the Top ten including many former number ones: the Spice Girls
’ "Stop
", Madonna
’s "Frozen
" and Celine Dion
’s "My Heart Will Go On
", but leading atop the chart at the time was 1998’s biggest selling single Run DMC’s "It's Like That".
Angel St
sold 74,500 copies to enter the chart and peak at number 8 with the live CD (1) selling more than the remixed CD(2). The single then moved very steadily out of the chart in the following weeks from 8 to 15 to 25 to 38 to 46 to 63, so it stayed in the chart for six weeks in total in the Spring of 1998.
in October 1992, some six years prior, and some twelve consecutive singles later, radio seemed quite reluctant to play the single and rotate it. Even lesser charting sales singles, like Fantasy Island
received more immediate airplay. Generally, radio support for the single grew slowly, despite being serviced to radio in the middle week of January 1998, some eight weeks before release, which is traditionally a very quiet time for single releases. Capital Radio
group at first played added to the single to their C-list and it didn’t move to tier A-list until a week after release once the single proved itself to be a sales success. Even die hard supporters like BBC Radio 2 made it their Single of the week, in the week of release, but hadn’t played it much before. Stations seemed to be wary of the single on the back of the surprise stalling in sales of Fantasy Island.
The single entered on airplay at number 75 four weeks before release moving to 52 to 40 to 21. It then peaked at number 14 the week after their tenth top sales hit placing but only hung around the top twenty for three weeks, making made this single their lowest charting airplay hit since 1992. However, while airplay was relatively slower than normal, the music channels heavily rotated the video particularly VH1
, MTV
and The Box
.
sat on a backless leather sofa all dressed in black jacket, black trousers, hair flowing over her right shoulder in the direction to which she is smiling and looking with looking glamorous and relaxed with pristine make up. The photograph was taken by Kevyn Aucoin
, the very highly in demand American make-up artist and photographer who had worked with hundreds of celebrities including Cher
, Janet Jackson
and Tina Turner
. CD2 is a close-up of half of Heather’s face, chest and shoulder as seen from CD1, and you can see even more clearly the flawless make-up on Heather’s face. The sleeve was designed by Farrow Design
, who had designed both previous singles’ sleeves as well as the parent album’s sleeve Fresco.
The first opening shots and timelapses are primarily seen through the lens of the stage camera which moves across the front capturing everything from the enjoyment of the crowd to the band clowning around in rehearsals. Other montages of images, capture everything from the band in their hotel lobby at Christmas, to street signs with ‘Angel Street’ and ones leading to Manchester and backstage antics, meet and greets with fans, to tour bus jokes and lots of dancing on stage by Heather. The crowd are seen in their thousands within the arena dancing and clapping and singing along with their hands in the air. The montages emphasise how much fun the band have on the road touring, the stage being set up as well as seeing band members Mike Pickering
, Paul Heard and Shovel enjoying themselves on stage as well as the other backing singers and members of the live band.
As the video draws to a close, the final clips show the end of the concert and the band waving goodbye as they leave the stage. The closing shots show the crowd disappear and the stage crew packing up on the now empty arena floor.
Special show mentioned earlier, they also relentlessly promoted the single on The Des O'Connor Tonight
Show, This Morning
, Sunday Night at the London Palladium
, Videotech, Cilla Black
’s Surprise Surprise, The Pepsi Chart TV Show and of course, their seventeenth Top of the Pops
appearance. The band went on to promote the album in Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Holland and Belgium throughout March and into April 1998.
who opens the song with a jazzy riff holding the note for an even longer 11 seconds. He also in the middle eight performs the ‘battle of the saxes’ with Mike Pickering
also on sax, when Mike repeats what Snake plays and latterly after the Best of performed ‘the battle’ with whoever would be playing rhythm guitar.
The live version has always stayed pretty faithful to the original with a funkier groove and the additional of rhythm guitar underlying the song throughout; Shovel on percussive duties alternating between playing Bongos and Tambourine, Paul plays chords on second keyboards and Paul Birchall plays first keyboard in place of the grand piano parts originally played by Terry Burrus
on the track.
The band also premiered the song on UK TV, live on Later with Jools Holland
when they were a featured artist in November 1997 promoting the Fresco album and performed other tracks, Never Mind Love and Heather’s solo performance of: Perfect Day
. They also opened with this song on the Jools Holland
M People
Special in the Spring of 1998.
After the Fresco Tour, Angel St has always been played quite early in their setlist, but no longer the opener and is very much a warm-up track for bigger singles like One Night in Heaven
. The track is also concluded by Snake who plays the song out to a natural end with a closing outro.
CD1
CD2
7" Mini
(2x) 12" Maxi
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
band M People
M People
M People are a British house music act from Manchester, who formed in 1990 and achieved success throughout most of the 1990s. The name M People is from the initials of Mike Pickering, who formed the group.-Career:...
, released on 16 March 1998. "Angel St" is the third and final single from M People's 1997 album Fresco. The song was written by Mike Pickering
Mike Pickering
Michael "Duncan" Pickering has DJed at The Haçienda's infamous "Nude" and "Hot" nights and later "Shine". He worked for Factory Records where he signed Happy Mondays, To Hell With Burgundy and James amongst others...
, Paul Heard and Heather Small
Heather Small
Heather Small is a British soul singer, best known for being the lead singer in the Manchester based band M People. Her debut solo album was Proud in 2000...
and produced by M People and Chris Lord-Alge
Chris Lord-Alge
Chris Lord-Alge is a mixer who has worked on various albums. He is the brother of Tom Lord-Alge, another audio engineer. Chris Lord-Alge is known for his extreme use of dynamic range compression in both hardware and software plug-in versions....
. The song peaked at number eight on UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
.
Background
Last single Fantasy IslandFantasy Island (song)
Fantasy Island is the second single from British band M People from their fourth album Fresco . Written by Mike Pickering, Paul Heard and Heather Small. Produced by M People. It was released on 24 November 1997...
despite its nine week sojourn in the sales chart Top 75, peaked and stalled at number 33 even with above average radio airplay, Never Mind Love the mid-temp soulful third track on the album was rumoured to be the third single release, but a more typical sounding single was chosen in the form of seventh track and Fresco live favourite Angel St. A brand new mix was created by Chris Lord-Alge
Chris Lord-Alge
Chris Lord-Alge is a mixer who has worked on various albums. He is the brother of Tom Lord-Alge, another audio engineer. Chris Lord-Alge is known for his extreme use of dynamic range compression in both hardware and software plug-in versions....
for the single with lighter sounding synths to support the resounding M People
M People
M People are a British house music act from Manchester, who formed in 1990 and achieved success throughout most of the 1990s. The name M People is from the initials of Mike Pickering, who formed the group.-Career:...
virtues of believing in yourself, respecting yourself but with a leaning towards greater independence.
Special mention must be given to the Later with Jools Holland
Later with Jools Holland
Later... with Jools Holland is a contemporary British music television show hosted by Jools Holland. A spin-off of The Late Show, it has been running in short series since 1992 and is a part of BBC Two's late-night line-up, usually at around 11pm to 12 midnight...
Special filmed at BBC TV Centre in February 1998 and features the full M People
M People
M People are a British house music act from Manchester, who formed in 1990 and achieved success throughout most of the 1990s. The name M People is from the initials of Mike Pickering, who formed the group.-Career:...
band, helped out with a 10 piece Gospel Choir including regular backing singers, Lynieve Austin, Paul Johnson, and Sarah Brown, a 12-piece String Section as well as Mr Jools Holland
Jools Holland
Julian Miles "Jools" Holland OBE, DL is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer, and television presenter. He was a founder of the band Squeeze and his work has involved him with many artists including Sting, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, The Who, David Gilmour and Bono.Holland is a...
himself on piano during the performance of Angel Street itself and later on Don’t look any further. They performed some all-time classic M People
M People
M People are a British house music act from Manchester, who formed in 1990 and achieved success throughout most of the 1990s. The name M People is from the initials of Mike Pickering, who formed the group.-Career:...
songs, a couple of lovely acoustic arrangements and one very special cover of Gladys Knight
Gladys Knight
Gladys Maria Knight , known as the "Empress of Soul", is an American singer-songwriter, actress, businesswoman, humanitarian, and author...
’s 'Baby Don’t Change Your Mind'. In the UK, it was screened on BBC2 twice over the Easter Holidays, at 11.30pm on Good Friday and repeated at 6pm on Easter Monday. The Video and DVD of the performance were later sold on general release.
Composition
The single utilises the skills of consistent (unofficial, fifth) band member Snake DavisSnake Davis
Snake Davis is a session musician who has played with some of the worlds biggest artists. In the 1980s he fronted York band Zoot and the Roots....
who opens the songs with a prolonged sax riff lasting seven seconds accompanied by the drums and layers of percussive shakers and a neat underlying rhythm guitar riff, and grand piano played by Terry Burrus
Terry Burrus
Terrance Corley Burrus is an American keyboardist and composer.Born in Brooklyn, New York, he started touring as a teenager playing with jazz fusion violinist Michał Urbaniak, singer Jean Carne, while still in High school in New York...
who also played on last single, Fantasy Island
Fantasy Island (song)
Fantasy Island is the second single from British band M People from their fourth album Fresco . Written by Mike Pickering, Paul Heard and Heather Small. Produced by M People. It was released on 24 November 1997...
. Also, the London Session Orchestra provides reinforced orchestral support on the bridge and choruses arranged by Simon Hale. The song very much continues in the familiar vain of Fantasy Island
Fantasy Island (song)
Fantasy Island is the second single from British band M People from their fourth album Fresco . Written by Mike Pickering, Paul Heard and Heather Small. Produced by M People. It was released on 24 November 1997...
capturing both the signature M People
M People
M People are a British house music act from Manchester, who formed in 1990 and achieved success throughout most of the 1990s. The name M People is from the initials of Mike Pickering, who formed the group.-Career:...
sound and luxuriating in lifting the spirit with pace, drive and eternal messages of the need for both self-reliance and co-operation.
Formats & Mixes
This single was the third M PeopleM People
M People are a British house music act from Manchester, who formed in 1990 and achieved success throughout most of the 1990s. The name M People is from the initials of Mike Pickering, who formed the group.-Career:...
single to be available on two CD formats, following "Open Your Heart
Open Your Heart (M People song)
"Open Your Heart" is the eleventh overall single from British band M People. It is the second single from their third album Bizarre Fruit . Written by Mike Pickering, Paul Heard and Heather Small. Produced by M People. It was released on 23 January 1995...
" and "Love Rendezvous
Love Rendezvous
Love Rendezvous is the fourth single from the album Bizarre Fruit/Bizarre Fruit II by British band M People. Written by Mike Pickering and Paul Heard and Heather Small. Produced by M People. It was released on 14 October 1995, after the band’s World Tour...
" to ensure strong sales and strengthen the bands chanced of getting their tenth Top 10 hit. Unlike the previous two single CD format releases, all formats were released on the same day. CD1 contains the radio edit and live mixes of "Sight for Sore Eyes
Sight for Sore Eyes
"Sight For Sore Eyes" is the tenth overall single from the British band M People released as the lead single from multi-platinum album Bizarre Fruit.Written by Mike Pickering, Paul Heard and Heather Small and Produced by M People. It was released on 5 November 1994...
", "One Night in Heaven
One Night in Heaven
One Night in Heaven is the sixth overall single from British band M People and the first single from their second album Elegant Slumming . Written by Mike Pickering and Paul Heard. Produced by M People. It was released on 14 June 1993. The song peaked at number six on the UK Singles...
" and "Search for the Hero
Search for the Hero
Search for the Hero is the third single from Bizarre Fruit , the multi-platinum selling album from M People Written by Mike Pickering and Paul Heard. Produced by M People. It was released on 12th June 1995...
" which were all recorded from the Fresco Tour the previous autumn (in Glasgow, Manchester and London respectively). CD2 contains both the radio edit and album versions as well as two further mixes: the Joey Negro
Joey Negro
Dave Lee is a British DJ and house music producer, also known by the stage name Joey Negro. Lee was born on the Isle of Wight. He has released music under a variety of pseudonyms, including the name Jakatta...
Extended Disco Mix which is a slice of 70s funk, and ‘Genius 3’s Out in the Sticks’ vocal mix which band member Shovel provides the percussion for.
Chart Performance
After the distinct disappointment in the chart performance of "Fantasy Island", the band heavily promoted the single and in the week of release only there were very strong contenders released in the same week including: Destiny’s Child’s "No, No, NoNo, No, No (Destiny's Child song)
"No No No" is an R&B song performed by American group Destiny's Child for their debut studio album Destiny's Child and the track was produced by Vincent Herbert, Rob Fusari and Wyclef Jean and received a positive reception from music critics...
", Robbie Williams
Robbie Williams
Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
’s "Let Me Entertain You
Let Me Entertain You (Robbie Williams song)
"Let Me Entertain You" is a song written by Robbie Williams and Guy Chambers. Released as the fifth and last single from Williams' debut album, Life Thru A Lens. It has no connection to the songs by Queen or Shakespears Sister carrying the same title. In March 1998, the track became a top three hit...
", and Tin Tin Out
Tin Tin Out
Tin Tin Out is a UK electronic dance music duo comprising Darren Stokes and Lindsay Edwards.-Career:They are well known as active remixers, working on increasingly higher-profile songs as the 1990s progressed, however also have their own recording careers...
’s "Here's Where the Story Ends
Here's Where the Story Ends
"Here's Where the Story Ends" is a song by English alternative rock band The Sundays, released as the second single from their debut album Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic.Although it was the Sundays' biggest hit internationally, topping the U.S...
", all vying for top ten chart places with Angel St.
The single entered the chart well within the Top 10 and had been ahead of nearest competitor Tin Tin Out
Tin Tin Out
Tin Tin Out is a UK electronic dance music duo comprising Darren Stokes and Lindsay Edwards.-Career:They are well known as active remixers, working on increasingly higher-profile songs as the 1990s progressed, however also have their own recording careers...
’s smash hit "Here's Where the Story Ends
Here's Where the Story Ends
"Here's Where the Story Ends" is a song by English alternative rock band The Sundays, released as the second single from their debut album Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic.Although it was the Sundays' biggest hit internationally, topping the U.S...
" for most of the week but had to settle one place behind it at number 8. Angel St
Angel St
"Angel St" is the thirteenth single by British band M People, released on 16 March 1998. "Angel St" is the third and final single from M People's 1997 album Fresco. The song was written by Mike Pickering, Paul Heard and Heather Small and produced by M People and Chris Lord-Alge...
became M People
M People
M People are a British house music act from Manchester, who formed in 1990 and achieved success throughout most of the 1990s. The name M People is from the initials of Mike Pickering, who formed the group.-Career:...
’s tenth and final top ten hit, their second number eight hit from the album and their third number eight single in total, after How Can I Love You More (Mixes) and Just for You
Just for You (M People song)
Just for You is the fifteenth overall single from British band M People. It is the lead single single from their fourth album Fresco . Written by Mike Pickering, Paul Heard and Heather Small. Produced by M People. It was released on 22 September 1997...
.
The single received average support from radio in the UK and the two CD format clearly spurred the single to sell very well in a very strong sales week, with other songs in the Top ten including many former number ones: the Spice Girls
Spice Girls
The Spice Girls were a British pop girl group formed in 1994. The group consisted of Victoria Beckham , Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell. They were signed to Virgin Records and released their debut single, "Wannabe" in 1996, which hit number-one in more than 30...
’ "Stop
Stop (Spice Girls song)
"Stop" is a song by the British pop group Spice Girls. It was written by the group members with Paul Wilson and Andy Watkins—the songwriters and production duo known as Absolute—at the same time as the group was filming scenes for their movie Spice World...
", Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
’s "Frozen
Frozen (song)
"Frozen" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her eight studio album Ray of Light. It was released as the lead single from the album on 23 February 1998 by Maverick Records...
" and Celine Dion
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...
’s "My Heart Will Go On
My Heart Will Go On
"My Heart Will Go On" is the theme song/love theme of the 1997 blockbuster film Titanic. With music by James Horner, lyrics by Will Jennings, and production by Simon Franglen, James Horner and Walter Afanasieff ,, it was recorded by Céline Dion...
", but leading atop the chart at the time was 1998’s biggest selling single Run DMC’s "It's Like That".
Angel St
Angel St
"Angel St" is the thirteenth single by British band M People, released on 16 March 1998. "Angel St" is the third and final single from M People's 1997 album Fresco. The song was written by Mike Pickering, Paul Heard and Heather Small and produced by M People and Chris Lord-Alge...
sold 74,500 copies to enter the chart and peak at number 8 with the live CD (1) selling more than the remixed CD(2). The single then moved very steadily out of the chart in the following weeks from 8 to 15 to 25 to 38 to 46 to 63, so it stayed in the chart for six weeks in total in the Spring of 1998.
Airplay
For the first time since ExcitedExcited (M People song)
"Excited" is the fourth and final single to be lifted from M People’s first album Northern Soul. It was written by Mike Pickering and Paul Heard. The song peaked at number twenty nine on the UK Singles Chart.-Background:...
in October 1992, some six years prior, and some twelve consecutive singles later, radio seemed quite reluctant to play the single and rotate it. Even lesser charting sales singles, like Fantasy Island
Fantasy Island (song)
Fantasy Island is the second single from British band M People from their fourth album Fresco . Written by Mike Pickering, Paul Heard and Heather Small. Produced by M People. It was released on 24 November 1997...
received more immediate airplay. Generally, radio support for the single grew slowly, despite being serviced to radio in the middle week of January 1998, some eight weeks before release, which is traditionally a very quiet time for single releases. Capital Radio
Capital Radio
Capital London is a London based radio station which launched on 16 October 1973 and is owned by Global Radio. On 3 January 2011 it formed part of the nine station Capital radio network.- Pre-launch :...
group at first played added to the single to their C-list and it didn’t move to tier A-list until a week after release once the single proved itself to be a sales success. Even die hard supporters like BBC Radio 2 made it their Single of the week, in the week of release, but hadn’t played it much before. Stations seemed to be wary of the single on the back of the surprise stalling in sales of Fantasy Island.
The single entered on airplay at number 75 four weeks before release moving to 52 to 40 to 21. It then peaked at number 14 the week after their tenth top sales hit placing but only hung around the top twenty for three weeks, making made this single their lowest charting airplay hit since 1992. However, while airplay was relatively slower than normal, the music channels heavily rotated the video particularly VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
, MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
and The Box
The Box
The Box may refer to:In television:* The Box , a music video television formerly known as Video Jukebox Network, originally from Miami, but now only available in the UK and Ireland** The Box , a defunct U.S...
.
Artwork
The artwork for the single is a stylised photograph of lead singer, Heather SmallHeather Small
Heather Small is a British soul singer, best known for being the lead singer in the Manchester based band M People. Her debut solo album was Proud in 2000...
sat on a backless leather sofa all dressed in black jacket, black trousers, hair flowing over her right shoulder in the direction to which she is smiling and looking with looking glamorous and relaxed with pristine make up. The photograph was taken by Kevyn Aucoin
Kevyn Aucoin
Kevyn Aucoin was an American make-up artist and photographer.-Early life:Aucoin was born in Shreveport, Louisiana and grew up in Lafayette, Louisiana, to parents Isidore Adrian Aucoin and Thelma Suzanne Melancon, who adopted him as an infant through Catholic Charities of Alexandria, Louisiana He...
, the very highly in demand American make-up artist and photographer who had worked with hundreds of celebrities including Cher
Cher
Cher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...
, Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
and Tina Turner
Tina Turner
Tina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have led many to call her the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...
. CD2 is a close-up of half of Heather’s face, chest and shoulder as seen from CD1, and you can see even more clearly the flawless make-up on Heather’s face. The sleeve was designed by Farrow Design
Mark Farrow
Mark Farrow was named Designer of the Year in the Creative Review Peer Poll in 2004, voting him ‘the most important graphic designer working today’. His career began in the early 1980s designing experimental sleeves and posters for Factory Records, and The Haçienda, which placed him at the...
, who had designed both previous singles’ sleeves as well as the parent album’s sleeve Fresco.
Music Video
The video was filmed over two days and fully exploits the ‘Tour’ theme as it was shot at Manchester’s Nynex Arena on: 11th/12th December 1997, on their Fresco tour and both celebrates and encapsulates the 185,000 people who went to the tour. The opening shot is of the Arena floor, empty and filling up over time-lapse sequencing and Heather and the band are seen performing live on stage and during soundcheck. The band are seen to be very relaxed in rehearsals and Heather sings wearing a long black coat rehearsing the song and the stark contrast between rehearsing and performing live. However in performance she commands the stage wearing a long pink high cut dress marching across the stage as she sings.The first opening shots and timelapses are primarily seen through the lens of the stage camera which moves across the front capturing everything from the enjoyment of the crowd to the band clowning around in rehearsals. Other montages of images, capture everything from the band in their hotel lobby at Christmas, to street signs with ‘Angel Street’ and ones leading to Manchester and backstage antics, meet and greets with fans, to tour bus jokes and lots of dancing on stage by Heather. The crowd are seen in their thousands within the arena dancing and clapping and singing along with their hands in the air. The montages emphasise how much fun the band have on the road touring, the stage being set up as well as seeing band members Mike Pickering
Mike Pickering
Michael "Duncan" Pickering has DJed at The Haçienda's infamous "Nude" and "Hot" nights and later "Shine". He worked for Factory Records where he signed Happy Mondays, To Hell With Burgundy and James amongst others...
, Paul Heard and Shovel enjoying themselves on stage as well as the other backing singers and members of the live band.
As the video draws to a close, the final clips show the end of the concert and the band waving goodbye as they leave the stage. The closing shots show the crowd disappear and the stage crew packing up on the now empty arena floor.
Other promotion
Apart from the Later with Jools HollandLater with Jools Holland
Later... with Jools Holland is a contemporary British music television show hosted by Jools Holland. A spin-off of The Late Show, it has been running in short series since 1992 and is a part of BBC Two's late-night line-up, usually at around 11pm to 12 midnight...
Special show mentioned earlier, they also relentlessly promoted the single on The Des O'Connor Tonight
Des O'Connor Tonight
Des O'Connor Tonight is a British variety chat show hosted by comedian and singer Des O'Connor. It was originally broadcast on the BBC from 1977 until 1982, where it then moved to ITV in 1983 starting on 1 November and ran until 24 December 2002 after it was axed by ITV after 25 years on air.-Des...
Show, This Morning
This Morning
This Morning may refer to:* This Morning , a British daytime television show* This Morning , a Canadian radio show* CBS This Morning and This Morning, former names of the American morning show The Early Show...
, Sunday Night at the London Palladium
Sunday Night at the London Palladium
Sunday Night at the London Palladium is a British television variety show produced by ATV for the ITV network, originally running from 1955 to 1967, with a brief revival in 1973 and 1974...
, Videotech, Cilla Black
Cilla Black
Cilla Black OBE is an English singer, actress, entertainer and media personality, who has been consistently popular as a light entertainment figure since 1963. She is most famous for her singles Anyone Who Had A Heart, You're My World, and Alfie...
’s Surprise Surprise, The Pepsi Chart TV Show and of course, their seventeenth Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
appearance. The band went on to promote the album in Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Holland and Belgium throughout March and into April 1998.
Live
During the Fresco Tour, when this song was premiered, it quickly turned into a new crowd pleaser with its natural sing-along chorus and often opened the show. It very much exploits the musical saxophone talents of Snake DavisSnake Davis
Snake Davis is a session musician who has played with some of the worlds biggest artists. In the 1980s he fronted York band Zoot and the Roots....
who opens the song with a jazzy riff holding the note for an even longer 11 seconds. He also in the middle eight performs the ‘battle of the saxes’ with Mike Pickering
Mike Pickering
Michael "Duncan" Pickering has DJed at The Haçienda's infamous "Nude" and "Hot" nights and later "Shine". He worked for Factory Records where he signed Happy Mondays, To Hell With Burgundy and James amongst others...
also on sax, when Mike repeats what Snake plays and latterly after the Best of performed ‘the battle’ with whoever would be playing rhythm guitar.
The live version has always stayed pretty faithful to the original with a funkier groove and the additional of rhythm guitar underlying the song throughout; Shovel on percussive duties alternating between playing Bongos and Tambourine, Paul plays chords on second keyboards and Paul Birchall plays first keyboard in place of the grand piano parts originally played by Terry Burrus
Terry Burrus
Terrance Corley Burrus is an American keyboardist and composer.Born in Brooklyn, New York, he started touring as a teenager playing with jazz fusion violinist Michał Urbaniak, singer Jean Carne, while still in High school in New York...
on the track.
The band also premiered the song on UK TV, live on Later with Jools Holland
Later with Jools Holland
Later... with Jools Holland is a contemporary British music television show hosted by Jools Holland. A spin-off of The Late Show, it has been running in short series since 1992 and is a part of BBC Two's late-night line-up, usually at around 11pm to 12 midnight...
when they were a featured artist in November 1997 promoting the Fresco album and performed other tracks, Never Mind Love and Heather’s solo performance of: Perfect Day
Perfect Day
"Perfect Day" is a song written by Lou Reed in 1972, originally featured on Transformer, Reed's second post-Velvet Underground solo album. Its fame was given a boost in the 1990s when it was featured in the 1996 film Trainspotting, and after its release as a star-studded BBC charity single in...
. They also opened with this song on the Jools Holland
Jools Holland
Julian Miles "Jools" Holland OBE, DL is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer, and television presenter. He was a founder of the band Squeeze and his work has involved him with many artists including Sting, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, The Who, David Gilmour and Bono.Holland is a...
M People
M People
M People are a British house music act from Manchester, who formed in 1990 and achieved success throughout most of the 1990s. The name M People is from the initials of Mike Pickering, who formed the group.-Career:...
Special in the Spring of 1998.
After the Fresco Tour, Angel St has always been played quite early in their setlist, but no longer the opener and is very much a warm-up track for bigger singles like One Night in Heaven
One Night in Heaven
One Night in Heaven is the sixth overall single from British band M People and the first single from their second album Elegant Slumming . Written by Mike Pickering and Paul Heard. Produced by M People. It was released on 14 June 1993. The song peaked at number six on the UK Singles...
. The track is also concluded by Snake who plays the song out to a natural end with a closing outro.
Track Listings
CSS- Angel St (Radio Edit) 4.12
- Search For The Hero (Live)5.44
CD1
- Angel St (Radio Edit) 4.12
- Sight For Sore Eyes (Live) 7.32
- One Night In Heaven (Live) 6.06
- Search For The Hero (Live) 5.44
CD2
- Angel St (Radio Edit) 4.12
- Angel St (Joey Negro's Extended Disco Mix) 8.45
- Angel St (Genius 3's Out In The Sticks Big Vocal Club Mix) 7.45
- Angel St (Album Version) 5.32
7" Mini
- Angel St (Radio Edit) 4.12
- Angel St(Joey Negro's 7" Edit) 4.14
(2x) 12" Maxi
- Angel St (Joey Negro's Extended Disco Mix) 8.45
- Angel St (Genius 3's Out In The Sticks Big Vocal Club Mix) 7.45
- Angel St (Joey Negro's Funky people Dub)
- Angel St (Genius 3's Grooveadelic Dub)