Darkroom Recharged – Double Album Out Now
‘No Secrets‘, the first Top 10 hit from The Angels, concludes with a whispered question:
Can you please tell me what the time is?
Remarkably, it’s time for the 40th anniversary of ‘Darkroom‘, the classic Angels album featuring ‘Face The Day‘, ‘Night Comes Early‘, ‘Devil’s Gate‘, ‘Poor Baby‘, ‘No Secrets‘ and ‘Wasted Sleepless Nights‘.
The album has been re-recorded, both in the studio and live. The live show has also been filmed. It’s part of The Angels’ “Recharged” series (which has already seen the band revisit 1978’s Face To Face and their follow-up album No Exit).
Darkroom was the first album The Angels made after signing an international recording deal with CBS. The Angels were recording ‘The Moment‘ when they heard that their friend Bon Scott from AC/DC– who had championed the band – had died. And John Brewster fondly recalls Peter Garrett from Midnight Oil visiting the band and giving them a handwritten letter, wishing them all the best for their overseas adventure.
‘Darkroom‘ became the band’s highest-charting album in the US (where they were known as Angel City), entering the Billboard charts at the end of 1980. The album also hit number five on the charts in Australia.
Noted Australian rock biographer Murray Engleheart says “No Secrets and Face The Day were the most complete expression of all the alienation, isolation and psychosis that had long been at the core of The Angels … it was definitive, rolled-gold Angels“.
‘Face The Day‘ was later covered by American band Great White. Their version charted in the UK when released as a single in 1986.
This special edition includes the bonus track ‘Under The Stone‘ on the Studio disc while the Live disc adds in the band’s classic live version of ‘We Gotta Get Out Of This Place‘ from the Sweden Rock Festival in 2015.
