"Angel St" (pronounced Angel Street) is the thirteenth single by British band
M People
M People (stylised as ''M''People) is an English dance music band that formed in 1990 and achieved success throughout most of the 1990s. The name M People is taken from the first letter of the first name of band member Mike Pickering, who form ...
, 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 (born 21 February 1954) is an English musician and DJ.
Career
Pickering was a DJ at The Haçienda's Nude and Hot nights, and later Shine. He worked for Factory Records, where he signed Happy Mondays, To Hell with Burgundy and ...
, Paul Heard and
Heather Small
Heather Margarita Small (born 20 January 1965) is a British soul singer and former lead vocalist of the band M People. Her subsequent debut solo studio album, ''Proud'', was released in 2000.
Career
1987–1998: Hot House and M People
Small ...
and produced by M People and
Chris Lord-Alge
Chris Lord-Alge is an American mix engineer. He is the brother of both Tom Lord-Alge and Jeff Lord-Alge, both of whom are also audio engineers. Chris and Tom are known for their abundant use of dynamic compression for molding mixes that play wel ...
. The song peaked at number eight on
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
.
Background
Last single
Fantasy Island
''Fantasy Island'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Gene Levitt. It aired on ABC from 1977 to 1984. The series starred Ricardo Montalbán as the mysterious Mr. Roarke and Hervé Villechaize as his assistant, Tattoo. ...
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 is an American mix engineer. He is the brother of both Tom Lord-Alge and Jeff Lord-Alge, both of whom are also audio engineers. Chris and Tom are known for their abundant use of dynamic compression for molding mixes that play wel ...
for the single with lighter sounding synths to support the resounding
M People
M People (stylised as ''M''People) is an English dance music band that formed in 1990 and achieved success throughout most of the 1990s. The name M People is taken from the first letter of the first name of band member Mike Pickering, who form ...
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
M People (stylised as ''M''People) is an English dance music band that formed in 1990 and achieved success throughout most of the 1990s. The name M People is taken from the first letter of the first name of band member Mike Pickering, who form ...
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
M People (stylised as ''M''People) is an English dance music band that formed in 1990 and achieved success throughout most of the 1990s. The name M People is taken from the first letter of the first name of band member Mike Pickering, who form ...
songs, a couple of lovely acoustic arrangements and one very special cover of
Gladys Knight
Gladys Maria Knight (born May 28, 1944), known as the "Empress of Soul", is an American singer, actress and businesswoman. A seven-time Grammy Award-winner, Knight recorded hits through the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s with her family group Gladys K ...
'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 Davis 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
Terrance Corley Burrus is an American keyboardist, composer,
dj, record producer, conductor, business, realty and fashion designer executive.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, he started touring as a teenager, playing with jazz fusion violinist Mi ...
who also played on last single,
Fantasy Island
''Fantasy Island'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Gene Levitt. It aired on ABC from 1977 to 1984. The series starred Ricardo Montalbán as the mysterious Mr. Roarke and Hervé Villechaize as his assistant, Tattoo. ...
. Also, the
London Session Orchestra
The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is one of five permanent symphony orchestras based in London. It was founded by the conductors Sir Thomas Beecham and Malcolm Sargent in 1932 as a rival to the existing London Symphony and BBC Symphony ...
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
M People (stylised as ''M''People) is an English dance music band that formed in 1990 and achieved success throughout most of the 1990s. The name M People is taken from the first letter of the first name of band member Mike Pickering, who form ...
sound and luxuriating in lifting the spirit with pace, drive and eternal messages of the need for both self-reliance and co-operation.
Critical reception
''
Aberdeen Press and Journal
''The Press and Journal'' is a daily regional newspaper serving northern and highland Scotland including the cities of Aberdeen and Inverness. Established in 1747, it is Scotland's oldest daily newspaper, and one of the longest-running newspap ...
'' noted the song as a "
disco-influenced track".
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
editor
Stephen Thomas Erlewine described it as "
garage
A garage is a covered structure built for the purpose of parking, storing, protecting, maintaining, and/or repairing vehicles. Specific applications include:
*Garage (residential), a building or part of a building for storing one or more vehicle ...
techno
Techno is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally music production, produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central Drum beat, rhythm is typ ...
" and added it as one of the highlights on the ''
Fresco'' album. Another editor, Jon O'Brien called it an "uptempo" stomper. ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' wrote, "Dip into the lyrics, you'll find they're always encouraging - like the sultry stroll down 'Angel Street' where
M People
M People (stylised as ''M''People) is an English dance music band that formed in 1990 and achieved success throughout most of the 1990s. The name M People is taken from the first letter of the first name of band member Mike Pickering, who form ...
tell you, in the nicest possible way, to "stand on your own two feet", because y'know, you're a beautiful person, and really, you put yourself down too often."
Formats & Mixes
This single was the third
M People
M People (stylised as ''M''People) is an English dance music band that formed in 1990 and achieved success throughout most of the 1990s. The name M People is taken from the first letter of the first name of band member Mike Pickering, who form ...
single to be available on two CD formats, following "
Open Your Heart" and "
Love Rendezvous
"Love Rendezvous" is a song by British band M People, released in 1995 as the fourth single from their third album, ''Bizarre Fruit''/''Bizarre Fruit II'' (1994). Written by Mike Pickering, Paul Heard and Heather Small, and produced by M Peopl ...
" 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" is the tenth overall single from British band M People from their third album, '' Bizarre Fruit'' (1994). Written by bandmembers Mike Pickering, Paul Heard and Heather Small, and produced by M People, it was released as ...
", "
One Night in Heaven
"One Night in Heaven" is a song by British band M People, released as their sixth overall single and the first single from their second album, ''Elegant Slumming'' (1993). Written by band members Mike Pickering and Paul Heard, it was released o ...
" 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
David Russell Lee (born 18 June 1964) is an English DJ and house music producer, formerly known by the stage name Joey Negro, which he retired in July 2020 following the George Floyd protests. He has released music under a variety of pseud ...
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, No",
Robbie Williams
Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, and achieved commercial success after launching a solo career in 1996. His debut stud ...
's "
Let Me Entertain You", and
Tin Tin Out
Tin Tin Out were an English electronic dance music duo, comprising Darren Stokes and Lindsay Edwards. They remixed songs for a variety of artists such as Duran Duran, Erasure, Pet Shop Boys, The Corrs and Des'ree, as well as collaborating wi ...
's "
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 t ...
", 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 were an English electronic dance music duo, comprising Darren Stokes and Lindsay Edwards. They remixed songs for a variety of artists such as Duran Duran, Erasure, Pet Shop Boys, The Corrs and Des'ree, as well as collaborating wi ...
's smash hit "
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 t ...
" for most of the week but had to settle one place behind it at number 8. Angel St became
M People
M People (stylised as ''M''People) is an English dance music band that formed in 1990 and achieved success throughout most of the 1990s. The name M People is taken from the first letter of the first name of band member Mike Pickering, who form ...
'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
Stop may refer to:
Places
* Stop, Kentucky, an unincorporated community in the United States
* Stop (Rogatica), a village in Rogatica, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Facilities
* Bus stop
* Truck stop, a type of rest stop for truck d ...
",
Madonna's "
Frozen" and
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...
's "
My Heart Will Go On
"My Heart Will Go On" is a 1997 song recorded by Canadian singer Celine Dion. The song serves as the main theme to James Cameron's blockbuster film '' Titanic'', based on an account of the transatlantic ocean liner of the same name which san ...
", but leading atop the chart at the time was 1998's biggest selling single
Run DMC
Run-DMC (also spelled Run-D.M.C.) was an American hip hop group from Hollis, Queens, New York City, founded in 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell. Run-DMC is regarded as one of the most influential acts in the history ...
'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.
Airplay
For the first time since
Excited 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'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Gene Levitt. It aired on ABC from 1977 to 1984. The series starred Ricardo Montalbán as the mysterious Mr. Roarke and Hervé Villechaize as his assistant, Tattoo. ...
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 London is a radio station owned and operated by the Global media company as part of its national Capital FM Network. As Capital Radio it was launched in the London area in 1973 as one of Britain's first two commercial radio stations. ...
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.
Artwork
The artwork for the single is a stylised photograph of lead singer,
Heather Small
Heather Margarita Small (born 20 January 1965) is a British soul singer and former lead vocalist of the band M People. Her subsequent debut solo studio album, ''Proud'', was released in 2000.
Career
1987–1998: Hot House and M People
Small ...
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 James Aucoin (; February 14, 1962 – May 7, 2002) was an American make-up artist, photographer and author. In the 1990s, Aucoin was wholly responsible for the "sculpted" look of many celebrities and top models, including Whitney Houston, ...
, 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
Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the " Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue before ...
. 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.
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: 11/12 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 much 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 (born 21 February 1954) is an English musician and DJ.
Career
Pickering was a DJ at The Haçienda's Nude and Hot nights, and later Shine. He worked for Factory Records, where he signed Happy Mondays, To Hell with Burgundy and ...
,
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 Holland Special show mentioned earlier, they also relentlessly promoted the single on The
Des O'Connor Tonight
''Des O'Connor Tonight'' is a British light entertainment variety show hosted by Des O'Connor
Desmond Bernard O'Connor (12 January 1932 – 14 November 2020) was an English comedian, singer and television presenter.
He was a long-time ...
Show,
This Morning,
Sunday Night at the London Palladium
''Tonight at the London Palladium'' is a British television variety show that is hosted from the London Palladium theatre in the West End. Originally produced by ATV for the ITV network from 1955 to 1969, it went by its original name ''Sunday ...
,
Videotech,
Cilla Black's
Surprise Surprise, The
Pepsi Chart TV Show and of course, their seventeenth
Top of the Pops
''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most o ...
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 Davis 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 (born 21 February 1954) is an English musician and DJ.
Career
Pickering was a DJ at The Haçienda's Nude and Hot nights, and later Shine. He worked for Factory Records, where he signed Happy Mondays, To Hell with Burgundy and ...
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
Terrance Corley Burrus is an American keyboardist, composer,
dj, record producer, conductor, business, realty and fashion designer executive.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, he started touring as a teenager, playing with jazz fusion violinist Mi ...
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
M People (stylised as ''M''People) is an English dance music band that formed in 1990 and achieved success throughout most of the 1990s. The name M People is taken from the first letter of the first name of band member Mike Pickering, who form ...
Special in the spring 1998.
After the
Fresco Tour, Angel St has always been played quite early in their set list, 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" is a song by British band M People, released as their sixth overall single and the first single from their second album, ''Elegant Slumming'' (1993). Written by band members Mike Pickering and Paul Heard, it was released o ...
. 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)
Charts
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Angel St
M People songs
1998 singles
Songs written by Mike Pickering
Songs written by Heather Small
Songs written by Paul Heard
1997 songs