Good evening,
Dialophiles! We’re delighted you saw fit to join us at this particular
frequency tonight, so that we may introduce you to a fine obscurity from the
discography of Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, the mesmerizing “Angels at my Gate”.
There's a finger on the dial, the lucky wheel goes round, Little Joker knows he can't escape.
From the 1979 LP “Angel Station”, “Angels at my Gate” is far from a religious ode, instead serving as a cautionary tale against gambling addiction. Cleverly painted against a carnival backdrop, the protagonist (the “Little Joker” referred to above) finds the rush of winning untold riches to be irresistible, despite the tremendous danger to his financial security, and quite possibly, his sanity.
Throw a seven down, place another bet, The joker laughs as the stakes get higher.
Possessing a dark, plodding tempo, and peppered with synthesizer based sound effects, “Angels” creates an ethereal air of hopelessness, as Little Joker descends deeper into addiction and madness. Check the disturbing laughter played behind the “the joker laughs” lyric…
The memorable and rather cryptic chorus features a strange counting exercise, noting the number of angels observing the proceedings. Initially diminishing two-at-a-time, then increasing by nine, then reducing singularly once more.
The angels here likely serve as a metaphor for Little Joker's remaining funds as he looses, wins back a little, and looses some more; or its equally possible they represent ACTUAL angels, LJ's heavenly guardians if you will, and as they diminish in number, his risks increase. It's wisely left up to the listener to interpret.
The gambler and the clown, without a safety net, Balancing unsteady on a wire.
Never released as a single, “Angels” received next to no radio airplay, and thus, achieved no billboard chart position. Given the unique musical vibe and topic the song possesses, it’s not a huge surprise that it wasn’t selected to compete against the disco-laden playlists of 1979s top 40 stations.
Today, the Earth Band is best remembered for their iconic chart topping Springsteen cover “Blinded by the Light”... you know, the one that everyone mishears (and incorrectly sings) as “Wrapped up like a douche”, when the real line is “Revved up like a deuce”. Manfred Mann, the bandleader here, also hit the U.S. top 40 with his self-named beat pop band from the '60s, scoring big with Berry & Greenwich's “Do Wah Diddy Diddy”, (#1 for 2 weeks in 1964), and Dylan's “Mighty Quinn” (#10 hit in '68).
On a personal note, back in the late 90s, I worked with a Russian gentleman named Denis, who introduced me to his two favorite prog rock LPs, Mike Oldfield's “Crises”, and “Angel Station”. Now, I'm sharing these very albums with my 7 year old, and he is fascinated by the complex musical themes, especially the numeric chorus of “Angels”.
So thanks Denis, where ever you are, for inspiring this Radio Dial entry, and thanks to Manfred Mann for crafting such an awesome song dealing with such an atypical topic, and for doing so quite memorably, at that.
58, 56, 54... Good angels at my door.
63, 62, 61, 60, 59, 58... Good angels at my gate.
There's a finger on the dial, the lucky wheel goes round, Little Joker knows he can't escape.
From the 1979 LP “Angel Station”, “Angels at my Gate” is far from a religious ode, instead serving as a cautionary tale against gambling addiction. Cleverly painted against a carnival backdrop, the protagonist (the “Little Joker” referred to above) finds the rush of winning untold riches to be irresistible, despite the tremendous danger to his financial security, and quite possibly, his sanity.
Throw a seven down, place another bet, The joker laughs as the stakes get higher.
Possessing a dark, plodding tempo, and peppered with synthesizer based sound effects, “Angels” creates an ethereal air of hopelessness, as Little Joker descends deeper into addiction and madness. Check the disturbing laughter played behind the “the joker laughs” lyric…
The memorable and rather cryptic chorus features a strange counting exercise, noting the number of angels observing the proceedings. Initially diminishing two-at-a-time, then increasing by nine, then reducing singularly once more.
The angels here likely serve as a metaphor for Little Joker's remaining funds as he looses, wins back a little, and looses some more; or its equally possible they represent ACTUAL angels, LJ's heavenly guardians if you will, and as they diminish in number, his risks increase. It's wisely left up to the listener to interpret.
The gambler and the clown, without a safety net, Balancing unsteady on a wire.
Never released as a single, “Angels” received next to no radio airplay, and thus, achieved no billboard chart position. Given the unique musical vibe and topic the song possesses, it’s not a huge surprise that it wasn’t selected to compete against the disco-laden playlists of 1979s top 40 stations.
Today, the Earth Band is best remembered for their iconic chart topping Springsteen cover “Blinded by the Light”... you know, the one that everyone mishears (and incorrectly sings) as “Wrapped up like a douche”, when the real line is “Revved up like a deuce”. Manfred Mann, the bandleader here, also hit the U.S. top 40 with his self-named beat pop band from the '60s, scoring big with Berry & Greenwich's “Do Wah Diddy Diddy”, (#1 for 2 weeks in 1964), and Dylan's “Mighty Quinn” (#10 hit in '68).
On a personal note, back in the late 90s, I worked with a Russian gentleman named Denis, who introduced me to his two favorite prog rock LPs, Mike Oldfield's “Crises”, and “Angel Station”. Now, I'm sharing these very albums with my 7 year old, and he is fascinated by the complex musical themes, especially the numeric chorus of “Angels”.
So thanks Denis, where ever you are, for inspiring this Radio Dial entry, and thanks to Manfred Mann for crafting such an awesome song dealing with such an atypical topic, and for doing so quite memorably, at that.
58, 56, 54... Good angels at my door.
63, 62, 61, 60, 59, 58... Good angels at my gate.
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