For Immediate Release January 8, 2024
Perhaps best known for having Johnny Depp as a guitarist before he pursued a full-time acting career, the Rock City Angels remain one of the more interesting footnotes in the annals of rock and roll history. Signed to Geffen Records in 1987, the band was a major attraction during the mid-to-late ’80s Los Angeles rock and metal scene. But by that time, Rock City Angels had very little to do with the glitz and glamour of the Sunset Strip, having traded their early New York Dolls–meets–punk rock worship for a more soulful, bluesy sound, taking cues from blues and soul greats as well as mid-period Rolling Stones and Faces. Realizing this, Geffen sent the L.A. transplants to Memphis to record their debut album, “Young Man’s Blues.” Geffen hired renowned producer Jim Dickinson (Rolling Stones, Big Star, The Replacements) to helm the project, and the result is the 11 tracks you have before you.
Geffen, in typical shortsighted fashion, passed on the tracks for being too soulful and not at all reflective of what was happening on the Sunset Strip at the time, and fired Dickinson—much to the band’s displeasure. Another producer was brought in, and the band re-recorded most of the songs, plus a few more, for what became “Young Man’s Blues.” But the album was a commercial failure due to the nonexistent promotion from the label. Geffen was far more interested in another L.A.-based band they had just signed, Guns N’ Roses, leaving Rock City Angels to twist in the wind before eventually being dropped.
Since the release of “Young Man’s Blues” in 1988, the album has taken on a cult-classic status among rock music lovers and aficionados. With the deaths of Dickinson in 2009 and lead singer Bobby Durango in 2012, talk began to resurface regarding the whereabouts of the original mix of the now-classic “Young Man’s Blues” album. Tapes long considered lost to time were recently rediscovered and, as a tribute to Bobby’s original wishes, are finally being released for the public to hear. This is a must-have for fans of Rock City Angels as well as fans of rock ’n’ roll. Once thought gone forever, these tapes show a band at peak power—despite what the label believed at the time.
The Durango Kid rides again. Here it is: “Young Man’s Blues,” the way it was meant to be heard.
Check out the brand-new official Rock City Angels store for CD preorders and special limited bundle offers.
RockCityAngels.bigcartel.com