[edit] Track listing
* All songs written by Tony Banks except where indicated
1. Red Day on Blue Street (Tony Banks & Nik Kershaw) 5:53
2. Angel Face 5:23
3. The Gift 4:00
4. Still It Takes Me By Surprise 6:32
5. Hero For an Hour 5:01
6. I Wanna Change the Score (Tony Banks & Nik Kershaw) 4:34
7. Water Out of Wine 4:43
8. Another Murder of a Day (Tony Banks and Fish) 9:13
9. Back to Back 4:38
10. The Final Curtain 5:01
[edit] Singles
* I Wanna Change The Score (May 1991)
1. I Wanna Change The Score (with Nik Kershaw)
2. Hero For The Hour
3. Big Man (by Bankstatement)
4. The Waters of Lethe
* The Gift (June 1991)
1. The Gift (with Andy Taylor)
2. Back to Back (with Jayney Klimek)
3. A House Needs A Roof (by Bankstatement)
4. Redwing
* Still It Takes Me By Surprise (February 1992)
1. Still It Takes Me By Surprise (edit) (with Andy Taylor)
2. The Final Curtain (with Nik Kershaw)
3. Still It Takes Me By Surprise (with Andy Taylor)
[edit] Musicians
* Tony Banks: keyboards, Bass synth, Drum Programming, vocals on 5
* Nik Kershaw: Vocals on 1, 6 & 10
* Fish: Vocals on 2 & 8
* Andy Taylor: Vocals on 3 & 4
* Jayney Klimek: Vocals on 7 & 9
* Daryl Stuermer: Guitar
* Vinnie Colaiuta, Graham Broad: drums
* Luis Jardim: percussion
* Pino Palladino, James Eller: Bass guitar
* Martin Robertson: Saxophone
* Produced by Tony Banks and Nick Davis
* Engineered by Nick Davis
* Assisted by Mark Robinson
* Recorded at the Farm, Surrey
* Technical assistance: Geoff Callingham and Mark Bowen
* Photography by Carl Studna
* Design by Wherefore Art
Angel Face
Tony Banks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Does your comforter provide
Are you ready to remain evermore in your world of ice
All your feelings all locked inside
Are you a woman or just a mannequin
Does your heart beat like the rest
Do you ever feel like joining in with the human race
But now you're gone you've broke the spell
I've got no memories just a photograph
I've got the best there is of you
You're just a devil with a pretty angel face
You've made your choice and that's ok
It never would have worked out anyway
I've got the best there is of you
You're just a devil with a pretty angel face
Will you be ready in your later life
When your looks are on the wane
and you're thinking of the ones and the scores
that you left behind
As they come to haunt your mind
And when the twilight moment comes at last
and you have to face that nobody's there to care
But now you're gone you've broke the spell
I've got no memories just a photograph
I've got the best there is of you
You're just a devil with a pretty angel face
You've made your choice and that's ok
It never would have worked out anyway
I've got the best there is of you
You're just a devil with a pretty angel face
Pretty angel face
The song "Angel Face" by Tony Banks is a reflective piece that questions the choices of a person who seems to have isolated themselves from the human race. The lyrics ask if the person is ready to live their life in solitude, with their feelings locked inside. The chorus uses the metaphor of a "pretty angel face" to describe someone who may look innocent and pure, but their actions are that of a devil. The verses delve into the idea of regret and the consequences of choosing a life of seclusion.
The lyrics also touch on themes of aging and the fear of being forgotten. As the person grows older and their looks fade away, the nostalgia of missed opportunities and people left behind resurfaces. The song suggests that despite their attractive appearance, this person is not capable of being truly happy without human connection.
Overall, "Angel Face" is a poignant commentary on the importance of having emotional connections and the regret that can come with choosing a solitary life.
Line by Line Meaning
Are you ready for the rest of your life
Are you prepared to face the challenges that life may bring?
Does your comforter provide
Does your source of comfort give you the peace you need?
Are you ready to remain evermore in your world of ice
Are you willing to stay emotionally isolated and closed off from others?
All your feelings all locked inside
Are you hiding your feelings from others and keeping them bottled up inside?
Are you a woman or just a mannequin
Do you have a genuine personality and emotions, or are you just presenting an artificial facade?
Does your heart beat like the rest
Do you have a heart that feels love and compassion like everyone else?
Do you ever feel like joining in with the human race
Do you ever feel like connecting with others and being part of society?
Or are you happier outside?
Or are you content with being alone and detached from others?
But now you're gone you've broke the spell
Now that you've left, the illusion of who you were has been broken.
I've got no memories just a photograph
I have nothing left of you except for a picture, no memories or experiences.
I've got the best there is of you
The best representation of who you are is the photograph that I have.
You're just a devil with a pretty angel face
You appear innocent and beautiful on the surface, but you have a darker side.
You've made your choice and that's ok
You made your decision to leave and that's okay.
It never would have worked out anyway
Our relationship was doomed to fail from the start anyways.
Will you be ready in your later life
When you're older and no longer have the same looks and charm, will you be ready to face the consequences?
When your looks are on the wane
When your physical appearance starts to fade with age.
and you're thinking of the ones and the scores that you left behind
When you think back to all the people you used to know and all the relationships you ended.
As they come to haunt your mind
As these thoughts and memories start to weigh on your mind and cause emotional distress.
And when the twilight moment comes at last
At the end of your life as you approach death.
and you have to face that nobody's there to care
When you realize that you have no one left to support you or care about you.
Pretty angel face
Repeating the earlier line, emphasizing that this person's outer beauty hides a darker side underneath.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: TONY BANKS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
jvsperoni
Banks and Fish always sound great together. I would have loved an entire album by them.
dreamsat48
This is one of the best slow rock ballads ever created. Chord structures are ingenious and pull at the emotions. Very few artists get it right, but boss Tony knows the secret, keep the bass constant for the verse, change bass key for chorus but again keep constant. If this song was marketed properly it would have been in the top three at the time. Go Tony!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gianmaria Framarin
Absolutely and exactly what I'd say to describe this song. The typical one-note bass line displays chords no-one else has ever reached, this is Tony's magic. This is also Genesis' trademark.
Iain Kings
Shows just how underrated Tony Banks is that this only has ~1600 views....so much of what made Genesis great had Tony's fingerprints all over it.
Banksian Central
@dreamsat48 It's a damn shame it wasn't marketed properly...Still is a fantastic album that should have received the attention it deserved at the time.
Stefano Pavone
When you've been dumped or stitched up by a woman you thought cared for you, turn off the lights, light up a cigarette, get out some photos of memories of you and her and glare at them with this music playing. :)
Mare
Beautiful song ❤❤❤
Jaime Vargas
Descanso y sigo músicos en todos los tiempo gracias 😀🌠
hdew77
This song sounds, as much as any other solo by Tony, like it could
have fit very well on one of the Genesis albums around the Trick of the
Tail or And Then There Were Three time period. All that is needed is
Phil on vocals. Not that Fish vocals are bad, just different. Anyway, a
great song. Thanks for the post.
Imię Nazwisko
Ah, how the texture and timbre changes from the verse to the chorus. Absolute poetry. How she broke the spell indeed. How that discovery of betrayal, that in fact your lover/spouse is in fact evil incarnate can be somehow hysterically funny even as the bile and rage is rising and your world is coming undone. How, even between the fits of grief and anger in the aftermath of it all, you circle back to the moment it all became clear what the hell you were dealing with and that it was over with a peal of bitter laughter.
Damn, he's brilliant.