Hosts: Neil & Chris
Duration: ~69 minutes
Release: 19 May 2025
Following their Thunder episode, Neil and Chris dive into Little Angels' 1991 album Young Gods, originally intended to be titled Spitfire before Gulf War sensitivities prompted a change. While Chris considers the 1989 album Don't Pray For Me his favorite, he argues Young Gods represents the band's best work, a meticulously crafted record that sits somewhere between Bon Jovi's 7800 Degrees Fahrenheit and Def Leppard's polished productions. Producer Jimbo spent days on single vocal takes, creating an album that, despite its studio perfectionism, still captures the band's live energy. This is the record where Scarborough lads sounded unmistakably American, confusing audiences who couldn't believe these were Yorkshire boys making music that could sit comfortably on Geffen's US roster.
The timing couldn't have been worse. Released in 1991 alongside Metallica's Black Album, Nirvana's Nevermind, Skid Row's Slave to the Grind, and Guns N' Roses' dominance, Young Gods peaked at number 17 in the UK but failed to break America. Geffen had backed Little Angels first over Thunder, the label politics Neil jokes about as "all Toby Jepson's fault," but by the time they returned focus to the band, grunge had killed commercial viability for polished British hard rock. The album showcased Bruce John Dickinson's incredible guitar work (not the Iron Maiden vocalist, but equally talented), Mark Plunkett's melodic bass lines that take lead roles rather than supporting, and the Big Bad Horns, rumored to have recorded all their parts in a single day at Fairview Studios in Hull.
I Ain't Gonna Cry opens the show with a ripping guitar solo, no mucking about, just Bruce Dickinson's fingers on fire. Boneyard, originally meant to be called Spitfire, became the delayed lead single due to Gulf War concerns. Young Gods, the title track Chris considers his favorite, embodies the album's polished stadium ambition. Product of the Working Class stretches seven minutes, demonstrating the band's willingness to extend beyond radio-friendly formats. The Big Bad Horns (Dave Kemp on sax, Frank Mittson on trombone, Grant Kirkhope on trumpet) add a decidedly un-rock-and-roll texture that somehow sounds brilliant, contributing to that distinct Little Angels flavor that runs from their earliest demos through to their final recordings. Toby Jepson's voice remains unmistakable throughout, his songwriting revealing maturity that would later serve him well in production work and Wayward Sons.
Young Gods represents British hard rock at a crossroads, polished to perfection but released just as grunge rewrote the rules. This wasn't the sound people associated with the 90s, it felt more 80s transitional, the logical next step from that British rock scene before everything fragmented into Britpop, metalcore, and American alternative dominance. Little Angels proved incredible live, sold out major venues, had massive support (reuniting in 2012-2013 to huge buzz), yet remain criminally underrated outside the UK. Toby Jepson's continued relevance through Wayward Sons, production work, and that brilliant "Angels to Sons" bundle demonstrates the lasting quality of this era. The album was hard to find for years, missing from streaming platforms, caught in label rights limbo like The Almighty's catalog, until finally becoming available again. This is the "maybe" album for Little Angels fans, sitting between the raw energy of Don't Pray For Me and the number-one commercial success of Jam.
Perfect for: British hard rock enthusiasts who remember when Kerrang! and Q Magazine championed polished stadium rock, fans of Thunder and Gun exploring the Geffen UK roster, anyone who believes great musicianship and songwriting shouldn't be overshadowed by timing and label politics, Toby Jepson completists tracing his journey from Scarborough teenager to Wayward Sons leader, and listeners who appreciate when rock bands take risks with horn sections and meticulous studio craft without losing their edge.