"Never Tell an Angel (When Your Hearts on Fire)" by The Stompers

Song#:  1495
Date:  06/18/1983
Debut:  88
Peak:  88
Weeks:  4
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  Boston's The Stompers were another up-and-coming band with unfortunate luck and timing. They became a popular fixture in the local clubs gathering a sizable following along the way. They got the opportunity to participate in the "Rock to Riches" contest and ended up winning. The prize was a contract with Atlantic Records for a single. However, reps from Boardwalk Record were in the audience and they offered the band a full-album deal. They took it and began to record their debut album. Their first spat of bad luck came when label head Neal Bogart died and the company went into Chapter 11. This delayed the release of their album by a year. It finally got released in the summer of '83 and this first single led the way. It was able to get on the Pop chart for a month. After Boardwalk's bankruptcy, the band was acquired by Polygram Records and work began on their second album. Their second stroke of bad luck came when Polygram fired all of their promotions staff right as the album was being released. It ended up being a big mess that left The Stompers without any support. As a result, the album tanked and they lost their record deal. The band would stay together and continue to perform in the New England area, which they still do.

ReduxReview:  This is almost a mash up of Hall & Oates' "Maneater" mixed in with some Supremes and J. Geils. I like the band's retro rock sound and I think they were on to something. However, even with the best promotion in the world, this type of music can be a hard sell to the masses. You gotta have a fantastic song to make it work. This one almost gets there and it should have done a lot better than its #88 peak, but with Boardwalk closing up shop, just getting on the chart was a major accomplishment.

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:  Before getting a major label deal, The Stompers recorded a couple of singles for the indie label Double Eagle. Their 1978 single featured the song "Coast to Coast." The tune would end up getting used in the 1980 John Sayles movie "Return of the Secaucus 7," an indie film that would influence such movies as "The Big Chill." Their second single featured the song "American Fun." This one would get used many years later as the closing credits song for the 2010 Adam Sandler comedy "Grown Ups."

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