{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}} {{Infobox album | name = When the Angels Swing | type = live | artist = No Angels | cover = No-angels-swing.jpg | alt = | released = {{Start date|2002|11|29|df=y}} | recorded = | venue = | studio = | genre = | length = {{Duration|m=49|s=34}} | label = *Cheyenne *Polydor | producer = *Jens Kuphal *Till Brönner | prev_title = Now... Us! | prev_year = 2002 | next_title = Pure | next_year = 2003 | misc = {{Singles | name = When the Angels Swing | type = live album | single1 = All Cried Out | single1date = 2 December 2002 }} }}
'''''When the Angels Swing''''' is a live album by German girl group No Angels. It was released by Cheyenne Records and Polydor on 29 November 2002 and recorded in promotion of a special one-off big band concert at the Berlin Tränenpalast on 2 October 2002. Musicians Jens Kuphal and Till Brönner were consulted to re-arrange songs from the group's first two albums ''Elle'ments'' (2001) and ''Now... Us!'' (2002) for the album which was inspired by the New York City Stork Club and several 1940s swing standards.
The album earned mixed to positive reviews from music critics who noted that it differed highly from the group's previous, mainstream pop releases. While the album failed to chart on the Swiss Albums Chart, ''When the Angels Swing'' peaked at number 9 on the German Albums Chart and reached number 22 in Austria. In promotion of the album, "All Cried out," a cover of the same-titled 1984 song by English singer Alison Moyet was issued as a single and became a top 20 success in Germany.
==Background== In June 2002, No Angels released their second album, ''Now... Us!'', which featured writing credits by all band members and received critical acclaim from many critics who had thought that the band would not last past their first album ''Elle'ments'' (2001).<ref name="laut">{{cite web|first=Joachim|last=Gauger|title=''Now... Us!'' review|publisher=laut.de|url=http://www.laut.de/lautstark/cd-reviews/n/no_angels/now_us/index.htm|access-date=3 May 2009|language=German}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Matthias|last=Eisen|title=No Angels - ''Now... Us!'' (review)|work=CDStarts.de|url=http://cdstarts.de/kritiken/85064-Now...-Us%21.html|access-date=3 May 2009|language=German|archive-date=4 August 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080804083046/http://www.cdstarts.de/kritiken/85064-Now...-Us%21.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> The album debuted at number one on the German Albums Chart and was eventually certified both platinum and double gold by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI).<ref name=D>{{cite certification|region=Germany|artist=No Angels|accessdate=31 January 2007}}</ref> Its leading single "Something About Us", a musical response to what the band felt was intense and sometimes unfair and inaccurate media criticism at the time—predominantly resulting from their casting band image—became the group's third non-consecutive number-one hit in Austria and Germany.<ref name="VP">{{cite web|title=Work: Songs|work=VanessaPetruo.tv|url=http://www.vanessapetruo.tv/work/songs.php|access-date=28 July 2007|archive-date=6 October 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071006051340/http://www.vanessapetruo.tv/work/songs.php|url-status=dead}}</ref> Still during the recording of ''Now... Us!'' in spring 2002, the girls thought about taking another musical direction and how their songs would sound with a different musical approach.<ref name="press">{{cite web|title=...große Hits der Band im 40er Jahre Gewand|work=Cheyenne Records|publisher=Hochstift-Live.de|url=http://www.hochstift-live.de/1-Startseite/9161,No-Angels--When-The-Angels-Swing.html|access-date=3 September 2013|language=German}}</ref> Inspired by Robbie Williams's cover album ''Swing When You're Winning'' (2002), in September 2002, the group took a few weeks off to prepare for a special swing concert at the Berlin Tränenpalast.<ref name="press"/>
==Critical reception== {{Album ratings |rev1 = ''laut.de'' |rev1score = {{Rating|2|5}}<ref name="laut_rev">{{cite web|first=Dorothee|last=von Peterffy|title=Die größten NA-Hits neu arrangiert von Jazz-Trompeter Till Brönner|publisher=laut.de|url=https://www.laut.de/No-Angels/Alben/When-The-Angels-Swing-3788|access-date=21 December 2023|language=German}}</ref> }} ''Kronen Zeitung'' found that ''When the Angels Swing'' offered "little innovation, but great entertainment value." The newspaper's editorial praised the band for their decision to re-record own songs instead of adapting "old Sinatra classics," and concluded: "This album is certainly indispensable for fans and certainly worth a listen or two for anyone who hasn't heard anything about the No Angels so far."<ref name="krone">{{cite web|title=No Angels: When the Angels Swing|website=Krone.at|url=https://www.krone.at/2048|date=3 December 2002|access-date=21 December 2023|language=German}}</ref> Dorothee von Peterffy from ''laut.de'' rated the album two out of five stars. She felt that the songs were too modern to fit swing style arrangements and thus, ''When the Angels Swing'' was not keeping up with other swing album releases such as Williams' ''Swing When You're Winning'' (2001).<ref name="laut_rev"/>
==Chart performance== Released on 29 November 2002, ''When the Angels Swing'' debuted at number 89 on the German Albums Chart in the week of 9 December 2002.<ref name="GER"/> The following week, it jumped to – and peaked at – number nine on the chart, becoming the band's third consecutive top ten album.<ref name="GER"/> The album would spend 14 weeks on the German Albums Chart.<ref name="GER"/> In Austria, ''When the Angels Swing'' debuted and peaked at number 22 on the Austrian Albums Chart in the week of 15 December 2002.<ref name="AUS"/> It remained ten weeks inside the top 75.<ref name="AUS"/>
==Track listing== {{Tracklist | headline = ''When the Angels Swing'' track listing | extra_column = Producer(s) | total_length = 43:19
| title_width = 30% | writing_width = 45% | extra_width = 25%
| title1 = Daylight in Your Eyes | writer1 = {{hlist|Tony Bruno|Tommy Byrnes}} | extra1 = {{hlist|Till Brönner|Jens Kuphal}} | length1 = 3:34
| title2 = Autumn Breeze | writer2 = Dennis Dowlut | extra2 = {{hlist|Brönner|Kuphal}} | length2 = 3:52
| title3 = Funky Dance | writer3 = {{hlist|Thomas Anders|Christian Geller|Lucy Diakovska}} | extra3 = {{hlist|Brönner|Kuphal}} | length3 = 3:02
| title4 = Ice in the Sunshine | writer4 = {{hlist|Holger Julian Copp|Hanno Harders}} | extra4 = {{hlist|Brönner|Kuphal}} | length4 = 2:44
| title5 = There Must Be an Angel | writer5 = {{hlist|Annie Lennox|David A. Stewart}} | extra5 = {{hlist|Brönner|Kuphal}} | length5 = 3:56
| title6 = Faith Can Move a Mountain | writer6 = Julian Feifel | extra6 = {{hlist|Brönner|Kuphal}} | length6 = 3:31
| title7 = 2 Get Over You | writer7 ={{hlist|Sandi Schumann|Tim Brettschneider|Alan Glass}} | extra7 = {{hlist|Brönner|Kuphal}} | length7 = 3:23
| title8 = Still in Love with You | writer8 = {{hlist|Figge Boström|Johan Lindman}} | extra8 = {{hlist|Brönner|Kuphal}} | length8 = 3:38
| title9 = Now That We Found Love | writer9 = {{hlist|Ulrich Wehner|Thorsten Brötzmann}} | extra9 = {{hlist|Brönner|Kuphal}} | length9 = 3:50
| title10 = Something About Us | writer10 = {{hlist|Vanessa Petruo|Brötzmann|Alexander Geringas}} | extra10 = {{hlist|Brönner|Kuphal}} | length10 = 3:47
| title11 = That's the Reason | writer11 = {{hlist|Brötzmann|Geringas}} | extra11 = {{hlist|Brönner|Kuphal}} | length11 = 3:27
| title12 = Anchor Your Love | writer12 = {{hlist|Oliver Dommaschk|Marco Quast|Kaidy-Ann Morgan}} | extra12 = {{hlist|Brönner|Kuphal}} | length12 = 3:28
| title13 = Rivers of Joy | writer13 = {{hlist|Niklas Pettersson|Hans Andersson}} | extra13 = {{hlist|Brönner|Kuphal}} | length13 = 3:26 }} {{Tracklist | headline = Bonus track | extra_column = Producer(s) | total_length = 43:19
| title_width = 30% | writing_width = 45% | extra_width = 25%
| title14 = All Cried Out | writer14 = {{hlist|Alison Moyet|Steve Jolley|Tony Swain}} | extra14 = Perky Park | length14 = 3:53 }}
==Credits and personnel== {{div col}} * Achim Hartmann – bass trombone * Alexander Feucht – violin * Andrea Thoma – violin * Axel Schlosser – trumpet * Charles Franck – piano * Christian Diener – acoustic bass, electric bass * Dan Collette – trumpet * Dirk Decker – vocal recording * Edgar Herzog – baritone saxophone * Grégoire Peters – tenor saxophone * Günter Bollmann – trombone * Hendrik Soll – keyboards * Jan Larsen – viola * Jens Kuphal – producer * Joe Giorgianni – trumpet * Jörg A. Keller – arranger, conductor * Jürgen Grimm – grand piano * Kai Brückner – guitar * Karl Schloz – guitar * Lucas Von Cranach – assistant production manager * Mark Wyand – alto saxophone * Martin von der Nahmer – viola * Meta Hüper – violin * Miriam Müller – violin * Nik Hafemann – executive producer, vocal arranger * No Angels – vocal arranger * Norbert Nagel – alto saxophone * Olga Holdorff – violin * Peter Tiehuis – guitar * Pino Brönner – production manager * Regina Weber – management * Roland Peil – percussion * Rüdiger Baldauf – trumpet * Sebastian Fischer – cello * Sibylle Strobel – violin * Stefan Heinemeyer – cello * Thomas Loup – trombone * Till Brönner – arranger, music director, producer * Tobias Lehmann – recording angineer * Torsten Maaß – arranger * Uli Plettendorff – trombone * Walter Gauchel – tenor saxophone * Wolf Kerschek – arranger * Wolfgang Haffner – drums {{div col end}}
==Charts== {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |+ Chart performance for ''When the Angels Swing'' |- ! scope="col"| Chart (2002) ! scope="col"| Peak<br/>position |- {{album chart|Austria|22|artist=No Angels|album=When the Angels Swing|rowheader=true|access-date=21 December 2023|refname="AUS"}} |- {{album chart|Germany|9|artist=No Angels|album=When the Angels Swing|id=8792|rowheader=true|access-date=21 December 2023|refname="GER"}} |}
==Certifications== {{certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for ''When the Angels Swing''}} {{certification Table Entry|title=When the Angels Swing|type=video|artist=No Angels|region=Germany|award=Gold|relyear=2003|certyear=2002|refname="gercert"|note=DVD certification}} {{certification Table Bottom|nosales=true}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{No Angels}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:No Angels albums Category:2003 albums Category:Polydor Records albums Category:Swing albums