Balaam and the Angel are a Scottish rock band founded by Mark, James (Jim), and Desmond (Des) Morris in Cannock, England in 1984.[1][2]
As children in Motherwell, Scotland, the Morris brothers worked in the entertainment industry as part of a cabaret act.[3] They moved south to Cannock, Staffordshire, England, where they formed Balaam and the Angel.[4]
Initially the band self-released a series of EPs and an album entitled Sun Family[5] via their own Chapter 22 label and played some tour dates opening for The Cult.[4] This caught the attention of Virgin Records, who signed them and released their debut album, The Greatest Story Ever Told.[6][4] It peaked at No. 67 in the UK Albums Chart in August 1986.[7] They toured in the United States with The Mission, Kiss and label mate Iggy Pop.[citation needed]
A second guitarist and the first non-sibling, Ian McKean of Twenty Flight Rockers,[8][9][10][11] was added to the band in 1988.[4] The band began to move away from gothic rock music styles into a sound that had more in common with hard rock. With their new-found style, they recorded the album Live Free or Die.[12] This was soon followed up in similar style when they recorded Days of Madness,[13] before leaving Virgin Records.[4] Their song "I'll Show You Something Special" appeared on the soundtrack for the film Planes, Trains and Automobiles.[14]
Their presence was largely ignored by the time that their 1993 album, Prime Time, had failed to interest record buyers.[3]