The Bangles
are an American all-female band that originated in the early 1980s, scoring several hit singles through much of the decade.
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THE BANGLES TICKETS
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History
Formation and early years (1981–1983)
When
Susanna Hoffs joined sisters
Vicki and
Debbi Peterson to form a band in Los Angeles in the waning days of December, 1980, the trio briefly christened itself
The Colours
, shortly renamed itself
The Supersonic Bangs
, but soon morphed its name to
The Bangs
. The band was part of the Los Angeles
Paisley Underground scene, which featured groups that played a mixture of 1960s-influenced
folk-rock and
jangle pop with a more modern
punk–ish/
garage band undertone.
[1] In 1981, the threesome recorded and released a single (
Getting Out Of Hand
b/w
Call on Me
) on
DownKiddie Records
(their own label). In 1982, the trio was signed to
Faulty Products
, a label formed by
Miles Copeland.
The early Bangles line-up of
Susanna Hoffs (vocals/guitars),
Vicki Peterson (guitars/vocals),
Debbi Peterson (vocals/drums) and
Annette Zilinskas (vocals/bass) recorded an EP in 1982 and a single,
The Real World
, was released. A legal issue forced the band to change their name at the last minute so they dropped the "The" from their name and added the letters "les" to the end to become
Bangles
. Their first EP was retitled
Bangles
and was released. In 1983,
Faulty Products
issued a 12 inch "remix" single of "The Real World" to radio and media however another setback came as the label folded.
I.R.S. Records picked up distribution and re-issued the EP. What could have been yet another setback for the band came when Zilinskas left the band to focus on her own project,
Blood on the Saddle
. She was replaced by
Michael Steele, formerly of the
all-girl band The Runaways.
Career peak (1984–1986)
The Bangles' full-length debut album on Columbia,
All Over the Place
(1984), captured their power-pop roots, featuring the singles "Hero Takes a Fall" and the
Kimberley Rew-penned Beatlesque "Going Down To Liverpool" (originally recorded by Rew's band
Katrina and the Waves). The record attracted good critical notices, and the video for "Liverpool" featured
Leonard Nimoy, which helped to generate further publicity.
All this went some way to attracting the attention of
Prince, who later wrote "
Manic Monday" for the group.
[2] "Manic Monday" went on to become a #2 hit in the
US, the
UK and
Germany, outsold at the time only by another
Prince composition, his own "
Kiss". The band's second album
Different Light
(1986) was more polished than its predecessor and, with the help of the worldwide #1 hit "
Walk Like an Egyptian", saw the band firmly in the mainstream as radio and
MTV stalwarts.
The kingdom of Bangles
There was friction among band members after the media began singling out Hoffs as the lead singer of the group, due to Columbia Records practice of releasing mostly singles on which Hoffs sang lead vocal. In fact, the group's albums were fairly evenly divided among all of the band's members, all of whom wrote or co-wrote their songs.
[3] In 1987, Hoffs starred in a film,
The Allnighter
, which was directed by her mother,
Tamar Simon-Hoffs, and was critically panned. That, and the firing of their manager
Miles Copeland, further exacerbated the dissent among the band members.
[1] But they soon had another US #2 hit with a cover of
Simon & Garfunkel's "Hazy Shade of Winter" from the soundtrack of the film
Less Than Zero
, whereas on the other side of the Atlantic the melancholic "
If She Knew What She Wants," written by
Jules Shear, reached the German Top 20.
1988's
Everything
was another multi-platinum smash and included their biggest-selling single, the soft ballad "
Eternal Flame". Co-writer
Billy Steinberg came up with the title after Susanna Hoffs told him about the band's visit to
Graceland,
Elvis Presley's former estate in
Memphis, Tennessee. An "Eternal Flame" in memoriam to Presley is maintained on the site, but on the day the band visited, the flame had gone out and its clear-plastic enclosure was flooded. When they asked what was in the box, they were told, "That's the eternal flame."
[5] The single became another worldwide hit.
[6]
The working relationships within the band had broken down, however, and they split shortly after,
with Hoffs embarking on a solo career and Vicki Peterson touring as a member of
the Go-Go's and the
Continental Drifters.
Bangles go their separate ways
Hoffs released a solo album
When You're a Boy
, produced by former Bangles producer David Kahne. The album spawned a minor hit "My Side of the Bed", and a
Cyndi Lauper penned "Unconditional Love", but it stalled, and Hoffs was dropped from Columbia during the recording of her second solo album.
[7] The second solo album
Susanna Hoffs
, released in 1996, fared better critically,
[8] but it too had disappointing sales. Hoffs married film director
Jay Roach (
Austin Powers
and
Meet the Parents
), and their union led to the Bangles' reunion of 2000.
Vicki Peterson joined and contributed songs to the New Orleans band the
Continental Drifters, which received rave reviews. Debbie Peterson had a short-lived career with
Siobhan Maher under the name of Kindred Spirit, while Steele lived in semi-retirement in California.
Bangles join forces again
The Bangles re-formed to record a song for the soundtrack of
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
, at the behest of the film's director (and Hoff's husband)
Jay Roach.
[9] The song chosen for the album was "Get The
Girl"; it was released in 1999. The reunion continued with a tour in 2000. The group was also
inducted into the
Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2000.
[10] In 2001–2002, they
recorded a new album
Doll Revolution
. A
cover version of "
Eternal Flame" was a 2001 UK #1 for
Atomic Kitten.
Doll Revolution
, featuring
such songs as "Stealing Rosemary", "Ride the Ride", "Nickel Romeo", and the single
"Something That You Said", was released in early 2003. The title track was written by
Elvis Costello, who initially recorded it for his 2002 album
When I Was Cruel
.
Doll Revolution
was a solid comeback success in Germany after the Bangles had performed in
Germany's biggest TV show
Wetten dass
, but failed to make any impact in other
important markets such as the UK, the U.S. and Australia.
In July 2004, The Bangles were made Companions of the
Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts.
In 2005, the Bangles announced the departure of Michael Steele. Steele was replaced by
Abby Travis for live appearances. Travis is not an official member of the
group.
[11] On
December 31,
2005, they reunited to perform "Hazy Shade of Winter" in front of
Times Square and later performed
"Eternal Flame" as part of
Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve 2006
. Their third
single, "Light My Way", is available as a download via
iTunes. August 2007 saw the release of their first official live DVD,
Return to Bangleonia - Live in Concert
.
In 2008, the band toured with dates in Las Vegas, Louisiana, Austin, Glasgow, and Ojai.
Summer 2008 sees the Bangles perform European Dates as well, e.g. in Germany, the
Netherlands and at the popular Cornbury Festival in Oxfordshire, England on July 5 and 6.
The Bangles are headed back into the studio in spring of 2009 to begin work on a new album. While a new album is in the works, Debbi Peterson indicated that the album is in the early stages of production during a May 2009 interview with Music Geek Media.
In popular culture
Like many other modern music groups, the Bangles have contributed to many other artists' works and to compilations. They provided the song "I Got Nothing" for
the soundtrack album for the 1985 film
The Goonies
, and made a cameo appearance in Cyndi Lauper's music video for "Goonies 'R' Good Enough". Lauper later enlisted them for backup vocals in her 1986 hit song "
Change of Heart". In 1988, while recording his album
Full Moon Fever
,
Tom Petty and his lead guitarist
Mike Campbell called on the group to provide backing vocals for the song "Waiting for Tonight". The song never made it to the album, but instead made the compilations
Playback
and
Anthology: Through the Years
. In February 2001, the first-season
Gilmore Girls
episode "Concert Interruptus" involved a trip to see a Bangles concert, and featured cameos and music by the band.
[12]
They also covered
the Beatles hit "
Good Day Sunshine" for the 2006 album
All Together Now: Beatles Stuff for Kids of All Ages
.
[13]
Several artists have referenced the Bangles in their own songs.
The Saw Doctors include an irreverent tribute to them, "I'd Love to Kiss the Bangles", on their 2003 album
Play It Again Sham!
.
[14]
Alternative-country artist
Robbie Fulks sings a wistful ode to "That Bangle Girl", a song identified as one of his "personal favorites", on his 2000
Very Best
album.
[15]
Band members
- Susanna Hoffs - vocals/guitars
- Vicki Peterson - vocals/guitars/bass guitar
- Debbi Peterson - vocals/drums/bass guitar
- Annette Zilinskas - vocals/bass guitar (1982–1983)
- Michael Steele - vocals/bass guitar/guitars (1983–2005)
Discography
- All Over the Place
(1984)
- Different Light
(1986)
- Everything
(1988)
- Doll Revolution
(2003)
References
- The Bangles Collective Biography. Retrieved: September 15, 2006
- "Manic Monday: The Bangles: Song Review"
- Muze UK Ltd, Biography of The Bangles Retrieved: September 15, 2006
- The Bangles Collective Biography. Retrieved: September 15, 2006
- Susanna Hoffs, "Commentary", the Bangles, ''Return to Bangleonia'', DVD, 2007
- Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, 500 Nr. 1 hits uit de Top 40, page 261, 9023009444
- nndb.com Biography Susanna Hoffs Retrieved: September 15, 2006
- BBC Biography The Bangles Retrieved: September 15, 2006
- [1] The Bangles: The Making of a Rock &
Roll Legend Retrieved: March 7, 2008
- Vocal Hall of Fame
The Bangles page. Retrieved: September 15, 2006
- theage.com.au "Bangles shake again"
Retrieved: September 15, 2006
- "''Gilmore Girls'': Concert Interruptus (2001)"
- All Together Now: Beatles Stuff for Kids of All Ages [B&N Exclusive]
- "Play it Again Sham!"
- "The Very Best of Robbie Fulks"