The Bangles Album Reviews

The Bangles came from the Paisley Underground, an early 1980s Los Angeles scene indebted to the psychedelic 1960s. Paisley Underground also spawned Dream Syndicate and Green on Red, but The Bangles were the best-known band from the scene. They enjoyed big pop/rock hits like ‘Manic Monday’, ‘Eternal Flame’, and ‘Walk Like An Egyptian’.

These slick mid-1980s hits don’t demonstrate their love for 1960s garage rock, which is evident in their early work and their reunion records.

Susanna Hoffs formed The Bangles with sisters Vicki and Debbi Peterson. Former Runaways bassist Michael Steele joined in 1983. The band enjoyed the support of famous friends – Leonard Nimoy (a friend of the Hoffs family) appeared in the video for ‘Going Down to Liverpool’, while Prince wrote the breakthrough single ‘Manic Monday’.

The Bangles are sometimes considered a singles band, but their albums are solid enough to warrant some attention.

The Bangles Albums Reviews

All Over The Place

1984, 7.5/10
The Bangles were still an underground act when they recorded their debut album. Although All Over The Place is a strong opening to their career, it only peaked at #80. While Susanna Hoffs later became the most identifiable Bangle, songwriting and vocals are shared here. Newcomer Michael Steele doesn’t sing lead or write songs, but Hoffs and the Peterson sisters share vocals and songwriting credits, with Vicki Peterson contributing to all of the originals..

All Over The Place is a worthy record, but The Bangles’ ear for a hook was still developing. Two memorable songs are covers – they resurrect Merry-Go-Round’s excellent ‘Live‘ from the 1960s. They also cover Katrina and the Waves’ ‘Going Down to Liverpool’ – The Soft Boys influenced the Paisley Underground bands. The best originals are the opener ‘Hero Takes a Fall’ and ‘James’, the latter with Hoffs’ plaintive vocals.

It’s fun hearing the embryonic Bangles on All Over the Place, and it’s a worthy debut.

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Different Light

1985, 8/10
The Bangles broke into the mainstream with their second album. Spearheaded by the Prince-penned ‘Manic Monday’, the album peaked at #2. It’s slicker, but not enough to subsume the group’s personality – the extra hooks are welcome. Different Light is a strong record, although ‘Walk Like An Egyptian’ hasn’t aged well, and the album ends limply.

Many of the key songs are covers – ‘Jules Shear wrote ‘If She Knew What She Wants’, while a Steele-fronted cover of Big Star‘s ‘September Gurls’ shores up the second side. Steele enjoys the spotlight on the sparse ‘Following’, the album’s fifth single.

Even though The Bangles’ 1980s work is well-served by their 1990 Greatest Hits, Different Light is a worthwhile record.

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Everything

1988, 7/10
Everything is the Bangles’ final album of their initial tenure. The Bangles transitioned from underground, 1960s-influenced rock to mainstream pop/rock during the decade. The sound of Everything is sometimes too slick, like the smooth keyboards of Steele’s ‘Something to Believe In’.

As usual, the four members shared songwriting and vocals. But Hoffs dominates the singles, writing and singing ‘Eternal Flame’, ‘In Your Room’, and ‘I’ll Set You Free’. The public’s focus on Hoffs as the Bangles’ leader stoked group tensions, which led to their 1989 breakup. The other Bangles write good songs, but Hoffs has the best hooks and the most personality in her vocals.

The huge chorus of ‘I’ll Set You Free’, the boy-pleasing fantasy of ‘In Your Room’, and the tuneful ballad ‘Eternal Flame’ are the three best songs here, and they’re all from Hoffs’ pen.

Hoffs thrives in the radio-friendly sound of Everything, but The Bangles lose much of the 1960s sound that made them unique.

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Greatest Hits

1990, 9/10
The Bangles are a good band, but their hits shine brightest. Unless you’re a dedicated fan, Greatest Hits might be all The Bangles you need. It’s not the best representation of the band’s oeuvre – there’s little from their debut, while Hoffs dominates this tracklist.

It’s well compiled nonetheless, throwing in some worthwhile rarities. The high-octane cover of Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘Hazy Shade of Winter’ is excellent. The also covered The Grass Roots’ ‘Where Were You When I Needed You’ as a 1984 b-side, and it’s a great choice for the compilation.

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Doll Revolution

2003, 7.5/10
After almost a decade on hiatus, The Bangles reunited in 1998. They recorded a song for the Austin Powers 2: The Spy Who Shagged Me soundtrack. The album Doll Revolution followed in 2003, self-released on the band’s independent label. It’s closest in spirit to their debut, less commercial and more rooted in 1960s pop.

It’s perhaps the most impressive album in their career trajectory. Their 1980s records are mildly disappointing given the strength of their singles, but Doll Revolution is an impressive comeback.

The vocals are more confident and distinctive than before. The slicker 1980s records sometimes buried the Peterson’s personalities. Because multiple tracks were recycled from solo projects, it sometimes feels like a collection of solo tracks, but that doesn’t diminish its worth. Elvis Costello wrote ‘Tear Off Your Own Head (It’s a Doll Revolution)’ – it previously appeared on his 2002 album When I Was Cruel.

There aren’t many great songs, but plenty of good ones. Vicki Peterson’s excellent on the folk-influenced ‘Stealing Rosemary’, while Hoffs’ ‘Something That You Said’ is an obvious choice as lead single. Doll Revolution is fifteen tracks long, but it keeps its momentum. Strong tracks like ‘Lost at Sea’ and ‘Song for a Good Son’ are buried in the depths of the second half.

Doll Revolution is an impressive comeback, better than you’d expect.

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Sweetheart of the Sun

2011, 6.5/10
Unlike the surprisingly impressive Doll Revolution, Sweetheart of the Sun is what you’d expect from 21st-century Bangles. It’s pretty but lightweight. Hoffs read Girls Like Us, a book about Laurel Canyon artists Carole King, Joni Mitchell, and Carly Simon in the early 1970s. The book inspired the album’s title and opening track. Matthew Sweet co-produced the record with The Bangles, helping to capture a warm, 1960s-inspired sound.

Steele left the band after Doll Revolution. She was eventually replaced by original Bangles bassist Annette Zilinskas, but session bassist Derrick Anderson plays here.

It’s stripped back, with the three Bangles doing most of the writing and performing. Hoffs is typically beguiling on ‘Under a Cloud’ and ‘I’ll Never Be Through With You’. But the standout is the bubblegum 1960s pop of ‘Mesmerized’, with the Peterson sisters harmonising beautifully. They also lean into the retro sound with ‘One of Us’, a little reminiscent of CSNY’s ‘Ohio’ with more lovely harmonies. The record ends with a pleasant cover of Todd Rundgren’s ‘Open My Eyes’.

Sweetheart of the Sun is a little lightweight, but it’s lovely.

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Ladies and Gentlemen… The Bangles!

2014, 7/10
This compilation helpfully collects the band’s early, garage-rock inspired years. It includes their early singles and first demo, recorded when they were still The Bangs.

It demonstrates their love for Nuggets-style garage rock. They cover The Turtles’ ‘Outside Chance’ (written by Warren Zevon) and Paul Revere & The Raiders’ ‘Steppin’ Out’.

There’s a kind of architecture to those songs — three-part harmonies, guitar-driven, jangly over a kind of garage rock rhythm is who we are now, still, as much as we were back then.

Susanna Hoffs, Billboard

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10 Best Bangles Songs

• Manic Monday
• If She Knew What She Wants
• Eternal Flame
• Going Down To Liverpool
• I’ll Set You Free
• Hazy Shade of Winter
• Hero Takes A Fall
• Something That You Said
• In Your Room
• Mesmerized.