BANGLES MAKE IT BIG!
If it wasn’t for another band someplace else that almost no one has heard about, the Bangles would probably be known as the Bangs today. Seems this allfemale four-piece unit was known exactly as that back in their early garage-punk/pseudo-Mod days, but were forced to add the “les” to their name when it was discovered that another band called the Bangs already owned the name.
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BANGLES MAKE IT BIG!
If it wasn’t for another band someplace else that almost no one has heard about, the Bangles would probably be known as the Bangs today. Seems this allfemale four-piece unit was known exactly as that back in their early garage-punk/pseudo-Mod days, but were forced to add the “les” to their name when it was discovered that another band called the Bangs already owned the name.
So the girls changed their name, recorded an EP simply called The Bangles (distributed by I.R.S. Records), went on a short tour opening for the English Beat, got signed by Columbia Records—and the rest is, as they say, rock history...or her-story, depending on your point of view.
The Bangles released their first album for Columbia well over a year ago. Of course, due to the fact that it was four females playing pop-oriented rock ’n’ roll, the girls immediately got tagged with “the new Go-Go’s’’ label. In addition, because they were from L.A. and friends with most of the other current bands of the time, they got associated with the Paisley Underground—a new “psychedelic” revival that was taking the West Coast by storm. The image was further enhanced when several of the Bangles appeared on a compilation “cover version” LP titled Rainy Day with other members of the Paisley Underground scene. In fact, Bangles lead singer Susanna Hoffs may have stolen the record with her beautiful vocal on the cover of Bob Dylan’s “I’ll Keep It With Mine,” originally recorded by former Velvet Underground siren Nico.
But when people really took the time to listen to the Bangles debut All Over The Place LP, they were fast to discover that the Bangles sounded nothing like the Go Go’s, while the band had less to do with the psychedelic garage bands of the ’60s than they did with the Beatles and the Mamas & The Papas, the latter group recalled in the band’s terrific four-part harmonies. And while Susanna was the most prominent member of the band, as frontpersons always tend to be, it was evident that the Bangles were a real band...each member plays a key role in the group as a whole, contributing their own songs, vocal parts or instrumentation. Just for the record and for those who still don’t know: the other Bangles are Michael Steele on bass, Vicki Peterson on lead guitar and her sister Debbi Peterson on drums.
In fact, this “group as a unit” thing is even more evident on the Bangles’ newest Columbia LP, Different Light. Drummer Debbi sings lead on many of the album’s tracks, with bassist Michael (once a member, along with Joan Jett and Lita Ford, of the all-girl, teenage Runaways) singing lead on two. But Different Light has perhaps received its most attention for the inclusion of a song titled “Manic Monday” (which also happens to be the band’s new hit single) which was penned by one Christopher. It didn’t take long for most rock fans to figure out that this “Christopher” character often also goes by the names “The Kid,” “His Royal Badness”— and, of course, Prince. The Minneapolis genius befriended Susanna Hoffs not long after the Bangles’ first LP made its dent, so it wasn’t surprising that he’d soon offer some of his compositions to his new friend’s band. As Vicki recently told Roy Trakin: “He had a couple of songs he realized might be good for us. He actually sent us both, and we picked ‘Manic Monday.’ Everyone could relate to that lyric. He told us, if we wanted to, we could use his tracks and-just sing over them.” But, of course, the girls recorded the tune themselves.
Aside from the Prince tune, the Bangles also covered songs by modern pop tunesmith Jules Shear (who also happens to be ’Til Tuesday’s Aimee Mann’s main squeeze) and underground legend Alex Chilton (who, if you’ve never heard of him in any other way, may best be remembered as the lead singer on numerous Box Tops’ hits like “The Letter” and “Cry Like A Baby”). In addition, it might be noted that the Bangles covered “Going Down To Liverpool” on their first LP, a song by Katrina & The Waves—but they recorded it long before anyone had heard of Katrina & the Waves here in the States.
So it’s a credible pop sensibility that drives the Bangles—and this, coupled with their songwriting abilities, is what keeps pushing them towards the top. Many have suggested that their ambition is to be the female Beatles. Only time will tell.
