When I think of guilty pleasure bands I often indulge in some good ol' all-girl rock, not only the "good" stuff like, Sleater-Kinney or the Donnas, but also usually embarrassing stuff like the Go-Go's and the Bangles. Both bands were actually quite good, playing the dingy local clubs and weren't the overnight sensations MTV has led you to believe. For this edition of "Before They Was Famous", I bring you some pre-Bangles, The Bangs.
The Bangles forme
d in 1980 and went through a number of name changes, The Colours, The Supersonic Bangs, before morphing into The Bangs. In 1981, the original line-up of Susanna Hoffs and Vicky and Debbi Peterson recorded a single (Getting Out Of Hand b/w Call On Me) as The Bangs and in 1982 recorded an EP. A legal issue forced the band to change it's name to the Bangles (dropped the "The" and added "les") before the release of the self-titled EP. Their following albums (All Over the Place, Different Light, Everything) increasingly became more commercial and radio-ready for the MTV generation. I can't say I was much of a fan after their initial releases as they moved a little bit away from their power-pop roots and their 60's jangly sound (I love the Rickenbacker guitars sound!) to a slicker generic sound.
If you're wondering what the members of the Bangles are up to, supposeably the reformed band is entering the studio to record something new and have a listen to Susanna Hoffs collaboration with Matthew Sweet, Under The Covers Vol. 1 and Vol. 2.
The Breakers "Voodoo Treatment" 2020
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7 comments:
Thanks Binky for your blog & post on the pre-album Bangles & the Bangs. It was great to discover this original incarnation's songs. I know what you mean about their change in look & sound, as I'm now fond of the sonic & visual style the band initially had. They probably felt that they had to evolve & become current to be more relevant. Still, always kept part of that 60's influence.
And there's no embarrassment at all in enjoying the Go-Go's & the Bangles. Both were great, I personally really prefer the Go-Go's more overall. They really had it all. So they didn't release as many albums. They burned far brighter & intensely than both Sleater-Kinney & The Donnas, who let's honestly face it, did not ever reach that kind of level. No girl band has since. Which is a real shame, as it's about time & I would love to see it happen.
I was just doing search to see if I could find the first Bangles EP in digital form and saw your post and got super psyched that you had a 7" from when they were The Bangs as well! Thanks so much got posting this.
Thanks - really enjoyed these!
A Q&A with the group on Bio confirms they are,indeed,readying this EP for a Digital issue,but,the format is still up in the air!
Good article, are the download links still valid? Nothing happens?
Bo
I just updated the files (October 15, 2022). They should work now! enjoy!
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