The Bangles: Song By Song Thread

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Steve Mc, Jul 14, 2019.

  1. ascot

    ascot Senior Member

    Location:
    Wisconsin
    I love the first album but I did not hear it until after the success of their next LP. I did know "Hero Takes A Fall" and "Going Down To Liverpool" because the band played those songs on David Letterman's NBC show and that was my introduction to the group. All Over The Place has all the garage band meets 60's pop vibe that many of us immediately think of whenever Bangles comes up. The hooks and melodies are great song to song and I don't feel there's any filler in the 31 minute set. If there is a criticism here, it may be that the album is too short but that only leaves us wanting more which is a good thing. I won't list favorite tracks because I like the whole thing. :)
     
  2. Steve Mc

    Steve Mc Bangles Encyclopedia Thread Starter

    Location:
    United States
    Some AOTP era Bangles stuff, starting with their hosting The Cutting Edge. Despite the poorish quality. you really get a sense of their great band dynamic here.
     
  3. Steve Mc

    Steve Mc Bangles Encyclopedia Thread Starter

    Location:
    United States
  4. Steve Mc

    Steve Mc Bangles Encyclopedia Thread Starter

    Location:
    United States
    [​IMG]
     
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  5. BZync

    BZync Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    I first was given this album on a pre-release white label cassette. I have no recollection of who gave it to me or how I came to it. But I do remember that I took to it immediately. My view of the band is a bit skewed as Here Takes A Fall & Going Down To Liverpool were big hits - in my house. But I'm not sure if I can remember them being played on the radio. Does anyone recall if alt radio embraced them early on?

    One of my strongest Bangle memories of this time was in March of 1985 when I was going to see them at Magic Mountain (an amusement park in Southern California). On the morning of the show as I was preparing to leave, a friend called and told me he was competing in a rap contest and that he wanted me to be there to support him. I wished him luck but I had a Bangles concert to attend. But he wouldn't let it go, telling me how important my presence would be to him etc. So I blew off the Bangles show and had a rotten afternoon watching his make a fool of himself being wildly out of place within this competition. I knew he had no chance and was proved right. Can you tell that I'm still bitter about this?

    I didn't get to see the Bangles for the first time until their reunion tour.
     
  6. Steve Mc

    Steve Mc Bangles Encyclopedia Thread Starter

    Location:
    United States
    Not sure about alt-radio outside of LA, but college radio played them quite often. Mainstream radio didn't really touch them yet.

    Interestingly enough, it was at Magic Mountain that Bruce Springsteen gave the Columbia A&R guys the thumbs-up to sign The Bangles back in '83.
     
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  7. GoodKitty

    GoodKitty FloydM

    Location:
    Pacific
    Great photo of Debbi there ......

    and here ..... :winkgrin:
    I noticed these names in the credits .... They went on to become very in-demand video directors.... and later, Little Miss Sunshine .
    Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris - Wikipedia


    All Over The Place is pretty much why I'm here at this thread .... Recently I was checking out The Runaways, noticed the Micki Steele connection and that got me thinking about Bangles, a group I'd never gone out of my way for .... I've acquired hundreds of free cds over the years from various sources, and some of them actually got filed .... On a whim I decided to look and see if I had a Bangles cd .... and there it was : All Over The Place ! .... and it was so good that now I'm belatedly a real fan.... Now I've got the urge to buy this one on vinyl :righton:
     
  8. Steve Mc

    Steve Mc Bangles Encyclopedia Thread Starter

    Location:
    United States
    There are some decent deals to be found for Bangles vinyl on eBay.
     
  9. Coppertop Tester

    Coppertop Tester Forum Resident

    I hope I'm not being inappropriate in posting this off-topic event link, but it might be of interest to people here within driving distance of L.A. and does have tangential Bangles connections.

    Cherie Currie and Brie Darling at the Grammy Museum, Thursday, August 1.

    Cherie Currie & Brie Darling | GRAMMY Museum
     
  10. Steve Mc

    Steve Mc Bangles Encyclopedia Thread Starter

    Location:
    United States
    Hero Takes A Fall
    [​IMG]

    First up is one of the album's best tracks. A Vicki-Susanna composition with Susanna singing lead, Hero Takes A Fall is a rocking track that is a highlight of their songwriting collaboration. It throws together the idea of the flawed hero from classical tragedy with a contemporary twist, and a solid beat and biting lyrics to match. Some interesting imagery there, too. "Sitting on your throne and drinking/ Thinking she'll return your call" is my favorite line. The song represents a sonic transition, with the 60s ethos still there, but in a bit of a harder, more mature and unique package. The bassline is great and heavy.
    The track was released as a single. College radio picked up the song, and it (and the accompanying video) attracted the attention of Prince, who joined the band on stage to perform it with them on more than one occasion.
     
  11. Steve Mc

    Steve Mc Bangles Encyclopedia Thread Starter

    Location:
    United States
    Here is the music video, with the band sporting the new look that the label created for them.
     
  12. Steve Mc

    Steve Mc Bangles Encyclopedia Thread Starter

    Location:
    United States
    And here is a live performance on Letterman
     
  13. Steve Mc

    Steve Mc Bangles Encyclopedia Thread Starter

    Location:
    United States
    Cool Australia vinyl release cover
    [​IMG]
     
  14. Paul H

    Paul H The fool on the hill

    Location:
    Nottingham, UK
    I came to All Over the Place after Different Light and, wow, what a contrast. This album really takes me back to being 16 again. It rarely gets played these days but when I do, it's just a wonderful experience. They'd record better songs in their career but this is by far and away their most consistent album. What a debut.
     
  15. BZync

    BZync Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    All Over The Place is my favorite Bangles disc. They are quite a good rock band and this is their only album that really showcases that.

    Hero Takes A Fall is the best track on the disc, starting it out very strong. Almost a retro way to open an album - with the single. What I particularly love is how the track begins with a quick fade in of the backing vocals. If nothing else, that moment is the band's mission statement: full vocal harmonies smashed by a power chord. This song has all of the elements that The Bangles would base a career upon. A great lead vocal. Harmony vocals. And backing vocals "all over the place", a great melody, an uptempo groove, solid confident playing. It's almost a shame that the second album kind of watered down much of their sound - including not allowing the band the bulk of the songwriting duties. But it was that second, polished, pop album that made them stars. But we get ahead of ourselves. For now we are very solidly into post punk power pop and the most rock oriented bunch of tracks they ever recorded.
     
  16. BeSteVenn

    BeSteVenn FOMO Resident

    I'm always impressed with the consistent excellence of the Bangles' vocals and how great their phrasing is, both live and in the studio.
     
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  17. ascot

    ascot Senior Member

    Location:
    Wisconsin
    This is the first time I saw the Bangles. I would have watched this on a small black & white TV in my bedroom when I probably should have been asleep. :laugh:
     
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  18. Steve Mc

    Steve Mc Bangles Encyclopedia Thread Starter

    Location:
    United States
    Yeah, they don't get enough credit for this, and it's on both the harmonies and the lead vocals. Even those who know only their hits seem to miss just how perfect their vocal approach was on even their poppier stuff.
     
  19. Panther

    Panther Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tokyo, Japan
    "Hero Takes A Fall" is an absolutely incredible track. I'd rate that as one of the great 80s' singles by anyone. It is probably the most perfect Bangles' song, in that it's a fabulous composition (great lyrics, catchy tune) and a fabulous performance, and it is still sort-of "pure" Bangles in sound and approach. It's just perfect.

    They had other tracks as good as this, but none that were better.
     
  20. Steve Mc

    Steve Mc Bangles Encyclopedia Thread Starter

    Location:
    United States
    Performing in the U.K. on The Tube
     
  21. Tim S

    Tim S Senior Member

    Location:
    East Tennessee
    Wow, Hoffs playing a stratocaster? That just looks so wrong! hahaha, I think this is the only time I've ever seen her without her Rickenbacker.
     
  22. Steve Mc

    Steve Mc Bangles Encyclopedia Thread Starter

    Location:
    United States
    She also played Telecasters from time to time.
    [​IMG]
     
  23. Steve Mc

    Steve Mc Bangles Encyclopedia Thread Starter

    Location:
    United States
    Interview and lip-synced performance in a cold Germany.
     
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  24. This photo reminds me of how Rodney Bingenheimer said when he met her, he was bowled over, that Susanna was like the Audrey Hepburn of rock and roll....
     
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  25. Steve Mc

    Steve Mc Bangles Encyclopedia Thread Starter

    Location:
    United States
    Live
    A cover of The Merry-Go Round's song. Debbi sings lead on this one, and her voice works quite nicely. The band's harmonies here are great, following the original rather closely. It is a bright, infectious track, a very enjoyable listen, serving to contrast with the opening number, really drawing the listener into the album.

     

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