The Bangles: Song By Song Thread

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

  1. MusicMatt

    MusicMatt Quality over Quantity

    Location:
    California, U.S.A.
    Of course I stop getting notifications. Anyways...
    "Hero Takes A Fall"- A great kickoff to the album. There's a driving, catchy energy throughout and I feel its one of the standout tracks from the album. Funny video too.

    "Live"- Love the guitars in this one. Probably my favorite aspect of this song. Outstanding harmonies and a fine lead vocal from Debbi.
     
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  2. Coppertop Tester

    Coppertop Tester Forum Resident

    The ironic thing about their cover of "Live" becoming a fan favorite and setlist staple even though it wasn't released as a single is that they wanted Emitt Rhodes to produce them when they were starting out and he declined not seeing their potential.
     
  3. Steve Mc

    Steve Mc Bangles Encyclopedia Thread Starter

    Location:
    United States
    Live performance of "Live" from '86.
     
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  4. vinnie

    vinnie Senior Member

    Location:
    New Jersey
    Probably my favorite when the album first came out. Didn't hear the original for years, Had heard of Emitt Rhodes but his stuff was hard to find...
     
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  5. Steve Mc

    Steve Mc Bangles Encyclopedia Thread Starter

    Location:
    United States
    James
    This song was written by Vicki and actually predates The Bangles. As a third track, it is absolutely fantastic. It also establishes the "if you don't like him, dump him" theme that characterizes so many songs on the album. Apparently, it was inspired by a classmate of Vicki's in college who was in a relationship with a professor.
    The lyrics are definitely biting, (how often does masochist turn up as a song lyric?) a trait of Vicki's songwriting, but it is all tempered by Susanna's vocal approach into a very catchy package. (Interestingly, the earliest live recordings of the song feature Vicki on lead vocals)
    Debbi's drumming and Steele's excellent bassline reinforce the catchy melodic line, and ground the crunchy guitar work. The harmonies are great here, too. The bridge has some very low singing, though it seems to be a little unclear who is singing it, Michael, Vicki, Debbi, or all three. My money is on Michael, though all three sang it in concert.

    This is one of my favorite tracks on the album. Very fun, a throwback, but very fresh. A bit short for a single, but a fantastic live and album track indeed.

     
  6. BZync

    BZync Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Live - Not being familiar with the original, for the longest time I thought that this was written by the Bangles. It sure sounds like it could be. Again, an example of the Bangles "sound" I like best. Two guitars, bass, drums and a ton of vocal harmonies.

    James - Another tightly written catchy pop song. The bridge is a nothing but the vocal arrangement makes it work. Online, the lyrics read "I'll only take this trip for so long" but it doesn't sound like that to my ears.
     
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  7. Steve Mc

    Steve Mc Bangles Encyclopedia Thread Starter

    Location:
    United States
    Susanna actually recorded two lines, dubbing "trip" over the original. So, you can definitely hear what you hear
     
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  8. MusicMatt

    MusicMatt Quality over Quantity

    Location:
    California, U.S.A.
    "James"- My favorite song off the album. So catchy! When I first heard it around 2002 (!), I couldn't believe how I missed out hearing this track for so many years. Again, I only had the greatest hits album for a lot of my time. Definitely a Vicki song. 5+
     
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  9. ascot

    ascot Senior Member

    Location:
    Wisconsin
    Yep, I hear it the same way. :D
     
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  10. GoodKitty

    GoodKitty FloydM

    Location:
    Pacific
    Made an offer on discogs, got it coming now for $6.25 total. :D
     
    Last edited: Aug 2, 2019
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  11. ascot

    ascot Senior Member

    Location:
    Wisconsin
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  12. Steve Mc

    Steve Mc Bangles Encyclopedia Thread Starter

    Location:
    United States
    Great character to the sound there, as even my CD loving plastic soul will admit.

    Back tracking a bit, I must say that the vocal fade in and ah-ah-ahs at the start of "Hero" sound especially inspired on vinyl.
     
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  13. Steve Mc

    Steve Mc Bangles Encyclopedia Thread Starter

    Location:
    United States
    And here is a live performance of James from '83 with Vicki singing lead.
     
  14. GoodKitty

    GoodKitty FloydM

    Location:
    Pacific
    Well that certainly was a "work-in-progress" version of the song.
    I have the second half of that show but not the first.

    Funny, in the banter Susanna mentions "the DeFranco Family" ....
    I remember them !

    Susanna is the same age as Tony DeFranco, who was the "Michael" or "Donny" of this short-lived family act.
     
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  15. GoodKitty

    GoodKitty FloydM

    Location:
    Pacific
    Oh, I meant to ask this earlier .....
    Did the circumstances around Annette's departure also include her leaving her bass-guitar behind at a gig, possibly the Country Club in Encino? .... Her last gig with them ?
    Pretty sure I read that somewhere .... like that was more evidence that her head wasn't fully in the game.
     
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  16. Shriner

    Shriner Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ann Arbor, MI, USA
    Jumping back into the thread -- I heard the EP first and then was surprised to find this full album in the record store soon after it came out and I immediately devoured it. It remains my favorite of the band and it starts out strong and just keeps delivering track after track -- especially for the first side.
     
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  17. Steve Mc

    Steve Mc Bangles Encyclopedia Thread Starter

    Location:
    United States
    Can't confirm.
    By the way, the band had actually bought her bass for her.
     
  18. Coppertop Tester

    Coppertop Tester Forum Resident

    Annette talks about the issues that led to her departing the Bangles and joining Blood on the Saddle in a chapter she wrote for the book "More Fun in the New World: The Unmaking and Legacy of L.A. Punk". That forgotten bass incident appears to be the straw that broke the camel's back.

    Here is a link to the book on Amazon:

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0306922126/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

    John Doe and Tom DeSavia, the two main authors, are still doing promotion for it which often includes panel discussions with some of the other contributors. For anyone who is into the L.A. music scene during the period discussed so far in this thread, I highly recommend the book and panels.
     
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  19. Paul Gase

    Paul Gase Everything is cheaper than it looks.

    Location:
    California
    I’m just beginning that book and can’t wait to dig in during vacation.

    The Country Club was in Reseda, not Encino. I once saw Paul Carrack and Nick Lowe do an awesome show there.
     
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  20. Paul Gase

    Paul Gase Everything is cheaper than it looks.

    Location:
    California
    I know Vicki has stated that she really wanted to go for the sticky, ultra compressed guitar tone like Buffalo Springfield used to get, for AOTP. They definitely got that (though they bypass the Bigsby tremolo fills).
     
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  21. GoodKitty

    GoodKitty FloydM

    Location:
    Pacific
    oops, yes- thank you.
    I was in there once in 1980, was visiting my older sister.
     
  22. DirkM

    DirkM Forum Resident

    Location:
    MA, USA
    While we're talking about the sound of All Over The Place, I guess now is the time to admit that I've never owned a copy of the album proper. Instead, I have all of the tracks on the Manic Monday: The Best Of The Bangles comp. Are there any anomalies on that set? Do I need to track down any CD versions of the debut?
     
  23. GoodKitty

    GoodKitty FloydM

    Location:
    Pacific
    I'm expecting that one in the mail any day now.
    It has the unusual AOTP b-side "Where Were You..."
    I can't report on any anomalies yet.
     
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  24. Coppertop Tester

    Coppertop Tester Forum Resident

    One of the really fun things about attending small club shows is when unexpected guests drop by. I saw the late P.F. Sloan at the old tiny Largo on Fairfax in the mid-2000s and when he performed “Where Were You...”, Susanna and Vicki jumped up out of the audience to join him on backing vocals.
     
  25. KJTC

    KJTC Forum Resident

    Location:
    NYC
    “Where Were You When I Needed You” is among their best tracks. Almost as good a cover as “Hazy Shade of Winter.”
     

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