Yeah true they did. I feel like that works with the Stones and The Go Go's even but it doesn't work well in a band like The Bangles where there are four lead singers.
Happily Ever Laughter So, today we have two DR era tracks that did not make the record. First this demo written, as far as I can tell, by Hoffs and the Peterson's. It's a pleasant little track, written and recorded at around the same time as "Get The Girl." The topic here is domestic harmony. And the song, fittingly, is based on the band's voices. Steele joins in with some wordless vocalizing in the coda. I like the song.
My Town An AOL exclusive release, nice upbeat kind of track. I dig the very Bangles sound on this one. Sounds very free of pressure. Great lead vocal by Susanna. Does anyone know who wrote it? Like it a lot. The general sound of these two tracks sounds, for me, more engaging and vintage Bangles than a lot of what ended up on DR.
Happily Ever Laughter Not sure why this wasn't included on "Doll Revolution". This is a really good song. Not sure if it's a song Debbi and Susanna wrote together but the lyrical themes sound that way. This is very much a demo but it's a quite a good one. Love the acoustic guitar and it's quite catchy. If we get a expanded version of "Doll Revolution" I hope this is included on it. My Town Another good song. It sounds a bit like a song that would go on "Sweetheart of The Sun". Another really good song that should have been included on "Doll Revolution". Given that it's Susanna on lead vocals I would guess that she wrote it or at least co-wrote it. The mini guitar solo from Vicki is quite good as well. I really like this one. This is vintage Bangles for me.
To me Doll Revolution is too long. With a few other songs like Get The Girl, My Town, etc there could be 2 separate albums. Just imagine one release in 2000 and another a couple years later.
That would have been ideal. A rough and ready EP in '01 or '02 would have hit the market at the right time and kind of take some of the pressure off of DL, which does feel like it is trying to do a little too much.
It would have also solved or at least eased up some of the pressures they had with funding the record. I personally think that 15 songs was the right amount because it gave everyone an opportunity on lead vocals.
Happily Ever Laughter is OK. It seems to be another mid-tempo pop tune that Doll Revolution is rife with. That said, I think it's better than most of DR's recycled pop songs. But I really like My Town. The subject is something other than relationship issues so that's a plus. It has a good melody that's a little melancholic. Maybe they cut it because it gave Sue more lead vocals and upset the balance between the girls?
"My Town" (which I don't think I ever heard before) was really good. HER -- was (in demo form) just another mid-tempo song that maybe they could have rocked up.
Before we leave this era of The Bangles, here are a few concert recordings and a Micki Steele interview.
This was recorded for a photo contest sponsored by Kodak and AOL and only available online for a short while. I don't recall if it was a digital download. I seem to remember that it might have been for online listening only, but that it was easy to grab the audio with browser plug-ins. As far as I know, the Bangles have never performed this live.
Sorry to insert the "hotness" issue into a purely musical thread but didn't Vicki look absolutely amazing during those reunion years?
I was kinda dissapointed when I saw Micki during the reunion. She was red hot during the late 80's and age has sadly started to take it's toll. Back then I had no clue that she was much older than the others.
Run Away With Me Thanks to @Coppertop Tester for bringing this track to my attention. It's quite a nice song, mid-tempo, but definitely a whole band effort, with Vicki, Susanna, and Debbi alternating in lead vocals, and wonderful four-part harmonies throughout. Not sure who wrote this. Does anyone have any more info?
Never heard Run Away With Me before. Yeah, it's another soft-rock ballad but I like it better than some of the soft-pop stuff on DR. It actually has a guitar riff-groove running through it and the girls trade off the vocals so it doesn't feel like it belongs on a Susanna Hoffs solo album. Thumbs up.
Run Away With Me Never heard this before but I like it a lot. This might be a song all of them wrote together given that they all sing. This is a very catchy song and it has a very 90s lyrical sound (if that makes sense). It's funny because until yesterday I hadn't heard this song but it's instantly become one of my favorite Bangles songs. It's amazing the things they can do when they work together. Absolutely brilliant and I think it would have been great on "Doll Revolution".
Alright, sorry for the extended delay. Let's get things going again. We will return to The Bangles as a whole in a bit, but first we'll have a listen to some Vicki tracks from the 2001 Continental Drifters release Better Day. First up, Na Na Vicki wrote this track, which is solid. I dig the bass line.
