DeViCom Biografie: Bangles

Bangles
f. 1981 in Los Angeles, CA, USA

Formerly known as the Colours, the Bangs and finally as the Bangles, this all-female Los Angeles quartet mastered the art of melodic west coast guitar-based pop and like the Go-Go's immediately before them, led the way for all female groups in the latter half of the 80s. The band was formed in 1981 and originally comprised Susanna Hoffs (b. 17 January 1962, Newport Beach, California, USA; guitar, vocals), Debbie Peterson (b. 22 August 1961, Los Angeles, CA, USA; drums, vocals), Vicki Peterson (b. 11 January 1958, Los Angeles; CA, USA; guitar, vocals) and Annette Zilinkas (bass, vocals): They emerged from the 'paisley underground' scene that spawned band like Rain Parade or Dream Syndicate. The Bangles' first recordings were made on their own Downkiddie label and then for Miles Copeland's Faulty Products set-up, which resulted in a flawed self-titled mini-album. On signing to the major CBS label in 1983, the line-up had undergone a crucial change. Zilinkas departed (later to join Blood on the Saddle) and was replaced by former Runaways member Michael Steele (b. 2 June 1954; bass, vocals). Their superb debut, "Hero Takes a Fall", failed to chart, as did their interpretation of Kimberley Rew's Soft Boys/Katrina and the Waves song "Going Down to Liverpool". The Bangles' energetic and hamonious style showed both a grasp and great affection for 60s pop with their Beatles and Byrds-like sound. Again they failed to chart, although their sparkling debut All Over the Place scraped into the US charts. Following regular live work they built up a strong following, although it was not until the the US/UK number 2 hit single "Manic Monday", written by Prince, and the huge success of Different Light that they won a wider audience. The media, meanwhile, were picking out Hoffs as the leader of the group. The sowed the seeds of dissatisfation within the line-up that would later come to a head. Both album and single narrowly missed the tops of the US and UK charts, and throughout 1986 the Bangles could do no wrong. Their interpretation of Jules Shear's "If She Knew What She Wants" showed touches of the mid-60s Mamas and the Papas, while "Walk like an Egyptian" (composed by former Rachel Sweet svengali Liam Sternberg) was pure 80s quirkiness and gave the group a US number 1/UK number 3 hit. The unusual choice as a cover version of the Simon & Garfunkel song "Hazy Shade of Winter", which was featured in the film Less Than Zero, gave them a US number 2 hit/UK number 11 hit in 1988. The third album, Everything, offered another collection of classy pop that generated the hit singles "In Your Room" (Us number 5, 1988) and the controversial "Eternal Flame" in the spring of 1989, which gave the group a UK/US number 1 hit. Both these songs featured lead vocals from Hoffs, but "Eternal Flame" was viewed by the other group members as un unnecessary departure from the Bagles' modus operandi, with its use of string backing and barely any instrumental contribution from the rest of the group. Rather than harking back to the 60s the song was reminiscent of the early to the mid-70s pop ballads of Michael Jackson and Donny Osmond. It also once again compounded the illusion in the public's eye that the Bangles were Hoff's group. The year they had started so well for the group was now disintegrating into internal conflict. "Be With You" and "I'll Set You Free" failed to emulate their predecessors' success, and by the end of the year the decision was made to dissolve the group. Susanna Hoffs embarked on a solo career while the remaining members have yet to make any impact with their perspective plans.