There were only a few successful all-female bands from the 80s. And when I say band, I mean they were'nt just a vocal group. They all played instruments. One of the most successful, if not the most successful all-female band, would ultimately be known as the Bangles. But they didn't start out that way. Every band has their interesting start-up stories and pre-band histories. The Bangles were no different.
In 1981, recent college grad, Susanna Hoffs, placed an ad in a Los Angeles newspaper recruiting band members for a new band that she wanted to start. She already had Annette Zilinskas (bass/vocal). In the ad she cited the Beatles, the Byrds, and Buffalo Springfield as influences. Sisters Vicki (guitar/vocals) and Debbie Peterson (drums/vocals) responded to the ad and met with Susanna (guitar/vocals) to try out. Everything went well and the first incarnation of the band was born. They originally called themselves the 'Colours'. The name was then changed to the 'Supersonic Bangs' and later shortened to just the 'Bangs'.
As the Bangs, they released their first single "Getting Out of Hand" on their own "Downkiddie" label (see 45 sleeve to top left). Playing the smaller L.A. clubs, they became part of the "paisley underground,' a loose-knit collection of psychedelic and folk-rock influenced groups. Miles Copeland (brother of Stewart Copeland of the band the Police), founder of the Faulty Product record label, took a liking to the band and signed them to a deal. About this time, an east coast band, also called the Bangs, threatened legal action if the girls continued to use the same name. While sitting at dinner one night, one of the girls scribbled 'bang-less' on a napkin. The rest, as they say, is history. Within weeks, Copeland helped them re-release their previous single (see 45 sleeve below top left) and compile a 5 song EP and booked them as the opening act for the 'English Beat'.
With new lineup in place, the Bangles went into the studio and recorded their first full album, 'All Over The Place', in 1984.
The album received good reviews from critics and the media, but did not garner alot of airplay. The video to one of the songs did feature Leonard Nimoy though which helped to generate a little publicity. They also were the opening act for Cyndi Lauper on her 'Fun' tour and for Huey Lewis as well.
This was enough to catch the attention of Prince, who would soon write their first hit. In 1986 the Bangles released their second album entitled 'Different Light', which was much more polished and commercial. The opening single was the afformentioned song written by Prince called 'Manic Monday'. The song put the Bangles in the mainstream for good. Manic Monday would reach #2 on the charts in April of '86. It was the first of 4 Top 40 hits to come from this album. The second single, 'If She Knew What She Wants' would hit #29 and their 3rd single, which would become their signature song, 'Walk Like An Egyptian', became the bands first #1. It topped the charts for 4 weeks in December of '86. The last charting single from the album was 'Walking Down Your Street', which peaked at #11 in April of '87.
The album would go on to be their biggest selling album, going triple platinum, with over 3 million sold in the U.S. It also sold over a million copies in the U.K.
The Bangles third album, 'Everything', in 1988, spawned 2 more top 10 hits including their second #1 hit 'Eternal Flame'. By May of '89 the Bangles would have 8 top 40 hits in the U.S. and 13 in the U.K.
The band broke up in '89 but reformed in '99 and is still together today. As of 2009, the band was supposedly working on a new studio album, but was only in the 'production' stages at that time.
Below are the 2 tracks from their first single release as the Bangs and the 5 songs from the original Bangles EP.
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