''Bangles'' is the first EP by

the Bangles The Bangles are an American all-female band, all-female pop rock band formed in Los Angeles, in 1981. They are known for hit singles during the 1980s that made them one of the most successful pop rock groups of the decade. The band’s biggest ...

. It was released in 1982 by Faulty Products and reissued in 1983 by

I.R.S. Records I.R.S. Records was a major American record label founded by Miles Copeland III and Jay Boberg in 1979. I.R.S. produced some of the most popular bands of the 1980s, and was particularly known for issuing records by college rock, new wave and a ...

when Faulty Products went out of business. The songs remained widely unavailable thereafter, with only occasional rereleases of individual songs. The whole five-song EP was eventually reissued as part of the Bangles' 2014 compilation, '' Ladies and Gentlemen... The Bangles!''. This would be the group's only release to feature original bassist Annette Zilinskas, who left in early 1983 and was replaced by

Michael Steele Michael Stephen Steele (born October 19, 1958) is an American politician, attorney, and political commentator who served as the seventh lieutenant governor of Maryland from 2003 to 2007 and as chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC) f ...

, and did not record with them again until the 2018 multigroup album ''3 x 4''. A three-song CD Mini Single CD3 version of the EP was released on A&M/

in 1988.

Background

The Bangles began in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

as a

garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock music that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The style is ...

band called the Bangs, popularly associated with similar bands from the area in the

Paisley Underground Paisley Underground is a musical genre that originated in California. It was particularly popular in Los Angeles, reaching a peak in the mid-1980s. Paisley Underground bands incorporated psychedelia, rich vocal harmonies and guitar interplay, owi ...

music scene. After self-releasing a well-received debut single, "

Getting out of Hand "Getting Out of Hand" is the debut single by American female band the Bangles, produced by the band themselves and released in 1981. The group was named at the time the Bangs, and its line-up consisted of Susanna Hoffs, Debbi Peterson and Vicki ...

" (1981), the group was signed by music industry executive Miles Copeland to his new record label Faulty Products, an independent U.S.-based subsidiary of

. The band quickly recorded a five-song mini-album which was released in June 1982.

Composition and recording

The EP includes four original songs penned by bandmembers, as well as "How Is the Air Up There?", a cover version of the 1966 single by

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

band

the La De Da's The La De Da's were a New Zealand rock band from 1963 to 1975. They were formed as a mod-ish group, the Mergers, in Te Atatū, by long-term members Kevin Borich on lead guitar and vocals, Phil Key on lead vocals and guitar and Trevor Wilson ...

(which is itself a rendition of

the Changin' Times The Changin' Times were an American songwriting and performing duo, consisting of Artie Kornfeld Arthur Lawrence Kornfeld (born 1942) is an American musician, record producer, and music executive. He is best known as the music producer promoter ...

' 1965 single). Vocals are credited to Vicki and

Debbie Peterson Debbie (or Debby or Deb) is a feminine given name, commonly but not always short for Deborah (or Debra and related variants). Debbie is a name of Hebrew origin, derived from the Hebrew name Deborah, which means “bee”. Notable people *Debbie ...

and

Susanna Hoffs Susanna Lee Hoffs (born January 17, 1959) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actress. With Debbi Peterson and Vicki Peterson, she founded the Bangles in 1981. Their debut album, ''All Over the Place (The Bangles album), All Over ...

on every track. Vicki sings the lead vocal on "Want You" and "How Is the Air Up There?" while Debbie sings "I'm In Line"; Hoffs sings "The Real World", and she and Vicki share the lead on "Mary Street". Annette Zilinskas provides backing vocals on "Want You". Music industry veteran

Craig Leon Craig Leon (born 7 January 1952) is an American-born record producer, composer and arranger currently living in England.''International Who's Who in Classical Music 2005'', Routledge, 2005. Leon was instrumental in launching the careers of many ...

served as the

record producer A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensu ...

. Leon was already well known in rock and indie circles for his production work with

the Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band formed in the New York City neighborhood Forest Hills, Queens in 1974. Known for helping establish the punk movement in the United States and elsewhere, the Ramones are often recognized as one of t ...

and Blondie. Leon also played

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

on "Mary Street" and "The Real World", and the latter song includes additional piano work by Ethan James. The album

cover art Cover art is a type of artwork presented as an illustration or photograph on the outside of a published product, such as a book (often on a dust jacket), magazine, newspaper ( tabloid), comic book, video game ( box art), music album ( album ar ...

was designed by Ewa Wojciak with photography by Bob Seideman. Shortly after the EP's release, Zilinskas left the band and was replaced by former

Runaways Runaway, Runaways or Run Away may refer to: Engineering * Runaway reaction, a chemical reaction releasing more heat than what can be removed and becoming uncontrollable * Thermal runaway, self-increase of the reaction rate of an exothermic proce ...

bassist

Musical style

The Bangles' early years were informed by a 1960s garage rock sensibility, and the 1982 EP maintains a stylistic link between the "Getting Out of Hand" debut single and the band's first full-length album, the critically acclaimed '' All Over the Place'' (1984). Music critics often note the irony of their subsequent rise from guitar-based rock devotees to "one of the most successful chart groups of the '80s with their slickly produced synth pop". In his book '' Music: What Happened?'', Scott Miller names "The Real World" as one of the top songs of the 1980s, and remarks of the EP: "Those who know only 'Eternal Flame' might be amazed at how inventive and together they were in their relative infancy". The Bangles themselves consider the early material, lesser-known though it was, to be vital to their own story: as Hoffs told ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' in 2014, "I think it's as representative of who we really are and as authentic as anything the Bangles have ever done. There's a kind of architecture to those songs – three-part harmonies, guitar-driven, jangly over a kind of garage rock rhythm is who we are now, still, as much as we were back then."

Release

The original EP was released on vinyl in June 1982 by Faulty Products (catalog #FEP 1302), after a delay due to the change of the band's name from the Bangs to the Bangles and consequent retouching of the cover art. The label folded soon after and Copeland's major label, I.R.S. Records, re-released it in 1983 (catalog #SP-70506). In 1988, A&M/

released a three-song CD Mini Single CD3 with "Mary Street" and "I'm in Line" from the original vinyl EP release, and a very different mix of "The Real World" remixed and remastered by

David Kahne David Kahne is an American record producer, musician, composer, and former record company executive. Professional career Kahne started his musical career as a working musician and soon became Director of A&R for America's first punk and ne ...

prior to his producing the first Bangles album. The full five-song set, however, remained out of print since its initial vinyl release until 2014, when it was included on the album '' Ladies and Gentlemen... The Bangles!''. Featuring numerous early Bangles rarities, this compilation also includes a previously unreleased demo version of "The Real World", shorter and sung in a different key.

Track listing

# "The Real World" (S. Hoffs, V. Peterson) # "I'm in Line" (D. Peterson, V. Peterson, S. Hoffs) # "Want You" (V. Peterson) # "Mary Street" (S. Hoffs, V. Peterson) # "How Is the Air Up There?" (Steve Duboff,

Artie Kornfeld Arthur Lawrence Kornfeld (born 1942) is an American musician, record producer, and music executive. He is best known as the music producer promoter for the Woodstock Festival held in 1969. Kornfeld is also known for his collaborations with Art ...

) ;1988 three-song CD Mini Single CD3 Release "Bangles" # "The Real World" (S. Hoffs, V. Peterson) Remixed by

. Previously unreleased. # "Mary Street" (S. Hoffs, V. Peterson) # "I'm in Line" (D. Peterson, V. Peterson, S. Hoffs)

Personnel

The band's full musical credits are listed on the EP's back cover: *

–

rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a guitar technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse (music), pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., d ...

, vocals *

Debbi Peterson Deborah Mary Peterson (born on August 22, 1961) is an American musician and the drummer of the band The Bangles. She sang lead vocals on two of the band's released singles, "Going Down to Liverpool" (1984) and " Be with You" (1989). She is the y ...

–

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

, vocals *

Vicki Peterson Victoria Anne Theresa Peterson Cowsill (born January 11, 1958) is an American rock musician and songwriter. She has been the lead guitarist for the Bangles since their founding in 1981. After their first disbandment in 1989, she has returned ...

–

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...

, vocals * Annette Zilinskas –

bass guitar The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica incl ...

, vocals

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bangles, The 1983 debut EPs The Bangles albums I.R.S. Records EPs Illegal Records EPs Albums produced by Craig Leon