Biography
Originally know as Colours, the Supersonic Bangs, and the Bangs, the Bangles sprang from L.A.'s paisley underground scene in 1981. All four members sang and played their own instruments, and the group's early music paid tribute to '60s pop/rock and West Coast neo-folk. Later, they traded their garage band roots for a slick, heavily produced pop sound that turned them into one of the most successful chart groups of either gender during the 1980s.
In the beginning, the Bangles pitched their harmonized voices atop a foundation of '60s-based guitar rock, and were fond of covering songs by Big Star, the Merry Go Round and Love. Sisters Debbi and Vicki Peterson — on drums and guitar, respectively — founded the group alongside singer/guitarist Susanna Hoffs, with bassist Annette Zilinskas joining shortly thereafter. Looking to make a name for themselves, the scruffy girl group self-released a debut single, 1981's "Getting Out of Hand," which sounded like a lost song by the Mamas & the Papas. A loose, four-song EP on the IRS label followed, as did a contract with Columbia Records. The Bangles' studio debut, All Over the Place was produced by David Kahne and released in 1984, once the band had been given an all-over cleanup. Although Zilinskas had left the group by this time (she later resurfaced with Blood on the Saddle), former Runaway Michael Steele was added in her place.
For the second album, 1985's Different Light, the band was aided by Prince (or "Christopher," as he was known during that phase) with his song "Manic Monday," which charted at number two and paved the way for the follow-up smash "Walk Like an Egyptian," which went to number one and sent the album to the top of the charts. There was a sexist assumption among some critics that the successful female group couldn't really play and needed studio and live assistance, but as with any slick chart band, session men were in fact credited, beginning on the second album. Future Black Crowes producer George Drakoulias was enlisted to play the guitar lead for their next single, a cover of Simon & Garfunkel's "Hazy Shade of Winter" from the Less Than Zero soundtrack, which reached number one in 1987. At the same time, Hoffs appeared in a B-movie, The Allnighter, and it garnered the band some undesirable attention, but the follow-up album, Everything, spawned another number one, "Eternal Flame," in 1988.
The band packed it in due to the usual artistic differences in 1989 — the Petersons' sibling harmonies were what gave the group its unique sound, but singer Susanna Hoffs was often considered the focal point, which contributed to the tension. Vicki Peterson spent her free time singing with the Continental Drifters and filling in for Charlotte Caffey during 1994's Go-Go's reunion tour. Meanwhile, Hoffs recorded two solo albums — When You're a Boy in 1991 and a self-titled record in 1996 — while Debbie Peterson and Steele continued to work with various alternative pop groups. The Bangles officially re-formed in the summer of 2000, announcing tour dates and plans for a new studio album, which later arrived in the form of 2003's Doll Revolution.
