THE BANGLES: THE MAKING OF A ROCK & ROLL LEGEND

The framework for what would become The Bangles was layed out in sun-blasted Los Angeles. Sisters, Vicki Peterson (guitar,vocals) and Debbi Peterson (drums,vocals) started their musical journey's at a young age in the suburbs of the San Fernando Valley. Vicki picked up a guitar at the age of nine. By high school, she was already an accomplished guitar player and songwriter, playing in a variety of different bands. Her younger sister Debbi got into the musical fray when she asked to audition to be the drummer in Vicki's current band at the time. She won the audition hands down... drumming perfectly... without having prior lessons!

The late 1970s found the Peterson sisters bouncing around clubs playing in their band.(Under the names Aisha, Those Girls, and by 1978, The Fans.) The Fans consisted of Vicki's best friend Amanda Mills (bass,vocals) and Lynn Elkland(lead guitar, vocals) along with Vicki and Debbi. The band was drumming up considerable press, but conflicting personal goals eventually grounded The Fans. Amanda elected to stay in college. (She later became an Archeologist and a sometime fill in bassest for the band.) Lynn, was looking to strike on her own. Vicki and Debbi were determined to forge ahead.

Whatever it took....

Across town in Brentwood, a folk-rocking singer named Susanna Hoffs, fresh from Berkley and disallusioned by the December 8th assasination of John Lennon, picked up the phone to answer a musicians wanted add in The Recycler for a 6 string guitar player who was into The Beatles, Byrds and Buffalo Springfield. (It should be mentioned that this add had been placed by Lynn Elkland to help her roomates find her replacement.) By chance... Vicki Peterson answered the phone that day and soon Vicki, Debbi and Susanna found themselves on the phone for well over an hour... discussing their feelings about John Lennon's assasination, and other things. The chemistry was uncanny... but to be ethically correct, Vicki passed Sue's message onto Lynn. Susanna called Lynn back a day later - but it was clear that they didn't have any chemistry. Guilt free, Vicki called Susanna back and the girls set up their first face-to-face meeting. They went to Susanna's house to jam. Not surprising, they clicked musically as well as personally. The first song the girls played together was "White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane! Harmony singing was such a breeze and the trio clicked instrumentally as well. The Peterson sisters left Hoffs' garage thinking "My God, we have ourselves a band!."

In the weeks to come, the girls started churing out songs, writing together and separately. Choosing a name was an interesting adventure... but they finally decided on the "very in your face" double entrente of The Bangs. The band however, needed a bass player. So, they went looking and hired Annette Zilinskas to play bass. Vicki became the band's lead guitarist, Susanna, played acoustic and rythem guitar, Debbi had the drums. The lineup was set....

THe collective chemistry of the band was evident when the band hit the clubs in 1981. The music was playful and tough, full of 60s punch, power and harmony. It wasn't long before the band became a feature of the club circuit. Along with other local bands of the period, such as The Dream Syndicate, Rain Parade and The Hoodoo Gurus, the Bangs became a part of a New Wave 1960s revivalist music movement that was unofficially dubbed by critics, "The Paisley Underground."

In true do-it-yourself fashion, the band recorded, produced and released a 7" single 7" single, "Getting Out Of Hand" on their own record label, Downkiddie. The single garnered some additional attention and radio play. When a copy of the single made it into the hand of imfamous KROQ radio DJ Rodney Binginheimer, the bands' audience began to multiply. It also landed the band in hot water when another group from New Jersey, also called The Bangs, threatened to sue over the use of the name. The band then changed its name to "The Bangles" to avoid any further legal rangling.

By 1982, the band's fortunes were on an upswing. Talent scouts from record companies were scouring the clubs. One person in particular, Miles Copeland, attended a Bangs show and was wowed by their performance. He set out to sign the band. The girls weary of his overtures at first. Says Vicki Peterson, "I was very defensive at first. I thought, 'Oh, here it is: he wants to make us the poor man's Go-Go's,' and I wasn't interested in that at all." (Author's note: Miles Copeland was instrumental in the breakthrough success of The Go-Go's.) From the start, the band wanted to be treated as their own act, not an offshoot of the Go-Go's or a novelty chick band.

Ultimately, The Bangles decided to sign with Copeland. The band then recorded a five song Ep titled simply, "The Bangles" in May 1982 and were booked as the opening act for the British group, The English Beat. That this extended play release sold some 40,000 copies soon drew the attention of other, larger record labels.

In 1983, the Bangles plans for stardom were almost derailed when the IRS subsidary label, Faulty Products, the label that released the EP, went out of business and Annette Zilinskas decamped for the country-punk outfit, "Blood On The Saddle." This touched off a search for a new bassist. They found one in Michael Steele. She won the audition through answering Vicki Peterson's question, "Describe your dream band" with "The Yardbirds with Fairport Convention vocals"

Michael Steele hailed from suberban Newport Beach, where she sharpened her bass playing chops in assorted area bands. However, her first experience in the business was as the original lead singer of the heavy metal/punk band, The Runaways.

Michael's arrival solidified The Bangles sound, and by the end of 1983, The Bangles had signed with CBS Records (Columbia). Paired with veteran A&R producer David Kahne, the band started recording tracks for their debut album. All Over The Place was released in the spring of 1984 and was a critics gem. The album had a distinctive rock and roll meets Beatles Revolver sound, with ear shattering guitars, a great beat, awesome singing and lots of hooks and harmonies. It showcased Vicki Peterson and Susanna Hoffs as the bands true songwriting force and creative center. With so many great songs, there was no way to pick favorites. The album was a favorite of the College radio scene as well. AOTP didn't burn up the charts, but it won favor with the college radio crowds. The singles, "Hero Takes A Fall" and "Going Down To Liverpool", won extensive airplay on college radio stations. The band backed this LP up with dates ranging from being club headliners to the opening act for Cyndi Lauper.

Much to The Bangles own chagrin, the bands rough edges, sharpened during the recording of All Over The Place, were deluded for their second album "Different Light". Producer David Kahne gave the record a very friendly radio-ready production sheen, coloring the Bangles traditional guitar-bass-drum ensemble with keyboard and other instruments. The album catapulted the band to superstardom, driven by the Prince-penned "Manic Monday", Jules Shear's "If She Knew What She Wants" and the wacky dance track, "Walk Like An Egyptian", which hit #1 for four weeks in a row. This made the band the first all-female band to have a #1 single for four weeks on the Billboard charts. The band backed this album up with a sold out national tour. They also picked up several awards, including Single of The Year, Best MTV Video Performance, both for "Walk Like An Egyptian." They also were named Best International Artist at Brittan's own Music Awards.

In 1987, teamed with rap/heavy metal producer Rick Rubin, The Bangles recorded and co-produced and mixed a hard rocking cover of Simon & Garfunkle's "Hazy Shade Of Winter" for the soundtrack to the film "Less Than Zero." The song, released as a single on Rubin's Def Jam Label, became another huge hit - the song rocketed up the charts, settling in at #2 behind Tiffany's "Could Have Been". The fact that Hazy Shade was such a big hit was a personal revelation for the band.It was the second time the band had produced their own music. (The first being the GOOH single.) However, it was the first time they made a recording on THEIR OWN TERMS... a recording that became a huge hit. "You know, we could be in the studio by ourselves and do a good job" Vicki Peterson said on VH1's Behind The Music.

"That song represented what we sounded like as a band, live." reflected Michael Steele, "Perhaps if we weren't so messed up as a band at the time, it could have been a turning point you know?"

Michael Steele's comments underscore an undercurrent of dissatisfaction that started to eat away at the band..piece by piece. While the girls were enjoying the ride of their lives... at the top of the charts....for some members the success was empty. The band had lost control of their sound, as it was tweaked in ways they didn't expect. And while David Kahne was a talented and respected producer and enginner, his divide and conquer tactics did little to foster band unity or confidence. Always a perfectionist, Kahne would bring in session musicians if the girls couldn't give him the perfect sound cut they wanted after a take or two. The experience was humiliating as it was demeaning.. and the media's growing infatuation with Susanna Hoffs began to foster a tension that only got worse with time despite the band's best efforts to control it.

In the spring of 1987, in between tours, Susanna surprised her bandmates by acting in the campy beach comedy, "The Allnighter." (The film was directed by her mother, award winning short film director and writer, Tamar Hoffs.) The movie was not a big box office draw, and failed to ignite a career in films for Hoffs, but it gave Susanna considerable publicity outside the band...

The band continued touring through the summer of 1987 - touring the nation three times over for their "Bitchn Summer" tour. The Bangles performed several songs off their first two albums, and also debuted four new songs, slated for their forthcoming new album. These included "Happy Man Today" a breezy rocker turned in by Michael Steele. Susanna debuted "I'll Set You Free". Vicki and Debbi contributed "Crash and Burn" and "Be With You" respectively.

When the tour ended, the band switched it's focus to preparing for the recording of their third album. They were in agreement on one thing... David Kahne had to go. They auditioned several producers before deciding on Davitt Sigerson, the man who had recently produced David & David's album "Boomtown" and had worked with Olivia Newton John. Davitt's easy going mannerisms and supportive actions were a marked contrast to Kahne's, and the band flurished creatively under the new work enviornment.

For this album, the band rejected all suggestions for cover tunes and set out to write every single song themselves. In October, the band's third album, "Everything", was released. The album featured a harder rock sound mixed in with more pure pop and blues numbers, an indication of the growing artistic differences within the band. All of the songs were written by the band members, though mostly in collaboration with outside writers rather than with each other. The lack of group cohesion on this album was telling of just how far relationships between the members of the band started to deteriorate by that time.

Nonetheless, "Everything" almost did just that, following "Different Light" up the charts and producing two more big hits, the rocking "In Your Room" and a rare, orchestral ballad, "Eternal Flame", which went on to #1 on the Billboard charts and became the fifth biggest selling hit single for 1989.

The Bangles had hit paydirt and were well on their way to taking over the music world, but they were on the edge of a breakdown. All the hidden tension and frustraitions came to a head during the Bangles' "Everything Everywhere Tour." The other Bangles were growing increasingly resentful of the "star treatment" given Susanna Hoffs by the media, the public, and by this time, the band's management and record label. While the situation was simmering during the summer of 1987, it was starting to boil over by 1989. Shortly after "Eternal Flame" hit #1, the Bangles decided to part ways with Miles Copeland's Firestars Management Company and signed with Stiffel-Phillips, a relatively new company out of Los Angeles. The switch came out of dissatisfaction with how Firestars was handling things, with the media and with the label.

In retrospect, the band members realize that the switch was far from a good idea. "It was a disaster," Michael Steele says, "They were only interested in Sue as a solo artist." Weighed down by ever growing tension and alienation from each other, the Bangles abruptly cancelled the rest of their planned world tour. A fall/winter leg, and preparations for a possible new album and concert film were put on hold. At first it was believed that the time off would save the group from self destruction, but a month later, Susanna Hoffs and Michael Steele called a meeting of the band to announce that they were leaving the group. The situation had grown intolerable and the girls were starting to experience serious health problems.

Afterwards, the band issued a statement to the media, announcing that they were "going on haitus" after ten years together. However, the haitus soon became a more prolonged separation/divorce as band members moved into other projects.

"We were together nine years, you know," said Debbi Peterson in a 1992 radio interview. "We did all sorts of tours, and just done everything together, and it's just, you know, after a while it's time to move on. You just feel like - Ok I can't do this with these people anymore, I have to find myself."

Hoffs in particular seemed to want out for similar reasons.

"There was a quota system for every single thing we did," Susanna said in post-Bangles 1991 interview. "I thought it was really hurting the music, not to mention that it was very unappealing on an emotional level to work that way. It was like: "Your gonna make a record. You are gonna have three songs. And whose to say what impact your songs are going to have on everyone elses songs because everyone was very individualized in the way they were working. Compound that with all the tension that was going on and the stress everyone seemed to be experiencing because of all that since of compromise, it seemed that it wasn't worth it."

A "Greatist Hits" collection was released in May 1990. It contained all the Bangles hits plus three non album tracks. It sold well in the U.S., but broke sales records in Britain, charting in the UK Top 10 for an incredible 97 weeks and eventually becoming the #4 album in the country at that time.

In the meantime, while the other Bangles members have moved on to other projects, the four albums that the band recorded continue to sell well in catalog sales. In July 1994, "Different Light" was certified platinum four times over, the first of the Bangles' albums to reach that mark.

For much of the 1990s, the Bangles persued their own musical ambitions and attended to domestic matters. While they were still aquantances, prospects for a reunion were slim to none... Vicki Peterson was busy rocking with the Continental Drifters and Psycho Sisters. Debbi was busy with Siobhan Maher in the band, Kindred Spirit, and Michael Steele, after testing her own solo career waters, had decided to decamp from LA entirely to focus on art and more important things in life. Meanwhile, Susanna Hoffs was working on her solo career.

Susanna was the first to suggest a reunion back in 1993, but the other band members just weren't interested.

Bit by bit however, the other members resistance was starting to crumble. Susanna Hoffs and Debbi Peterson had become fast friends in 1997 after having kids. Both former Bangles actually spent time on the phone sharing parenting tips. From there, the two decided that perhaps it was time to write together and see what happens. In 1998, Susanna was working on songs for her fourth solo record, and it seemed logical to work with Debbi on a few things. Well, the early results went so well that Sue's husband, TV producer/film director Jay M. Roach opproached the duo to write a song for Austin Powers:The Spy That Shagged Me

The two agreed, and it wasn't long before both Debbi and Susanna were on the phone with Vicki, trying to convince her to fly to LA to help them finish this cool little song....

So Vicki did and the trio churned out several possible songs. They would soon enter the recording studio to record one of them. It was the perfect opportunity to bring Michael Steele back onboard. After all, they needed a bass player right? Over a three day session, they recorded the song, "Get The Girl." The song was penned by Susanna, Debbi and Vicki and it recaptured the vintage 60s oriented vibe and sound that punctuated the Bangles early recordings. The track has been described as sounding like something off the "All Over The Place " album. (And what a great song it is!!)

The ease at which everyone came into the studio pushed thing one final step, and by September of 1999, the girls decided to reactivate the Bangles after clearing the air a bit and resolving some of the conflicts that plagued the band. They began writing more songs, and even put in an appearence at the Hollywood Bowl in which they sang six Beatles songs in a Beatles Tribute conducted by ledgendary producer, Sir George Martin. Scheduling around each others individual projects and lives, the girls continued to quietly collaborate on new songs. In July 2000, The Bangles formally announced their return with a September club tour.

The tour, which would eventually emcompass 15 dates was a resounding success! The girls appeared to having more fun onstage than that had had during their hayday, and they were at times overwelmed by fan reaction and appreciation. The Bangles played updated versions of Bangles classics and also introduced a sample of the huge new catalog of songs they have been writing. Michael Steele contributed the rocker "Between The Two." Debbi Peterson contributed the lovely, mid tempo song, "Here Right Now." Vicki Peterson performed "Rain Song," which she transplanted from her other band, The Continental Drifters. Susanna Hoffs contributed "I Will Take Care of You," a lush yet reflective ballad about motherhood. New songs "Ride The Ride", "Get The Girl" and "Stealing Rosemary" showed the band was more than just a pop band... they were a rock and roll band.

For well over a year, the band would work on perfecting their new songs. Adding new arrangements and lyrics here, deleting there. In November of 2001, the band went into a secluded house up in the Los Angeles mountains with instruments in toe... and producer Brad Wood to record a new album. All in all, it took the band nearly six months to record and mix 15 songs. This also marked the first time that the band were co-producers on an album.

After still more months shopping the album around to other record labels and distributors, the band struck gold with distribution deals with EMI-Liberty Records in the UK and Europe and JVC/Victor Entertainment in Japan.

"Doll Revolution" was released in both countries to much fanfare. While on tour, the girls were greeted by enthusiastic fans, both old and new that really dug the new music. In particular, the band did extremely well in Germany, where "Something That You Said" the album's first single hit #3 in national airplay. "Tear Off Your Own Head" along with STYS were Top 40 hits in Japan, and STYS did hit the Top 20 in Spain.

In July of 2003, the band signed a record deal with KOCH, the largest Independent Label in the United States. "Doll Revolution" was released in the US on Sept 23rd to rave reviews. A tour is to follow in spring/summer 2004 and the band is planning several promo dates in the interum. (The band also switched mangement, signing with Warren Enter Entertainment.)

Look out folks, The Bangles are back and nothing is gonna stop them now!

"What's That Sound? It Will Turn You Around. It's The Bangles Revolution!

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