ALL ABOUT THE BANGLES!!!

The story of the Bangles begins many years ago, when four young women resolved to follow a dream. This dream was to be in a successful rock band. These women all had drive and ambition and began honing their skills playing guitar and singing in various bands - always incorperating the music that influence them the most. The music of the 1960's - The Beatles, The Byrds, The Grass Roots, Joni Mitchell, Bonnie Raitt and so many others. They all came from differing backgrounds... and it would be considered by some that it was an unlikely coincidence that these four woman would come together the way they did. That is the thing about dreams, if you hold fast to them, have faith and reach out to grab them anything can happen!

x In 1980, a folk rocking singer named Susanna Hoffs, fresh from UC Berkley and late of an ill-fated partnership with Lone Justice's Maria McKee, placed an add in a local LA newspaper rag, The Recycler. Across town in sun-blasted San Fernando, a couple of garage rocking sisters, Vicki and Debbi Peterson had been giging around town in their own band - The Fans. One of their members, Lynn Eklend had annouced her decision to depart. So Lynn placed an add in the Recylcer as well to help the Peterson sisters find a replacement. On December 9th, 1980, just a day after the assasination of John Lennon, Susanna Hoffs responded to Lynn's add... but got Vicki Peterson on the phone instead. Immediately, Susanna and Vicki had a rapport. John Lennon's death was a profound topic of converstation. It was immediately apparent that Susanna, Vicki and Debbi had similar goals and influences. Susanna spoke with Lynn the next day, but it was apparent that they had no chemistry. Calling Vicki and Debbi back, the trio set a date to meet and see what would happen. That night, the trio would play in the Peterson sisters garage. Again.. the girls found an amazing rapore with one another. Harmony singing was a breeze, and once they started putting together song ideas.... there was no doubt. A new band was in the making!

Things happened quickly after that. The group, which called themselves The Supersonic Bangs started booking gigs at local clubs. Susanna Hoffs played guitar. Debbi hit the drums. Vicki played lead guitar.They all sang. However, as the demand for live performances accelerated, it was plain that they needed a bass player. Annette Zalinskas was brought onboard. Their live shows were an exciting and playfull blend of rock and roll and rubber sould. Their harmonies brought to mind The Mama's and The Papas, and their songs echoed with catchy hooks worthy of their idols, The Beatles.

In 1981, the girls cut a 45" single, "Getting Out of Hand" and released it on their own record label, Downkiddie Records. The release of the single garnered even further attention. In the summer of 1981, Susanna resourcefully got a copy of the single to famed LA DJ Rodney Binginheimer. When he played it, the band, now called The Bangs, was spunn into a whole new league.

By the spring of 1982, The Bangs were becoming a favorite local attraction... a part of a burgoning new wave/1960s revival critics were calling the Pasiley Underground. (Together with such bands as The Dream Syndicate, The Rain Parade, Red and Black, Black Flag and others.) Talent scouts for IRS Records President Mile Copeland, who was instrumental in the breakthrough success of The Go-Go's, were out looking for new talent and found it - in the Bangs. "I went in with a couple of people, all of whom said, 'Don't do it', Copeland remembered, "Which immediately made me think, 'Well, this is exactly what I'm gonna do." Because they had the energy - and they had the songs."

Miles' offer to manage The Bangs met with some skepticism by the band members themselves. 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." Ultimately, the girls signed with Copeland, who had they record a 5-song EP and booked them as the opening act for The English Beat. However, just as the EP hit the scene, a New Jersey band, also called The Bangs - threatened to sue over the use of their name. The Bangs needed a new name... and fast! The self titled EP became The Bangles. "I guess it was sort of a Beatles reference in a way, "Susanna Hoffs said. "The Bangles... The Beatles."

The fact that the EP sold 40,000 copies was enough to bring record company execs running. Columbia Records was among the many suitors, and won out, signing the girls to a multi-album deal. Shortly before the groups debut album was to be recorded, a monkey wrench nearly derailed everything. Annette Zalinskas had decided to quit. Fed up with being unable to fullfill her desire to sing lead and insistant on a different artistic direction, she left to join up with her boyfriends band, Blood On The Saddle. "Annette wasn't a great harmony singer", Vicki recalled,"plus she was more into rockability. We would learn a song or two so Annette could sing, but we started to realize that we were not in sync."

So Annette had left, and Michael Steele, a bassist and singer who was a veteran of the club and metal band scene, won the audition by answering Vicki's question "Describe to us your dream band" with "The Yardbirds with Fairport Convention vocals."

Teamed with producer and Columbia A&R honcho, David Kahne, The Bangles recorded and released "All Over The Place" in April of 1984.The album was a critics gem, bouyed by the band's competent songwriting, rough and ranchy guitars, and those always brilliant and lush harmonies. With so many great songs on the album, it was almost impossible to pick favorites. 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.