Heard this one -- for the first time in years -- while grocery shopping(!) in suburban New Jersey yesterday and found myself quite literally swooning in public.
Seriously -- I'd all but forgotten how gorgeous this is, or just how great The Bangles were when they were on.
Mad props to composer Jules Shear, obviously, but Jeebus H. Christ in a chicken basket, can that gal sing.
A great, great song, beautifully sung. Pop heaven.
ReplyDeleteVery 'Floor Models' in its sound. Real nice.
ReplyDeleteROTP(lumber)
Seriously, is there anything more exciting to a rock+roll boy than a girl like that (ALL of them, by the way) who can really play and sing like that??
ReplyDeleteJGD:
ReplyDeleteNo.
You're welcome.
Pretty gorgeous. Dover Beach and Hero Takes a Fall (that I heard then and now as a comment Reagan whether they thought so or not) from the first album are terrific, too.
ReplyDeleteWikipedia says Hoffs recorded at least one lead vocal naked because she had been told Olivia Newton-John recorded all her vocals naked. This is one rumor about which I do not care if it's true or not.
ReplyDeleteA friend recently said out loud at a large gathering that there were few things sexier than an all female rock band that could really play well. Given the fine example of these ladies, I heartily concur.
ReplyDeleteThanks Steve!
ReplyDeleteAnd, it inspires the following question:
Bangles' first (All Over the Place) or Go-Go's first (Beauty and the Beat) ?
I'll take both apparently - my iTunes tells me I've got 22 plays for both albums at this point...
GAWD
ReplyDeleteThis Tune Stops Me In My Tracks
-Sam
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ReplyDeletethe EP and first album do it for me.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of Jules Shear do you follow Bob Lefsetz and his emails?
There's a great story involving Jules mentoring a 17 year old kid-he did this instead of going to Berklee (the kid). It's such a feel-good story almost brought tears to my eyes (a good place for them...)
John Fowler:
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I always considered the Go Gos (as entertaining as they were, and as infectious as their singles were) a bit of a novelty group.
The first Bangles LP, on the other hand, is a great fucking record by any objective standard.
IMHO.
Steve -
ReplyDeletetotally agree with you about the first Bangles LP.
Disagree with the GoGo's as a novelty group. True, their image, packaged with the videos just starting to make a mark at the time, had a bit of a gimmick feel. But the proof to me is that first album rocks throughout (e.g., the singles, 'This Town', 'Tonite', 'Skidmarks on my Heart'). It's maybe a bit obvious, in retrospect, but I think at the time it was really different, at least to those of us kids who had only heard Top 40 radio. I clearly remember Beauty and the Beat hitting big when I was in high school - all of sudden, the =girls= were rocking out to this band.
Besides, Our Lips Are Sealed is just sublime. Jane Weidlin singing on the bridge - !!!!
So, I'll continue be be unfair (particularly given that I was the one that posed the 'or' question) and choose both albums...
how about those two vs. the Bangles EP (5 songs). I would take that over any of the other two!
ReplyDeleteHI Marsupial -
ReplyDeleteI have not heard the Bangles EP, but, it sounds like I should put it on my wishlist...
Size 14 the 90s Pop Punk who were signed to BMG, have released rare b sides and demos from their 1997 Album on their Facebook Page:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Size-14/114231943042?fref=ts
Hope you like the news
Amy