10OmnibusThursday, November 3, 1988
Bangles' newest disappoints faithful followers
with overproduced and underpowered sound
By DOUG EDMUNDS
Staff Writer
For those of you who think of
The Bangles as a pretty-girl group
that got lucky with a couple of
silly Top 40 hits, it might surprise
you to know that they were once
a rocking, garage-pop band asso
WHEN IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA VISIT UNIVERSAL STUDIOS TOUR
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Yoa see them on the street You watch them on TV.
You might even vote for one this fall.
You think they're people just like you.
You're wrong. Dead wrong. - ; ?
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ciated with California's paisley
underground scene.
Their first EP. included such
infectious nuggets as "The Real
World" and "Mary Street" - self
penned, '60s-f lavored songs played
energetically and recorded in an
appropriately understated way.
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Their first full length disc, All Over
the Place, contained more of the
same and showed the band
members maturing as songwrit
ers. Not suprisingly, this fine pop
album was largely ignored by
major radio stations, and The
Bangles were told by Columbia
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Records that their next vinyl
offering better have a hit or else
well, the rest is MTVpop culture
history, in 1986 and throughout
1987, the group's popularity
soared. But this was a bittersweet
victory for long-time fans who
saw "Manic Monday" and "Walk
Like an Egyptian" as poor substi
tutes for the guitar-driven rock of
The Bangles' early days. I, for one,
kept the faith and hoped for a
much less calculated, better
produced fourth record. I'd read
that the band members wanted
a rougher sound for the new LP
and that they were writing ail the
material themselves. With fingers
crossed, I shelled out my eight
bucks a couple weeks ago and
bought the new Bangles record.
The verdict: So much for keeping
the faith.
Everything contains just that
a wide variety of sounds and styles
that range from upbeat, sing
songy pop to lush psychedelic rock
to a couple of horribly overpro
duced power ballads that would
have been better off on a Whitney
Houston album.
It seems like the girls are having
a serious identity crisis. This LP
shows them trying to work
through it and find their collective
voice. Unfortunately, the grab bag
result here doesn't give this
WAYC
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2. Cocteau Twins
3. U2
4. Oarious Artists
5. Screaming Trees
6. Balancing Act
7. Toots Hibbcrf
S. Billy Brass
& Mission of Burma
fO.ThsyMteht ba Giants
Ih Voice of t be Beehive
12. Bis Dipper
13 Waxing Poetics
14. Game Theory
15. Various Artists
16. King Missile
17. Uice Strong Arm
18 Los Lofeos
19. Richard Thompson
20 Steve Earle
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reviewer a whole lot of hope for
a future solution to The Bangles'
predicament.
The most alarming thing about
the disc is the excessive use of
keyboards and lame synthesizer
tracks, something that made even
the last album sound considerably
more commercial and less Bangle
ish. I mean, come on, not one of
the girls even plays keyboards! The
production is also somewhat
excessive, layering track upon
track in songs that would have had
more punch without such
treatment.
The album isnt all bad, however.
Creative arrangements and the
usual brilliant vocal harmonizing
can be found on several cuts,
especially "Bell Jar and "Watching
the Sky." The playing is strong
throughout, if a bit stiff, and at
least they had the guts to include
13, count 'em, 13 songs. But of
course quality, not quantity is the
more important factor.
The last tune is the album's best
- a tightly structured, catchy
rave-up called "Crash and Burn." It's
a telling song about wanting to
escape the hectic, seldom private
rock 'n roll profession. And ... it
has loud guitars instead of wishy
washy keyboards!
People who loved their last
record will probably enjoy Every
thing, but for old fans this disc is
really nothing much.
Top 20
End of the Millenium
Psychosis Blues
Blue Bell Knoll
Rattle and Hum
Til Things Are Brighter
Invisible lantern
Curtains
Toots in Memphis
Workers Playtime
Forget
Lincoln
Let if Be
Craps
Manakin Moon
Two Steps From the Middle
Ages
Stay Awake
They
Mind Furnace
La Pistoia Y 1 Corazon
Amnesia
Copperhead Road
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