The Bangles

Just adding to my CD collection of The Bangles - this 1 has a few on it that other albums don't. A couple of favorites on here, & a couple that I hadn't heard before.

Though previously reissued on CD in 1990, Columbia let the Bangles first full LP drop from the catalog in favor of greatest hits and other collections. Those who began following the Bangles as The Bangs, first hearing them on their self-released single ("Getting Out of Hand" b/w "Call on Me") and follow-up eponymous EP on Faulty, couldn't help but find this major label debut a mixed bag. The layered harmonies that had made the EP so captivating were still there, but the garage-folk edge was mostly smoothed away by David Kahne's production. The music didn't feel as urgent as the earlier tracks, and the vocals seemed arranged rather than organic. Worse, the original songs didn't compare to the gloriousness of their earlier "The Real World" or "I'm in Line," leaving the album's highlights to be covers of The Merry-Go-Round's "Live," and Katrina and the Waves' "Going Down to Liverpool." If you hadn't heard the earlier releases (and given their limited distribution, most listeners probably hadn't), this LP would have sounded fresh and original. But in the shadow of their earlier work, this sounds like a second helping. As they say, you have 20 years to write your first record and a year or two to write your second. Wounded Bird's reissue adds the single re-mix of the lead track, "Hero Takes a Fall." 3-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings. [©2008 hyperbolium dot com]

Hands down the best Bangles album, and I'd go so far as to call it one of the best power pop records ever. "Hero Takes a Fall" grabs you in the first 5 seconds, harmonies and kickass punch and great songwriting, a modern feminist anthem. "James" was, as they said when I saw them open for the Psychedelic Furs at Radio City in '84, Marshall Crenshaw's favorite Bangles song. Drumming Peterson sister Debbie sings the lost Emmit Rhodes classic "Live," Susannah breaks your heart on "Dover Beach," and my God, the Katrina & the Waves cover "Going Doen to Liverpool" is so insanely happy you'll jump up and play it again. Everything good about power pop-- hooks, harmonies, jangle, guitars-- and even better because it's all girls, and they're great. The legend of the Bangles starts here. Make your world a netter place and buy this record. Go on... add to basket. You know tou want to.

PS: Vicki: Text me, OK?

Great hits like "Manic Monday" and "If She Knew What She Wants" make this a great CD. Get it ASAP.

I was in first grade when "Walk Like An Egyptian" came out, and I got hooked on the Bangles ever since. This is the only album from them that I own but I still enjoy listening to every song (I bought it when I was in high school). The Bangles are just so likeable. I didn't remember "Manic Monday" at first because it was so long ago when I listened to them. I still ended up liking that song and I think it's one of the best from "Different Light." The Bangles are really good singers, too! Though they were not as big as let's say Roxette they still have an irrisistable charm to them. All the songs from this album are well produced and catchy. If you enjoyed singles like "Manic Monday" and "Walk Like An Egyptian" then I highly reccomend this album. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

i love different light by the bangles.the songs are fun and catchy. these include classics like manic monday,walk like an egyption,if she knew what she wants,walking down your street,standing in the hallway,return post,angels don't fall in love,and not like you. what a great album. ed wilson

I know this is the Bangles CD, but PRINCE really out did himself with this one! His amazing writing skills always seem to impress me and I just love what he did for "Manic Monday". I also love "If She Knew What She Wants" and "Walking Down Your STreet". This CD should be re-released with the original 12" Mixes. That would be great!

For a while back in the 1980s, the Bangles - fronted by the inimitable Susanna Hoffs - practically defined the upbeat Girl Band phenomenon. Lightly packaged female angst about men, relationships, and getting to work late again combine with one of the all-time most memorable tunes ('Walk Like an Egyptian') to make DIFFERENT LIGHT an eminently own-able album, one that repays regular listening. The latter song also generated one of the all-time best early music videos.

Influences? One thinks of Heart, especially in the broody voice of Vicki Peterson, who looks seriously offended on the album paperwork. There's an almost Dylan-esque ironic randomnness in the lyrics of 'Egyptian', though the similarities end there.

In sum, a tight sound and a fun band to watch. 'Generative of a question that may await resolution in eternity: 'What ever happened to the Bangles?'

There are a few Bangles Grestest Hits collections out there. The two other popular collections are "Greatest Hits" and "The Essential"... this beats both for a few reasons. This collection takes the popular hits from "Different Light" and puts them right out in front and puts some of the lesser known album tracks in the back. This makes for a very pleasant listening experience. The album tracks used are all very well picked and hold their own against the hits and they aren't too overly poppy which makes these songs easier to enjoy. If fact some would argue that they are better than the hits. To me the hit "Eternal Flame" hasn't held up well over the years but the way this collection flows that song is much easier to take without hitting the skip button. Especially since all the songs that are similar to it like "I'll Set You Free" are no where to be found on this collection.

Another thing that works very well here is this CD clocks in at a little over 45 minutes. Many best of collections try to max out the CD or even carry over to a second CD. 45 minutes is the right amount of time to enjoy these songs without getting bored. I honestly couldn't sit through 79 minutes of Bangles songs.

If you like the Bangles and like 80s pop/rock check out this collection. This could easily be the only Bangles collection you would need and it has replaced my Bangles "Different Light" CD in my collection.

As another reviewer on this page observed, VH1's 'Bangles-We Are the 80's' is the best Bangles compilation CD on the market...and there are many on the market. Before this one, the best you could do was either 1990's 'Greatest Hits' or 2004's 'Essential Bangles'. Both have their virtues: 'Greatest Hits' contained a decent, previously unreleased track ("Everything I Wanted") and a B-side ("Where Were You When I Needed You"). 'Essential' includes an early song from an independently released EP ("Getting Out of Hand") and antother B-side ("What I Meant to Say"). While all four tracks are missing from 'We Are the 80's,'(as are the spare ballad, "Following," the 'Goonies' soundtrack spot, "I've Got Nothing," and Susanna Hoff's melodramatic "I'll Set You Free") the four album tracks replacing them "Complicated Girl," "September Gurls," "Live," and "Dover Beach" are actually better choices than rarities and low-charting singles. When combined with the hits, these new additions help round out a more accurate presentation of the group. Also, each Bangle gets a turn singing lead. If you must only own one Bangles CD, look no further. However, the recent 'Rarities and Gems' collection is higly reccomended as an add-on to this stellar disc. Let's hope VH1 keeps up the good work!

The Bangles entry in VH1-Classic's "We Are The 80's" series is the best of the L.A. pop band's many compilations,including their biggest("Manic Monday","Walk Like An Egyptian","In Your Room","Eternal Flame" and their great cover of "Hazy Shade Of Winter" from the film "Less Than Zero")and best("If She Knew What She Wants","Walking Down Your Street","Hero Takes A Fall",and a fine version of Alex Chilton's "September Gurls").The sound and liner notes are both exceptional.Kudos to VH!-Classic!

Who would not be psyched about have a NEW fresh Bangles CD... this CD contains re-issues of old songs, but includes new liner notes and a ton of pictures. I absolutely LOOOOVE it!! Favorite song: Manic Monday. Everyone should pick this up!

Twenty years ago this spring The Bangles hit their stride with their sophomore release A Different Light "Manic Monday" proved to be a big success for the group. The group had a lot of hit singles from that album, other singles include "Walking Down Your Street," and "If She Knew What She Wants," but the albums biggest hit would prove to be the single "Walk Like an Egyptian."

The Bangles didn't take too long of a break between albums. They recorded the song "A Hazy Shade Of Winter" for the Less Than Zero soundtrack and in late 1988 they released their third album Everything. The album's first single was an up-tempo number titled "In Your Room," but it would be the second single released, the ballad "Eternal Flame," which would once again send the group to the top spot on the Billboard chart. After the release of Everything things cooled off for The Bangles and the group eventually faded away. There was no big break up announcement the group just went on a hiatus that lasted nearly a decade. Various members of the group pursued other projects. They got back together in the late 90's to record a song for the movie Austin Powers The Spy Who Shagged Me. In 2003, the group released an album of all new material titled Doll Revolution.

Columbia/Legacy records has released VH-1 Classic Presents Bangles-We Are The 80's. Now if you are a fan of The Bangles you may wonder why buy this album if say you own all of The Bangles albums including The Bangles Greatest Hits. The CD includes The Bangles biggest hits from their three albums released during the 1980's and the soundtrack cut Hazy Shade of Winter.

Different than the previous greatest hits collection this set includes the songs "Complicated Girl," "September Gurls live" and "Dover Beach."

Instead of a pure greatest hits package (which has already been done), or a collectors disc to clean up the odds and ends from the Bangles discography which haven't been released on disc yet, this set offers falls short on both.

As stated before, "Going Down to Liverpool" is missing. And that fact alone would make the "average" fan opt for the 1990 Greatest Hits package. Which I would recommend over this if the goal was to have all the singles.

On the other hand, if Sony/Columbia wanted to satisfy the die-hards they would have cleaned the closet and gave us all those rarities. While its great to have "What I Meant To Say", why would they exclude "Getting Out of Hand" while its B-side "Call On Me" is presented? Very odd. What's even more frustrating is that only one cut from the Bangles 1982 EP is featured ("I'm In Line", probably the weakest track.) If they wanted a singles compilation, they should have included "Real World" instead, which was released as a remixed 12-inch. "I Got Nothing" is a pleasant surprise, however it's been dramatically remixed so anyone who wants the original still has to hunt down "The Goonies" soundtrack.

For an odds and ends disc other possiblities would have been "Mary Street", "Want You", "How Is the Air Up There", the rare "Bitchin' Summer (Speedway)" instrumental and the mega-rare live version of "Hero Takes a Fall". And while "I'll Be Your Mirror" and "I'll Keep It With Mine" are solo Susanna songs, they were made during her Bangles tenure. We also know that a live version of "Tell Me" was recorded in 1985 but is still sitting in the can. Let's not also forget "Get The Girl", the 1999 "Spy Who Shagged Me" cut, and the UK B-side edit of "In Your Room". Bonus or hidden tracks could have included the No Magazine ad (set to the tune of "Getting Out of Hand") and Michael's spoken word "El Polo Loco".

So you see there was enough obscure material for a 2-disc Bangles anthology which would have kept everyone happy.

For those of you who own this CD, may I please ask for an ear comparison between this "remastered" version and the 1990 Bangles Greatest Hits CD? I have the 1990 Greatest Hits, which doesn't sound bad to my ear. However the CD case says "AAD" which means it was recorded analog, mixed analog, and transferred digitally. Is this new version ADD? (And I'm not asking about attention deficit disorder) In summation, how does the audio sound head-to-head with the 1990 Best-of? Already having these songs across several CDs, some of us would appreciate an opinionated appraisal of the sound quality vs earlier releases. Thanks. Rock on Bangles! I'll always love the electric inflection that pulses in Susanna Hoffs's singing voice. It's something really special... (I wish her vocals had been more prominent in the Doll Revolution songs rather than having her share singing duties) Thanks again!

I see people are blaming Sony for the final tracklist........if you want to blame anyone for the 15 wonderful songs that are on here, blame the Bangles, they hand-picked them for this release as mentioned on the official Bangles website.

The songs are pretty Essential, though I wish Sony had done a 2-Disc Essential for the Bangles as they've done with a host of other artists.

I wish that we could have gotten maybe another two or three songs on here as "Going Down to Liverpool" SHOULD have been included. It was originally supposed to be on this release when it was first scheduled to come out in 2003, but then the tracklist was changed so it wouldn't be just a Greatest Hits repackage(which it almost was, though we still get 11 out of the 14 songs on Greatest, the tracks that didn't carry over are the aforementioned "Liverpool," "Everything I Wanted," and "Where Were You When I Needed You.")

All-in-all though the tracks we do get are awesome, particularly the previously unreleased "I Got Nothing" mix that is on this disc. This is NOT the same song that was on the Goonies soundtrack despite what the liner notes may say. "Getting Out of Hand" on an official US released CD is also a bonus, because it was a rare track at one point, though it can now be found on a new RHINO boxset as well. "I'm In Line," another rarity is great here, though I prefer "The Real World" from the EP more, but hey....the Bangles chose these songs.

All five of their top 10 hits are represented here as well.

The only thing that was underrepresented was "All Over the Place," which is now out of print....I keep hoping they'll release a remastered version of it with bonus tracks or something, but alas.....

Recommended if you are either a die-hard Bangles fan who has to have EVERY release(like me) OR if you don't have the Greatest Hits yet.

There must be at least 20 Bangle compilations out there, and this isn't better than any of them. This one differs in that it has Im In Line and Getting Out of Hand -- 2 wonderful early Bangle (minus Michael Steele) songs. It also has What I Meant to Say (Eternal Flame B-side) and I Got Nothing (from the Goonies soundtrack) 2 tracks that have been very difficult to get anywhere until now. But quite frankly, these two songs are mediocre and really shouldn't be on any "Essential Bangles" compilations -- only die-hard Bangle fans will be elated to have them on CD. To make this a five star album they should have included Going Down to Liverpool, How is the Air Up There from the Bangles EP and something from Doll Revolution, like Ride the Ride.

Overall, an excellent collection of hits and other rarities that benefits from the remastering job. Only the exclusion of "September Girls" and "Liverpool" prevent a 5 star rating. If you liked the gals in the 80's, I highly recommend their 2003 release "Doll Revolution" which updates the classic Bangle-ly Jangle-ly guitar sound with sweet vocal harmonies and clever hooks. It's so rare these days when a 70's or 80's band actually tops themselves 20+ years later. You go girls!

The tune "Angels Don't Fall In Love" is rare for being a candy-flavored dismissal of Western Civilization - the Sex Machine is Broken.
Listen while reading Posner's "Sex and Reason".
In summary it's rare to find pleasant-sounding-tunes which make you think a little more deeply about sexual roles. Even "Manic Monday" is along these lines, if you think about the words.

Back when it was released on LP, I immediately fell in love with this second full-length album from the girls from my hometown of L.A. Maybe they'd left behind some of the Mersey Beat-isms that I loved from the first EP and from ALL OVER THE PLACE, but DIFFERENT LIGHT was still about as perfect a pop album I'd ever heard, and I knew that it would surely have about 4 or 5 hits from it (and, sure enough ...).

I have been waiting and waiting for a decent CD release to come along. I'm still waiting. Wounded Bird Records apparently didn't have the resources to take the edge off the original digital sound, and it's just as harsh as ever. (To these ears, anyway.) I think the original LP still sounds fine, but if I wanted my CD of this album to sound this way, I would have purchased a second-hand copy of the original Columbia album.

Very disappointed.

Not to go too much into myself because most people don't want to read a bio of the reviewer but I would like to share a little bit of history. In 1986, in the 6th grade I started collecting 45s. That was the beginning of my obsession with mid-80s pop music. Back then I was a little more choosy what albums I would buy on Vinyl and this was one of those I felt was worth getting. I would play this album over and over and never get tired of it. Last week I decided to buy the reissue.

There are many hit singles on this album. 1986 through 1987 the singles from "Different Light" ruled the top 20 charts. These songs definetly sound very 80s yet they are still timeless. I think one thing that makes this album stand out 12 years later is that you don't hear a lot of synth music that was prominent in the 80s. You hear REAL drums and the songs are just as fun as many of the Beatles early tracks. Just fun pop music. Nothing more nothing less. Yes, many have mention that this isn't their best album but maybe it is nostalgia being that this was within the first 3 records I ever bought but this one will always be my favorite Bangles album.

If you are a fan of the Bangles there is a rare dance track of Walk Like an Egyptian. It is fun to listen to and a must for Bangles fans.

There are some things that might upset longtime Bangles fans. There really isn't any remastering here. It is a reissue with the volume turned up to match modern CDs. The lack of remastering is fine with me because this is the sound that I remember. There is no new booklet. It is just a copy of the old LP sleeve.

If you are a casual fan I would say you are better off going with the "We Are The 80s" collection. That collection features all the hits and some great album tracks. Also "We Are The 80s" is remastered.

This is not their best record-- that would be the power pop classec All Over the Place-- but this is their 80s-est, Biggest-hair record. It's got "Manic Monday," a "1999" rewrite given to the band by admirer Christopher, also knnown as Prince. It's got "Walk Like an Egyptian," which swept the nation like no song had since Steve Martin's "King Tut." So if you're into the whole "Rock Me Amadeus," Oh Mickey"" 80s nostalgia thing, grab this (or at least donload those two songs.) For those of us already grooving to this band when Different Light first dropped, it had their sublime cover of Alex Chilton/Big Star's "September Gurls," the prototypical power pop song; it is to their divine credit that they pull it off. The Jules Shear cover "Let It Go" has great 4-part harmonies. The title track, "Walking Down Your Street," and "Return Post" all rock, even if these takes are dripping with 80s production (but then, if you have that 80s nostalgia thing going that's a good thing.) What you hear on this record is a great band, great jangle folk rock players and singers, figting for control over their sound with a Big Music Business producer (David Kahne.) Sometimes he wins ("Egyptian"); sometimes they do ("Gurls"); and sometimes they find a glorious common ground ("Walking Down Your Street.") Probably an essential 80s record, but I swear, All Over the Place is the classic. And the recent reunion record Doll Revolution is pretty happening as well.

PS: As cute as Susannah Hoffs and her upwads-glancing eyes are, Vicki Peterson is my rock'n'roll dream girl. Vicki, if you read this, please leave your husband and have my baby!

a good cd, for fans but not only. songs are well played, better sung and very joyful to listen. susannah hoffs is sunny and nice as well. the cd is not too long, so the listener doesn't bore. there are rare songs and rare versions of well known pieces. a cd for everybody loving byrds, the heartbreakers and the sound of 12 string electric Rickenbacker.

I love anything that is Bangles, and I glad I found this CD. That is because There is something unique about the Bangles, and owning this CD and others brings this out. I love their Harmony that they do so well. I love Susanna's music and songs.Her voice is the best music I have ever heard. I will always be a top fan of the Bangles, especially of Susanna Hoffs.

Okay, I'll admit off the bat that I'm a collector of the Bangles material, and pretty much own everything one could want as far as music collectibles go.

So, when I heard this CD was coming out, I was very excited, because some of the songs in my collection came from scattered sources including CD's, vinyl, and a bit of swapping over the internet. I thought, maybe FINALLY, the rare tracks would be on one CD to provide a companion to the main releases.

Nope. What you get here are only a couple of items of interest, well documented in other reviews. But some of these, like the remixes, are really only novelties and for the hardcore collector only.

Far more important and interesting would have been inclusion of the songs from The Bangs single, before they had to change their name, and the songs from the Bangles EP, released prior to their first LP. These 6 songs added to the other few rarities on this album would really have made a GREAT collectible.

2 stars for content as we collectors go...this was a wasted opportunity.

This album could've have more gems like the 12" versions of "Walking Down Your Street," "Manic Monday," "Hazy Shade Of Winter" and "In Your Room." That's the reason I bought the "Definitive Collection" album, which was a definitive ripoff by not having that second CD with those remixed versions. Fortunately, the "Rarities and Gems" CD includes the 12" version of "Walk Like An Egyptian," which is very good.

For a cheap-o compilation I almost passed over, this is a easy way to pick up some hard to find and out of print Bangles rarities from their CBS days. The rest are tracks from "All Over The Place" and "Everything".

The single mix of "Hero Takes A Fall" adds some nasty slapback echo/delay to the lead vocal. I used to play the 45 as a college radio DJ and always thought it was annoying, and not an improvement over the LP version on "All Over The Place".

"What I Meant to Say" was the flipside of "Eternal Flame" and wound up the 45, the cassette single and on a super rare 3 inch mini CD here in the USA. I always liked it, to me it and "Everything I Wanted" could have easily replaced some of the weaker tracks on "Everything".

I will have to dig out my LP of the Goonies LP and compare the mixes of "I've Got Nothing", right now they sound very similar.

As for the Dance Mix of "Egyptian" its fun, but kind of boring for sit-down listening. I kind of wish Columbia would have dug up the dance mix of "In Your Room" and added it. Its not a bad comp, just try to get it cheap. I just wish Sony would have dug some more vault digging and made a nice comp of everything the Bangles didn't put on their 3 Columbia albums.

And I wish Sony or another company would get the rights to reissue all the early Bangles Faulty Products/IRS material! We need to have this stuff back on the shelves!

If you are looking for a collection of romantic songs to be played while having a drive or a walk with your romantic interest or even by yourself, this is the one to have: issued by the European Sony/Bravo label, it focuses on the songs who were on the radio in the 80's. If you are a "son of the 80's" and enjoy music to awaken your contemplative and quietest side, buy it! While hard to find outside the US, it is worth having. Further recommendations: purchase also Volumes 2, 5 and 7, which are MUCH better than some of the most recent items of the collection.

When you get to know the Bangles you realize just how out of place their hits are - and how unrepresentative they are of the band as a whole. "Everything" is quite simply an incredible album from 4 very accomplished (and very different) singer/songwriters. Major highlights include all of Michael Steele's songs, Vicki Peterson's "Bell Jar" and "Watching the Sky", Debbi Peterson's "Be With You" and "Some Dreams Come True", Susanna Hoffs's "In Your Room"...the list goes on and on. This album gets better with age and is a great introduction to their music.

Following the success of "Different Light", The Bangles had firmly established themselves as superstars. Expectations would be high for the follow-up album entitled "Everything". "Everything" would mark some changes for The Bangles. On their 1984 album, "All Over the Place" -The Bangles would put together a very non-commercial album that didn't gain much attention, but would be an album that would primarily contain music written by The Bangles. On their follow-up, "Different Light", The Bangles would increase the use of outside songwriters. While most of the songs on "Different Light" would be Bangles' compositions, they would have great success with the third party songs: "Walk Like an Egyptian" and "Manic Monday" (written by Prince under the guise of 'Christopher'). For "Everything", the trend with using third party songwriters continues. While "Everything" contains some good music, I found there to be a lack of cohesion on this album. In fact, I can see how things would implode causing the breakup of the band.

Despite the use of outside songwriters on "Different Light", I always felt The Bangles were their strongest as their songwriters. The good news is that every track on "Everything" features songwriting by at least one member of The Bangles. The bad news is that on the 13 tracks that are included on the collection, only two tracks do not include outside songwriters ("Bell Jar" by Vicki Peterson and Debbi Peterson and "Watching the Sky" by Vicki and Susanna Hoffs). Basically what you will see is Debbi, Vicki, Susanna, and Michael Steele contributing songwriting tracks with the help of outside songwriters. What I found is that this seemed like an album that was put together as a result of four individuals as opposed to an effort by a group. While The Bangles put together this album gives containing diverse styles of pop music, this approach is typically the sign of a band that is coming apart at the seams. "Everything" would be the last effort for The Bangles as a group until their 2003 "Doll Revolution" reunion release. The other thing that disappoints me is that there are no tracks that have "dual" lead vocals shared by two or more Bangles (such as "Walk Like an Egyptian" did).

In this particular case, it is best to look at each track individually:

"In Your Room": This was a hit song by Susanna Hoffs with the help of acclaimed songwriters Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly (famous for Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors" and Madonna's "Like a Virgin"). The song is highlighted by some Hawaiian sounding bass drums. Overall it tries to leverage Susanna's sex appeal through her vocals, but I think it's overrated.

"Complicated Girl": Michael Steele's contributions are sometimes overlooked. Her vocals and songwriting are right on-target here. She does a terrific job at delivering "advice" to the boyfriend of a friend named "Valerie".

"Bell Jar": Sisters Vicki and Debbi (Debbi takes a more active role in songwriting on "Everything") collaborate on this, but its Vicki's vocals that shine. A Synth-Pop tune with some nice guitar and drum work.

"Something to Believe In": Dave Navarro (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jane's Addiction, Inxs Rock Star) is one of the co-writers with Michael. Michael's vocals are very passionate on this one. I particularly like how this song "builds up".

"Eternal Flame": The biggest hit from this album. Hoffs teams up with Steinberg and Kelly again. This one meant to showcase Susanna's talents. My verdict: Nice ballad, but I've heard better work out of Susanna.

"Be With You": Debbi handles vocals and contributes to the songwriting - and really shines. This also showcases her drumming. This one is almost a throwback to the "All Over the Place" days. The other Bangles contribute some great harmonies.

"Glitter Years": Michael handles vocals and contributes to the songwriting. Once again, Michael delivers a strong song and performance looking back to the days of "glitter" in the early 1970s.

"I'll Set You Free": Susanna does the vocals and works with Dave Navarro on songwriting. To me Navarro has a real knack for music - and it's reflected in this song. Again a tailor-made song for Susanna, but this one is on the money.

"Watching the Sky": Vicki and Susanna collaborated on the songwriting on this one. This one shows a more harder-rock edge to The Bangles. This song almost takes on a "Classic Rock" feel. This song is better for Vicki's style.

"Some Dreams Come True": Another song that Debbi contributes to songwriting and vocals. Debbi is strong again here. This one has more of a Go-Gos feel to it and does feature some harmonica.

"Make a Play for Her Now": This is the best song on the album. Vicki contributes to the songwriting and does vocals. Vicki delivers some haunting vocals here with some nice harmonies from the Bangles. This is another "advice" type song along the lines of "Complicated Girl".

"Waiting For You": The third Hoffs, Steinberg, and Kelly collaboration sung by Susanna. For the most part, this is an average song. However, 3 minutes into the song - the song makes a terrific "pause" before going into a reprise.

"Crash and Burn": Vicki handles vocals and collaborates on the songwriting here. This song didn't really impress me. It does feature some of the trademark harmonies of the Bangles. I've heard Vicki do better jobs on songs - this clearly isn't the best stuff.

The liner notes contain all of the lyrics and songwriting credits. I like how they include which Bangle sings lead vocals on the songs. There is some nice music on here. I think Michael and Debbi's work is strong on here. Vicki's work is for the most part good, but it's Susanna's songwriting with Steinberg and Kelly that did let me down. Bangles fans will want this in their collection. Fans of "Eternal Flame" and "In Your Room" may be pleased with many of the other tracks. Overall, it's probably worth picking up.

I hadn't listened to this album in years, but now I'm remembering why I was a big Bangles fan back in the group's heyday. Everything, their third and final album (until their 2003 reunion album Doll Revolution, that is), is a solid offering featuring one big hit, another track that certainly got radio time (and can now be heard, in co-opted form, as the music in some TV commercial), and a mix of tunes showcasing the diversity of the four girls in the band.

I love Susannah Hoffs - heck, I even went to see her film The Allnighter (sadly, I was the only person in the theater), and many folks probably think she was the lead singer of the band. After all, most of the band's hits featured Hoffs on lead vocals. I think it is important to note, however, that all four members of The Bangles made an equal contribution to each album. All four also played their own instruments, which was still something of a rarity among girl groups in the mid-1980s. Hoffs sang lead on four songs on Everything, including Eternal Flame and In Your Room. Eternal Flame was a big hit indeed, and this is probably the group's most familiar song, but I'm more partial to In Your Room and its spirited, up-tempo sound. Hoff's I'll Set You Free is easily the third best song on the album, while Waiting for You closes out the album in fine style.

Debbi and Vicki Peterson made up half of the band and led the way on five of this album's thirteen tracks. They are perfectly good singers capable of delivering solid vocals, but neither of them seems able to inject their songs with the kind of spirit and emotional depth of Hoffs or Michael Steele. I have always thought Steele's contributions to The Bangles were never given their proper due. While Hoff's voice is bubbly and incredibly sexy, Steele's vocals are oftentimes deep and somber. There's usually no trouble identifying Steele's songs because they stand out noticeably from the rest. Complicated Girl seems to misfire a little bit, but Glitter Years is an excellent track, and Something to Believe In gives us Steele at her best.

If you ask me, the essence of The Bangles is still to be found in Different Light, the group's previous album. Everything (referring to this album) seems to wander a little off-course, displacing The Bangles' initial folk rock tendencies with electric guitar and other studio-engendered trappings. This is still a very good album, but a number of these songs really don't connect with me in a way that makes them memorable. I enjoy listening to them, and there isn't a bad song in the bunch, but Everything seems to be missing a little something, when all is said and done.

I loved this album a lot, very romantic and by the campfire songs. The voices of all singers in this group are very sweet to listen to . I dont listen to girl bands a lot , but "something to believe in" and "complicated girl" completely bowled me over. Perfect gift for ur girlfriend i think

When I think of the '80s, one of the bands that immediately pops into my mind is The Bangles. They were one of my favorite bands from the decade of excess and self-indulgence. Their music then (and still is now) was incredibly infectious and difficult not to get stuck in your head. As much as I loved the Go Go's, The Bangles were my personal favorite of the two girl bands. "Everything" is my all-time favorite album by the band. I thought the band's sound really matured after their last two albums. The girls contributed more to the songwriting (although with outside songwriters). I can hear the maturity in the band's choice of producer. They ditched svengali producer David Kahne for Davitt Sigerson. I can't really say that the first single off "Everything" was one of the band's better songs. I didn't think it held up very well next to stronger songs like "Complicated Girl" (one of my favorite songs sung by bassist Michael Steele). For me the strongest tracks on "Everything" weren't sung by Susanna Hoffs with the exception of "Eternal Flame" and "I'll Set You Free", but rather by the Peterson sisters and Michael Steele. Songs such as "Some Dreams Come True", "Make A Play For Her Now", and "Crash and Burn" are so irresistably catchy. The songs never left my head for over a decade now. My only problem with "I'll Set You Free" is the mixing job. I definitely prefer the remastered version that is found on the band's greatest hits cd but it is still a good catchy song to sing along to. After I got "Everything" as a present, I was crushed to find out that the band broke up. Now that they are back together. I hope soon I will have the pleasure of seeing the women perform live in concert.