Debbi Peterson and Susanna Hoffs performing with The Bangles at the Roxy on January 27, 1983. Original bassist Anne Zilinskas was still in the band at that time. She left later and rejoined at the end of 2016 for live performances.
Susie using a super heavy Rickenbacker 360 and with short hair.
At that time she was dating Louis Gutierrez of The Three O'Clock, with whom she composed 'Walking Down Your Street'
well it’s getting there tho’ here we are in the middle of a mini heatwave and getting warmer expected to hit the high twenties today!
Will this cool you down . . . . . . or make you hotter!?
Sunday, August 09, 2020
RANDOM MUSICAL THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY No.1
Susanna Hoffs
I used to really like The Bangles . . . . . and now I'm and old and grey, if only I could remember why . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . nope beats me
Friday, May 24, 2019
SONGS WE NEVER HEARD OVER HERE IN THE UK BUT LIKE ANYWAY!
I don't think we got this over here and it took 'Walk Like an Egyptian' or 'Manic Monday' for them to break the UK but I might be wrong. I have never seen or heard this track not seen Susanna Hoffs with a short perm!! She always reminded me of our Joanne Whalley both of whom I had a major crush on and I always loved that she could rock and in fact the whole band could. Still rocking out too!
On this day in music history: May 23, 1984 - “All Over The Place”, the debut album by The Bangles is released. Produced by David Kahne, it is recorded at Crystal Sound Studios, Soundcastle Studios in Hollywood, CA and Skyline Recording Studios in Topanga, CA from Late 1983 - Early 1984. Formed in Los Angeles, CA in 1981, the band originally consist of Susanna Hoffs (lead vocals, guitar), sisters Vicki Peterson (lead guitar, vocals) and Debbi Peterson (drums, vocals). Influenced by bands including The Beatles and The Byrds, they initially call themselves The Bangs. Their first single “Getting Out Of Hand” is released on their own label Downkiddie Records. In 1982, Annette Zilinskas (bass, vocals) is added to the line up. They’re signed to Faulty Products, a sub label of I.R.S. Records run by Police manager Miles Copeland. They’re then paired with legendary punk producer Craig Leon (The Ramones), to record a five song EP. They discover there is another band called The Bangs, and are forced to change their name. After writing down various substitutes including the self effacing “Bang-less”, it’s amended to The Bangles. They follow it up with a 12" single titled “The Real World”, but end up back at square one when their label folds. Shortly after, Zilinskas leaves to start her own band Blood On The Saddle. She’s replaced by former Runaways vocalist and bassist Michael Steele. Having remixed “The Real World” 12", David Kahne is also an A&R man for Columbia Records, signing The Bangles to the label in 1983. The band’s organic sound stands out from the slick, overproduced pop music of the 80’s. Their debut album features nearly all original material written by Susanna and Vicki, including the first single “Hero Takes A Fall”. Though it doesn’t chart, “Hero” receives significant play on MTV. It’s seen by music superstar Prince, who quickly becomes a fan of the band, especially Hoffs. He later reaches out to them, to offer up a song titled “Manic Monday”, that changes the course of their lives and career. The follow up is “Going Down To Liverpool”, written by former Soft Boys and Katrina And The Waves guitarist Kimberly Rew. Sung by Debbi Peterson, it too receives attention for its video, which is directed by Hoffs’ mother Tamar Simon Hoffs. The clip features actor Leonard Nimoy playing the band’s chauffeur. Heavy college radio play, and touring with Huey Lewis & The News and Cyndi Lauper, also give The Bangles crucial exposure. It helps propel their debut album on to the US album chart, where it charts for thirty weeks. Originally released on CD in 1986, “All Over The Place” is reissued by Wounded Bird Records in 2008, and again by Cherry Pop Records in 2010. Both CD releases contain one bonus track each. “All Over The Place” peaks at number eighty on the Billboard Top 200.
She is still working at 57 and has done loads of work with the likes of Matthew Sweet and formed a covers band, Ming Tea, with Mike Myers under the pseudonym Gillian Shagwell (of course). It's like watching Joanne Whalley on LSD turned rock star!
On this day music history: December 20, 1986 - “Walk Like An Egyptian” by The Bangles hits #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 4 weeks. Written by Liam Sternberg, it is the first chart topping single for the power pop/rock band from Los Angeles, CA. Songwriter Liam Sternberg (“21 Jumpstreet Theme”) is inspired to write the song after watching people trying walk while off balance on a ferry boat. Their movements remind him of movements of ancient Egyptians sculpted and painted on the walls of burial tombs. “Walk Like An Egyptian” is originally written for singer and choreographer Toni Basil who passes on recording it. While working on The Bangles’ second album in 1985, producer David Kahne finds the song through Sternberg’s publisher, presenting it to the band who record it for their second album “Different Light”. However, it creates tension in the band when drummer Debbi Peterson is regulated to a secondary role on the track, singing only background vocals and having her drum parts played by a drum machine. In spite of this the track is completed and included on the album. Released as the third single from “Different Light” in September of 1986, it becomes The Bangles biggest hit to date. The song is accompanied by a music video featuring the band performing live, inter cut with footage of various people on the street doing the signature “walk like an egyptian” dance and hand gestures. Entering the Hot 100 at #82 on September 27, 1986, it climbs to the top of the chart twelve weeks later. Following the 9/11 Attacks in September 2001, corporate broadcasting behemoth Clear Channel Media places “Walk” on its list of songs deemed “inappropriate” for broadcast radio play, due to the fact that some of the terrorist perpetrators were Egyptian nationals. The restriction on radio play for the song has since been lifted, and the record is a popular recurrent today. “Walk Like An Egyptian” is certified Gold in the US by the RIAA.
