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The Bangles' first album, All Over the Place, may have earned them a smattering of radio and MTV airplay, but it's clear that with Different Light they were aiming for much higher stakes, especially when Prince -- who was reportedly infatuated with Susanna Hoffs -- offered to write a song for them. "Manic Monday"'s baroque, keyboard-dominated sound was a far cry from anything the Bangles had recorded before, and while Hoffs' breathy voice and her bandmates' fine harmonies fit the song like a glove, it also sent the group down a path that led them away from the '60s-influenced pop/rock that was their strongest suit, and though Vicki Peterson does get to show off her guitar work on a few songs here, the differences between Different Light and All Over the Place are telling and a bit sad. The drum machines that dominate "Walk Like an Egyptian" and "Walking Down Your Street" rob the performances of the organic feel of this group's best music, the funky accents of "Standing in the Hallway" are simply out of place, and while covering Big Star ("September Gurls") and Jules Shear ("If She Knew What She Wants") may have sounded good on paper, neither performance captures what makes each song special. And while the album struggles to rally in the last innings with the more personal air of "Following" and "Not Like You," most of the songs struggle to stand up under David Kahne's overly slick production and the layers of gingerbread added by a handful of guest musicians. Different Light turned the Bangles into bona fide pop stars, but it also transformed a spunky and distinctive band into a comparatively faceless vehicle for a hit-seeking producer; the group tries to let its personality shine through despite it all, but the effort fails most of the time.
© Mark Deming /TiVo
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Debbi Peterson, Vocal - Debbi Peterson, Drums - Prince Rogers Nelson, Composer - Prince Rogers Nelson, Lyricist - Bangles, Performer - Michael Steele, Vocal - Michael Steele, Bass - Susanna Hoffs, Vocal - Susanna Hoffs, Guitar - Vicki Peterson, Vocal - Vicki Peterson, Guitar - David Kahne, Producer
(P) 1985 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Debbi Peterson, Vocal - Debbi Peterson, Drums - V. Peterson, Composer - V. Peterson, Lyricist - Bangles, Performer - Michael Steele, Vocal - Michael Steele, Bass - Susanna Hoffs, Vocal - Susanna Hoffs, Guitar - Vicki Peterson, Vocal - Vicki Peterson, Guitar - S. Hoffs, Composer - S. Hoffs, Lyricist - David Kahne, Producer
(P) 1985 SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
S. Hoffs, Composer - S. Hoffs, Lyricist - Vicki Peterson, Vocal - Vicki Peterson, Guitar - David Kahne, Producer - Bangles, Performer - D. KAHNE, Composer - D. KAHNE, Lyricist - Susanna Hoffs, Vocal - Susanna Hoffs, Guitar - Debbi Peterson, Vocal - Debbi Peterson, Drums - Michael Steele, Vocal - Michael Steele, Bass - L. Gutierrez, Composer - L. Gutierrez, Lyricist
(P) 1985 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Liam Sternberg, Composer - Liam Sternberg, Lyricist - Bangles, Performer - David Kahne, Producer
(P) 1985 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
D. Peterson, Composer - S. Hoffs, Composer - David Kahne, Producer - V. Peterson, Composer - Bangles, Performer - D. KAHNE, Composer - David Leonard, Mixing Engineer - PEGGY MCLEONARD, Engineer - Tchad Blake, Engineer - DAVID GLOVER, 2nd Engineer - Mike Kloster, 2nd Engineer
(p) 1985 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
David Kahne, Producer - Bangles, Performer - V. Peterson, Composer - David Leonard, Mixing Engineer - Susanna Hoffs, Composer - PEGGY MCLEONARD, Engineer - Tchad Blake, Engineer - DAVID GLOVER, 2nd Engineer - Mike Kloster, 2nd Engineer
(p) 1985 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
Debbi Peterson, Vocal - Debbi Peterson, Drums - J. SHEAR, Composer - J. SHEAR, Lyricist - Bangles, Performer - Michael Steele, Vocal - Michael Steele, Bass - Susanna Hoffs, Vocal - Susanna Hoffs, Guitar - Vicki Peterson, Vocal - Vicki Peterson, Guitar - David Kahne, Producer
(P) 1985 SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
D. Peterson, Composer - David Kahne, Producer - M. Steele, Composer - V. Peterson, Composer - Bangles, Performer - David Leonard, Mixing Engineer - PEGGY MCLEONARD, Engineer - Susanna Hoffs, Composer - Tchad Blake, Engineer - DAVID GLOVER, 2nd Engineer - Mike Kloster, 2nd Engineer
(p) 1985 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
Debbi Peterson, Vocal - Debbi Peterson, Drums - A. Chilton, Composer - A. Chilton, Lyricist - Bangles, Performer - Michael Steele, Vocal - Michael Steele, Bass - Susanna Hoffs, Vocal - Susanna Hoffs, Guitar - Vicki Peterson, Vocal - Vicki Peterson, Guitar - David Kahne, Producer
(P) 1985 SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
David Kahne, Producer - Bangles, Performer - V. Peterson, Composer - David Leonard, Mixing Engineer - Susanna Hoffs, Composer - PEGGY MCLEONARD, Engineer - Tchad Blake, Engineer - DAVID GLOVER, 2nd Engineer - Mike Kloster, 2nd Engineer
(p) 1985 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
DAVID GLOVER, 2nd Engineer - Tchad Blake, Engineer - PEGGY MCLEONARD, Engineer - David Leonard, Mixing Engineer - Mike Kloster, 2nd Engineer - M. Steele, Composer - M. Steele, Lyricist - Bangles, Performer - David Kahne, Producer
(P) 1985 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
D. Peterson, Composer - David Kahne, Producer - Bangles, Performer - D. KAHNE, Composer - David Leonard, Mixing Engineer - PEGGY MCLEONARD, Engineer - Susanna Hoffs, Composer - Tchad Blake, Engineer - DAVID GLOVER, 2nd Engineer - Mike Kloster, 2nd Engineer
(p) 1985 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
Albumbeschreibung
The Bangles' first album, All Over the Place, may have earned them a smattering of radio and MTV airplay, but it's clear that with Different Light they were aiming for much higher stakes, especially when Prince -- who was reportedly infatuated with Susanna Hoffs -- offered to write a song for them. "Manic Monday"'s baroque, keyboard-dominated sound was a far cry from anything the Bangles had recorded before, and while Hoffs' breathy voice and her bandmates' fine harmonies fit the song like a glove, it also sent the group down a path that led them away from the '60s-influenced pop/rock that was their strongest suit, and though Vicki Peterson does get to show off her guitar work on a few songs here, the differences between Different Light and All Over the Place are telling and a bit sad. The drum machines that dominate "Walk Like an Egyptian" and "Walking Down Your Street" rob the performances of the organic feel of this group's best music, the funky accents of "Standing in the Hallway" are simply out of place, and while covering Big Star ("September Gurls") and Jules Shear ("If She Knew What She Wants") may have sounded good on paper, neither performance captures what makes each song special. And while the album struggles to rally in the last innings with the more personal air of "Following" and "Not Like You," most of the songs struggle to stand up under David Kahne's overly slick production and the layers of gingerbread added by a handful of guest musicians. Different Light turned the Bangles into bona fide pop stars, but it also transformed a spunky and distinctive band into a comparatively faceless vehicle for a hit-seeking producer; the group tries to let its personality shine through despite it all, but the effort fails most of the time.
© Mark Deming /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 12 track(s)
- Total length: 00:38:23
- Main artists: The Bangles
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Columbia
- Genre: Pop/Rock
(P) 1985 SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
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