Customer Reviews

Essential Bangles

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

I basically agree with everyone else who reviewed this CD: "Going Down to Liverpool" is missing, but my complaint goes further than that. The 1990 Greatest Hits album contained 2 tracks from their first major-label album, 'All Over the Place' ("Liverpool" being one of them). Even on the 1990 CD, the first album was barely represented. WHY? Sure, it was before they started cranking out hit singles, but it's arguably their best album of original material. On the upside, 'Essential' has included two "pre-record contract" songs, a great 1988 B-side, and a rarely-heard song from the "Goonies" soundtrack (!!) All four of these additions rank among their best work, and help give the casual listener a more well-rounded impression of their work. Also, the songs are not in order of release, which makes one better appreciate each song. On 'Grtst Hits,' you couldn't help but notice how increasingly slick, and occasionally bland, their sound became towards the end of their run. These are the reasons I rate 'Essential' higher than 'Greatest,' even though "Hero Takes a Fall" is the ONLY representaion of 'All Over the Place.' Get 'Essential,' and seek out their first album....and good luck, because it's now out of print! Such injustice!!!

Like another review pointed out, this 5-star collection is missing "Goin' Down To Liverpool." Luckily, I have that track on another compilation by Sony Music. Why wasn't it included here? Sometimes I wonder if record company executives just throw things together without checking things over first. There's easily enough room to squeeze several more tracks on here!

Besides the mistake of leaving out "Liverpool," this collection is very well done for an "Essential" collection. All tracks have been digitally remastered for the best sound - and one can really hear the difference in listening to such tracks as "Hazy Shade Of Winter." It sounds crisp! That's how I like it!

It would have been nice to get the extended versions/mixes of their singles as well. Perhaps someday Sony Music will issue their catalog remastered with these tracks. Yet for the price and for an essential collection of hits, this one meets my standards.

This is the 3rd Bangles collection out on the market. And it should be a slam dunk 5 star reissue. 11 of these 14 tracks are on the Greatest Hits CD that was released in 1990. (Skip the ridiculously short Super Hits) Here you get an obscure song from the movie "The Goonies", a rare single from 1981 when the Bangles were known as the Bangs, and the B side of "Eternal Flame". All are worthy additions to their catalog. So why not 5 stars? Whoever compiled this must not have heard of 1984's "Going Down To Liverpool", which on their full length debut was a highlight and is on Greatest Hits. So download that song from somewhere. Add it to this 15 track collection and you'll have a 5 star definitive Essential Bangles. Or just buy the Greatest Hits CD which is still in print and includes the missing song and all the hits. Both this and that CD are budget priced. By the way, the liner notes by Rolling Stone magazine's David Wild are good and you get a lot of song info. But

If you're not familiar with the term "loudness compression", go to Wikipedia and search "loudness wars". In that article, there is also a link to an excellent You Tube audio/video demonstration of this reprehensible practice, which is being propagated by bean-counter record company executives.

The technical explanation of loudness compression is the application of an increasingly high ratio of compression to the dynamic range of a particular recording, and then increasing the gain of the recording, until the peaks have reached maximum. In layman's terms, what this means is there are no longer any quiet or loud passages in the recording, EVERYTHING is at the same volume.

Basically, the iPod is responsible for the proliferation of this practice. When music is played back thru iPod earbuds in any environment where there is ambient noise present, by having the volume artificially jacked across the entire music spectrum, you can hear the content more clearly. However, when you listen to the same recording thru a home audio system, it sounds like the music is coming thru a megaphone.

This "remaster" is a classic example of this insidious process. The original dynamic range of this record has been totally obliterated, and the vocals are nearly buried by the instruments. It's just AWFUL, and quickly tiring, to listen to.

There is a superior 2007 2CD Bangles compilation, containing almost every album and non-album track (see my review), which has been mastered with the correct dynamic range of the original recordings. I highly suggest acquisition of that set over this audio travesty.

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.

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.

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!

I really enjoyed this Essential collection as it bring several unpublished or records tracks to my collection of being a die hard Bangles fan. This is truely the essence of where they started and are as far as their music and artistic talent goes. A great buy.