They used to be seen as sex kittens. Now, on Doll Revolution, they look like the cast of Sex and the City. Yet 15 years after the Bangles' last album, Everything, the California power-poppers breeze back in looking and sounding as though they've been gone a mere 15 minutes. Eloquent, assured, and sensual, Doll Revolution is measured yet mesmerizing, considered yet colossal. This is one 80s comeback that really is a good idea.
So is this "doll revolution" some L.A. take on Girl Power? Or a glossy update on Riot Grrrl? Hardly. The Bangles never were ones for manifestos. Melodies are more their game, and these mostly self-penned songs display a beautifully developed sense of songcraft. "Something That You Said" is an exercise in sepia longing, while the sublime West Coast harmonies of "Stealing Rosemary" is a reminder that the quartet originally began life, 20 years prior, as Paisley Underground psychedelics named the Supersonic Bangs.
The gentle ballad "I Will Take Care of You" will have lighters aloft on the comeback tour, yet is also achingly intimate. And the yearning "Single by Choice," glancing back over a life half-done, is both a shoo-in for the soundtrack of the next Bridget Jones movie and also a knowing, experience-heavy poem that they simply couldn't have crafted the first time around. The Bangles have returned older but wiser and there is, as Doll Revolution amply demonstrates, simply no substitute for experience. --Ian Gittins
Doll Revolution,The Bangles,Koch Records,Adult Alternative Pop/Rock,Pop,Rock,Rock/Pop
Doll Revolution
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Doll Revolution
The Bangles Manufacturer: Koch Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B0000AM6HR Release Date: 2003-09-23 |
Tracks:
- Tear Off Your Own Head (it's a doll revolution)
- Stealing Rosemary
- Something That You Said
- Ask Me No Questions
- The Rain Song
- Nickel Romeo
- Ride the Ride
- I Will Take Care Of You
- Here Right Now
- Single By Choice
- Lost At Sea
- Song for a Good Son
- Mixed Messages
- Between The Two
- Grateful
Amazon.com
They used to be seen as sex kittens. Now, on Doll Revolution, they look like the cast of Sex and the City. Yet 15 years after the Bangles' last album, Everything, the California power-poppers breeze back in looking and sounding as though they've been gone a mere 15 minutes. Eloquent, assured, and sensual, Doll Revolution is measured yet mesmerizing, considered yet colossal. This is one 80s comeback that really is a good idea.So is this "doll revolution" some L.A. take on Girl Power? Or a glossy update on Riot Grrrl? Hardly. The Bangles never were ones for manifestos. Melodies are more their game, and these mostly self-penned songs display a beautifully developed sense of songcraft. "Something That You Said" is an exercise in sepia longing, while the sublime West Coast harmonies of "Stealing Rosemary" is a reminder that the quartet originally began life, 20 years prior, as Paisley Underground psychedelics named the Supersonic Bangs.
The gentle ballad "I Will Take Care of You" will have lighters aloft on the comeback tour, yet is also achingly intimate. And the yearning "Single by Choice," glancing back over a life half-done, is both a shoo-in for the soundtrack of the next Bridget Jones movie and also a knowing, experience-heavy poem that they simply couldn't have crafted the first time around. The Bangles have returned older but wiser and there is, as Doll Revolution amply demonstrates, simply no substitute for experience. --Ian Gittins
Customer Reviews:
"Head" as good as anything they did the first time around.......2007-03-31
Not enough Susanna Hoffs.......2006-05-22
Not enough Hoffs!.......2006-03-22
The pleasure of their company.......2005-12-27
What an embarrassment.......2005-09-13
Once you get married and have kids, dont ever pick up the guitar or drums and hit the record button. EVER.
And please spare the general public your very owned penned lullabyes.
This cd should be a prime example of these cringe worthy phenomenons.
If you want to listen to a good Bangles album, pick up All Over The Place and call it a day. However the musicians who recorded All Over The Place no longer exist. They have been replaced with baby ga-ga mommies, less Michael Steele (who should never have agreed to join this broken down band wagon).
Michael, there is still hope for you... run, run and dont look back! You could be up there with the likes of Bonnie Rait, Sarah Mclachlan or Sheryl Crow! Besides the fact that The Bangles failed to make a hit record after all this time, they proved that they couldnt even pull the songs off on live television. They are supposed to be pro's, right? One would think so after 20 years in the music biz, but they just hide behind their "garage rock" label.
What they pulled off with Hazy Shade of Winter in 1987 will never ever be reproduced. This time around, they had all the same control over the recording process and what we got was horrid.
The included DVD was hardly worth the effort of the physical act of placing the DVD in my DVD player. Completely forgettable and trivial.
This album was many years in the making and many more years trying to find a label to actually market it. I wonder why. Perhaps the perspective labels actually heard the album demos.
If the ladies choose to put out another new cd with this same crappy formula, I suggest they change their name, because they are no longer the Bangles that I remember.
Such potential... such potential..... wasted. At least stick with decent covers. Good covers would have been better than this!
They still kick ass in concert. Too bad, the album didnt contain any of their live energy.
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Doll Revolution
The Bangles Manufacturer: EMI ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD ASIN: B00008A8KV Release Date: 2003-03-18 |
Tracks:
- Tear Off Your Own Head (It's A Doll Revolution)
- Steling Rosemary
- Something That You Said
- Ask Me No Questions
- The Rain Song
- Nickel Romeo
- Ride The Ride
- I Will Take Care Of You
- Here Right Now
- Single By Choice
- Lost At Sea
- Song For A Good Son
- Mixed Messages
- Between The Two
- Grateful
Album Description
'Doll Revolution' is the fourth studio album from all-girl pop quartet The Bangles and their first since 1988's 'Everything'. The girls continue with the pop-rock sound that served them well in the mid-eighties, but with a modern twist. The album also features the single 'Something That You Said'. Liberty/EMI. 2003.Album Details
Features Two New B-sides, Including a Rare Vintage Bangles Track from 1981 and an Acoustic Version of 'eternal Flame' Recorded Live at the House of Blues, L.a.Customer Reviews:
the BANGLES are back!!!!.......2003-09-12
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Doll Revolution
The Bangles Manufacturer: Victor Entertainment ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD ASIN: B000084TK6 Release Date: 2003-03-10 |
Tracks:
- Tear Off Your Own Head (It's a Doll Revolution)
- Stealing Rosemary
- Something That You Said
- Ask Me No Questions
- Rain Song
- Nickel Romeo
- Ride the Ride
- I Will Take Care of You
- Here Right Now
- Single by Choice
- Lost at Sea
- Song for a Good Son
- Mixed Messages
- Between the Two
- Grateful
- Getting Out of Hand [*]
- Call on Me [*]
Album Description
Japanese edition of the reunited girl-group's 2003 album includes two bonus tracks, 'Getting Out Of Hand' & 'Call On Me', which originally appeared on the band's very first self-recorded & produced single put out on the Down Kiddie label in 1981. Limited edition digipak for first pressing only! JVC.Album Details
Japanese Version featuring Two Bonus Tracks: 'getting Out of Hand', and 'call on Me'.Customer Reviews:
Bangles still don't get it........2003-10-19
The Bangles bring the 60's Jangle into the 21's century.......2003-08-27
The Bangles bring the 60's Jangle into the 21's century.......2003-08-27
The Bangles bring the 60's Jangle into the 21's century.......2003-08-27
The Bangles bring the 60's Jangle into the 21's century.......2003-08-27
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Doll Revolution
The Bangles Manufacturer: EMI ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD ASIN: B00008CLMV Release Date: 2003-04-28 |
Tracks:
- Tear Off Your Own Head (It's A Doll Revolution)
- Stealing Rosemary
- Something That You Said
- Ask Me No Questions
- The Rain Song
- Nickel Romeo
- Ride The Ride
- I Will Take Care Of You
- Here Right Now
- Single By Choice
- Lost At Sea
- Song For A Good Son
- Mixed Messages
- Between The Two
- Grateful
Album Description
Australian edition of the reunited girl-group's 2003 album. 15 tracks. Copy Controlled. EMI.Album Details
The girls' first reunion album, coming out over 10 years since their last studio album.Customer Reviews:
Not just your ordinary reunion.......2004-01-26
"Doll Revolution" is good from top to bottom. There are 15 songs here, so for once it's really all Bangles, meaning that each of the four members get many songs to prove their respective abilities. Michael Steele, the band's most underrated asset, once again proves that she is the best musician and songwriter of this band; her "Song For A Good Son" is a masterpiece, with its striking visual references and feelings of regrets and alienation, and her rocking "Between The Two" is so great that you can only wish there'd been more on the album. Susanna Hoffs is as great as ever, and her voice has gained a rougher, raspier edge over the years; ballads like "I Will Take Care Of You" and the debut single "Something That You Said" show the full range of her exquisite and expressive voice. Debbi Peterson also leaves a deeper impression than on the band's 80's albums; "Lost At Sea" is a high point of the album, and "Ask Me No Questions" proves that Susanna Hoffs isn't the only Bangle able to carry a ballad. Vicki Peterson's songs are the only minor disappointments of the album; songs like "Mixed Messages" and "Single By Choice" lack the tough in-your-face attitude of past songs like "Angels Don't Fall In Love" and "All About You" - but they are still great, just not as strong as her bandmates' efforts. I particularly like her "Stealing Rosemary", so original and catchy. And what can I say about "Ride The Ride", which they all sing together ? It's the album's best song, and should be released as a single as soon as possible. It's that good !
All in all, this is an album like they don't make 'em anymore. Honest production, catchy songs, expressive vocals, trademark harmonies, down-to-earth arrangements, great musicianship. What more can you ask ?
Bangling Now.......2003-07-16
Almost Bangleicous.......2003-06-06
It's not that the rest of the disc is bad...it's filled with solid tracks and a couple of gems (especially "Ride the Ride"), but the momentum is just lost with Tracks 5 and 6, the Bangles' take on Vicki Peterson's other band's "Rain Song", and the dreadful "Nickel Romeo". Everything past these two tracks could have held my momentum for the duration, but it's just gone.
If The Bangles get a US distribution deal, they would be best served to lose these two tracks completely. Even without the (alleged) bonus tracks at the end, it would be a much better disc. I would just dub a copy with the two tracks omitted, but the copy protection (which also makes the disc skip in about a half dozen specific places) ruined that idea.
Well worth the wait.......2003-06-06
I am most impressed by the Peterson sisters' work on this album. I like Michael's "Nickel Romeo," but her other songs here don't make much of an impression on me. Susannah sounds great as ever, but seems to be content mostly sticking to ballads ("Something That You Said", "I Will Take Care of You", "Grateful"). Not that these aren't great tracks, but she sounded great on the uptempo numbers from the early days--for example, the two bonus tracks on this album, both sides of the Bangles' first single. But Debbi turns in some of her best Bangles performances, period, on "Ask Me No Questions" and "Here Right Now," and Vicki sounds great on "Single by Choice," which I take not to be a defiant song of independence but something more akin to Simon & Garfunkel's "I Am A Rock." And am I the only one who thinks she sounds like Shania Twain on "Mixed Messages"? As for "The Rain Song," great stuff--but I have to say I liked the Continental Drifters' arrangement better. If only Vicki had been given the lead instead of Susan!
The ensemble vocals on "Ride the Ride" and "Stealing Rosemary" sound superb as well, and the instrumental playing is top-notch throughout. Vicki's mandolin is a nice touch.
My only criticism of this album is that it's a bit long. Not all of these songs are essential--I might have shortened 'Doll Revolution' by dropping "Lost at Sea," "Song for a Good Son," and "Between the Two."
I understand some of these songs have been floating around for years--indeed, some have been recorded and released before--so it will be interesting to see if the fifth album, if there is one, can measure up to 'Doll Revolution'. But even if it doesn't--who ever thought there would be a fourth?
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Doll Revolution
The Bangles Manufacturer: Musicrama/Koch ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD ASIN: B0000DESXO Release Date: 2003-05-05 |
Tracks:
- Tear Off Your Own Head (It's a Doll Revolution)
- Stealing Rosemary
- Something That You Said
- Ask Me No Questions
- Rain Song
- Nickel Romeo
- Ride the Ride
- I Will Take Care of You
- Here Right Now
- Single by Choice
- Lost at Sea
- Song for a Good Son
- Mixed Messages
- Between the Two
- Grateful
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Tear Off Your Own Head (It's a Doll Revolution)
Elvis Costello Manufacturer: Umvd Import ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD ASIN: B0000641ZF Release Date: 2002-05-07 |
Tracks:
- Tear Off Your Own Head (It's a Doll Revolution) [Album Version]
- Imposter vs the Floodtide (Dust & Petals)
- Revolution Doll
Album Description
Full title - Tear Off Your Own Head (It's A Doll Revolution). First single taken from his 2002 album When I Was Cruel. 4 Tracks 'Tear Off Your Own Head (It's A Doll Revolution)', 'Imposter Vs The Floodtides (Dust & Petals)', 'Revolution Doll' & 'When I Was Cruel'.Album Details
The First Single from his 2002 Return to Rock, 'when I was Cruel'. The Accompanying Tracks Are NON-LP B-sides and Exclusive to this Single.Customer Reviews:
A Disappointment.......2002-10-13
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Doll Revolution
The Bangles Manufacturer: Jvc Japan ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD ASIN: B00008J2SB Release Date: 2003-03-04 |
Tracks:
- Tear Off Your Own Head (It's a Doll Revolution)
- Stealing Rosemary
- Something That You Said
- Ask Me No Questions
- Rain Song
- Nickel Romeo
- Ride the Ride
- I Will Take Care of You
- Here Right Now
- Single by Choice
- Lost at Sea
- Song for a Good Son
- Mixed Messages
- Between the Two
- Grateful
- Getting Out of Hand [*]
- Call on Me [*]
Customer Reviews:
Well worth the wait.......2003-04-13
The ensemble vocals on "Ride the Ride" and "Stealing Rosemary" sound superb as well, and the instrumental playing is top-notch throughout. Vicki's mandolin is a nice touch. My only criticism of this album is that it's a bit long. Not all of these songs are essential--I might have shortened _Doll Revolution_ by dropping "Lost at Sea," "Song for a Good Son," and "Between the Two." I understand some of these songs have been floating around for years--indeed, some have been recorded and released before--so it will be interesting to see if the fifth album, if there is one, can measure up to _Doll Revolution_. But even if it doesn't--who ever thought there would be a fourth?
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