I suppose this album ranking is no surprise, but it must be done. I’ll follow this post with my favorite Bangles songs, and a review of their few singles for completeness’ sake.

1. All Over The Place

3.727 stars

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The first Bangles’ album is a pleasure to revisit after many years. All Over The Place has aged well, and it’s a joy to listen to. The most distinctive revelation is that the group was once guitar-heavy - hardly a keyboard, drum machine, or reverb-drenched vocal is found on this disc, and the stripped-down, basic production highlights the band’s sixties roots. Yeah, there are some dodgy, out of tune vocals and a few goofy guitar bends, but these are part of its charm.

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This collection of Bangles tunes is lovely fun in the sun, with a bit of love gone wrong near the end. Part of Different Light’s charm is that it’s relatively short and sweet (twelve songs), with a nice variety of tempos, situations, and moods. Each Bangle is featured, and the secret weapon of Michael Steele has two stellar songs. There’s a generally tasteful mix of harmonies, guitars, and mid-80s synthesizers and drum machines, resulting in five songs I consider “perfect.”

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This is a tough album for me to revisit, for as a teenager I listened to it incessantly. I think at one point I wrote out the guitar chords for each song. I’m sure the constant playing drove my parents nuts.

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I thought I would apply my recent song / album ranking formula to a different group. This time I’ve picked a band that doesn’t have that big of a oeuvre, so it won’t take too long: The Bangles, with only four albums to their name.

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