I was so thrilled when their reunion album finally happened. I did not, however, expect it to exceed classics such as All Over The Place and Different Light, and it doesn't, but the songs are as fresh as if hearing them for the first time ever. After fifteen years... Wow! Getting this prevented me from tearing off my own head, to paraphrase the leading song. Key=[lead vocalist]

After the phrase, "One must tear off one's own head," comes a quick burst of snarling punkish guitar and Susanna's familiar sugary voice. I haven't heard the original Elvis Costello version, but they really jam on "Tear Off Your Own Head (Doll Revolution)" This opening number makes this yet another classic in the Bangles pantheon of hits.

"Stealing Rosemary" is a simple song of a woman doing the title action for her man. What, without parsley, sage, and thyme? Kidding. [Debbi]

"Something That You Said" is another classic, with the solid Beatles/Byrds influence heard with the guitar and the harmony vocals. The drum machine in the background paints a modern addition. And Susanna's voice never sounded so good!

"Ask Me No Questions" has rhythmic overtones of the Beatles "Rain" without the feedback guitar. The main chorus goes "Oh, I'm in love with you/But I turn away when you look in my eyes/Ask me no questions I'll tell you no lies." [Debbi]

"Rain Song" sung by Vicki is an upbeat guitar-oriented number where when it rains, she remembers her ex. And there's a bitter taste with this line: "I'm doing fine as long as you stay locked up/Inside a cloud of grey" Whoa! [Vicki]

That's quite a fancy dresser in "Nickel Romeo", someone who's described as "a Cheshire cat in yellow Beatle boots". "Strange desperation-you gotta cop that fix/Making every little girl is keeping you alive." That bad, huh? [Michael]

"Ride The Ride" has a similar beat but less ferocious than "Doll Revolution". With signature guitar hooks, call it a close cousin to "In Your Room" [all]

Just what I needed, another tender ballad to melt my heart, and my favourite song here. "I Will Take Care Of You" is an affirmative song of support from a loved one who will stand tall alongside through times of fear and sadness: "Smile, if you can now/Smile through your tears/Here where your fears are known/

Guitar and soundwise, the upbeat "Here Right Now" sounds like Green-era R.E.M. and calls for one to slow down. "Stand back and take a look around you/Running from the pressures of a restless world/Hush for a moment, baby, just be still/Here now./Spend a minute next to me." Amen to that!

The woman in bittersweet "Single By Choice" is affirmative of the title, adding "Never marry, never ever divorce/Listen to the solitary voice." Even though she gives bad experiences she had, sad, isn't it? [Vicki]

"Lost At Sea" details a couple who's lost so far in arguments that it's as if they are lost at sea. The solution: "Take my hand, come to me/Save a life, rescue you, rescue me." Another Byrdsy song replete with harmonies. [Vicki]

"Song For A Good Son" details a woman explaining to her son why she seems emotionally cold. She is scarred by the loss of her mother, taken by the ocean current. There are suicidal overtones: "Waterside so deep and wide/If I follow, maybe I will find her." [Michael]

"Grateful" is a lullaby to one's young son, enhanced by chorus harmonies of "All we are and all we need is" while Susanna's whispery sweet voice does lead.

The bonus DVD contains "A Day In The Life Of The Bangles" mini-documentary, which basically explains how they felt about getting back together, story behind "TOYOH", and their amazement at the large fan base they had, the "Something That You Said" video, audio and lyrics pages.

All the familiar elements are there, Susanna's sweet voice, the tight harmonies, the 60's rock influenced sound, the brand of garage pop/rock hybrid. It's as if they never broke up. A warm welcome back!

Its been well over a decade since the last new Bangles studio album (EVERYTHING was released in 1988!) In the music biz, that's a very long time. But Susannah, Vicki, Debbie and Michael have finally come back together...after 15 years of exhaustion, hurt, anger, arguments, seperate careers, marriages, kids...and you know what? They come back clicking together like they'd never been apart.

All the notable Bangle elements are here: Excellent vocals, great songwriting, competent musicianship, good production. Its not as "poppy" as previous works, but its still very catchy, "hooky" tunes. In a way, I was sort of hoping that this album would include "Get the Girl" from the Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me soundtrack, the song that brought the Bangles back together. Not that the album is hurt by it not being included.

The strongest tracks here, by far, are the brilliant first single, "Something That You Said," and the mostly group-written rocker "Ride the Ride," which the newly-reformed girls debuted in club dates and on TV appearances almost 2 years ago.

The album kicks off in very fine fashion with "Tear Off Your Own Head," a cover of a fantastic Elvis Costello. Debbie has a number of really shining moments on the album, especially "Stealing Rosemary" and "Here Right Now." Michael contributes some great tunes as well, with the best being "Song for a Good Son" and the rockin' "Between the Two."

The reason that I rated this album 4 stars is that to me, I don't hear the same strength as usual in Vicki's tunes. Nothing here compares with "Angels Don't Fall in Love" (one of my fave Bangle tunes ever) or "Different Light" from the album by that same name, nor "Bell Jar" or "Watching the Sky" from EVERYTHING. Her best tune here is "The Rain Song." Still the rest of it is good, if not as good as her norm (forgive me, Vicki!)

All-in-all, this is a fantastic album that will greatly please Bangle fans. My concern is that with such a lengthy hiatus, fickle American pop radio won't pick them back up. That would be a shame. This is extremely well-crafted American Pop.

Congratulations gals! Thanks for a great new album, and...welcome home.

For those of us who heard the Bangles (or even the Bangs) live in the early 80's, all we ever wanted was a production team that could capture the essence of the Fab Femme Four's live sound on CD. (FYI, no one has ever rocked Love's "7 and 7 Is" like Debbi Peterson. Ever.)

It has finally arrived.

The whole package is on display in "Doll Revolution": Chiming folk-rock guitars, glorious four-part harmonies, intelligent use of minor keys -- and some songwriting skills that have matured and mellowed like fine wine. The Gurls are all very much three-dimensional human beings, and they actually get to display their versatility on "DR" thanks to Brad Wood's sympathetic presence behind the mixing board. Susanna Hoffs is in excellent voice, to be sure, but so are Vicki Peterson, her sister Debbi (so often shortchanged on 80's albums), and the luminous Michael Steele.

(And hey -- SOME of us have no problem discerning who is singing lead on Bangles records, thank you very much...)

;)

"Something That You Said" was a great choice for the first single -- Susanna Hoffs proves that she has not lost a step vocally from the late 80's, and "I Will Take Care of You" indicates that motherhood has added new dimensions to her songwriting. In many ways, though, this is Michael Steele's finest hour as a Bangle. "Nickel Romeo" is an awesome psychedelic pastiche; "Song For a Good Son" will elicit real grief from anyone who has suffered the loss of a loved one; and "Between the Two" just flat-out ROCKS.

Overall, this is the strongest album the Bangles have ever turned out -- these 15 songs stand as a statement for a new millennium.

I couldn't get enough of the Bangles their first time around. As a guy in my mid-20s when "All Over The Place" came out, I was hooked immediately by their musical energy, infectious melodies, intelligent lyrics...oh yeah, and the fact that they were hot.

And it was easy to see throughout their subsequent albums how any comparisons between them and the Go-Gos--and there were many at the time--were ridiculous. No contest. The Bangles were better singers, better songwriters, and better musicians. My only complaint was that Columbia Records insisted on creating the false impression that Susanna Hoffs was the group's lead singer, by picking her songs for the group's singles/videos--a real injustice to the others, whom I actually prefer to Hoffs.

Other than that, it comes as such a pleasant surprise that with "Doll Revolution" they pick up right where they left off.

I always skip the first cut, "Tear Off Your Own Head" (I was never an Elvis Costello fan), and then sit back to enjoy the rest of the cd, which is filled with still more great Bangles pop melodies (which really are impossible to get out of your head),classic harmonies and crisp production. Each member of the group has her own musical personality and distinctive voice, and they blend together every bit as much now as they did 15+ years ago.

I still don't care much for Susanna Hoffs. I guess I'm still holding a grudge abut her dominance over the group in the '80s. Debbie Peterson (the beautiful blonde drummer) is probably the best singer on this disc. Listen to her on "Ask Me No Questions" and especially "Lost At Sea", on which she delivers such a superb and sensitive vocal performance that I often play it several times in a row (the nasal quality of her voice--which I honestly love--is matched only by Aimee Mann). These two songs are also among the strongest melodies on the album, along with the fabulous "Mixed Messages" sung by Vicki Peterson.

As for Michael Steele, she is, with due respect to the others, on another plane entirely. Her songs with the group, dating back to the first album have always had a special quality-- dark and brooding more often than not,deep,poetic--worthy of a solo career, but still a perfect contrast to the more pop-oriented songs of the others. "Nickel Romeo" and the hard driving "Between the Two" are excellent.

These girls (well, women actually, considering they're all over 40 by now), are still hugely talented at what they do, still remarkably gorgeous, and still underrated for reasons I have yet to fathom. Buy this cd!

The best Bangles album since "All Over The Place". During their days as MTV stars, the girls were overproduced with plastic-y synthesizers and big boomy drums. Here, they get back to the basics: guitars, garage vibe, and those wonderful vocal harmonies. While a few of the songs are a bit weak, overall, this is a welcome return to form. In a more fair world, this record would sell 14 million, and Britney would be playing boat shows. Oh well. If you are a Bangles fan, look no further.