Lead singer/guitarist Susanna Hoffs revealed today (April 28, 2016) that The Bangles will be touring this year, with seven shows already booked for the U.S. east coast in August (see below). Best Classic Bands has also learned that the band will release the album, Ladies and Gentlemen: The Bangles on June 24 (on Omnivore Recordings.) The 16-track collection of re-mastered ‘80s-era rarities, demos, live recordings and more, was previously released via digital download only in 2014. The album includes the Bangles’ debut single and all of the tracks from their self-titled EP – produced by legendary Ramones/Blondie producer Craig Leon – unavailable as a physical release since its initial release on vinyl in 1982.
Encompassing the very first years of the band’s development, from their earliest days as the “Bangs” to their incarnation as the Bangles, the hand-selected tracks include performances by the Bangles’ founding and current members – Susanna Hoffs, Debbi Peterson, and Vicki Peterson – as well as now-retired bassist Michael Steele, and the band’s original bass player Annette Zilinskas.
The Los Angeles-based group enjoyed five Top 5 singles during their ’80s heyday including two #1s: “Walk Like an Egyptian” and “Eternal Flame.” The others: “Manic Monday,” “Hazy Shade of Winter” and “In Your Room.”
“We’re so pleased to give our fans and music lovers alike the chance to enjoy the early fruits of our labor. Some of these tracks have never seen the light of day,” states Bangles drummer/singer Debbi Peterson. “We’ve wanted to make these songs available to a new audience for a long time,” adds singer/guitarist Vicki Peterson. “We’ve thrown in a couple of live tracks, and even some of the first demos, all lovingly collected and re-mastered, so you no longer have to dig out a cassette player to hear them.”
Hoffs continues, “I feel a very special connection to our early recordings. The garage of my parents’ house was our musical laboratory, and we took all the flavors of our favorite bands and mixed up a concoction of jangly guitars, McCartney-inspired bass parts, grooves powered by punk energy, and harmonies galore! These songs and recordings were our musical manifesto – all that mattered and inspired us, fueled by youthful energy, hope and blind ambition.”
Ladies and Gentlemen Track Listing:
1. Bitchen Summer/Speedway
(The Bangles/Rodney On The Roq: Volume 3, 1982 – S. Hoffs/D. Roback)
2. Getting Out of Hand
(The Bangs/debut single A-side, 1981 – V. Peterson)
3. Call on Me
(The Bangs/debut single B-side, 1981 – S. Hoffs/V. Peterson/ D. Roback)
4. The Real World
(The Bangles EP, 1982 – S. Hoffs/V. Peterson)
5. I’m in Line
(The Bangles EP, 1982 – D. Peterson/V. Peterson/S. Hoffs)
6. Want You
(The Bangles EP, 1982 – V. Peterson)
7. Mary Street
(The Bangles EP, 1982 – S. Hoffs/V. Peterson)
8. How is the Air Up There?
(The Bangles EP, 1982 – S. Duboff/A. Kornfeld)
9. Outside Chance
(unreleased demo, 1981 – W. Zevon)
10. Steppin’ Out
(unreleased demo, 1981 – M. Lindsay/Paul Revere & The Raiders)
11. The Real World
(unreleased demo, 1981 – S. Hoffs/V. Peterson)
12. Call on Me
(unreleased demo, 1981 – S. Hoffs/V. Peterson/D. Roback)
13. Tell Me
(live performance, Dingwalls London, 1984 – S. Hoffs/V. Peterson)
14. 7 & 7 Is
(live performance, The Palace, Hollywood, 1984 – A. Lee)
15. No Mag Commercial
(The Bangles, 1982)
16. The Rock & Roll Alternative Program theme song
(The Bangles, 1982)
The Bangles 2016 Tour Dates (click here for tickets):
Aug 19 – Huntington, NY – The Paramount
Aug 20 – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of The Living Arts
Aug 23 – Annapolis, MD – Ram’s Head On Stage
Aug 24 – Annapolis, MD – Ram’s Head On Stage
Aug 26 – Ridgefield, CT – The Ridgefield Playhouse
Aug 27 – New York, NY – Irving Plaza
Aug 28 – Newton, NJ – The Newton Theatre
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