Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

There have been many all-female groups that have been respected and loved by the heavy pop and rock unions over the last few decades, few though have reached the heights of adoration that was focused upon the richness of songwriting and performing that could hold their own with their male counterparts that came about with groups such as The Liverbirds, The Runaways, The Go-Go’s, The Shangri-Las, Vixen and of course The Bangles.

It is to the fearless nature of these groups, the sound of guitars and driving drums, of times of high volatile projection, and songs delivered with style and a panache that many would offer their souls for, that capture the imagination of the fan, and whilst it must be acknowledged that the representation of sexuality as a source of intrigue and observation initially would have been a force to which many male fans would have spoken of, it must be noted, indeed absolutely expressed with stern absolution, that it was the unifying sound delivered by these groups, and not just a sense of harmonic vocals supplied by a set of women, that made them household names and understandably fantastic to listen to.

The new boxset of The Bangles early works, Watching The Sky, contains the three albums that the American group put out in a six-year space of time, All Over The Place, Different Light, and Everything, as well as a full cd of remixes and versions of the songs on offer during this dynamic period, is one of captivating style, and whilst many will already have the three albums mentioned as separate entities, it is when placed together, when hearing them as a continuous motion, a three act musical play as it were, that the appreciation for what the band produced becomes evident and explosive.

For Susanna Hoffs, Debbi Peterson, Vicki Peterson, and Michael Steele, the classic line up of the band to which the listener remains steadfastly in awe of, this boxset may contain more than memories, they are a demonstration of the sheer quality of their work, their ethos which pushed them to heights to which arguably others have found impossible to surpass, and the union at the time of their ability to be more than an all-female band, they were majestic.

Watching The Sky is a reminder of the magnetism of The Bangles energetic sound, raised on the British invasion from the likes of The Beatles from their American background, the persuasive, limitless view of uncontained gems still has immense pleasure more than 40 years after they first went into the studio.

Ian D. Hall