I’m guessing you’re only familiar with their big radio hits, which aren’t the most representative. I agree with bienville (post #11 above) that if you compare the entire output of both bands, the Bangles come out better.
In the concert video that River Hippie linked to in the other thread, they certainly don’t come across as “total synthetic crap.”
What do you mean by “synthetic” here? Have you actually listened to the album All Over the Place? It’s got great guitar-driven rock and pop on there, with great vocal harmonies. Here’s a link to the Youtube playlist for that album.
The thing about the Bangles is that their hits tended to be their worst stuff (Walk Like an Egyptian excepted, but that’s also mostly their producer and not them). And, if you only know their hits, you don’t know anything they actually wrote. They wrote the majority of All Over the Place and it rocks hard. I think they let other people tell them what to do too much, at the cost of the soul of the band.
By contrast, in the case of the Go-Gos, their hits are their strongest songs. Our Lips are Sealed is a great, great song in catchiness and substance.
In a dream world, I’d have Jane Wiedlin with the rest of the Bangles in a group.
Otherwise, I’d take the Bangles over the Go-Gos, but only as long as they promise to never sing, nay, never even mention, Manic Monday.
Actually, just the reverse. 
But Hoffs just repels me. Cute ass, but that’s about it.
As a band I find the Bangles ok. I won’t lean over and switch stations if a song of theirs comes on. But the Go-Gos…for them I crank it up and sing along.
The GoGos were bigger in the earlier 1980’s while the Bangles success peaked in the later 80’s if I am not mistaken?
I would wager that Belinda Carlisle had the better voice than Susanna Hoffs, the latter’s voice is a bit too whiny and grating at times. But I don’t know much of their material beyond the popular hits. I am curious though, especially in regards to some Bangles songs people have mentioned as being great.
I can’t say which band is better.
Would not let me edit, so I will add that I like some songs of each respective group.
By the way Belinda’s voice can sometimes sound like Stevie Nicks.
A lot of people seem to forget that, although not unattractive, Carlisle was a bit of a frumpy porker during her GoGo days. It was only with the release of her solo album that she toned-up into a real hottie!
Not saying you don’t know this (or that it matters especially), but Manic Monday was written by Prince…
Out of the Go-Gos, my crush was Charlotte Caffey. Back row, far right.
Susannah Hoffs from the Bangles.
The Bangles had more songs that I liked. But the songs of the Go-Gos, the ones I liked, I REALLY liked.
The Bangles also wrote better songs. My favorite of theirs from all time is Return Post.
Well, I couldn’t choose a favorite between the two if I tried … I loved both groups.
I got cable shortly after MTV went live, and it wasn’t too long after that when Our Lips Are Sealed hit real hard. One of the best pop songs ever. Of course, being a guy, I thought all the GoGos were attractive, but I fell in love with Gina Schock, the drummer. Watching her play in the background, wailing on the drums like she was pissed at them.
I read an article somewhere that said ‘if you like the GoGos, you will like the Bangles’. I found their EP at the time that had a different bass player than Steele (from the original Runaways), and liked it. They said their influences were The Beatles, The Byrds and Buffalo Springfield, and their next album sure sounded like it, both musically and lyrically.
I didn’t follow the individual girls as they split off and did solo work. I picked up the first Susanna Hoffs album and like a couple of songs, but It didn’t sound “Bangle-ey”, so I haven’t listened to it in years.
Belinda Carlisle had some good hits on her own, but I liked her as part of the band much more.
Charlotte Caffey did a ‘solo’ album with a couple of other girls (including Meredith Brooks before she had a hit with Bitch). Called The Graces, it was slick and well made. It was the first CD I ever bought, so I loved the clean sound and mixing.
I think this is a great album. You seldom heard Charlotte sing much with the GoGos, but on this album she is the lead on several songs, and she has a very good voice. This is one of the few albums I have that I like every song on it. It is one of the best albums I have ever heard and regret that The Graces never put out another.
I think that factoid popped up in whichever of Smapti’s #1 hits threads was for the right year.
Put me down for “it doesn’t matter especially.” Because it really doesn’t. The Bangles, not Prince, inflicted this song on the wider world. (And it continues to get inflicted. I heard it over the sound system in the grocery store just a couple of weeks ago. At moments like those, I visualize Doonesbury’s Uncle Duke character pulling a gun out and firing a few bullets through the speaker.)
At the time, we found it hard to take her seriously as a drummer, as you can see her counting out loud in the videos. If you have to be your own metronome, I don’t think you are a good drummer.
Though I admit as I got older I don’t hate their songs as much.
With this talk of 80s alt rock girl groups, what about Bananarama? How do they fit?
Bananarama weren’t really rock at all.
The band-element elimination bracket:
Vocals: GoGos by a slim margin. Belinda has much greater vocal range and ability than any individual Bangle, but the Bangles come a near second with strong sharing of vocals among all members.
Guitar: Bangles a clear winner. Vicki Peterson plays at near guitar-immortal level, a true lead-guitar rock goddess. She works the crowd, rocks hard, sells the chops. Having solid rhythm with Hoffs behind here is icing on the cake. GoGos are merely serviceable with Wiedlin, fun simple riffs but nothing to write home about.
Bass: Bangles a contested win. Michael Steele outplays and out stage-presences Caffey. Caffey gets points for in general more creative and catchy beats.
Drums: GoGos, uncontested by a mile. Gina Schock’s drumming is hall-of-fame worthy, she is the true core of the GoGos, there are very few bands that I can focus purely on the drumming while listening and still be massively entertained.
Total Package: A tie, no winner, sorry folks. Both bands have some weak spots, but their strengths give them deserved success at the tops of the charts.
Staying Power: I think the Bangles music will survive a bit longer into later generations. Their reunions and continued tourings still show them off as professional musicians and rockers. The GoGos reunions seem more like sloppy nostalgia celebrating the past, buddies reminiscing about old times only to forget each other as soon as the lights come back on. Bangles recordings aren’t as easily pigeon-holed into the '80s power-pop vibe like the GoGos.
Wrong: Gogos, The Gogos, The GoGo’s, etc.
Right: The Go-Go’s.
Just FYI.
Oh: And Walk Like an Egyptian is a particularly horrid song. Nerve grating.
I’m not going to disagree with you there. But that’s not a typical Bangles song. Their radio hits really did tend to be stuff that was atypical for them. Maybe “In Your Room” comes somewhat close to what I would consider their more usual stuff, as far as songs of theirs you may have heard on the radio. It was a later single (from the same album as “Eternal Flame,” but it captured some of their early energy.) If the question was Go-Go’s vs Bangles in terms of music I’d most likely hear on the radio then, yes, to me, clearly the Go-Go’s hits are better than the Bangles hits. (I’m defining the Go-Go’s hits as “We Got the Beat” and “Our Lips Are Sealed” and the Bangles as “Walk Like an Egyptian,” “Manic Monday,” and “Eternal Flame.”) But the whole work? Bangles.
Not only were they not rock, but I don’t know if they even qualified as a real ‘band’. I always felt the were a Britney Spears-type thing. They were hired & formed based on their good looks. They’re big hit, Venus, was a remake. Did they ever actually write anything? Or ever tour?
“Cruel Summer” was their first major hit in the US, and they are credited with it, along with producers Steve Jolley and Tony Swain (but, yes, few of their songs were solely credited to only themselves. The originals were typically them + Jolley and Swain.)
They formed independently, though. Two of the three members were friends since childhood, and the third they met in fashion school. They weren’t some sort of masterminded girl pop group like the Spice Girls or anything like that.
Ok. Wasn’t one of them also married to The Eurythmics Dave Stewart?
Yes. Siobhan Fahey.
Banarama were a group, not a band. No clue why that matters, but it does.
Also, it’s Eurythmics, no “the”.
Huh. I always thought they were, mostly because “Fun Boys Three” seemed to come off the same assembly line. And you don’t typically see a lot of independent singing groups, and the successful ones always seem to be made and backed by a label.
