Disco de The Bangles: “The Essential Bangles”

I basically agree with everyone else who reviewed this CD: "Going Down to Liverpool" is missing, but my complaint goes further than that. The 1990 Greatest Hits album contained 2 tracks from their first major-label album, 'All Over the Place' ("Liverpool" being one of them). Even on the 1990 CD, the first album was barely represented. WHY? Sure, it was before they started cranking out hit singles, but it's arguably their best album of original material. On the upside, 'Essential' has included two "pre-record contract" songs, a great 1988 B-side, and a rarely-heard song from the "Goonies" soundtrack (!!) All four of these additions rank among their best work, and help give the casual listener a more well-rounded impression of their work. Also, the songs are not in order of release, which makes one better appreciate each song. On 'Grtst Hits,' you couldn't help but notice how increasingly slick, and occasionally bland, their sound became towards the end of their run. These are the reasons I rate 'Essential' higher than 'Greatest,' even though "Hero Takes a Fall" is the ONLY representaion of 'All Over the Place.' Get 'Essential,' and seek out their first album....and good luck, because it's now out of print! Such injustice!!!

If you're not familiar with the term "loudness compression", go to Wikipedia and search "loudness wars". In that article, there is also a link to an excellent You Tube audio/video demonstration of this reprehensible practice, which is being propagated by bean-counter record company executives.

The technical explanation of loudness compression is the application of an increasingly high ratio of compression to the dynamic range of a particular recording, and then increasing the gain of the recording, until the peaks have reached maximum. In layman's terms, what this means is there are no longer any quiet or loud passages in the recording, EVERYTHING is at the same volume.

Basically, the iPod is responsible for the proliferation of this practice. When music is played back thru iPod earbuds in any environment where there is ambient noise present, by having the volume artificially jacked across the entire music spectrum, you can hear the content more clearly. However, when you listen to the same recording thru a home audio system, it sounds like the music is coming thru a megaphone.

This "remaster" is a classic example of this insidious process. The original dynamic range of this record has been totally obliterated, and the vocals are nearly buried by the instruments. It's just AWFUL, and quickly tiring, to listen to.

There is a superior 2007

, containing almost every album and non-album track (see my review), which has been mastered with the correct dynamic range of the original recordings. I highly suggest acquisition of that set over this audio travesty.

For those of you who own this CD, may I please ask for an ear comparison between this "remastered" version and the 1990 Bangles Greatest Hits CD? I have the 1990 Greatest Hits, which doesn't sound bad to my ear. However the CD case says "AAD" which means it was recorded analog, mixed analog, and transferred digitally. Is this new version ADD? (And I'm not asking about attention deficit disorder) In summation, how does the audio sound head-to-head with the 1990 Best-of? Already having these songs across several CDs, some of us would appreciate an opinionated appraisal of the sound quality vs earlier releases. Thanks. Rock on Bangles! I'll always love the electric inflection that pulses in Susanna Hoffs's singing voice. It's something really special... (I wish her vocals had been more prominent in the Doll Revolution songs rather than having her share singing duties) Thanks again!

Overall, an excellent collection of hits and other rarities that benefits from the remastering job. Only the exclusion of "September Girls" and "Liverpool" prevent a 5 star rating. If you liked the gals in the 80's, I highly recommend their 2003 release "Doll Revolution" which updates the classic Bangle-ly Jangle-ly guitar sound with sweet vocal harmonies and clever hooks. It's so rare these days when a 70's or 80's band actually tops themselves 20+ years later. You go girls!