Monday, February 6, 2012

Musical Interlude: Manic Monday (1986)

If they had bothered to make the feature film version of Josie & the Pussycats sooner than they did, say, about 15 years earlier, they would've had the perfect band to provide the soundtrack----The Bangles.

The all-girl group had debuted with IRS Records in the first half of the 80's, but an EP, released in 1982, went nowhere. So the Bangles signed with Columbia, and released "All Over The Place" in 1984, with the debut single, "Hero Takes a Fall", setting the tone. "Different Light", released in the winter of 1986, took off like a rocket. The first single, "Manic Monday", was written by Prince (under an assumed name) and went to #1 on the Hot 100.



Now, you try telling me that Susanna Hoffs and friends couldn't cover any of Josie's songs............

6 comments:

magicdog said...

I was listening to the Bangles almost since they've released vinyl! I've seen them perform many times and they've been pretty strong.

I remember during the IRS years they were trying to position them as the new GO-GOs (same label) but while I enjoy both bands, they aren't part of the same mold.

I even have an EP the Bangles released before bassist Michael Steele joined the group. Even then the Bangles' style was very apparent.

Yes, Susanna Hoffs could have definitely taken on Josie's best hits with ease.

hobbyfan said...

I've always believed that if H-B had thought of reviving Josie in the 80s to compete with Marvel-Sunbow's Jem, for example, they could've gotten the Bangles to provide the singing voices, and would've blown Jem away.

So it ends up filed under missed opportunities, and we all know what happened with that movie.....

magicdog said...

The movie is a sort of guilty pleasure of mine, although I agree it could have been better.

To have had a revival of Josie & The Pussycats would have been cool, since despite the likeability of Jem, I think they were a stronger "band". in fact, some folks have said the Misfits music was more fun!!

The Bangles though were too hot by then to have done the voicework, so like similar toons, it would have fallen into the hands of studio groups. Not that I mind. If done today, I can imagine some former American Idol contestants being rounded up for such work.

hobbyfan said...

This is why I said that this could've been done sooner. Remember that Susanna later was in a pre-fab band, Ming Tea, which contributed to the soundtrack of 2 of the 3 Austin Powers movies.

magicdog said...

I remember "Ming Tea"!

Although I didn't realize Hoffs was the guitarist in the 60s band flashbacks until the credits rolled.

hobbyfan said...

I had that same reaction after seeing the first film.