Everything is the third studio album by American pop rock band the Bangles. It was released on October 18, 1988 through Columbia Records. Just like its predecessor, Everything produced a US Top 5 hit ("In Your Room"), and a number one single, "Eternal Flame", which became a chart-topper in almost every major country around the world.
The 2008 CD reissue on the Wounded Bird label (WOU 4056) adds a bonus track: "In Your Room" (12" Remix). Two songs that were recorded for the album but not included were "What I Meant to Say", written by Debbi and Vicki Peterson and sung by the former, which was released as the B-side of "Eternal Flame", as well as "Everything I Wanted", co-written and sung by Susanna Hoffs and released in 1990 on Greatest Hits.
Despite its chart success, Everything failed to meet sales expectations. It subsequently became the group's last album before their nine-year hiatus from 1989 to 1998.
Contents
Critical reception
In their review, Billboard commented that Everything "should do the trick again for the quartet" following the success of the Bangles' previous album Different Light, adding that Davitt Sigerson's production "gets the most out of the band, whose trademark harmonies are as bright as ever; playing and songwriting are uniformly fine." Cashbox noted the influence of Alex Chilton, the Beatles, and the Mamas & the Papas and described Everything as "more of the same – go-go '60s girl-guitar-pop with sweet harmonies and plentiful hooks – which is a blessing for radio listeners everywhere. The lead vocals are democratically distributed, but all the tunes are good to excellent."
Rolling Stone critic Jimmy Guterman commented, "Bangle members wrote or co-wrote everything on Everything, and new producer Davitt Sigerson, who helped David and David make their dark visions palatable to the masses, encourages the Bangles to kick hard into their songs ... by taking more chances, the Bangles sound more comfortable than they have since their 1982 EP Bangles ... their harmonies are the clearest and most evocative they've ever been – their voices float, coalesce and soar. The only problem is the lyrics. The Bangles are indeed comfortable on Everything, but the flip side to being comfortable is being complacent. The words of 'Bell Jar,' 'Glitter Years' and several other songs circle around ideas without zeroing in, settling for cliché when they give up on precision. But the lyrics are balanced by the strong music, which is everything the quartet wants it to be."
Personnel
The Bangles
Susanna Hoffs – lead and backing vocals, guitars, percussion
Vicki Peterson – lead and backing vocals, lead and rhythm guitars, mandolin
Michael Steele – bass, lead and backing vocals, guitars, percussion
Debbi Peterson – drums, percussion, lead and backing vocals
Additional musicians
Darryl Citizen – "noise"
Paulinho da Costa – percussion
Bobby Donati – guitar on "Some Dreams Come True"
Vinnie Vincent – 12-string guitar on "Make a Play for Her Now"
Tommy Morgan – harmonica
Jim Snodgrass – tabla
David Lindley – classical guitar, bouzouki, saz, dobro
John Philip Shenale – keyboards, programming
Walker Igleheart – keyboards, programming
David White – keyboards, programming
William Jones – sitar (uncredited)
Production
Producer – Davitt Sigerson
A&R – Ron Oberman
Engineer – John Beverly Jones
Additional Recording – Ken Felton
Assistant Engineers – Ken Felton and Joe Schiff
Recorded at Ocean Way Recording and Studio 55 (Los Angeles, CA).
Mixed by Frank Filipetti at Studio 55.
Mastered by Doug Sax at The Mastering Lab (Los Angeles, CA).
Art Direction – Nancy Donald and Tony Lane
Artwork – Lesley Schiff
Logo Design – David Coleman
Photography – Sheila Rock
Management – Miles Copeland III, Ian Lloyd-Bisley and Pamela Turbov at Firstars, Inc.