Doll Revolution

Background

The Bangles reunited in 1999, releasing the song "Get the Girl" on the Austin Powers 2: The Spy Who Shagged Me soundtrack and spent the next four years touring to finance the record, which was first released in Europe in March 2003. The group resurrected their own label Down Kiddie! Records, on which they had released their debut single "Getting out of Hand" in 1981, to release the record, and struck a deal with Liberty Records, an EMI subsidiary, to distribute it in Europe. In the USA, the record was released by Koch Records in September of that year.

Including 15 songs, it is the group's lengthiest album. All tracks were co-composed by members of the band, with the exception of "Tear Off Your Own Head" which was written by Elvis Costello. Some songs had been already released in the 1990s by band members on other bands they worked with after the band split: "Mixed Messages" and "The Rain Song", written by Vicki Peterson, had been released in the Continental Drifters albums, while "Ask Me No Questions" was released by Debbi Peterson with her band Kindred Spirit. "Nickel Romeo" and "Between The Two", while never released, had been debuted by Michael Steele with her band Crash Wisdom in live shows in 1994.

The album spawned three singles. The lead single, "Something That You Said", reached No. 38 in the UK, and was a minor hit elsewhere in Europe. "Tear Off Your Own Head (It's A Doll Revolution)" and "I Will Take Care of You" were next released as singles, the latter reaching No. 79 in the UK. All three songs had lead vocals by Susanna Hoffs.

In the USA, an edition with a bonus DVD with interviews and the video to "Something that You Said" was released. In Japan, the group included as bonus tracks both songs from their first 45 single released in 1981, "Getting out of Hand" and "Call on Me" (the first time they had been released on CD), as well as an alternate mix of "Something That You Said."

Personnel