The main recording of this early period is an August 1975 demo session, bootlegged and later released as the 1993 album Born to Be Bad, with Steele playing bass and singing lead vocals on most songs.

[6] Steele's departure from the group has been given several interpretations—her own account being that she was fired by manager Kim Fowley for refusing his sexual propositions and calling the band's debut single "Cherry Bomb" stupid.

In addition to All Over the Place, in 1984 Steele also wrote and recorded the political spoken-word piece "El Pollo Loco" for the double LP compilation Neighborhood Rhythms.

[10] In addition to playing melodic and often intricate basslines, Steele sings lead on two songs: a cover of Big Star's "September Gurls", later credited for belatedly bringing songwriter Alex Chilton a large income from royalties, and the self-penned "Following", a stark and introspective ballad far from the glossy sound and more standard lyrical themes of Different Light's other tracks.

[13] Rolling Stone magazine praised "Following" upon the album's release as its standout song, a dark composition that pointed the band in new jazz and folk directions, only some of which were explored.

Despite lingering controversy about the extent to which session musicians were employed on the album, Steele is the only band member confirmed not to have been overdubbed, an achievement she later joked was only because Kahne "ran out of money".

In terms of Steele's career, Everything also reflects her development as a songwriter, with her three songs, "Complicated Girl", "Something To Believe In" and "Glitter Years" being the most she had written on an album to this point.

[17] By the late 1990s, the Bangles agreed to reunite, with Steele being the last holdout, only joining the reunion with the expectation that they would focus on releasing new material and not become a "Dick Clark oldies band".

[19] In this period Steele also contributed guest bass parts to two albums by Lisa Dewey, playing on Weather Changer Girl (2000)[20] and Busk (2004).