The Shangri-Las, best known for the #1 smash “Leader Of The
Pack”, were perhaps the most distinctive of the 1960s “girl groups”. While
there are several collections of their material available, 20th Century
Masters: The Millennium Collection - The Best of The Shangri-Las is almost
worth picking up just for Dave Thompson’s splendid liner notes, which start as
follows:
Is she really going out
with him?
Yes, but probably not for
long.
The course of true love has never run smoothly, but few girls
ever suffered so much tragedy as the Shangri-Las. Mary, Betty, Marge and
Mary-Ann endured enough heartache, heartbreak, sadness, sorrow, disaster and death
to turn them off romance forever. They watched one boyfriend die in a head-on
motorcycle accident, saw another one drafted to Vietnam, dumped a third because
his kisses were not sweet enough, lost their mother and their innocence – yet they
still came bouncing back for more. When I say I’m in love, you’d best
believe I’m in love—LUV.
Favorite songs:
Out In The Streets
Give Him A Great Big Kiss
Remember (Walkin’ In The Sand)
I Can Never Go Home Anymore
He's good bad, but he's not evil.
ReplyDeletelol
DeleteThis week's top 40 in 1965 gave us:
ReplyDeleteFrank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Bobby Vinton, Andy Williams, and Jerry Vale;
But also:
Petula Clark, Righteous Brothers, Del Shannon, and Leslie Gore;
In addition to:
Gary Lewis and the Playboys, Jay and the Americans, the Kingsmen, Beau Brummels, and the Four Seasons;
And:
Temptations, Supremes, Dixie Cups, Marvin Gaye, Mary Wells, and Sam Cooke;
And:
Beatles, Kinks, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Dave Clark Five, Searchers, Peter and Gordon, Rolling Stones, and the Zombies:
and finally,
the Shangri-Las.
That was a good week!
It's hard to beat You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'.
DeleteAnd Tell Her No is my favorite by the Zombies (OK, only 3 to choose from).
While Shake is perfectly fine, it pales in comparison to its B-side. A Change Is Gonna Come debuts at #70.