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The Shangri-Las
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The Shangri-Las were an American pop music girl group of the 1960s.
The group were formed at Andrew Jackson High School in Queens, New York as the Bon Bons in 1963. They consisted of two sets of sisters: Mary Weiss (lead singer) and Elizabeth “Liz/Betty” Weiss, and identical twins Marguerite “Marge” and Mary Ann Ganser.
In April of 1964, since the girls were still minors, their parents signed for them with Red Bird Records; Mary was 15, Betty was 17, and the Ganser twins were 16. That same year, they had their first hit, “Remember (Walking in the Sand)” (US #5, UK #14), after being hired by the producer George “Shadow” Morton. Their songs for Morton featured lavish production with heavy orchestration and sound effects; their biggest hit, the renowned death disc “Leader of the Pack” (US #1, UK #11), climaxes with the sounds of roaring motorcycles and breaking glass.
The band continued to have a string of US hit records, mainly on depressing themes such as death, loneliness, and abandonment. Songs included “Past, Present and Future”, “Give Him a Great Big Kiss” and “Long Live Our Love”.
In 1966, the Shangri-Las’ subsequent two releases on Red Bird failed to make the top 50. That same year the band left Red Bird and Morton after the label folded. At the beginning of 1967, Marge decided to leave the group. Despite signing to Mercury Records that year, the group had no further hits. In 1968, they disbanded.
Mary Ann died of a drug overdose in 1970. Marge succumbed to breast cancer on July 28, 1996 at age 48.
The group were formed at Andrew Jackson High School in Queens, New York as the Bon Bons in 1963. They consisted of two sets of sisters: Mary Weiss (lead singer) and Elizabeth “Liz/Betty” Weiss, and identical twins Marguerite “Marge” and Mary Ann Ganser.
In April of 1964, since the girls were still minors, their parents signed for them with Red Bird Records; Mary was 15, Betty was 17, and the Ganser twins were 16. That same year, they had their first hit, “Remember (Walking in the Sand)” (US #5, UK #14), after being hired by the producer George “Shadow” Morton. Their songs for Morton featured lavish production with heavy orchestration and sound effects; their biggest hit, the renowned death disc “Leader of the Pack” (US #1, UK #11), climaxes with the sounds of roaring motorcycles and breaking glass.
The band continued to have a string of US hit records, mainly on depressing themes such as death, loneliness, and abandonment. Songs included “Past, Present and Future”, “Give Him a Great Big Kiss” and “Long Live Our Love”.
In 1966, the Shangri-Las’ subsequent two releases on Red Bird failed to make the top 50. That same year the band left Red Bird and Morton after the label folded. At the beginning of 1967, Marge decided to leave the group. Despite signing to Mercury Records that year, the group had no further hits. In 1968, they disbanded.
Mary Ann died of a drug overdose in 1970. Marge succumbed to breast cancer on July 28, 1996 at age 48.
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The Best Of The Shangri-Las
The Shangri-Las
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Myrmidons Of Melodrama
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Leader Of The Pack
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The Complete Collection
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Shoutbox
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IanCurtis13 wrote:
Greatest pop music ever.
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VernianProcess wrote:
Hell yes! The Train From Kansas City was so ahead of its time. I love how they replicted the train chugging sounds in the music.
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aesideusi wrote:
last week i had a dream that i rode the bus with mary weiss
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dalecavese wrote:
Footsteps on the Roof is one I've only just fallen for, classic.
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NotSoVelvet wrote:
Yeah I'm so in love with Mary Weiss. =)
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Jusov wrote:
Good Girls!!!S*!!!!
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Mirage106z28 wrote:
The most awesome girl group of the 60's, and they get my vote for the most underappreciated group as well. WAY ahead of their time (check out the lyrics of "Past, Present, Future", "Never Again", and "I'll Never Learn." They deserved a lot more credit than they ever got. AND THEY ROCK!
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Dornelas wrote:
This part of the beggining (Give him a great big kiss) was used by the New York Dolls and Nation of Ulysses. "L-U-V" Fucking great!!!!
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farfisa66 wrote:
Oh my god, I think I love the Shangri-Las more than anything else in this world. And when I say I'm in love, you best believe I'm in love, L-U-V!
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hesmonian wrote:
notice the tight jeans for the time period and the mini skirts and one piece liesure suits - all early protest clothing! the tambor in their voices doesn't make the message sweet!
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hesmonian wrote:
there is nothing little girl about the shangri las - if you think that then you are ignoring the lyrics. they are bad ass mod doo-wop era protest music ... know what you are listening too! ( re: narci91, enigmatic eskimo ) the messages are mature! leader of the pack is telling girls not to fall for the squares but go after the renegade guy, and sweet talking guy is the most misunderstood ever - it is not about a good man, but a jack ass who sounds sweet and then ditches you for another gal the next day! these aren't little girl lessons - these chicks fought for women's rights for crying out loud! frustrating to hear people say that crap ..
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LittleBigSun wrote:
are you skinned on blogspot?
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MyManMahmoud wrote:
uh
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lizsuh wrote:
foxiest girls of all time
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mickeyglitter wrote:
I love these girls so much!
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denyelseother wrote:
Thanks for the Jesus and Mary Chain.
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jezebeldaughter wrote:
they are totally shangri la ♥ ♥
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NYPClital wrote:
when aa saayyy imm in looooove you best believe im in loooove L. U. V!
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xxbrooke16xx wrote:
amazing band. they are real innovators. RIP Ellie Greenwich, she was a great writer
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narci91 wrote:
oh god I feel like a little girl when I listen to them :D <3 <3 <3 [2]
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Recent Activity
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the_euphony, jamester21, country-doctor and 8 other people added The Shangri-Las to their libraries. 35 minutes ago
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Rissacakes wrote about The Shangri-Las – I'm Blue in My top 100 songs of 2009.. Monday afternoon
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Rissacakes wrote about The Shangri-Las in My top 100 songs of 2009.. Monday afternoon
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chinaonthelinen, lani_elizabeth, orbaha and 17 other people added The Shangri-Las to their libraries. Monday morning
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westie29 tagged The Shangri-Las with the shangri-las, oldies and girl groups. last week
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13Jerrica, saucysally, Kothe11 and 4 other people added The Shangri-Las to their libraries. last week
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Rissacakes wrote about The Shangri-Las in How varied is your musical taste?. 10 days ago
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RockWerewolf, ileanus, firstthekingdom and 7 other people added The Shangri-Las to their libraries. 11 days ago
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PseudoHaptic tagged The Shangri-Las with female vocalists, pop and 60s. 14 days ago
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