TEASED HAIR, TOUGH TRACKS

This feature spotlights noteworthy compilations and reissues. Group: The Shangri-Las.

Personnel: Mary Weiss, Betty Weiss, Marge Ganser, Mary Ann Ganser.

Album: “The Best of the Shangri-Las” (Back-Trac).

History: These two pairs of sisters (the Gansers were twins) started singing at Queens, N.Y.’s Andrew Jackson High School in the early ‘60s. Discovered by New York deejay Bob Lewis and record producer George (Shadow) Morton, the group was signed to Kama Sutra Records and then moved to the Red Bird label, where the young women scored their first hit, “Remember (Walking in the Sand)”--it made the Top 5 in September, 1964. Seven weeks later, they roared to No. 1 with “Leader of the Pack,” a song that would be both covered (by countless acts including Bette Midler and--currently--Twisted Sister) and parodied (the Detergents’ “Leader of the Laundromat”). It even provided the title for a Broadway musical starring its co-writer, Ellie Greenwich. More hits and a British tour followed. Lead singer Mary Weiss was unable to go, though, since she was only 16; her sister took over her role. By 1966 the group had released two albums, but wasn’t scoring as high on the charts. That year, Red Bird folded, the Shangri-Las retired and Mercury released a “Golden Hits” LP. Betty Weiss later died of a drug overdose and the remaining members have occasionally performed as a trio.

Sound: The Shangri-Las’ career may have been a short one, but the foursome’s records still hold up beautifully after two decades. Most of the credit has to go to Morton, who produced the group and wrote some of its songs. Only Phil Spector could match or surpass him in terms of teen-rock melodrama. Despite the fact that they weren’t the equal of most “girl groups” as singers, and though they were reportedly tough to work with, the Weiss and Ganser sisters had something special too. They were the ultimate leather-clad, teased-hair motorcycle girls with hearts of gold. There’s a tense tough/sweet dichotomy in their performances that Morton enhances with over-the-top arrangements and sound effects. This album contains the songs that were both the Shangri-Las’ biggest hits and their best numbers: the hilarious, exciting “Leader of the Pack,” the ultra-romantic “Remember” and the racing, heartwarming “Give Him a Great Big Kiss.” But the quality doesn’t fall very far on the other well-chosen tracks. This was one of the few white female outfits whose recordings stood up alongside those of the best black groups of the era.