Shangri-Las singer recording with Reigning Sound

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

NORTON NEWSLETTER • DATELINE 3/20/06 • www.nortonrecords.com

LOOK OUT! LOOK OUT! LOOK OUT! LOOK OUT!
MARY WEISS TO RECORD WITH THE REIGNING SOUND ON NORTON!

Norton Records is proud to announce the signing of Mary Weiss, lead singer of the Shangri-Las, to the Norton cavalcade of stars... Mary is set for a spring NYC recording date with THE REIGNING SOUND... Billy Miller and Greg Cartwright to produce ... Mary is selecting from a batch of great new comps from today's most talked-about songwriters including Greg Cartwright, John Felice, Andy Shernoff, Jackie DeShannon and others TBA... Mary's first album of new material since 1965... Mary is geared up for her return to the studio and STAGE... and so are we! Mary was fifteen years old when she and her sister Elizabeth (Betty) began singing with identical twins Margie and Mary Ann Ganser in their Cambria Heights neighborhood of Queens, New York, as students at Andrew Jackson High School. They soon came to the attention of George "Shadow" Morton and shot into the charts with massive hits on the Red bird label including Remember (Walking In The Sand), Leader Of The Pack, Give Him A Great Big Kiss, I Can Never Go Home Anymore, Give Us Your Blessings and Out In The Streets. The Shangri-Las gave a voice to real teenagers, with Mary's explosive lead vocals delivering emotion packed melodramas that made them one of the most consistently exciting groups of the day. Look for our interview with Mary on the Norton website in April, when you will learn where she's been and where she's going, setting the record straight about her days as a teenage rock n' roll star. Says Mary: "I'm excited by the opportunity to work with Billy, Miriam, some great writers and a kick ass rock n' roll band!" Hail, Mary Weiss, ultimate cultural icon!

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Wednesday, 22 March 2006 14:12 (twenty years ago)

OMG can't wait to hear this!

― Colonel Poo (Colonel Poo), Wednesday, 22 March 2006 14:17 (twenty years ago)

"today's most talked-about songwriters including Greg Cartwright, John Felice, Andy Shernoff, Jackie DeShannon"

hee hee

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Wednesday, 22 March 2006 14:35 (twenty years ago)

"Mary's first album of new material since 1965"

And we will try to make the new one sound just like 1965.

― curmudgeon (DC Steve), Wednesday, 22 March 2006 14:58 (twenty years ago)

fcc otm

― The Day The World Turned Dayglo Redd (Ken L), Wednesday, 22 March 2006 14:59 (twenty years ago)

As a Shangri-La, this kid was the greatest actress of her generation. You cannot exaggerate the greatness and authenticity of her performances in the Shadow Morton-produced material. Better to celebrate her old work, with a special exhibit at the Rock Hall, or something, than to obliterate its memory with some crappy revival by a bunch of pot-bellied oldsters in big sweaters with lint in their hair. For cryin' out loud, you people are old -- get it through your heads.

― Faze, Wednesday, 22 March 2006 15:03 (twenty years ago)

would much rather hear new material than a reprise of the hits, though in the absence of Shadow Morton I'm skeptical.

― Thomas Tallis (Tommy), Wednesday, 22 March 2006 15:14 (twenty years ago)

I wish it could be 1965 again

― The Day The World Turned Dayglo Redd (Ken L), Wednesday, 22 March 2006 15:19 (twenty years ago)

yeah, a "special exhibit in the Rock Hall" would be much much more interesting than making a record with Greg Oblivian.

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Wednesday, 22 March 2006 15:28 (twenty years ago)

this sounds awesome.

― mts (theoreticalgirl), Wednesday, 22 March 2006 15:50 (twenty years ago)

The Oblivions fucking rule. I've never heard Reigning Sound but this is exciting as fuck.

Better to celebrate her old work, with a special exhibit at the Rock Hall, or something, than to obliterate its memory with some crappy revival by a bunch of pot-bellied oldsters in big sweaters with lint in their hair. For cryin' out loud, you people are old -- get it through your heads.

You're a fucking retard.

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Wednesday, 22 March 2006 16:10 (twenty years ago)

Reigning Sound is one of, like, five rock bands I listen to.

― Jordan (Jordan), Wednesday, 22 March 2006 16:13 (twenty years ago)

I have a crush on her - who wouldn't?

― Paul (scifisoul), Wednesday, 22 March 2006 16:29 (twenty years ago)

I don't necessarily have high hopes, but I'm looking forward to this incredibly. What a flat-out amazing, emotional singer she was! I wouldn't necessarily think that putting a 15-year-old Mary Weiss in front of Reigning Sound would work - garage rock she wasn't - but then again she isn't 15 anymore, and I wouldn't know what to expect. And she's only 5 or 6 years older than I am, so let's not get ageist.

― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Wednesday, 22 March 2006 16:31 (twenty years ago)

(Would actually like to hear her paired with the Gore Gore Girls.)

― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Wednesday, 22 March 2006 16:32 (twenty years ago)

im suprised she wasnt brought out earlier

― anthony easton (anthony), Wednesday, 22 March 2006 16:35 (twenty years ago)

this is good news. matt, i think you'd really like the reigning sound! one of the best contemporary rock n roll bands,

― Special Agent Gene Krupa (orion), Wednesday, 22 March 2006 16:38 (twenty years ago)

Matt, if you like the Oblivians, get Too Much Guitar by Reigning Sound, like now.

― Colonel Poo (Colonel Poo), Wednesday, 22 March 2006 16:40 (twenty years ago)

Reigning Sound were so good live.

― cdwill (cdwill), Wednesday, 22 March 2006 17:19 (twenty years ago)

Matt you will 100% love the Reigning Sound

― pyjamagrama (teenagequiet), Wednesday, 22 March 2006 17:26 (twenty years ago)

reigning sound has moved to the top of my purchase list. thx all.

the couple times i saw the oblivions live (esp. the first) were amazing experiences. so good.

i should listen to popular favorites when i get home.

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Wednesday, 22 March 2006 17:26 (twenty years ago)

Reigning Sound:they cancelled their gig last time in Maxwell,someone was sick(hobeoken,nj).and now youre tellung me they are good live....
rrrrr...

― cocksock, Wednesday, 22 March 2006 17:29 (twenty years ago)

frank, i wouldn't neccessarily count the reigning sound as garage rock... at least not all the time, or in a "not able to back 15 yr old shangri la" sense. check out "break up, break down" or "home for orphans".

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Wednesday, 22 March 2006 17:50 (twenty years ago)

Greg has a lot more going on, including a Dylan influence.

― Jack Cole (jackcole), Wednesday, 22 March 2006 17:56 (twenty years ago)

The Reigning Sound were supposed to have recorded an album with Eddie Kirkland, who was a John Lee Hooker sideman at one point. Don't know if it ever happened.
Also, there will be an Oblivians(with Mr. Quintron) reunion gig in Chicago in May. Tickets already sold out, of course....

― Mike Dixn (Mike Dixon), Wednesday, 22 March 2006 21:54 (twenty years ago)

Actually, she's only 4 or 5 years older than I am. Is she married?

― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Thursday, 23 March 2006 16:37 (twenty years ago)

Yes Mary's married. To me.

― Ed Ryan, Tuesday, 28 March 2006 15:10 (twenty years ago)

I'm jealous.

― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Tuesday, 28 March 2006 18:47 (twenty years ago)

Also in Mary's favor is that her accent is identical to my cousin Beth's. Beth grew up in Sheepshead Bay. I imagine that the Weiss's lived not too far from there.

― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Tuesday, 28 March 2006 19:01 (twenty years ago)

is your cousin married?

― gear (gear), Tuesday, 28 March 2006 19:03 (twenty years ago)

Beth grew up in Sheepshead Bay.

i grew up one neighborhood over from sheepshead bay and i don't talk like mary weiss!

― chillaxing damsel on box art (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 28 March 2006 19:11 (twenty years ago)

besides, cambria heights is pretty far from there.

― chillaxing damsel on box art (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 28 March 2006 19:15 (twenty years ago)

In case I end up talking about this out loud, I've never known - does her last name rhyme with "mice" or "geese"?

― morris pavilion (samjeff), Tuesday, 28 March 2006 19:19 (twenty years ago)

mice. this is probably an O RLY, but "weiss" is german for "white."

― chillaxing damsel on box art (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 28 March 2006 19:34 (twenty years ago)

Danke!

― morris pavilion (samjeff), Tuesday, 28 March 2006 19:40 (twenty years ago)

two months pass...

A recent interview, with some really cool bits:

http://www.nortonrecords.com/maryweiss/index.html

― morris pavilion (samjeff), Monday, 5 June 2006 19:22 (twenty years ago)

three months pass...

SOUNDS GOOD DUDES. GONNA BE ULTIMATE KILLER.
It's been recorded next door to where I work. I met Mary Weiss! She bought like three copies of the Mojo that talks about the record.

― disappointing goth fest line-up (orion), Friday, 22 September 2006 00:44 (nineteen years ago)

Dude...

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Friday, 22 September 2006 01:19 (nineteen years ago)

wow, i'm really looking forward to this. any more details?

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Friday, 22 September 2006 16:49 (nineteen years ago)

they're recording at coyote? i heard that place was closing soon, which sucks.

― hstencil (hstencil), Friday, 22 September 2006 16:50 (nineteen years ago)

five months pass...

Ms. Weiss was on Fresh Air yesterday:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7728783

― Tim Ellison, Wednesday, 7 March 2007 20:32 (nineteen years ago)

i ended up loving the reigning sound!

some of the stuff i've heard off this sounds awesome. there's some on myspace and i found a blog w/a song off google.

― M@tt He1ges0n, Wednesday, 7 March 2007 20:34 (nineteen years ago)

greg cartwright wrote "wait and see" and then went to nashville to record with singer george soulé, who covers it sublimely on the 2006 take a ride. cartwright plays guitar on nearly every song.

― whisperineddhurt, Thursday, 8 March 2007 15:46 (nineteen years ago)

Is there a release date/title etc for this yet?

― Colonel Poo, Thursday, 8 March 2007 16:03 (nineteen years ago)

I spent a few hours last December looking for some of this material and only found one song. It was good not great. Can't remember the name, it was on a radio show.

― Billy Pilgrim, Thursday, 8 March 2007 16:05 (nineteen years ago)

she sounded so tentative on fresh air. not used to being interviewed about her life in a long time no doubt. but TG was gentle with her i thought. and it was interesting to hear. her voice sounded way rusty on the one rockin' tune they played from the new album but the slower number that mary picked to play sounded very cool. nice to hear that voice again. and it really is that voice even after all this time and her not being a kid anymore.

― scott seward, Thursday, 8 March 2007 16:12 (nineteen years ago)

I see that the press has finally geared up for this release. That's what I get for skipping a couple weeks of the new yorker. Anyway, I like the reigning sound but it's certainly not an obvious match--maybe it'll work, maybe not. I don't have too high expectations for the music, though I can't wait to see the new york show when it gets scheduled

― Billy Pilgrim, Thursday, 8 March 2007 16:18 (nineteen years ago)

A big NY Times article the other day also.

― curmudgeon, Thursday, 8 March 2007 16:31 (nineteen years ago)

This guy's blog has the links to those articles, including a new york magazine article.

― Billy Pilgrim, Thursday, 8 March 2007 16:34 (nineteen years ago)

listen to the fresh air interview. they play (most of) two songs. sounds better than the stooges.

― scott seward, Thursday, 8 March 2007 16:40 (nineteen years ago)

record's out.
i like it, but not as much as other dudes do.

get the new(old) dictator's single on norton!

― ian, Thursday, 8 March 2007 18:48 (nineteen years ago)

heard it today for first time, and there are a few really nice songs on there, including but not necessarily limited to "nobody knows (but i do)," "you're never gonna see me cry" and "cry about the radio." her voice is amazingly intact. maybe not singing all those years helped her preserve it! i could do without the shangri-las remake ("heaven only knows"), though, and it's unclear anyone needed another version of "a certain girl" (done here as "a certain guy").

― fact checking cuz, Thursday, 8 March 2007 18:55 (nineteen years ago)

"A Certain Guy" is just on the single, yes?

― Tim Ellison, Thursday, 8 March 2007 19:11 (nineteen years ago)

looks like I might be reviewing this one. anyone else heard the new dee-troit cobras mainly covers record? pretty cool

― whisperineddhurt, Thursday, 8 March 2007 20:17 (nineteen years ago)

"A Certain Guy" is just on the single, yes?

i'm listening digitally, and it's part of the official digital album.

― fact checking cuz, Thursday, 8 March 2007 20:37 (nineteen years ago)

are we talking about the old ernie k-doe song "a certain girl" "been in love with a long long time, what's her name, can't tell it"?

― whisperineddhurt, Thursday, 8 March 2007 22:03 (nineteen years ago)

yeah, that's the one.

― Tim Ellison, Thursday, 8 March 2007 22:10 (nineteen years ago)

Check out M.Weiss/RS March 13th on Conan!!!!!!

― will, Thursday, 8 March 2007 22:23 (nineteen years ago)

eMusic has it now in case you can't wait until the actual release date. I love it! A bit heavy on the ballads but coming after the Stooges 'comeback' album, this is a welcome relief.

― Jeff K, Saturday, 10 March 2007 16:36 (nineteen years ago)

Got this off Slsk yesterday, I'll probably listen to it at work next week if I have time.

― Colonel Poo, Saturday, 10 March 2007 16:39 (nineteen years ago)

R. Meltzer to thread for classification of the tongue in "Stitch in Time."

― Tim Ellison, Saturday, 10 March 2007 21:08 (nineteen years ago)

...No Mary Weiss at the Reigning Sound show tonight at South Paw. Did get the new record though.

― Billy Pilgrim, Monday, 12 March 2007 04:30 (nineteen years ago)

greg cartwright free in-store tonight @ 7pm at academy in williamsburg
96 north 6th st.
bedord ave L stop.

was also at that southpaw show last night; great as always.

― ian, Monday, 12 March 2007 15:05 (nineteen years ago)

Great on Conan!

― Tim Ellison, Wednesday, 14 March 2007 15:43 (nineteen years ago)

Agreed. watched it on tivo this morning

― Billy Pilgrim, Wednesday, 14 March 2007 15:44 (nineteen years ago)

yeah overall they sounded great. Mary's voice sounds a little worn, but suitable. I couldn't really hear Greg's vocals at all (gtr was excellent tho) and the new bassist chick from the Tough & Lovely seemed to be pulling punches with the backup vocals in the chorus.

― will, Wednesday, 14 March 2007 16:19 (nineteen years ago)

absolutely amazing at sxsw on thursday night. other people i know who were there complained that her voice was mixed too low and/or didn't have enough presence. these people are insane. after a tentative start, she started really getting into the performance with all the tough-chick charm you could possibly hope for. she looks utterly fabulous (she looks, in fact, like a 40-year-old hipster chick from williamsburg), sounds pretty damn great and, despite demanding that the spotlight on her be turned off, she looked deliriously happy to be onstage and rocking. shangri-las songs performed: "train from kansas city," "remember (walkin' in the sand)," "give him a great big kiss." best song performed: the new album's "stop and think it over." shangri-las song strangely not performed: "heaven only knows," which she remakes on the new album.

she was one of two nearly 60-year-old rockers i saw at major sxsw showcases, the other being some wild-eyed bare-chested dude who wants to be your dog. she was easily the best.

― fact checking cuz, Monday, 19 March 2007 03:02 (nineteen years ago)

Some really good video from Cleveland gig:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRnMzzGlMQA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVntAkCOh-Y&mode=related&search=

― Tim Ellison, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 17:35 (nineteen years ago)

two years pass...

Is this now a record you can buy in shops and stuff, or is it still "forthcoming"?

― The Real Dirty Vicar, Saturday, 28 March 2009 13:33 (seventeen years ago)

this record has been out for a few years.
http://www.amazon.com/Dangerous-Game-Mary-Weiss/dp/B000N3SSQC/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1238254584&sr=8-1

― ian, Saturday, 28 March 2009 15:36 (seventeen years ago)

I am interested.

― The Real Dirty Vicar, Sunday, 29 March 2009 17:35 (seventeen years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.