Customer Reviews

Dangerous Game

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I think I was only 12 when the Shangra-Las began their distintive string of hits in the mid-1960's. Most youth living in NYC at that time would likely identify with the regionalist attitude that music conveyed.

I purchased this CD more out of curiosity than nostalgia. The early strong reviews are quite accurate. When initially listening to the first few selections I felt awkward. It was like meeting a valued friend after many years when you are not quite sure there is still any common ground between you. However, by the third song I was so overwhelmed by the quality of the material and "that voice"; I was just consumed with enjoyment.

This collection is a cohesive effort by the main songwriter, the musicians, the producer, as well as Ms. Weiss. It displays a level of intimacy among the performers that is rarely achieved in popular music. The Reigning Sound are excellent. The producer had a clear vision of what he hoped to create and accomplished it "big time". There are 14 songs on this disk and not one is a clunker! The ballads are all stand outs. "Cry About the Radio" and "Stitch in Time" may prove to be modern classics.

I hope this body of work gets the attention and success it so richly deserves. May it lead to a long collaboration. This CD is not an anachronism, instead it is vital contemporary music. I no longer view this performer in terms of what she did in the past but on what she will do in the future.

When I was 12, I did not appreciate the unique and expressive vocalist that Mary Weiss is. " But kids...kids don't know s--t".

The voice is a bit deeper now, certainly more mature, more knowing. When Mary Weiss was with the Shangri-las she was just a girl, hardly more than a child, but even then--musically untrained, unschooled, just a kid with an urgent gift--she gripped a lyric and wrung from it all the emotion it had. Dangerous Game is Mary's first full recording in four decades, and her first-ever solo effort. So many of us who regard the Shangri-las as artists, and as purveyors of a new sort of opera, hoped that one day Mary would return to the studio. But the stories of crummy contracts, stolen royalties, lawsuits, the enervating grind of other people's perfidy, made a return of any sort seem wildly unlikely. But it happened, and so now we consider the new, mature voice, which has the inflection and intonation of the girl-Mary, and additional power and emotional depth earned by living. Well served by songs that are mindful of Mary's range and persona, and by whip-smart backup from the Reigning Sound, the CD reveals that young Mary's talent was real (no surprise), and that, just by being herself all those years ago, she invented punk. Listen to her now, on this new recording, and you hear the ghost of Joey Ramone and the stylings and attitude of numberless other performers who wowed 'em at CBGB's and other New York clubs when Mary was running a business completely unrelated to music. Mary was busy with other things but her voice continued to be heard in the defiant, unrepentant cry of punk. Her artistry remains direct and pure; she's without pretension, and as bracing as a stinging drink splashed in your face. "Stop and Think it Over"--with "over" determinedly sung as "o-vuh," as the girl used to sing it; this is New York, this is Mary Weiss, sounding fine, looking slim, pretty and proud. It took ages for her to return but it's good because she didn't do it until it felt right, until she knew she was ready to let loose again. Ya got me as to the identity of the Queen of Rock, but Mary Weiss is in the game and in the running. Please: more.

Triumphant return for one of the absolute greatest voices of rock. Thank god (and Mary Weiss) that the material and the band are up to the task of representing/re-presenting Mary Weiss without a single weak moment. Not one "uh-oh, thats too bad" micro-second. Amazing. Of course, it may just be that Mary Weiss singing pretty much anything that she likes is gonna stop you in yer tracks. It will me. She's simply brilliant.

Also, a single listen lays obvious the huge influence she has had over so much that came after her earlier work. There is certainly little out of NYC that doesn't bear her mark, from Patti Smith to the Ramones and beyond, and the material here is as informed by that catalogue as it was by hers (thank God again, and Greg Cartwright who wrote 9 of the 14 tracks). That makes this my favorite record of the year, and puts it on my desert island list.

Production, mastering and mixing are at a level that it sounds better on the best equipment (that means its very good indeed, as the best gear will reveal more weaknesses). For those that care, this was reviewed by me on a Naim CD5 w/flatcap outboard pwr srce, to an RSA Raptor headphone amp loaded with old telefunkins, through a pair of Grado PS1 headphones. It is such a treat to have that voice in very high quality sonics! And if you wanna feel 40 years younger play it on a car system with 1 speaker cause its gonna shine like that too!

I have one question though, is Dave Amels at least an honorary member of The Reigning Sound?

If you're a Shangs fan at all, you'll probably like this one. Mary's signature voice has aged well - almost not aged at all. But the biggest difference between this and so many other re-tread albums by '60s artists is the quality of the songs. This is no schlock release bent on hooking the nostalgia market. The songs and back-up singers/musicians work well with Weiss' vocals, and some of the song have just the right amount of the old Shadow Morton angst, but not so much that they're too "ingenue" for a mature singer.

Capturing the classic 60s sound, Mary Weiss in her first solo effort does it in style. The voice, the band, the songs all come together. From the opening licks of My Heart is Beating, to the touching end of You Can Stay With Me conjure up images of the Shangri-Las, The Ronnettes, Del Shannon, Carol King and Bruce Springsteen.
This is a must for anyone who loves the 60s sound.

THE REVIEW HAS BEEN MODIFIED TO CORRECT AN ERROR ON MY PART ABOUT THE STATUS OF SURVIVING MEMEBERS OF THE ORIGINAL GROUP

Mary Weiss, who might be considered "the face of the Shangri-las by many, has released a new album! Gosh, it's like finding out that the Last Scion is writing an autobiography.

If you were male and anywhere within hailing distance of puberty when the Las were in their prime, then you knew what TOUGH looked like and - far, far, far more to the point - what it was supposed to sound like.

I grew up in Jersey, hard by the refineries along the Kill van Kul. It was a time of transition. The hoods were beginning to lose their dominance and Rock 'n' Roll was shifting away from its foundations. Surf music was on the rise; pop sounds were taking over the charts...the British Invasion was still over the horizon. But, girl groups were still hitting the charts.

Into this maelstrom, the Shangri-Las stepped with an appearance and sound that was like nothing else. Looking tough as nails and sounding sweet as wine, the Las were the girls you yearned to date but you knew you never would because they would always be dating someone older.

It didn't stop you loving them and living the mini-operas that were their songs.

Over the decades since they disbanded, it had been quiet. Fakes toured under the group name; three of the Las passed on; they were denied entry to the Rock and Roll hall of Fame - H*ll, that's a bigger honor than getting in these days.

Then, a note in the music press: Mary Weiss is recording an album.

I approached this album with great trepidation. 40 years after the fact, what could one hope and pray for, let alone expect? After all, The Who are a virtual parody of themselves and Roger has - d*mm*t to H*ll and back again - lost his voice. Ronnie Spector had that ghastly album and then followed it with that way-too-many-drinks-before-the-presentation speech at the Rock Hall Induction dinner. The Stooges? Well, that's the reason to have some hope, isn't it?

And so, I bought the album.

You know what? It's good...really, really good. Maybe it is even great. But, what was surprising for me was that my first reaction wasn't about Mary. It was, instead, about the astonishing band backing her and writing a good portion of the songs. It's the Reigning Sound and they bring a stripped down simplicity to these sounds that - while at odds with the Spectorish/Brill sound that Shadow Morton (A GENIUS!) used with the Las in the 60s - bring an underpinning of maturity and wisdom to Mary's presentation.

This is probably the best thing that could have occurred! While I would crawl through glass and whatever else to hear her do Las songs, the intimacy of this album's production is every bit as important as the singer and the band.

It's good to see and hear someone who clearly, without a doubt, looks back on their life and can smile about all the times and places and people that were experienced. Something else: the voice is better than ever!

Mary: you did great! Please don't wait another 40 years.

Let's just suppose for a moment that Mary Weiss had been recording for the last forty years between Remember (Walking in the Sand) and, to pick one song from Dangerous Game (the title track one of my least favorites on the CD, BTW), Nobody Knows, where would she rank in the collection of great women singers? Top Ten, easy. Probably Top Five. This is a terrific work -- the sixties, the eighties and a little 21st century punk on one disc. The rockers (current favorite Don't Come Back) are better than the slow ones, but downloaded or bought in CD form, this long-overdue return is way worth the money. And a big thumbs up to the band, Reigning Sound. Their urgent, hard-edged playing adds a lot to the Weiss vocals. Great stuff.

I grew up in era where every genre of music was on one radio station and everybody has a disticnt sound!! (If I misspell anything, Sorry!!) The girl groups from the Redbird label were the Leader of the Pack. And speaking of the Leader of the Pack, The music of the Shangra-La's was a bit grittier than the rest mainly because of the Shadow Morton production and the amazing vocals of Mary Weiss. Mary is back with an exceptional album that shows that she hasn't lost a thing even though she hasn't recorded in 40 years.

The band she plays with is tight and the songs are well written and produced and Mary proves that yes the veterans can maintain their individuality and sound as current as the new artists of today. The CD is a "must have" to anyone who just enjoys great music and isn't hung up on
genres.

Great rock and roll from an old master. Mary Weiss has reappeared on the scene with a unique sound, great backing with a Spectorian 'Wall' - Great stuff, lets have some more Mary!!

For those of us who have been Shangri-Las fans since their first big hits in 1964, the return of Mary Weiss to the recording studio is quite literally a dream come true. Dangerous Game, her first-ever solo album, is a stunning collection of songs from start to finish. To hear Mary's wonderful, unique voice again on brand new material is something I had always hoped for, but wasn't sure would ever happen. The seemingly insurmountable, decades-long obstacles touched on in the other reviews have been pushed aside for the most part by Ms. Weiss deciding that NOW was the time to sing again. And perfect timing it is, with Norton Records as her new label, and The Reigning Sound providing the music on 14 terrific tracks. From the first notes of My Heart Is Beating, with castinets, organ, and drums swirling around Mary's energetic vocals, to the tender cello backing of You Can Stay With Me, The Reigning Sound evokes the creative freshness of the Red Bird days in a new and contemporary setting. Greg Cartwright is a gifted songwriter, and with Mary as his muse, has contributed the bulk of the material on Dangerous Game, including the jazz-like title track. Don't Come Back, the first single, along with the marvelous I Just Missed You, evoke Blondie and The Ramones, and remind us that The Shangri-Las had tremendous influence on both groups. Break It One More Time and Stitch In Time are beautiful ballads that allow Mary full range of that signature aching quality in her voice which made her 60's recordings so memorable. You're Never Gonna See Me Cry is probably the closest reference to the Girl-Group sound, a shimmering rhythmic track with bells, double-tracked vocals and even a spoken part in the musical bridge, making it one of the most irresistible standouts on the disc. In a very different vein, I Don't Care is another compelling track, with it's rambling Dylan style feel. You can just picture Bleecker Street in this song, and it's one of my favorites, especially with Mary's reading of the wonderful lyrics: "When you try to tell a lie, you look down in to your shoes/I could learn to read your face, but I've already heard the news", and "You told me repeatedly, you had age beyond your years/You don't need to scream your mantra, standing so close to my ears". You Can Stay With Me, the closing track, is equally evocative, and is given a heartfelt, gorgeous reading by Mary: "Never assume/A steady hand guides the loom/When you're spinning, out of control/Turn your anchors to the shore, no one to catch them anymore/No one to forgive the things you do/When there's only me and you, you can stay with me". As the final guitar chords drift away from this last track, sounds of the sand and surf appear in the fade, calling to mind her first big hit so long ago, and bringing Mary Weiss full-circle in a career that I hope will have no further interruptions. This is a truly splendid album, and I can't wait for Mary's next one!