BM: Leader Of The Pack was the second Red Bird record and the biggest one. There really wasn't a motorcycle into the studio on the session, was there?

MW: No, I've heard that, too.

BM: Yeah, because you hear it roaring away. Where did it go?

MW: Studio B! (laughs)

BM: That guy on the album cover, was he anybody special?

MW: Absolutely not! And he sure didn't look like any biker I knew!

ML: On the Red Bird recordings, they double tracked your voice sometimes...

MW: Yes, on a few.

BM: That was quite a team that you had in the studio at Red Bird - (producer) Shadow Morton, (engineer) Brooks Arthur and (arranger) Artie Butler.

MW: Absolutely! I know. You can't ever give them enough credit. The Shangri-Las was one of Brooksie's first things. That's why we're friends to this day. Brooks Arthur is extremely talented in so many areas. Artie Butler is one of the most brilliant arrangers I've ever heard. I love both those guys.

BM: Those sessions were pretty monumental. Would you come in and sing or would you get more involved in the whole process?

MW: Oh, I always stayed there. I stayed for every mixing session.

ML: Even before you had to sing your parts?

MW: Right. I was there for every step.

BM: Would they listen to your input?

MW: Oh, sure.

Left to right: Live on stage; Shangs Christmas card

BM: How much free rein did the group have on vocal arrangements? On something like say, The Train From Kansas City, that introduction is extraordinary.

MW: OK, on The Train From Kansas City, I worked hard with Jeff (Barry) on that. You can hear the flavor to it.

BM: Unmistakably the Shangri-Las.

MW: Our group, I mean even for that time period, the harmonies were unique. The blending of the voices was unique.

BM: Like Out In The Streets - flawless record. That's my absolute favorite Shangri-Las record.

MW: That's my favorite, too.

BM: Just curious, what would be your five favorite Shangri-Las records?

MW: Out In The Streets, Remember (Walking In The Sand), I Can Never Go Home Anymore, Past, Present And Future and The Train From Kansas City. I also like the Mercury record I'll Never Learn, too.

BM: Out In The Streets and Give Us Your Blessings, you look in the national charts, and they weren't real huge smash hits, but here in New York, those records were monsters. You heard them everywhere.

MW: Yes, they were biggest here. Definitely.

Left to right: Teen mag icons; industry rag gold

BM: Did you know that Out In The Streets was the last song played on WINS before they switched from rock n' roll to all news?

MW: Yes, I did. I thought that was quite touching. Very neat. There were a lot of great DJ's then. They seemed to be more involved than nowadays where it's all programmed.

BM: I dig Heaven Only Knows a lot.

MW: Really? Why's that?

BM: I guess when I bought Give Us Your Blessings as a kid and I got a great B-side, it was like getting an extra record.

MW: Oh, I hated it when the B-sides on records stunk. We always wanted both sides to be cool.

BM: Your flips were all killers -- Heaven Only Knows, The Train From Kansas City, Dressed In Black...

ML: That deliberate spoken part...

Above: The Shangri-Las on SHINDIG!

MW: I always thought Past, Present And Future was a unique sounding record. And everybody that's written about it said it was about rape. That was news to me! At the time, you need to remember, people are forgetting about the teenage angst. When somebody breaks your heart, you don't want anyone near you. Things are very different now. Kids grow up younger and younger.

ML: Right. In the Shangri-Las, you had young voices singing about pretty heavy emotional stuff. It was like "Yeah, that's how I feel." You don't have to relate to adult themes.

MW: When you're a kid, who hasn't felt like that? When somebody blows you off or hurts you, it's very traumatic.

ML: Especially having a girl's voice saying it. Other girls can relate, like, "I have real feelings."

MW: I thought we all felt like that.

BM: And your approach is so powerful. It sounds like you're crying by the end of I Can Never Go Home Anymore.

MW: I was crying. That whole sentiment...it's kinda funny because at the time I really didn't talk to my mother at all.

BM: Your vocal delivery on I Can Never Go Home Anymore and Past, Present And Future was very personal, very intimate.

MW: The studio is a very private place. I always thought it should be. Actually, at one Shangri-Las session, Mary Travers from Peter, Paul and Mary showed up. She was pregnant at the time. I was extremely impressed that she came. I would have been very nervous if I had known in advance that she was going to be there. She's a wonderful talent and a great person.

Top: In the studio; first UK trip; Bottom: Mercury LP outtake; teen fashion photo shoot (hair by Monti Rock III)

BM: Who's that singing the lead vocal on I'm Blue?

MW: Mary Ann.

BM: What do you remember about Right Now And Not Later?

MW: Not a whole hell of a lot! (laughs)

BM: Were there any songs that the Shangri-Las recorded for Red Bird that never got released?

MW: No.

ML: You must have been excited when your first album came out.

MW: All this stuff is exciting. Don't get me wrong if you're not getting that impression. It's wonderful stuff when you open BILLBOARD and you've got two pages. "There it is! All right!!!"