Pound For Pound: The Ronettes vs. the Shangri-Las

Who's the Best Girl Group of All Time?
Who's the Best Girl Group of All Time?

Last week as I was driving home from doing my radio show, I was blown away by “Remember (Walking in the Sand)” the first single by the Shangri-Las. Throughout much of my life I would have unequivocally said that the Ronettes “Be My Baby” was the quintessential girl group song, by the quintessential girl group. Getting back into the catalog of both groups, I started to question that, and it seemed like the perfect match-up for pound for pound. Really this could be a three way pound for pound, Which was the best girl group, the Ronettes or the Shangri-Las? Better yet, who is the original bad girl of rock’n’roll, Ronnie Spector or Mary Weiss ? (incidentally, both still perform and record) Or, who was the better producer, Phil Spector of Shadow Morton?

I’ve included a couple performances from both groups, The Ronettes from the Big T.N.T. show and The Shangri-Las on Shindig. Let me know where you stand!

4 Replies to “Pound For Pound: The Ronettes vs. the Shangri-Las

  1. probably i'm a little bit late but anyway.
    in my opinion both groups are amazing BUT: the shangri-las REALLY blew me away.
    mary's voice is so.. – unique. i mean, really, this is THE sound. ^-^
    i have to say i principally like the shangri-las voices more than the ronettes – just more to my liking.
    and i think if you compare the ronettes and the shangs, mary and the girls are a more unusual girl group because the ronettes were actually rather cute, pretty ladies and the shangs were that too but simply a bit wilder – bad girls. 😉
    the lesson is clear: they both deserve respect and it's not possible to say who's better (who's best – to quote the who ^-^) because in this case it's really about the personal opinion.

    R. I. P. to the already dead members..

    1. Never too late for these, and much appreciated comments. I agree with you that the Shangri-Las really do stand out as unique when you compare them to other girl groups, and it seems their style has remained the most influential. Thanks for chiming in!

  2. Of course, if one closes his/eyes while playing Reparata and the Del-ron's "I'm Nobody's Baby Now" the surmise would be that both groups were in the same place at the same time (along with Phil Spector).

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