Dangerous Game is an album by Mary Weiss, released by Norton Records in 2007.[2] A positively received album, Weiss was backed by the Reigning Sound.[1]
| Dangerous Game | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by | |
| Released | March 6, 2007 |
| Studio | Coyote, Brooklyn, New York |
| Genre | |
| Length | 40:17 |
| Label | Norton |
| Producer | |
Background
editMary Weiss was the lead singer of the 1960s girl group the Shangri-Las, that released a number of hit pop songs between 1964 and 1966. After their split in 1968, Weiss gave up singing, and worked for an architectural firm and as a commercial interior designer.[3]
In 2005, Weiss left her job to return to music. She was persuaded to record a solo album, despite having not sung in almost 20 years. She recalled that she did not even sing along to the car radio.[3]
Production
editInitially I didn't know how I'd feel about recording again. But when I walked back into the studio, I felt like I was home.
– Mary Weiss, 2007[4]
Billy Miller, manager at Norton Records met Weiss at a party in 2005 for Rhino Records' box set One Kiss Can Lead to Another: Girl Group Sounds Lost and Found. In 2007 she contacted him, and suggested that she might be up for recording again. Miller proposed the Memphis garage rock band the Reigning Sound as collaborators, and Weiss after download the band's catalog, gave her approval.[5]
Reigning Sound leader Greg Cartwright wrote most of the songs and a co-produced the album with Miller.[1][6]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
| Pitchfork | 7.6/10[7] |
The reception of the album was generally positive.
Pitchfork critic Jess Harvell praised the album, summarizing that "from Cartwright's reverent licks to Weiss' surprisingly sturdy vocals, Dangerous Game is a small, self-contained triumph, an understated comeback", and that "the sunny throwback simplicity of the music is what makes Dangerous Game great."[7]
Will Harris writing for Q magazine, described it as "a collection of songs which took the classic Shangri-Las sound and melded them with garage-rock sensibilities", and noted that "the end result was critically acclaimed, and [...] helped reestablish her reputation as one of the most memorable female vocalists to emerge during the 1960s."[8]
Justin Moyer writing for the Washington City Paper gave a negative review, stating that "Dangerous Game shoves a pop icon into the spotlight but fails to show why she's still relevant".[9]
Dan Forte, at Vintage Guitar magazine, praised Weiss's voice ("Weiss sounds as good as ever"), and considered that "the album is true to Weiss' style but sounds absolutely up-to-date".[6]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "My Heart Is Beating" | Greg Cartwright | 2:59 |
| 2. | "Nobody Knows (But I Do)" | Dave Abramson / Andy Maltz | 2:33 |
| 3. | "Break It One More Time" | Greg Cartwright | 3:10 |
| 4. | "Stop and Think It Over" | Greg Cartwright | 3:18 |
| 5. | "Cry About the Radio" | Greg Cartwright | 2:28 |
| 6. | "You're Never Gonna See Me Cry" | Billy Miller / Andy Shernoff | 3:50 |
| 7. | "Dangerous Game" | Greg Cartwright | 2:30 |
| 8. | "Don't Come Back" | Greg Cartwright | 3:33 |
| 9. | "I Just Missed You" | Andrew Robertson | 2:57 |
| 10. | "Stitch in Time" | Greg Cartwright | 3:20 |
| 11. | "Tell Me What You Want Me to Do" | John Felice / Richard Oakes | 3:90 |
| 12. | "Heaven Only Knows" ([a]) | Jeff Barry / Ellie Greenwich | 2:21 |
| 13. | "I Don't Care" | Greg Cartwright | 2:25 |
| 14. | "You Can Stay with Me" ([b]) | Greg Cartwright | 3:23 |
| Total length: | 40:17 | ||
The streaming version of the album has the song "A Certain Guy" as bonus track.
Notes
edit- ^ Reprising the Shangri-Las' song released on their 1965 album Shangri-Las-65!
- ^ The song ends with the sound of seagulls, a nod to the Shangri-Las' first hit "Remember (Walking in the Sand)"
References
edit- ^ a b c d Sendra, Tim (March 6, 2007). "Dangerous Game – Mary Weiss | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
- ^ "Mary Weiss". Norton Records. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
- ^ a b "Mary Weiss obituary". The Times. July 27, 2024. Archived from the original on July 27, 2024. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
- ^ Edwards, Gavin (January 20, 2024). "Mary Weiss Left Music for 40 Years -- And the Public Eye". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
- ^ "Shangri-Las' Weiss, leader of a comeback". The Philadelphia Inquirer. April 12, 2024. Archived from the original on April 12, 2024. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
- ^ a b Forte, Dan (October 27, 2008). "Mary Weiss – Dangerous Game". Vintage Guitar magazine. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
- ^ a b Harvell, Jess. "Mary Weiss: Dangerous Game". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
- ^ Harris, Will (January 22, 2024). "R.I.P., Mary Weiss: Vocalist Best Known for Fronting the Shangri-Las ('Leader of the Pack'), Dead at 75". Q Magazine. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
- ^ Moyer, Justin (March 29, 2007). "Reviewed: Mary Weiss' Dangerous Game". Washington City Paper. Retrieved October 27, 2024.