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The Shangri-Las

One Kiss Can Lead To Another is the coolest box set ever. It contains four discs of the best in girl-group music. Not a bunch of stuff you’ve heard a thousand times either. This is deep, deep collector shit. There are songs on here that you would have to pay, like, your little toe and an ounce of blood to get the original 45 pressing of.

Sheila Burgel is the editor of the zine Cha Cha Charming, curated One Kiss, and wrote the song-by-song guide that comes with it. She knows fucking EVERYTHING about girl groups. So we interviewed her just a smidge.

Vice: When did you first get heavily into girl-group music?

Sheila: In London circa 1995 via a 60s Brit girls mixtape and a compilation called Here Come the Girls, featuring obscure British teens like Billie Davis, Tammy St. John, Maxine Darren, and even the more popular gals like Sandie Shaw and Lulu. These were some of the purest moods and melodies I’d ever heard. I fell hard.

What is your fave girl-group song and why? If you can’t pick one, you can have two.

Bernadette Castro, “A Girl In Love Forgives” (Colpix): Devastating, yet hopeful with minor-key melodies and a heart-stopping sax solo.
The Cookies, “I Never Dreamed” (Dimension): Written by the underrated master of melody, Russ Titelman. I met him for the first time a couple of months ago. He kissed my hand. I nearly fainted. You’ll know why when you hear this song.

What is the weirdest girl-group song and why?

The Tammys’ “Egyptian Shumba” is widely considered to be one of the most wacked-out girl-group records, but my vote is for Claudine Clark’s “Walkin’ Through a Cemetery,” with its insane attempt to mimic the sound of a frightened ghost.

What is the most expensive girl-group record out there?

The Crystals’ “The Screw Part I” (Phil Spector’s pisstake on the ubiquitous dance fads) will cost you upward of $4,000 as VERY few copies were pressed. I don’t know anyone who has an original copy.

What things on the box set are the most rare?

Marsha Gee’s “The Peanut Duck,” since this record only exists as an acetate, meaning there are probably no more than two or three copies in the world. And Dolly Parton’s rare girl-group moment, “Don’t Drop Out,” is proving impossible to find.

Which girl groups are criminally underappreciated?

The Chiffons, who made some mind-blowing records after “He’s So Fine” and “One Fine Day” that sold close to nothing. The Exciters, Reparata and the Delrons, Bernadette Carroll (can’t go wrong with any of her Laurie label releases), and Brit girl Billie Davis.

JUNE SPRIG
One Kiss Can Lead To Another is out now on Rhino Records.

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