The Shang-a-lang song - Ruby Pearl and the Dreamboats

Some time ago I bought the Shang-a-lang-song single on a German pressing. I recently found out that there was a UK version with a different B-side. 'Will you stop that!' is, like the A-side, entirely produced and recorded by Marty Wilde and Peter Shelley, and is an interesting piece of music because it takes glam rock to its most annoying extremes. Hence the title, probably.

I never realised this when I wrote the previous entry about this song, but Ruby Pearl does not actually exist: in reality it was one of the many guises Marty Wilde used during the 1970's to release various singles on the Magnet label.

My collection: 7" single no. 6343
Found: Discogs.com, received 13 January 2021
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'The Shang-a-lang song' / 'Will you stop that!'

The Shang-a-lang song - Ruby Pearl and the Dreamboats

Marty Wilde wrote some catchy songs, verging on the naff sometimes. The title 'Shang-a-lang song' alone will have some people shudder. It doesn't exactly suggest a very 'deep' lyric, but it is still a pop song that will not leave your head once you've heard it.

It was released by Ruby Pearl and the Dreamboats on April 12, 1974, but never managed to reach the charts in the UK. As far as I know, this is the only single this band ever released. The song was also picked up that same year by French singer Sylvie Vartan, who had French lyrics written for her by Gilles Thibault.

My collection: 7" single no. 5793
Found: Discogs.com, received August 13, 2015
Cost: £ 2
Tracks: 'The Shang-a-lang song' / 'Holding you'

Listen to the song