The air in the garage was thick with the scent of old gasoline and mildewed cardboard. It was a Saturday afternoon, late autumn, and I was running a reel-to-reel copy of a dusty compilation I’d scored for almost nothing—a worn, second-generation tape simply labeled ’60s Queens Pop.’ The sound through my small, vintage amplifier was appropriately lo-fi; the tape hiss a constant, low, shushing counterpoint to the music.
Then, “Right Now And Not Later” dropped.
It was The Shangri-Las, yes—the sound of Mary Weiss’s voice was unmistakable, a perfect blend of vulnerability and street-smart defiance. But the grit, the cinematic sweep of crashing motorcycles and spoken-word melodrama that defined their biggest hits, was conspicuously absent. This was something different. This was a smooth, urgent piece of music, built on a pulse that felt less like a teenage tragedy and more like a feverish plea outside a tenement door at midnight.
The Career Context: A Sudden Pivot on Red Bird
Released in 1965 on the legendary Red Bird label, “Right Now And Not Later” was a key track on their second album, Shangri-Las-65!. By this point, The Shangri-Las were at the absolute peak of their creative, if chaotic, run. They were the reigning queens of “death discs” and tough-girl anthems, the leather-jacketed counterpoint to the Supremes’ Motown polish. Producer George “Shadow” Morton had perfected their operatic, angst-ridden style with “Leader of the Pack” and “Remember (Walkin’ in the Sand).”
Yet, this particular single marked a curious, almost jarring pivot in their sound. The songwriting and production credits tell the story: this track was handled by a different team, Robert Bateman, Ronald Moseley, and Kenny Hollon, rather than the usual triumvirate of Morton, Jeff Barry, and Ellie Greenwich. Robert Bateman, in particular, was an ex-Motown writer and producer—a fact which explains the sudden infusion of Detroit soul into the quartet’s New York melodrama.
The choice to bring in a production team with deep Motown roots was a gamble for Red Bird. It placed the group in direct, stylistic competition with the very acts their image was designed to contrast. While it only achieved a brief, low-ranking appearance on the national charts, the song is a brilliant anomaly, a demonstration of the girls’ vocal dexterity outside of their established niche. It asks the listener to adjust their ear, to accept their tough girls shedding the narrative armor for pure, emotional songcraft.
Deconstructing the Arrangement: Smooth Grit
The instrumentation of “Right Now And Not Later” is a masterful example of mid-sixties R&B arrangement, tightly woven and dynamically precise. It’s an arrangement that demands careful listening, especially if you invest in premium audio equipment. The rhythm section is locked down, driving the tempo forward with a sophisticated insistence unlike the more shambolic, echo-laden approach of Shadow Morton.
The foundation is an almost Northern Soul-like bass line, prominent and ceaseless. Over this, a clean, sharp guitar cuts through, providing brief, syncopated chord stabs in the verses and a few quick, blues-tinged fills. Crucially, the piano is used not for sweeping dramatic chords, but for bright, percussive accents, a clear sonic nod to the Hitsville U.S.A. sound. The brass section—reported to feature a powerful baritone saxophone—lends a smoky, muscular texture to the mix, pushing the urgency Mary Weiss delivers in the lead vocal.
Mary’s voice is the star, of course. Here, she sheds the breathy, terrified fragility she used on “I Can Never Go Home Anymore.” She sings with a full-throated urgency, her phrasing more soulful and fluid, demanding the immediate satisfaction articulated in the title. The signature layered harmonies of the other Shangri-Las are present, but instead of the ghostly, almost wordless backing of their biker ballads, they offer concise, punchy call-and-response support, adding a gospel-tinged backing vocal that heightens the tension. The entire sonic palette is cleaner, more propulsive, less like a diorama of teenage doom and more like a club track destined for an anxious, crowded dancefloor.
“It is the sound of an artist deciding, for a single, brilliant moment, that feeling is more potent than narrative, and rhythm more powerful than rain and gravel.”
The dynamic arc of the song is built on restraint and release. The verses stay tightly coiled, anchored by the insistent beat. But the chorus opens up, the instrumentation swelling in a burst of horns and vocal echo as Mary delivers the core emotional message—the desire for love now. This contrast is the engine of the song, preventing the track from ever settling into a simple R&B pastiche. It remains The Shangri-Las: emotionally devastating, even when they’re borrowing the clothes of Motown.
The Lasting Appeal: Urgency in a Digital Age
The sentiment of “Right Now And Not Later”—the rejection of delayed gratification, the burning need for connection in the present moment—is eternal. I often assign this track to my students as a study in emotional urgency. I think of a young woman I met after a lecture, someone struggling with the endless, low-boil anxiety of modern dating, where everything is an option, nothing is definite, and commitment is always postponed.
The song’s blunt, almost childish demand for immediate attention resonates powerfully against the ambient static of the digital age. It’s the antithesis of the endless scroll, the quiet fade of unanswered texts. It’s a shout into the void of indecision: Right now and not later!
This sophisticated piece of music, with its borrowed soul and unmistakable teenage heart, remains a minor masterpiece of the girl-group era. It proves that the identity of a great artist is not just in their signature sound, but in their ability to inhabit completely a new emotional space, even one dictated by label strategy. It’s a rewarding deep cut for anyone willing to move past the famous hits and appreciate the group’s full, complex artistry. The initial commercial underperformance of this single on the broader charts is a minor footnote; today, it is celebrated as a jewel of mid-sixties soul pop.
Suggested Listening
- The Supremes – “Where Did Our Love Go” (1964): Shares the Motown-esque rhythmic clarity and call-and-response vocal structure.
- The Ad-Libs – “The Boy From New York City” (1965): Another mid-sixties track with a propulsive, horn-driven beat and layered, soulful harmonies.
- The Shirelles – “Sha La Da Da” (1964): For a similar feeling of urgent, driving teenage pop delivered with an R&B arrangement.
- The Ronettes – “Walking in the Rain” (1964): Another classic girl-group track using production effects (in this case, thunder) to heighten the emotional drama.
- The Marvelettes – “Don’t Mess with Bill” (1966): Exhibits that smooth, yet assertive, Motown-style lead vocal and sophisticated studio polish.
- The Dixie Cups – “People Say” (1964): Captures the raw, New Orleans-flavored rhythm and the spontaneous energy of the early girl group sound.