Leader Of The Pack Girl Group Greats

Leader Of The Pack: Girl Group Greats

A fantastic collection of classic 1960s girl group recordings, Leader Of The Pack: Girl Group Greats brings together sixteen memorable performances from some of the most influential female vocal groups of the rock 'n' roll era. Packed with infectious melodies, close vocal harmonies, dramatic storytelling and timeless pop songwriting, this compilation celebrates the golden age of the American girl group sound.

Featuring The Shangri-Las, The Shirelles, The Chiffons, The Dixie Cups, The Crystals, The Toys, The Angels, The Jaynetts, The Teddy Bears and The Bobbettes, this collection captures the energy and diversity of a musical movement that helped reshape popular music during the early and mid-1960s.

The girl group phenomenon was closely connected to the flourishing Brill Building songwriting scene, where professional songwriters and producers created sophisticated pop records built around memorable hooks, emotional narratives and distinctive vocal arrangements. Drawing on doo-wop, rhythm and blues, early rock 'n' roll and traditional pop, these recordings helped establish a new sound in which female voices and teenage perspectives took centre stage.

The collection opens with The Shangri-Las' dramatic 'Leader Of The Pack', one of the defining records of the teen-tragedy genre. Their distinctive combination of spoken passages, evocative production and Mary Weiss's expressive lead vocal made them one of the most recognisable groups of the era. Their contributions here also include the atmospheric 'Remember (Walkin' In The Sand)' and the playful 'Give Him A Great Big Kiss'.

Elsewhere, The Shirelles deliver two essential examples of their soulful vocal style with 'Soldier Boy' and 'Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow', the latter written by the celebrated songwriting partnership of Gerry Goffin and Carole King. The Chiffons bring their irresistible pop harmonies to 'Sweet Talking Guy' and 'He's So Fine', while The Dixie Cups provide two contrasting highlights with the joyous 'Chapel Of Love' and the infectious New Orleans-inspired 'Iko Iko'.

There is plenty more to enjoy, from The Crystals' Phil Spector-associated productions 'Da Doo Ron Ron' and 'Then He Kissed Me' to The Angels' much-loved 'My Boyfriend's Back', The Toys' classical-inspired 'A Lover's Concerto' and The Jaynetts' atmospheric, rhythmically unusual 'Sally Go 'round The Roses'. The Teddy Bears' 'To Know Him, Is To Love Him' and The Bobbettes' 'Mr. Lee' add further classic early rock 'n' roll and R&B flavour.

A celebration of an important chapter in American popular music, this is an enjoyable collection for fans of 1960s pop, girl groups, Brill Building songwriting, doo-wop, early soul and vintage rock 'n' roll. Whether revisiting familiar favourites or discovering the original recordings behind some of the era's most enduring pop songs, Leader Of The Pack: Girl Group Greats offers sixteen timeless performances in one collection.

Tracklist

1. The Shangri-Las – Leader Of The Pack

2. The Shirelles – Soldier Boy

3. The Chiffons – Sweet Talking Guy

4. The Dixie Cups – Chapel Of Love

5. The Crystals – Da Doo Ron Ron

6. The Toys – A Lover's Concerto

7. The Angels – My Boyfriend's Back

8. The Shangri-Las – Remember (Walkin' In The Sand)

9. The Shirelles – Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow

10. The Chiffons – He's So Fine

11. The Dixie Cups – Iko Iko

12. The Crystals – Then He Kissed Me

13. The Jaynetts – Sally Go 'round The Roses

14. The Teddy Bears – To Know Him, Is To Love Him

15. The Shangri-Las – Give Him A Great Big Kiss

16. The Bobbettes – Mr. Lee