Leader of the Pack is the 1965 debut album by girl group the Shangri-Las. The album was produced to capitalize on the group's breakthrough hits "Remember (Walking in the Sand)" and "Leader of the Pack", the latter of which had been co-written by Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich in addition to George "Shadow" Morton.[3] After the album's focal track went to number one, the Shangri-Las' style and image had evolved into something tougher and earthier.[4]
| Leader of the Pack | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 1965 | |||
| Genre | Pop, rhythm and blues | |||
| Length | 28:18 | |||
| Label | Red Bird | |||
| Producer | George "Shadow" Morton | |||
| The Shangri-Las chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Leader of the Pack | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |   [1] |
| Record Mirror | [2] |
Much of the material for Leader of the Pack such as "Bull Dog" and "It's Easier to Cry" emphasized their new style. Other songs on the album include cover versions of "Maybe" originally by the Chantels with Betty Weiss on lead vocals, along with "Shout" by the Isley Brothers and "Twist and Shout" by the Top Notes.[3] Also on the album is "Give Him a Great Big Kiss" which the Shangri-Las had released as a single in December 1964.[5] Although the group had scored two major hits, the album only charted at 109 on the U.S. albums chart.
The album was rated the 49th best album of the 1960s by Pitchfork and 247th best album of all time by Paste magazine.[6][7]
Track listing
editSide one
- "Give Him a Great Big Kiss" (George Morton) – 2:12
- "Leader of the Pack" (Morton, Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich) – 2:48
- "Bull Dog" (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller) – 2:22
- "It's Easier to Cry" (J. J. Jackson, Joe De Angelis, Robert Steinberg) – 2:35
- "What Is Love" (Morton, Tony Michaels) – 2:55
- "Remember (Walking in the Sand)" (Morton) – 2:18
Side two
- "Twist and Shout" (Phil Medley, Bert Russell) – 2:39
- "Maybe" (Arlene Smith, George Goldner) – 2:40
- "So Much in Love" (Billy Jackson, Roy Straigis) – 2:16
- "Shout" (Rudolph Isley, Ronald Isley, O'Kelly Isley, Jr.) – 2:10
- "Good Night, My Love, Pleasant Dreams" (George Motola, John Marascalco) – 1:15
- "You Can't Sit Down" (Cornell Muldrow, Dee Clark) – 2:18
Personnel
editShangri-Las
- Mary Weiss – lead and backing vocals
- Betty Weiss – lead and backing vocals
- Marge Ganser – backing vocals
- Mary Ann Ganser – backing vocals
Technical
- Shadow Morton – producer
- Brooks Arthur – engineer
- Rod McBrien – engineer
- Loring Eutemey – artwork
- Hugh Bell – cover photography
Singles history
edit- "Remember (Walking in the Sand)" b/w "It's Easier To Cry" (U.S. #5, UK #14)[8][9]
- "Leader of the Pack" b/w "What Is Love?" (U.S. #1, UK #11 (1965), UK #3 (1972), UK #7 (1976)[10][9]
- "Give Him a Great Big Kiss" b/w "Twist and Shout" (U.S. #18)[11]
- "Maybe" b/w "Shout" (U.S. #91)[12]
References
edit- ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. p. 1741. ISBN 9780857125958.
- ^ Jones, Peter; Jopling, Norman (3 April 1965). "The Shangri Las" (PDF). Record Mirror. No. 212. p. 11. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 April 2022. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
- ^ a b Warner, Jay (2006). American Singing Groups: A History from 1940 to Today. Milwaukee: Hal Leonard. pp. 447–448. ISBN 9780634099786.
- ^ Grecco, John C. (2002). "Out In The Streets: The Story of the Shangri-Las". Red Bird Entertainment. Archived from the original on September 14, 2012.
- ^ Patrick, Mick (February 2002). Myrmidons of Melodrama (album liner notes). The Shangri-Las. RPM Records (United States).
- ^ "The 200 Best Albums of the 1960s | Pitchfork". Pitchfork. 22 August 2017. Retrieved 2017-08-22.
- ^ "The 300 Greatest Albums of All Time". Paste. 3 June 2024.
- ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990. ISBN 0-89820-089-X
- ^ a b "Shangri-Las | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
- ^ Bronson, Fred (2003). The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits. New York: Billboard Books. p. 160. ISBN 0823076776. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
- ^ "Hot 100" (PDF), Billboard, p. 32, February 6, 1965, retrieved December 8, 2021
- ^ Aitch, Iain (14 April 2007). "The Leader's Back". The Telegraph.