One chart success of its day is The Shangri-Las‘ “Leader of the Pack.” They were a white, female quartet–at times, a trio–destined to sweetly pepper rock ‘n’ roll with some sentimental tough girl tracks. It was a sister act comprised of the Weiss (Betty and Mary) sisters, and the Ganser (Marge and Mary Anne) sisters–all from Queens, New York and attendees of the same high school.
Lead by the twangy strong pipes of Mary Weiss, they were some of the original bad girls. Relative to today’s tolerant standards for female freedom of sexuality and lyrical frankness, these girls are almost saints, but in their time, these girls got under mainstream society’s skin. In the words of Evie Sands, “The rudest girls I ever met. Absolutely disgusting.” The comment, as dramatically vehement as it was, mirrored most supporters of the sweet-mannered status quo female. The La’s knew drama though. They were good at it. Filed under teen tragedy, their hits like “Maybe” and “Leader of the Pack” were unapologetic-ally melodramatic. Combining a trace of darkness with an angelic adolescent lure, their teen angst, talk narrations, and symbolic street style gave them an engaging alternative edge for chick rockers to be. They were the original bad girls.
TAGS: 60s, girl group, Give Him a Great Big Kiss, Leader of the Pack, motown, pop, rock, The Shangri-Las, Thursday Throwback
WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK?
Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, The Angels, The Shirelles, Rosie & The Originals, The Chiffons, The Crystals, The Shangri-Las, The Toys, and of course, The Supremes: Girl groups of all shapes, colors, and sizes ruled 60′s airwaves, giving way to a precursory movement of R&B female acts like TLC, Destiny’s Child, Allure, and the seeds for a secure future of female pop decades to come. In a male-dominated world of pop, rock and soul, girl groups found a secure home in 60′s Motown and rock ‘n’ roll. From currently well-known to obscure, these women created classics for an entire generation.
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A conversation With James MurphyMay 28 13 @ 5:46 PM
Naoaki Funayama: X-don at Ouchi GalleryMay 29 13 @ 6:06 PM
Marina & The Diamonds and Charli XCXMay 30 13 @ 6:10 PM
Lee "Scratch" Perry at Le Poisson RougeMay 31 13 @ 6:15 PM
Azari & III at Highline BallroomJun 07 13 @ 10:42 AM
The Govenors Ball NYC Music FestivalAug 28 13 @ 3:55 PM
Venice Film FestivalMay 02 13 @ 2:18 PM
Medium Concepts Sample SaleMay 02 13 @ 11:30 AM
Food Book Fair
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beautiful work! posters for posterity!2
I like it. And it grabbed your attention esp. if you posted a comment below. whether you love it or hate I don't see anything where it promotes violence or degrading women.. what i see is government taking away the rights of a citizen n the rights away from people. Failure to follow instructions will land us in prison like the model. Now if steven photographed the same concept with average shmucks would we pay much attention to it? i dont think so. it'd be just another political journalistic photograph.3
i agree4
Lovely inspirations <3www.whitebluebird.com5
Perfect inspiration for our soon to be flat : )6
This list is one of the best of restaurants around England.7
... Tilda is like kristen mcmenamy - magic in everything8
the tilda shoot is magic.9
Boring10
LOL this is such a frumpy campaign. Raquel Zimmermann looks so awkward dancing those bad bad moves. WWTT??? a.k.a What Were They Thinking?