The Top 17 Girl Group Albums of the 1960's

The 1960's, amongst the social and political turmoil and upheaval, produced some of the most diverse, electrifying, emotionally-charged music of the twentieth century. Bands and singers like the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Elvis helped change the landscape of American popular music forever. From Doris Day to the Doors, musical expression evolved from conservative, family-friendly bubblegum pop to musically- and lyrically-liberal commentary on social and political issues.

However, with all the just credit acts like Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and the Rolling Stones get for altering the face of popular music, there is a particular sect of sixties popular music whose significance is often overlooked and undervalued. The girl group sound of the early to mid sixties helped bring a female voice to the male-dominated world of rock and roll. Many groups, such as the Shirelles, Martha and the Vandellas, and the Ronettes, helped to bridge the divide between R&B and mainstream pop. These girl groups would be responsible for influencing rock acts such as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, who held these groups in such high regard that they influenced the way they played, how they sang, and even what songs they sang.

Before the Marvin Gaye's “Let's Get It On” or the Doors' “Light My Fire,” girl group classics such as the Shirelles' “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” discussed previously-taboo subjects of intimacy and love-making. Girl groups also shed light on social subjects usually associated with beatniks and hipster circles. Marvin Gaye's “What's Going On” and Bob Dylan's “Blowin' in the Wind” made profound statements against social and political ills of society, but the Crystals struck nerves with “He Hit Me (and It Felt Like a Kiss),” while Darlene Love and the Blossoms confronted racism in “Things Are Changing.”

Below is a list, in no particular order, of albums by girl groups of the sixties that helped define the sound of rock and roll and pave the way for women in popular music. The music doesn't always directly address social and political issues the way the aforementioned examples do, but each group and their individual sound have helped to change music and the role of women in music forever.

It should also be noted that back in the sixties, the music industry catered to a 45's-audience – meaning that more people purchased and listen to 45's (two-song, 7-inch discs) than LP's (full-length, 12-inch albums). Many groups either did not release an LP or their focus was in singles and not in putting out quality LP's. Some of these groups, such as the Cookies and the Bobbettes, are known and well-loved for many of their songs, rather than their album work. Therefor, groups who are not included on this list should not be considered any less important than those mentioned here. Groups included on this list are recognized for the quality of their albums, not necessarily of their work as a whole.

1. The Chiffons – One Fine Day (1963)
   
   

   

• A quartet with tight, polished harmonies and a sweet, sugary sound, the Chiffons are one of, if not the, essential girl group of the sixties. While others have had longer, more impacting careers, the Chiffons were instrumental in bridging the gap between doo-wop of the fifties and the new, emerging sound of rock 'n' roll. One Fine Day is the group's sophomore album released on Laurie Records in 1963. Following the success of their first hit, “He's So Fine,” the group recorded their eponymously-named debut album, followed by their next big hit – a Carole King and Gerry Goffin-penned tune called “One Fine Day.”
  
  Like their singles, the album features tight harmonies, high energy, and a polished sound. However, what makes this album so special is the richness of the material. At the time, singles were the main focus of the record-buying public, while LP's were released in promotion of the singles. Along with the album's singles, they were often filled out with “fluff” or “fillers.” This “fluff” rounded out an album, but often lacked the same quality and excitement of the artists' hit singles. However, the Chiffons' One Fine Day not only contains “filler” that is exciting and fresh, but plenty of material that could have been released as additional singles. Their cover of Dion and the Belmonts' hit “I Wonder Why” is on par with, if not more exuberant, the original.
  
  Stand-out tracks: “One Fine Day,” “I Wonder Why,” “Tonight I Met An Angel,” “Did You Ever Go Steady?”
  

2. The Ronettes – Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes (1964, US #96)
   
   

   

• With their towering behive hair-do's, Egyptian cat eye make-up, tight, provocative dresses, and sexual, rebellious sound, the Ronettes are easily one of the most identifiable girl groups of the sixties. Thanks to their stand-out sound and appearance and Phil Spector's trademark 'Wall of Soun' production, the Ronettes have been incredibly influential in the revival of girl group mania, most noticeable in the dress and sound of the late Amy Winehouse. The Ronettes first burst onto the scene with their 1963 smash hit, “Be My Baby.” Although it did not top the charts (peaking at a taunting number two on Billboard), it has become arguable the most-covered and beloved song of the early sixties. Virtually overnight, the Ronettes became a national smash, following up their success with television appearances and more hit singles, such as “Baby I Love You” and “(The Best Part of) Breakin' Up.” Throughout 1964, their popularity spread worldwide and the group caught the attention of the Beatles, who had them tour England with them.
  
  In late 1964, their first (and final) album, Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes featuring Veronica, was released to lukewarm reception. By 1965, the group's popularity was drying up. It has been suspected that producer Phil Spector had purposefully began holding back hit material and halting promotion of the group and their material due to increasing jealousy of Ronettes frontman Ronnie Spector's heightened fame. However, the girl group sound, in general, had been suffering in popularity as a result of the incredible force of the musical scene known as the 'British Invasion.' Still, the album has come to be regarded as one of the essential albums of the sixties, ranking #427 on Rolling Stone's list of “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.” Original copies are hard-to-find and demand hundreds of dollars. Containing primarily of previously-released hit singles, the entire album flourishes with Phil Spector's astonishing production and high-quality filler material.
  
  Stand-out tracks: “Be My Baby,” “When I Saw You,” “Baby I Love You,” “(The Best Part of) Breakin' Up”
  

3. Reparata and the Delrons – Whenever a Teenager Cries (1965)
   
   

   

• The streets of America in the 1950's and 1960's were filled to every corner with teenage assemblages of vocal harmony groups, often performing acapella, picking out and arranging harmonies themselves. Fresh, new musical talent seemed to sprout up everyday, helping to cement the importance of doo-wop and rock 'n' roll in the history of American music. However, only a handful of select talent were lucky enough to secure a record deal. Even fewer still were those fortunate enough to strike a hit and find continual success. Many groups, like Reparata and the Delrons, fell somewhere in between that area of getting a hit and making a name for themselves.
  
  “Whenever a Teenager Cries” was the groups first, and biggest, hit in the US, peaking at #60. Their next single, “Tommy,” peaked at #92. Their debut album, Whenever a Teenage Cries, was released in 1965. Although they toured successfully with Dick Clark's “Caravan of Stars” tours and scored a European hit with “Captain of Your Ship,” the group never reached the same status of their contemporaries. The Delrons are a perfect example of a group whose music and sound was just as good as groups like the Shirelles and the Shangri-Las, but overlooked by the national audience. What makes this album stand out is their lush arrangements (their cover of “Do Wah Diddy,” probably the only one that remains faithful to the original version by the Exciters) and quality filler material with excellent musicality.
  
  Stand-out tracks: “Whenever a Teenager Cries,” “Do Wah Diddy,” “Bye Bye Baby,” “If I Fall”
  

4. The Chantels - On Tour (1962)

• The Chantels, a black girl group founded in the 1950's, have the distinguishable honor of being the first girl group to sell a million copies and receive a gold disc for “Maybe” - a doo-wop song composed by Chantels lead singer Arlene Smith. They are well-remembered for their tight-knit harmonies, as well as the powerful vocals of original lead singer, Arlene Smith.
  
  The group's first album, We Are the Chantels, was released in 1958. The album's first pressing featured all five members on the album cover. However, due to social conventions at the time in segregated America, the original album was quickly pulled and conveniently reissued with the image of two white teenagers picking out songs at a jukebox.
  In 1962, the Chantels released their sophomore album, On Tour. Reduced from a quintet to a quartet (Smith left the group in 1959), the girls' glimmering harmonies and crystal-clear timbre were just as strong, if not more polished and sophisticated. Featuring a soaring violin theme, beaming soprano vocals, and solid group unity, the album's lead single, “Look in My Eyes” stands out as one of the group's strongest performances ever recorded. Following the sweetness and tenderness of “Look in My Eyes” is a crisp, soulful reading of “Summertime” from Gershwin's opera, Porgy and Bess. The group collaborates with producer Richard Barrett on “Well, I Told You,” an answer to Ray Charles' “Hit the Road Jack.” Unlike their trademark rich, velvety harmonies and sugary tone, this track showcases the group's sassy, fiery side in strong unison. The album is strong and musically grounded, but its content is a bit unusual for a couple of reasons. Although titled, “On Tour,” the album consists entirely of studio recordings. The album also features three tracks not featuring the Chantels, but with Chris Montez, the Imperials, and Gus Backus.
  Stand-out tracks: “Look in My Eyes,” “Summertime,” “Well, I Told You,” “Glad to Be Back”
  

5. The Paris Sisters - Sing Everything Under the Sun!!! (1967)

• Consisting of real-life sisters Albeth, Sherrell, and Priscilla Paris, this vocal harmony trio formed in the early 1950's. Although they are most recognizable for their 'soft sound,' they began as an Andrews Sisters-esque act. It was by none other than the Andrews Sisters themselves that their career was catalyzed and the group began making regular appearances and their first recordings. Not until the early 1960's, however, did the sisters' career really take-off. Under the tutelage of Phil Spector, the girls honed their bright tone and soft, soothing harmonies, with Priscilla, the baby of the trio, taking the lead. One of their first recordings under Spector's label, “I Love How You Love Me,” characterizing the group's gentle, balanced blend and unearthing the beginnings of Spector's trademark 'Wall of Sound,' shot straight to #5 on the charts. Although it would be their biggest chart showing, the three vocal sirens achieved further success with the jubilant rocker “All Through the Night,” the Baroque pop-tinged “Dream Lover,” and the stunningly magnificent “Be My Boy.”
  Amidst a falling out with Spector, the sisters left Spector's label and continued to record and make live performances all over the world. Their final album, Sing Everything Under the Sun!!!, quite definitively showcases both the trio's remarkably delicate blend (“Sincerely”), their under-utilized electrifying rock sound (“Long After Tonight is All Over”), and their ear for harmony (“Born to Be with You”). Although not a Phil Spector-produced album, the trademark etherealness and tranquil echo of his 'Wall of Sound' is ever present in the album's production and timbre of their voices. However, what sets this album – as well as other girl groups of the time – apart from the rest the most is the level of contribution the girls had on the album. Not only did they chose the material for the album (a task not usually given to the artist), but nearly half of the album's content was written by lead singer Priscilla. It is noteworthy that these songs, notably the particularly dark “It's Me,” are musically and lyrically complex. Chord changes, harmonies, and lyrical content reflect a level of higher musical understanding present in the troubled mind of Priscilla. Over time, original vinyl pressings have received acclaim from critics and listeners alike, becoming a collector's item that often demands a hefty price tag in changing hands.
  Stand-out tracks: “I'm Me,” “Born to Be with You,” “Sincerely,” “It's My Party,” “Long After Tonight is All Over,” “You”
  

6. The Shangri-Las – Leader of the Pack (1964, US #109)
   
   

   

• Although the Shangri-Las remain somewhat of an “underdog” in the line-up of sixties greats, their style and sound are the base and foundation of the angsty, rebellious image of sixties rock 'n' roll music. The Shangri-Las, hailing from a rough neighborhood in Queens, are known for their brash, rebellious sound and reputation, setting them apart from their more 'sweeter' contemporaries such as the Chiffons and the Supremes. While their songs still dealt with tried and true teenage conundrums like puppy love, they delved into edgier lyrics, such as those that dealt with death (“Leader of the Pack”). Their music also took a stylistic left-turn from the basic verse-chorus lyric format and I-IV-V chord progression (“Remember [Walking in the Sand],” “Past, Present, and Future”).
  Leader of the Pack is a culmination of those musical and social deviations that helped drive the musical revolution forward. Even the cover of the album is a deviance from the heavy social expectations placed on girls and girl groups in music. Each member is posed next to a motorcycle, dressed in leather pants, boots, and vests. The girls are staring directly into the camera, challenging critics with bold, brazen expressions. In their music, too, listeners will hear that same brazenness in their delivery and the song's lyrical content. Their raucous energy boils over in a live, electrifying cover of the Isley Brother's “Shout.”
  
  Stand-out tracks: “Give Him a Great Big Kiss,” “Leader of the Pack,” “Remember (Walking In the Sand),” “Shout”
  

7. Martha Reeves and the Vandellas – Ridin' High (1968, US #167)
   
   

   

• Throughout the sixties, Motown dominated the charts and the airwaves, breaking musical and racial barriers all around the world. Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, one of Motown's premiere groups, electrified the world with smash hits like “(Love is Like a) Heatwave,” “Nowhere to Run,” and the anthem of the sixties, “Dancing in the Street.” Fronted by Martha Reeves, the group's soulful, empowering delivery brought audiences in revival-like frenzies. However, by the late sixties, Motown's attention was directed much more heavily on the Supremes. Meanwhile, the girl group formula was losing favor to psychedelic rock, socially-charged folk music, and the much more brazen soul music of the south.
  
  Nonetheless, the quality of music put out by the Vandellas did not suffer, and neither did their popularity, entirely. Ridin' High, released in 1968, was the group's seventh album (and last to chart, peaking at #127). By this time, the group's blend of rock, pop, and soul had matured, blossoming into a rich, soulful twang reminiscent of Memphis soul. Amidst soulful, groovy tunes such as “Honey Chile” and “Love Bug Leave My Heart Alone,” the versatile Vandellas include within their repertoire seasoned renditions of Burt Bacharach classics like “I Say A Little Prayer for You.” The Funk Brothers, Motown's world-renowned in-house session band, support the Vandellas with funky, spicy accompaniments that ignite the listener into a dance frenzy in much the same ways “Heatwave” and “Dancing” had done and still does today.
  
  Stand-out tracks: “Honey Chile,” “I Say a Little Prayer for You,” “(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me,” “I Promise to Wait My Love”
  

8. Honey Cone – Soulful Tapestry (1971, US #72)
   
   

   

• Although not a sixties group, Honey Cone is an oft-forgotten group important in the development and continuation of the girl group sound nearly swept under by the tidal wave of rock and psychedelic music. Led by Edna Wright, sister of Blossoms-frontman and powerhouse vocalist Darlene Love (“Christmas [Baby Please Come Home],” 20 Feet from Stardom), Honey Cone possessed the electrifying energy of the Vandellas, the funky stage presence of the Jean Terrell-led Supremes, and the hip, dance-fueled sound of the Jackson 5.
  
  Soulful Tapestry, a nod to the groundbreaking Carole King album, Tapestry, helped revive the girl group sound, combining elements of sixties girl group harmony and late-sixties funk, as well as the groovy rhythm leading to the emergence of disco. As their fourth and most successful album (US #72, R&B #15), the album contains strong, funky dance tunes such as “Want Ads” and “One Monkey Don't Stop No Show – Pts. I/II.”
  
  Stand-out tracks: “Want Ads,” “One Monkey Don't Stop No Show – Pts. I/II,” “How Does it Feel,” “All the King's Horses (All the King's Men)”
  

9. The Crystals – He's a Rebel (1962) / Twist Uptown (1963, US #131)

• The Crystals, whose career and popularity was launched by infamous record producer (and famed sociopath) Phil Spector, have scored a considerable number of hits – some controversial – that are still well-known and beloved today. This vocal quartet was known for the sweetness in their style, as well as their tight, controlled harmonies. Throughout the early sixties, the girls scored hits with classics like “Da Doo Ron Ron,” “Then He Kissed Me,” and “There's No Other (Like My Baby).” A big part of their uniqueness, however, stems from a series of unfortunate circumstances that have, inadvertently, helped cement their legacy.
  
  While the Crystals were on tour in 1962, Phil Spector got his hands on a hot new Gene Pitney tune entitled “He's a Rebel.” He wanted the Crystals to record it immediately, as singer Vicki Carr was on her way to releasing her own version, but they were unable to return from their tour. Instead, Phil had the Blossoms (fronted by Darlene Love, backed by Jean King and Fanita James) record the tune. Rather than releasing the tune under the Blossoms' name, he falsely attributed the tune to the Crystals – a humiliating and controversial tactic for both the Crystals and the Blossoms. Incredibly, the tune – as well as Phil's bit of deception – has launched both groups into music iconology.
  
  More trouble followed the Crystals as they were pressured by Spector to record a little Carole King/Gerry Goffin-penned tune called “He Hit Me (and It Felt Like a Kiss).” The song's lyrics tell of a girl who was unfaithful to her boyfriend, so he hit her. Rather than leave her abusive partner, she confesses how he was right and how his actions proves how much he loves her. Despite the fact that the song was actually beginning to make headway on the charts, heavy pressure from women's rights groups causes Phil to withdraw the single, resulting in a flop that would, in time, become a Crystals classic.
  “There's No Other,” plus additional hits like “Uptown” and “Oh Yeah, Maybe Be,” were included on their first album, Twist Uptown. Their next album, He's a Rebel, strangely consists of nine of the same twelve tracks from their previous album. The three new tracks include “He's a Rebel,” “He Hit Me,” and “He's Sure the Boy I Love” (the latter also recorded by the Blossoms).
  
  Stand-out tracks: “He's a Rebel,” “He Hit Me,” “He's Sure the Boy I Love,” “Uptown,” “There's No Other,” “Oh Yeah, Maybe Baby”
  

10. The Chiffons – Sweet Talkin' Guy (1966, US #149)

• While they did not achieve global popularity and have a string of number one hits like the Supremes, the Chiffons had a relatively long-lasting successful career compared to some of their other contemporaries, such as the Crystals (disbanded in 1964) and the Ronettes (disbanded in 1967). They were one of the few non-Motown girl groups to find success on the charts during 1965 and 1966 – the years the Brisith Invasion were at its peak in the U.S.
  
  Sweet Talkin' Guy is the group's third album, following 1963's One Fine Day. The group still retained its trademark sweet sound, tight doo-wop style harmonies, and teenager-friendly lyrical content. However, their melodies, harmonies, arrangements, and productions have noticeably matured, incorporating elements of Baroque pop (a la the Beach Boys and the Beatles) and what would become psychedelic rock. The album's title track, “Sweet Talking Guy,” a big hit for the group, is quite complex for a pop tune. It consists of layered vocal rounds, intriguing harmony, and a flavorful backing track with unique orchestration and instrumentation. The group's other hit, “Nobody Knows What's Going On in My Mind but Me” further departs from the formulaic girl group sound, leaning toward musical incongruity and asymmetry. There is departure from simplistic rhythms in the chorus (“nobody knows what's going on in my mind but me”) - thirteen syllables squeezed into a syncopated eight beats. The chorus grows and builds momentum, starting off acapella and layering harmonies and instruments progressively. We also see modal and harmonic changes throughout the song, incorporating rather complex harmonies and switching back and forth from minor to major throughout the song.
  
  Stand-out tracks: “Sweet Talking Guy,” “Nobody Knows What's Going On in My Mind but Me,” “Up On the Bridge,” “Thumbs Down,” “See You in September”
  

11. The Supremes – Where Did Our Love Go (1964, US #2)

• Signing with Motown in 1961, the Supremes released a string of singles over the next three years that failed to make significant impact on the chart, earning them the nickname, “No-Hit Supremes.” Comprising of Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson, and Diana Ross (fourth member Barbara Martin would remain in the group only briefly before leaving to settle down), the trio were given various songwriters (from Berry Gordy to Smokey Robinson), and had different lead singers, but they were still coming up dry. It wasn't until 1963 when they released a tune penned by songwriters Holland-Dozier-Holland, “When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes,” that the group broke into the top 40, peaking at #23. For the next four years, Holland-Dozier-Holland was responsible for the group's unprecedented string of number-one hits.
  
  Released in the summer of 1964, “Where Did Our Love Go,” another HDH-penned tune, began climbing the charts while the Supremes were on tour. According to Mary Wilson, as their song climbed the charts, audience reaction grew bigger and bigger. By the end of the summer, “Where Did Our Love Go” was a national smash, beginning their five-time consecutive streak of number one hits. Their debut album, Where Did Our Love Go, was released in August of that year. It contained several of their “flop” singles, their current hit, and two further number-one hits, “Baby Love” and “Come See About Me.” This album achieved several feats, as well. The group became the first group in history to have three number-one hits off of the same album. It spent eighty-nine mind-blowing weeks on the Billboard charts, spending four weeks at #2, making the album the highest ranking girl group album at the time.
  
  Stand-out tracks: “Where Did Our Love Go,” “Baby Love,” “Come See About Me,” “Long Gone Lover” (the latter contains a rare solo by Florence Ballard)
  
  

12. The Toys – The Toys Sing “A Lover's Concerto” and “Attack!” (1966, US #92)

• The Toys arrived broke out onto the scene in 1965, just as the girl group era was fading and the British Invasion was taking over. Hailing from Jamaica, New York, the trio possessed a tight blend and dynamic vocal energy, creating a raw, brash soulful sound. Though their sound was rough and lacked the sweetness of the Chiffons or the Supremes, their subtle stage presence and somewhat-reserved demeanor made them palatable to an equally reserved audience.
  
  In the same vein of Elvis' “Can't Help Falling in Love,” the Toys' breakout hit, “A Lover's Concerto,” was a reconstruction of a classical piece, Bach's Minuet in G. Adding percussion, lyrics, and changing the meter from 3/4 to 4/4, the song struck a chord (pardon the pun) with audiences all over the country, literally shooting the trio from obscurity to stardom overnight. As Barbara Harris, lead singer of the Toys, explains, they were not prepared for the success that came from “A Lover's Concerto” and had to get their act ready, and ready quick, for touring. Their next hit, “Attack!,” was featured in the 1967 film, It's a Bikini World. Featuring a prominent horn section, a key change, and a total time totaling over three minutes, the song showcased the group's tight vocal harmonies and Harris' reaching vocal range. Despite the group's success with these two singles, the group struggled to maintain their initial level of success. Still, their only album, The Toys Sing 'A Lover's Concerto' and 'Attack!' managed to chart within the top 100.
  
  Aside from the two title tracks, the album contains a third outstanding track, “Can't Get Enough of You Baby” - a track that would later, oddly enough, become a hit for '90's rock group, Smash Mouth. The group's soulful delivery shines on tracks like “I Got a Man” and “Hallelujah.” Their remarkable capability for harmony are highlighted on “Yesterday” (the only cover on the album) and “Baby's Gone.” Another noteworthy track, included not on the original release but on the CD reissue, is “Melt My Heart Into Stone.” A minor hit for the group in 1965 (peaking at #85), the track features smooth verse-chorus modulations, a funky, psychedelic under beat, and rich harmonies, making the track highly underestimated and overlooked.
  
  Stand-out tracks: “A Lover's Concerto,” “Attack!,” “May My Heart Be Cast Into Stone*,” “Can't Get Enough of You Baby”
  
  * - Not released on 1965 LP. Released as a single and on CD reissue.
  
  

13. Martha and the Vandellas – Dance Party (1965, US #116)
    
    

    

• The year 1965 proved to be a highly successful year for Motown, with acts like the Supremes, the Four Tops, the Temptations, and Martha and the Vandellas scoring iconic crossover hits. For the Vandellas, in particularly, one single would ultimately define not only the Motown sound, but the sound of a generation. “Dancing in the Street,” in both its lyrics and joyous Funk Brothers instrumental, got American, quite literally, on their feet and dancing – in their homes, the streets, etc. This single, along with their follow-up hit, “Nowhere to Run,” spoke for a generation anxious to get up, move, and sing.
  
  Dance Party, like many teen-targeted pop albums of the time, consisted of dance tunes and upbeat pop material. It featured another hit, “Wild One,” as well as a cover of Smokey Robinson and the Miracles' “Mickey's Monkey.” If it had not been done so already, the album firmly cemented and ingrained the Motown sound in the public eye and is still considered an essential album of the Motown era.
  
  Stand-out tracks: “Dancing in the Street,” “Nowhere to Run,” “Wild One,” “Mobile Lil Dancing Witch”
  
  

14. The Angels – My Boyfriend's Back (1963, US #33)
    
    

    

• This New Jersey-based trio epitomized both the sound and image of the early-1960's girl group. With their hairspray-teased bouffants, skirts (both poodle and mini), sweet-and-sour attitude, the Angels were a real-life Sandy-meets-Rizzo preincarnation of Grease. Their harmonies were sweet and well-polished, and their appearance was usually quite tame in nature. However, their lyrics (“My Boyfriend's Back”) and R&B-flavored gruff of lead singer Peggy Santiglia suggested an edgier, sexier quality to the group's persona.
  The group's 1963 #1 hit single, “My Boyfriend's Back,” spawned an eponymously-named album, containing their hit and a previous hit from 1961, “Till.” While the album's contents are not particularly noteworthy in its lyrical and harmonic complexity, it is quite resonant of the quintessential sound of early 1960's doo-wop and rock and roll. The group's warm blend and bubbly energy are best exemplified on “Has Anybody Seen My Boyfriend,” a track combining the sounds of sock-hop rock and roll and the harmonies of the McGuire Sisters, as well as a surprisingly delightful of Disney's “Someday My Prince Will Come.”
  
  Stand-out tracks: “My Boyfriend's Back,” “Till,” “Has Anybody Seen My Boyfriend,” “Someday My Prince Will Come,” “The Night Has a Thousand Eyes”
  
  

15. The Chiffons – He's So Fine (1963, US #97)

• Not much else needs to be said about the importance of the Chiffons' contributions to rock and roll, doo-wop, girl group sounds, and American popular music. Their musical sensibility, harmonically-complex arrangements, and vibrant, youthful energy place them at the top of most important musical acts in rock and roll.
  
  The Chiffons held their own right from the beginning with a solid, musically grounded debut album. Following their explosive number-one hit, “He's So Fine,” the Chiffons released their album, He's So Fine. Tight harmonies are the quartet's strength, and they make it plenty clear throughout this album they can hold their own over harmonically-diverse musical arrangements. String arrangements, guitar licks, and strong, danceable rhythms provide for colorful and dynamic instrumental accompaniments to the girls' sassy, spirited vocal performances.
  
  Stand-out tracks: “He's So Fine,” “Why Do Fools Fall in Love,” “When I Go to Sleep at Night,” “See You in September,” “Oh My Lover,” “My Block”
  
  

16. The Shirelles – Baby It's You (1962, US #59)
    
    

    

• Ask any rock and roll enthusiast who the most memorable girl groups were and answers will almost unanimously hear “the Shirelles.” Discovered by Florence Greenberg, the Shirelles scored a hit with “Tonight's the Night” in 1960, becoming one of the first groups to top the Billboard Hot 100. Their follow-up single, “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” a Carole King/Gerry Goffin-penned tune, became one of the greatest and most-beloved songs of all time.
  
  Their fourth album, Baby It's You, features two of their biggest hits, “Baby It's You” and “Soldier Boy.” The title track, a Burt Bacharach tune, is unorthodox in composition for a pop hit. A mid-tempo ballad, the song features a dramatic reading from lead singer Shirley Owens, dissonant harmonies (the girls singing a tonic triad with a ninth on top during the “sha-la-la's”), and a Brazilian-flavored rhythm section. Their next hit on the album, “Soldier Boy,” features the quartet singing entirely in unison, without harmony, displaying their ability to blend smoothly. Their sugary-sweet delivery of devotion to a far-away soldier still rings with those with loved ones overseas. On the contrast, the Shirelles showcase their versatility in blues- and rock and roll-flavored tunes such as “Twenty One” and “Twisting in the U.S.A.”
  
  Stand-out tracks: “Baby It's You,” “Soldier Boy,” “Big John (Ain't You Gonna' Marry Me),” “Twisting in the U.S.A.”
  
  

17. VA – Philles Records Presents Today's Hits (1963)
    
    

    

• Released in 1963, Philles Records Presents Today's Hits is a compilation of the many hits of Philles acts the Ronettes, the Crystals, Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans, the Alley Cats, and Darlene Love. With the exception of the sole track from the Alley Cats and Bob B. Soxx of the Blue Jeans, the album consists entirely of girl group hits. More importantly, it is the only album released in Philles' heydey to feature Darlene Love's vocally dynamic singles.
  
  Darlene Love spent much of her career as a back-up vocalist in acts such as the Blossoms (“He's a Rebel,” “He's Sure the Boy I Love”), who provided backup for hundreds of artists throughout the sixties and seventies. However, she was granted a few opportunities under the Philles label for solo releases. “(Today I Met) the Boy I'm Gonna Marry” features Phil Spector's trademark 'Wall of Sound' and layered backup harmonies, but more importantly, it features Darlene's soaring and powerful voice – arguably one of the most powerful voices next to Aretha Franklin.
  
  Stand-out tracks: “(Today I Met) the Boy I'm Gonna Marry,” “Wait Til' My Bobby Gets Home,” “Zip-A-Dee Doo Dah,” “Playing for Keeps”

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Further reading:

• Girls Rock!: Fifty Years of Women Making Music – Mina Carson, Tisa Lewis, Susan M. Shaw
• Girl Groups: Fabulous Females Who Rocked the World – John Clemente

Further listening (girl group compilations, further girl group listening, solo girls):

• Various Artists - One Kiss Can Lead To Another: Girl Group Sounds, Lost & Found
• Various Artists – The Essential Phil Spector
• The Chiffons – Absolutely the Best!
• The Shirelles – Greatest Hits; Greatest Hits Vol. II
• The Paris Sisters – Greatest Hits / Best of; The Complete Phil Spector Sessions
• The Ronettes – Be My Baby: The Very Best of the Ronettes
• Darlene Love – The Sound of Love: The Very Best of Darlene Love
• The Cookies – Chains
• Carole King – Tapestry; The Essential Carole King (w/ Various Artists)
• Dusty Springfield – A Girl Called Dusty; Stay A While/I Only Want to Be with You; Dusty in Memphis
• Aretha Franklin – I've Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You; Aretha Now; Lady Soul; Soul '69

Billie Holiday - Lady in Satin (1958)

Undoubtedly one of the most important jazz musicians of all time, Billie Holiday changed the face of vocal music forever with her emphasis on expressivity over technique; alternating phrasing and stress on ordinarily unstressed syllables and words over singing the song straight.  Her contributions to music can be traced back to some of her earliest recordings of 1933, and seen in her final recordings from 1959.  However, taking a chronological listen through her two-and-a-half decades-worth of music will quickly reveal that Billie's voice changed drastically in quality and tone.  Listening to her earlier work reveal Holiday in good voice - jovial, light-hearted, teeming with energy.  Jump ahead twenty years and you'll hear a voice twenty years older than her age.  By her early forties, Billie's voice revealed the signs of abuse - a sharper, pinched tone, slight rasp in the upper and lower extremities of her now-diminished range, and, even in her upbeat numbers, a greater sense of sorrow.  While not inherently a blues singer, and though not necessarily a tragic figure, Billie's life was filled with the kind of heartache and disappointment many blues singers often convey in their music.

Recorded about a year-and-a-half before her death at the tender age of 44, Lady in Satin reveals Holiday at her worst state, both vocally and physically.  At the time of this recording, Holiday is 42 and in poor health from years of drug and alcohol abuse, as well as physical abuse from a string of abusive men (notably Louis McKay, falsely portrayed as a hero in the fictitious 'biopic', Lady Sings the Blues).  Holiday's voice is tired, lacking the brightness and energy she once possessed.  Apart from her technical shortcomings, however, Holiday's voice reveals something so tragically beautiful in regards to her emotive capabilities.  Whatever Holiday lacked in vocal power she was more than able to make up for in expressivity and interpretive prowess.  To fully understand the circumstances surrounding Holiday's health during these recording sessions, however, it is important to understand her life and the circumstances leading up to this controversial recording.

Born in Baltimore in 1915, Eleanora Fagan grew up in a dysfunctional family.  Having been less-than-present after his daughter's birth, Clarence Holiday, Eleanora's father, traveled the country with Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra as a guitarist.  Despite loving her daughter, Sadie Harris (Fagan by some accounts), Eleanora's mother, was forced to leave her daughter in the care of other relatives sporadically through Eleanora's childhood while she traveled up North to provide for her daughter.  At only ten, Holiday was raped by a neighbor and eventually sent to a private Catholic institution for girls.  It was there, according to Holiday, that she was once locked in a room all night next to a dead girl as punishment for misbehaving.  Eventually, Holiday moved up to New York where, because of naivety on her mother's part, took a job as a call girl to help make rent.  She was, at one point, arrested and briefly jailed for prostitution.  It wasn't until 1933, at the age of seventeen, that she was discovered by noted record producer, John Hammond, affording her the opportunity to leave the "good-times house" to pursue a career in singing.  She soon adopted the name 'Billie Holiday' (she took Billie from actress Billie Dove, and Holiday from her father's surname).  Throughout the thirties, Holiday toured the States (heavily in the South) with famed jazz musicians like Count Basie, Benny Goodman, and Artie Shaw.  While these tours were often physically grueling - nights spent traveling on crowded buses, often facing sleepless nights - the humiliating racist indignities faced by Holiday and her crew proved to be the real test of endurance.  By the end of the decade, Holiday was through with the rough life of traveling with dance bands, only to be humiliated with bigotry and endangered by threats of violence all over the country.  In 1939, she landed a gig at the Village's Café Society, where she first performed the lyrically-gruesome "Strange Fruit" - a plaintive, gloomy ballad about black lynchings in the South.  A studio recording eventually followed, shooting her to almost immediate stardom.

Throughout the 1940's, Holiday's career spiraled upward, spurring hits such as "Trav'lin' Light," "Lover Man," "I'll Be Seeing You," and "Crazy He Calls Me."  Two of her biggest hits, "Don't Explain" and "God Bless the Child" - both of which she co-wrote - were also recorded at the height of her career.  Holiday no longer had to travel dirty buses, as she was now becoming more and more acclaimed and respected within 'mainstream' (white) audiences, which afforded her the opportunity to play prestigious venues.  In 1947, she appeared in her first (and only) major motion picture, New Orleans, alongside Louis Armstrong.  She was even given the nickname "Lady Day" by fellow musician and friend, Lester Young.

However, as Holiday's professional life was taking off, an unhealthy marriage to Sonny Monroe led to her first taste with heroin in the early 1940's.  According to Holiday, Monroe made her feel like if she really loved him, she would indulge in drugs.  Aside from being a drug pusher, Monroe was blatantly unfaithful during their short but tumultuous marriage (one particular incident in which Billie caught lipstick on his collar prompted her composition, "Don't Explain").  While their marriage ended by the mid-1940's, her heroin addiction continued.  In 1947, she was arrested for drug possession and sentenced to one year in prison (according to Holiday, however, the stash with which she was caught did not belong to her).  Adding insult to injury, her cabaret card was permanently revoked, disabling her from performing any place in New York that served liquor for the rest of her life.  Nonetheless, Holiday scored a prestigious and highly-anticipated gig at Carnegie Hall in 1948.  Despite her previous setbacks, the concert was sold-out in advance - with additional seats added - and a tremendous success.

Despite her newly-heightened career, as well as numerous attempts to get clean, Holiday's addictions to heroin - and eventually alcohol - slowly unraveled.  By the mid-1950's, her voice and physical appearance were beginning to show the effects addiction had been taking on her.  Shortly after a highly-successful European tour, Holiday was, once again, arrested for drug possession (although no prison time was served).  Years of racial indignities, being targeted by the law, and the inability to seek proper treatment without being arrested and labeled a criminal instilled in her deep bitterness and resentment, filling her music with jaded cynicism that would help blur the definition of her music as either jazz or blues.  Her addictions raged on, and, despite touring and recording acclaimed albums throughout the fifties, her body took a beating from years of mistreatment.  By 1959, Holiday was suffering from heart disease and cirrhosis of the liver, affecting her breathing, posture, and ability to walk.  By May, she had lost a considerable amount of weight and was admitted to the hospital.  On July 17, 1959, after having been humiliated one final time by being arrested on her death bed for possession, Billie body's gave up and she passed away at the age of 44.  In her last year, however, she would record one of the most acclaimed and disputed works of jazz of all time.

February, 1958.  Holiday begins recording sessions with noted arranger Ray Ellis for a new project called Lady in Satin.  Holiday had previously heard Ellis' Ellis in Wonderland and decided she had to have him work on her next album.  While DJ's around the country were busy calling Lady Day "Lady Yesterday," Holiday was busy creating one of jazz's greatest albums ever recorded.  Unlike any of her previous albums, Holiday chose songs that she had never previously sung.  Picking the songs based on the lyrics, the content which she recorded is essentially Billie's autobiography - perhaps speaking closer and more personally from the soul than her 1956 autobiography.  She also chose to forgo the traditional instrumental setting usually reserved for jazz.  As opposed to having a jazz combo accompany her, Billie chose to use a full orchestra (in the style of Frank Sinatra or Ella Fitzgerald).  The addition of jazz harmony and jazz solos provides for beautiful discord and dissonant tension, highlighting the tension between the sweetness of Ellis' arrangements and Holiday's ravaged voice.  While listeners were already familiar with Holiday's roughened tone and pinched range, Lady in Satin alarmed listeners with the further decay in Holiday's voice.  Nonetheless, Holiday was once again breaking ground with her unapologetic delivery, singing what she wanted - and she chose difficult material for this album - against the sweetness of an orchestra, despite the fact that her style and sound did not normally lend itself to the smoother sounds of Ellis or Sinatra.  The unorthodox juxtaposition of Billie's mangled, coarse voice against Ellis' sweetly somber arrangements is not easy to listen to.  One listen and it is easy to tell that Holiday is struggling to hold up through some of the more difficult numbers.  However, all the listener needs to do is listen to and feel the emotive, plaintive cry of Holiday's lamenting soul, as well as Ellis' melancholy, heart-wrenching arrangements, to understand the magnificence of Holiday's penultimate album.  While many critics bemoan about the "squareness" of Ellis' arrangements, or the "deplorable" state of Holiday and her voice, they are not listening with full musical ears to the emotional significance of this body of work.

While the whole album stands as a masterpiece, every track shining on its own, there are a couple of tracks that stand out not only as strong album tracks, but as possibly two of the strongest tracks Billie ever recorded.  Those tracks are the powerful, dirge-like "I'm a Fool to Want You," in which you can all but feel Holiday's heart break as she sings a lyric so painfully close to her own life, and the stunning, self-reflective "You've Changed" - vocally the best track on the album.

"I'm a Fool to Want You" - Billie's stark, gravely introductory lines opens the album.  Totally unaccompanied, the first few words, "I'm a fool..." linger like a ghostly spirit haunting the world it longs to leave, grabbing onto the listener's soul, pulling one into the sadness and sorrow that filled the latter years of Billie's life.  Ellis' instrumental intro and conclusion, particularly the theme played by the cello, underscore Billie's gloom and further the overwhelming sense of death that lingers not too far behind.

"I'm a fool to want you/pity me, I need you/I know it's wrong, it must be wrong/but right or wrong, I can't get along without you..."

"You've Changed" - While Billie is in weak voice throughout the album, "You've Changed" nonetheless fits her voice like a glove, allowing what remains of her range to bloom and blossom.  During the final refrain (quoted below), Holiday briefly emerges of the depths of the hell into which she is sinking to achieve one last triumphant moment of glory, much like a swan song, to admit defeat and bow out graciously.

 "You've changed/you're not the angel I once knew/no need to tell me that we're through/it's all over now, you've changed...you've changed."

It is clear that these songs are autobiographical in a much greater sense than that is reflects her tumultuous love life.  It seems Billie connects to these lyrics more deeply than any others because she seems to be singing of times lost.  It is merely not losing love that she is singing about.  The lyrics also reflect a sense of knowing that she herself is not too far from death.  While Billie was not inherently a blues singer, this album defines the meaning of the blues as Billie strips down for us and allows the listener a voyeuristic journey through the pain and sorrow deep-rooted in her heart. ~

"I would say that the most emotional moment was her listening to the playback of 'I'm a Fool to Want You'. There were tears in her eyes...After we finished the album I went into the control room and listened to all the takes. I must admit I was unhappy with her performance, but I was just listening musically instead of emotionally. It wasn't until I heard the final mix a few weeks later that I realized how great her performance really was." - Arranger Ray Ellis

Ike & Tina Turner - River Deep - Mountain High (1966)

As one of the most seminal female voices of the rock and roll era, Tina Turner delivers all of her vocals with a raw, gritty, sexual energy that elicits from the listener awe and thrill.  From the driving "Proud Mary" to the dramatic "What's Love Got to Do with It," Turner's career has flourished over the past few decades.

Before Tina became the successful solo act she is today, however, Anna Mae Bullock was once married to Ike Turner (from whom she got her name), a successful musician, arranger and producer in his own right.  Later, Ike's personal life became just as famous - or infamous - as his stage life.  Throughout their tumultuous marriage, Ike became a demanding figure in both Tina's personal and stage life, to the point of physical abuse.  Nonetheless, the couple's "Ike and Tina Turner Review" became very successful.


During the mid-sixties, the couple were signed to Phil Spector's Philles label.  Throughout the first half of the decade, Phil, his label, and his artists dominated the charts with hits like "He's a Rebel," sung by Darlene Love but accredited to the Crystals, "Be My Baby" by the Ronettes, and "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" by the Righteous Brothers.  However, by 1966, Phil and his label were quickly slipping out of the picture.  The Crystals broke-up.  Darlene Love left.  The Ronettes were hitless.  The Righteous Brothers left for Verve.  Phil needed a hit and he needed it to be big.  Bigger than anything he had previously ever done.  Calling his works "little symphonies for kids," Spector outdid his peers by doubling, sometimes tripling, the number of instruments he used in his productions - two pianos, two drum sets, two guitars, a whole chorus of singers...And his next masterpiece would be no different.  In fact, it would be the biggest thing he had done in his career yet.


Written by Spector, Ellie Greenwich, and Jeff Barry - the same trio behind hits like "Be My Baby" - "River Deep - Mountain High" was a song like no other rock song written to date.  The melody's range spanned an octave and a half, pushing the singer to his or her absolute limits.  The lyrics still spoke about love, but at a greater intensity than the puppy love-inspired songs of the past.  The key changes are subtle, but more complex and stimulating than those of other pop songs.

Recorded in the tiny Gold Star Studios in Los Angeles, Phil used over twenty musicians (including about a dozen strings - unheard of for a rock record), and over twenty background singers for this session.  Totaling to over forty musicians for one record, no producer - including Phil - had previously ever used so many musicians for a rock record.  Due to Ike's well-known controlling reputation, Ike was barred from the recording sessions.  Thusly, although the record and album says "Ike and Tina Turner," Tina's voice is the only one that appears on the entire album.  Recording sessions were tense as Spector made Turner record the song - with its stratospherically-high melody - over and over again, to the point of Turner taking her shirt off due to the fact that she was sweating profusely.

Hours and hours later - not to mention $22,000 later - the record was complete.  The result?  A rich symphony of sound so big and so daring that it would be too big for radio.  And that's exactly what happened.  Despite all the promise of "River Deep," the colossal masterpiece Phil had slaved over for so long stalled at #88 on the U.S. charts (although it faired much better in the U.K., peaking at #3).  It has been argued that Phil's hostility and pomposity toward radio DJ's had caught up with him, as no one wanted to play his work anymore.  It has also been said that the record was too big and too much for people to handle at that time; "River Deep" was just ahead of its time.  Regardless of the reason, the flop of "River Deep" sent Spector into a downward spiral of reclusion of which he would not emerge until he got the call to work on the now-classic Let It Be album.

Despite the flop, however, "River Deep - Mountain High" is oft covered, and has been a hit for several acts, namely the Supremes and the Four Tops, for which their duet peaked at #14.  Over the years, though, the original Ike and Tina Turner record has been hailed as one of Spector's greatest masterpieces, as well as one of the greatest masterpieces overall, of 1960's rock and roll.

~

Below are two versions of the song.  The first is the complete, uncut version of Ike and Tina's classic.  Play close attention to the swelling of the strings, the might of the chorus, and Tina's fierce attack on the pulsating melody.

The second is a promotional video made - an early music video, if you will - to an abridged version of the song.  The grittiness and raw quality of the video matches not only that of the song, but that of the rock scene emerging at this time as well...

Do Wah Diddy: The Exciting Original from the Exciters! (1963)

In 1962, Brenda Reid, Carolyn Johnson, Lillian Walker, and Herb Rooney - "The Exciters" - bursted onto the rock 'n' roll scene with a hot, electrifying tune called "Tell Him."  Bursting with soul, shaking with dynamic energy, and blowing audiences away with strong harmonies, the quartet topped the charts with a sassy, raucous sound echoing the energy of Elvis Presley and the soul of Little Richard.  "Tell Him," still a classic today, became famous for the melody's energetic delivery (provided by lead singer Brenda Reid), high-hitting harmonies, and a strong instrumental accompaniment.



The following year, legendary songwriters Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry introduced a new song to the quartet.  Intended as a follow-up to their recent massively-successful hit for the Crystals, "Da Doo Ron Ron," "Do Wah Diddy" was structured similarly, with a nonsensical title, catchy melody, and strong harmonies.  With Brenda Reid on lead again, the song, like "Tell Him," begins and ends with frenetic energy and a pulsating rhythm section.  Combined with Reid's soaring, soulful lead, the group's joyous background harmonies, and the pounding, syncopated rhythm of the drums, "Do Wah Diddy" promised to be another chart-smasher for the group.

However, history had other plans...


Released in late 1963, the song's rise to the top of the charts was halted by the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.  The devastation and grief that swept the nation killed any material unfortunate enough to be released at that time - including the now-classic A Christmas Gift for You from Philles Records.  Topping off at #78, the performance of "Do Wah Diddy" was a major disappointment for the group and the song's songwriters.

However, once the song dropped off the charts and the nation's grief subsided, the song would find success again - but for another group.

Undoubtedly the most recognizable performance of the song is the record by Manfred Mann.  Originally a blues group from England, this white, male group stormed the charts with a reduction of the Exciters' original - background harmonies reduced to a unison, rhythms subdued, and melodies more contained.  Since then, the song has been covered by countless artists, but the influence in these covers solely belongs to Manfred Mann.  Only in Reparata and the Delrons' cover can the Exciters' influence be heard.


~

I've known of Manfred Mann's version for many years, but have only come across the Exciters' original within the last year.  I always thought Manfred Mann's version was OK, but once I heard the Exciters' version, I was completely blown out of the water.  No longer can I listen to Manfred Mann's rendition without comparing it to the glory that is the Exciters' soulful performance.  Listen for yourself.  Pay particular attention to the switch in rhythm, which calls upon the jubilant syncopation of the black gospel tradition, in the song's final chorus.

Digging up the music of yesteryear...

Welcome!

I'm a lover of music of many genres.  I've done musical theatre for thirteen years, I studied classical and jazz in college, and I teach music to children.  However, one of my biggest loves goes to music from the 1950's and 1960's: doo-wop, rock 'n' roll, R&B, soul, Motown, traditional vocal, jazz, blues...  In particular, I'm a big fan of the grand, Phil Spector productions, soul records, and the girl group sounds.  And then there's Amy Winehouse - the late torch singer with a voice blessed by God and haunted by the ghosts of Dinah Washington and Billie Holiday.

My objective is to review a particular record (single, LP, EP, etc.) that moves me and that I think deserves greater attention.  Each post will include an overview of the record's history, a little about the singer's or the group's history, and an account of what makes each record so great.  So keep coming back for regular reviews on music's finest!

"People don't understand the kind of fight it takes to record what you want to record the way you want to record it." - Billie Holiday