Released: 1964
More often than not it isn’t the greatest musicians that are the most influential; nobody for instance wants to remember a noodling Rick Wakeman synth solo. You certainly couldn’t say that book about The Shangri-Las legacy though, one that since their brief heyday has given inspiration to the likes of Blondie, the New York Dolls , Amy Winehouse and erm..Twisted Sister.
Part of their appeal was that in an era where proto-girl groups were supplicant and waiting patiently for some generous guy to bring them happiness, instead the teenage quartet (Mary and Betty Weiss, plus identical twins Mary Ann and Marge Ganser) were hanging out with badasses.
Leader of The Pack was written by the enigmatic George ‘Shadow’ Morton, a larger than life character who produced a song so theatrical it bordered on parody. The eventual victim seemed not so tough for a biker – Weiss met him at the candy store of all places – but that didn’t really matter, as a couple of minutes later after being dumped on parental advice this small time Brando was dead anyway. At least it wasn’t in vain, as it cemented for all time The Shangri-Las rep as anti-role models. And who’s this Rick Wakeman again?
The Voice Of Unreason 
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