Girl Groups

The motorcycle revving, the startled "lookout-lookout-lookout-lookout" cry of the protagonist, the somber bass drum beat following the inevitable accident — all of these contribute to one of pop's mini-masterpieces, the Shangri-Las' "Leader of the Pack." And who could've guessed Carole King's babysitter, Little Eva, would start a dance craze with "The Loco-Motion"?

Phil Spector's reputation was made during the girl group era, as he oversaw careers for Darlene Love, the Ronettes, the Crystals, and others. His unique "Wall of Sound" was often imitated, but never replicated. Also, early Motown stars such as Mary Wells and Martha Reeves (of Vandellas fame) are well represented.

There are some real gems down here, such as Earl-Jean's original version of the Goffin-King tune "I'm Into Somethin' Good," later covered by Herman's Hermits, and Connie Francis' eminently Twist-able "Don't Ever Leave Me." By the mid-'60s, the girl-group phenomenon had faded, but it was a fun ride while it lasted.

Right about the beginning of the sexual revolution (noted by British poet Philip Larkin as arriving "Between the end of the Chatterley ban/And the Beatles' first LP"), the American girl group sprang up as a pop force. Although they sometimes portrayed women as subservient (as in songs like "Be My Baby" and "Johnny Get Angry"), many of their songs (such as "You Don't Own Me" and "Ain't Gonna Kiss You") presaged the burgeoning feminist movement.