Leader of the Pack - Leader of the Pack
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CD Details
Artist: Leader of the PackEdition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown)
Format: Cast Recording
CD Release Date: 2009-08-11
Music Label: Wounded Bird Records
Music reviews of Leader of the Pack
Music Review: A Tribute to the Life and Music of Ellie Greenwich
Rating: 5 Stars
LEADER OF THE PACK, a musical covering the life and career of songwriter/producer Ellie Greenwich, had its origins at New York's Bottom Line Cabaret a year before making its Broadway debut in 1985. Originally conceived by Bottom Line owner Allan Pepper as a revue, the play was revamped for the Big White Way with an expanded cast and a new production choreographed and directed by Michael Peters. A two-disc cast recording was subsequently released. Now, twenty-four years later, this cast recording is finally available on CD, and the songs sound as fresh and vibrant as they did almost a quarter of a century ago - and as they had more than twenty years before that.
The name Ellie Greenwich may not be known to a lot of people, but the majority of the songs written by the lady with that name are as familiar to most folks as their own reflections in the mirror. Ms. Greenwich, along with her then-husband, Jeff Barry, was one of the major forces of the Girl Group sound in the early-to-mid 1960s. Greenwich and Barry composed songs for The Crystals, The Ronettes, Darlene Love, Lesley Gore,and The Dixie Cups among others. LEADER OF THE PACK, which to this day is still being performed by theatre groups around the world, tells the story of Ellie's life, marriage to (and divorce from) Jeff, and their shared musical career at Manhattan's famous Brill Building in a series of clever musical vignettes. In fact, the play's full name is actually LEADER OF THE PACK: THE ELLIE GREENWICH MUSICAL, and if the first part of the title rings a bell, it's because "Leader of the Pack," originally recorded by the Shangri-Las, is one of many hit tunes co-composed by Ms. Greenwich. Others are "Da Do Ron Ron," "Be My Baby," "Baby, I Love You," "Do Wah Diddy," and "River Deep - Mountain High" to name only a few. All of these songs, performed by cast members Dinah Manoff (who portrayed the young Ellie Greenwich), Patrick Cassidy (Jeff Barry), Annie Golden, Darlene Love, and Ellie Greenwich herself, can be heard on this album, excellently produced by Greenwich and Bob Crewe. None of the magic and vitality of the performances was lost; it all sounds fresh and exciting, and instantly transports one back to the days of sock hops and beehive hairdos and malt shops and lovers' lanes.
Although a bit of poetic license was taken in the stage production (the chronology of some events in Ms. Greenwich's life was slightly altered for the sake of flow, and at least one character, Gus Sharkey, is actually a composite of several people who influenced Ms. Greenwich's career), the songs of Ellie Greenwich are ordered in an ingenious way as to unfold the plot with a minimum of dialogue, as with "(Today I Met) The Boy I'm Gonna Marry," "And Then He Kissed Me, "Hanky Panky," "Chapel of Love," and "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)." Other songs include the charming "A ... My Name is Ellie" (performed by the young Ellie as she practices her accordion), the inspirational "We're Gonna Make It (After All)" (sung at the finale), and the heartwrenching "Rock of Rages," which chronicles Ellie's nervous breakdown after her mother's passing and her former husband Jeff's remarriage and subsequent relocation to California. It was immediately after this number, in the original Broadway play, when the real Ellie Greenwich made her triumphant entrance, showing the world that she may have been defeated, but she was far from destroyed. As heard on this album, Ms. Greenwich sang a few songs, answered a few questions, kidded around with the cast members, and generally showed the world that she'd been to heaven and she'd been to hell, but she was made of strong stuff, indeed - and loaded with heaps of talent, which nobody could take away from her.
Ellie Greenwich passed away on August 26, 2009, just a couple of weeks after the release of this CD. I heartily recommend this album to anyone who has been touched by Ellie's music over the years. LEADER OF THE PACK: THE ELLIE GREENWICH MUSICAL is a fitting tribute to the legacy of this talented lady and Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee. Ellie's voice has been stilled forever, but her work will live on.
Description of Leader of the Pack
First time on CD for the complete two record soundtrack to the Broadway play, available on one CD. In 1985, Ellie Greenwich and Michael Peters put on the Broadway show Leader Of The Pack. That same year Elektra Records issued a two album set featuring the Original Broadway Cast. They also issued a single disc "greatest hits" from that play. We now issue on CD for the first time anywhere, the complete two record set on one CD. The album features Dinah Manoff, Darlene Love, Jasmine Guy and, of course, Ellie Greenwich.Broadway & Vocalists CDs
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