Phil had two major phases of his career, the first was his girl group records in the early to mid sixties, and the second was his work with the Beatles, and then two ex- Beatles, at the end of the sixties and into the '70's. Before they broke up he produced their Let It Be album in 1970 which is generally thought of as one of their worst albums. I like it a lot though, it's a Beatle's record that sounds very different from the others. It also doesn't sound like a Phil Spector, Wall Of Sound record. He lays back on most of the songs and it actually ends up being one of their rawest albums. The notable exceptions are Paul's "Let It Be" and "The Long and Winding Road". Paul supposedly hated Phil's production and felt like his arrangements were drowning out the songs. The arrangement on "The Long and Winding Road" is a little bit sappy but it ends up adding strength to what ultimately is just a sappy song. He didn't write the thing Paul, he just reacted to it; sometimes a song needs some goddamn strings. Paul re-released "Let It Be" as "Let It Be- Naked" a couple years ago and took off Spector's production and laid the tracks pretty bear. I like it, it sounds cool, but it's not as good as the original.
Next he produced George Harrison's first solo album, "All Things Must Pass", which was a big hit. "My Sweet Lord" was the number one single off it that George would later get sued for due to it's sounding too similar to The Chiffon's "He's So Fine". The record is a little over rated but it still has some good songs. Here are a couple,
Between 1970 and 1975 Phil produced four John Lennon solo records and two of them were genius. First was John's first album after the Beatles, "Plastic Ono Band". It's one of the great records and Phil lays way back on it, letting Lennon scream for his mother not to go when she'd been dead since he was 9. The best suffering is done alone and Phil knows it well. He's so subtle on this record that you hardly know he's there. the most part, Though he's known for his mountainous sound, here Phil leaves the wall of sound at home, it's not always about having a good time.
Then he produced John's next album, "Imagine". It's a great record with more of a Phil Spector type sound. The tracks are fuller than on "Plastic Ono Band", with more orchestration and bigger arrangements. The title track is the classic song, and "How Do You Sleep At Night" is a venemous attack on Paul McCartney. The price for bad art is death, or the equivalent vicious curse of a genius. John could be a vicious snake in the grass like all honest souls at some point are. The world is too cruel not to hate it sometimes. Phil brought forth the two sides of John's coin, the gentle and the brutal, the empathy and the napalm; and it came natural to Phil because that's what he was. A snake in the grass who made beautiful songs. John struck a deep chord with Phil, and a testament to that fact is that the last song that he produced, in 2007 and on trial for murder, was entitled "Crying For John Lennon". It's by a singer named "Hargo" and the song's not good, but there's still something there because Phil's there. It could have been different; wasted promise; something beautiful dying. It's a common thread, it's in all of his songs, the most beautiful ones and the mediocre ones too. Phil, you could have been a star. You could have been huge.
Showing posts with label 10 Greatest Phil Spector Songs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 10 Greatest Phil Spector Songs. Show all posts
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Friday, April 17, 2009
10 Greatest Phil Spector Songs (Part 5)
continued from the last post
10) Da Doo Ron Ron- The Crystals
Nothing artificial and the rush is electric. Casey Jones drives the train, speeding down the railroad tracks, before the Dead, before cocaine, and plays this song to stay awake. High on life but not a square, the Crystals rush he comes to take, and Spector whispers in his ear, "keep your hands off of the breaks". "I met him on a Monday and my heart stood still". Like a punch in the jaw if it's with a kiss that it's chased. Awopbopaloobop as the engines run, and A Doo Ron Ron as sparks fly in his face. From the pages of his prayer book, the one prayer he keeps reciting, "May your days be filled with thunder, may these sparks fly in your face". That's translated from the ancient text, where, between some nonsense Latin, they who wrote it laced it strong with some pure and un-cut words they placed; "Domine Deus, vitam aeternam, awopbopaloobop de hac caritate vivere, et mori statuo sic da doo ron ron est".
10) Da Doo Ron Ron- The Crystals
Nothing artificial and the rush is electric. Casey Jones drives the train, speeding down the railroad tracks, before the Dead, before cocaine, and plays this song to stay awake. High on life but not a square, the Crystals rush he comes to take, and Spector whispers in his ear, "keep your hands off of the breaks". "I met him on a Monday and my heart stood still". Like a punch in the jaw if it's with a kiss that it's chased. Awopbopaloobop as the engines run, and A Doo Ron Ron as sparks fly in his face. From the pages of his prayer book, the one prayer he keeps reciting, "May your days be filled with thunder, may these sparks fly in your face". That's translated from the ancient text, where, between some nonsense Latin, they who wrote it laced it strong with some pure and un-cut words they placed; "Domine Deus, vitam aeternam, awopbopaloobop de hac caritate vivere, et mori statuo sic da doo ron ron est".
Thursday, April 16, 2009
10 Greatest Phil Spector Songs (Part 4)
Continued from last post
9) River Deep, Mountain High- Ike & Tina Turner
Here's how high the wall of sound could be built before tumbling. It's the song that Phil Spector considers to be his masterpiece, which says more about Phil Spector than it does about "River Deep, Mountain High". It was released in 1966 and was a failure in the U.S. and a failure that Phil took deeply to heart and rocked his world. The song that he had such high hopes for was rejected by the American public, only reaching number 88 on the billboard charts, and soon afterwards Phil shut down his record label and his long decline was begun. (It did go to #3 in Britain though). It's a monstrous and violent song, throttling the listener and scorching the Earth. It's a 5 foot 4 Phil Spector and the vicious Godlike vision that endued his little body. And it's revenge upon the planet; Tina you know not what you do. Behind the dark shades there was genius; and a violence and venom there too. Mis-estimated, unnoticed, an ego was wounded; and relentless and cruel is the heart that's had something to prove. The venom of genius; it runs deep when it's unseen or mis-estimated. And when it rears up it holds love like it's just a rag doll in its big giant hands that it's ripping in two.
continued next post
9) River Deep, Mountain High- Ike & Tina Turner
Here's how high the wall of sound could be built before tumbling. It's the song that Phil Spector considers to be his masterpiece, which says more about Phil Spector than it does about "River Deep, Mountain High". It was released in 1966 and was a failure in the U.S. and a failure that Phil took deeply to heart and rocked his world. The song that he had such high hopes for was rejected by the American public, only reaching number 88 on the billboard charts, and soon afterwards Phil shut down his record label and his long decline was begun. (It did go to #3 in Britain though). It's a monstrous and violent song, throttling the listener and scorching the Earth. It's a 5 foot 4 Phil Spector and the vicious Godlike vision that endued his little body. And it's revenge upon the planet; Tina you know not what you do. Behind the dark shades there was genius; and a violence and venom there too. Mis-estimated, unnoticed, an ego was wounded; and relentless and cruel is the heart that's had something to prove. The venom of genius; it runs deep when it's unseen or mis-estimated. And when it rears up it holds love like it's just a rag doll in its big giant hands that it's ripping in two.
continued next post
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
10 Greatest Phil Spector Songs (Part 3)
Continued from last post
7) The Ramones- Do You Remember Rock N' Roll Radio
The Ramones' "End Of The Century" was the last full album that Phil Spector has produced up until this day. (April 15th, 2009) It was made in 1980 and its sessions were famously tense, with the band members disastisfied with a lack of input and complaints that Phil had pulled a gun on them. Pulled a gun on them. ("If Socrates leaves his house today he will find the sage seated on his doorstep. If Judas go forth tonight it is to Judas his steps will tend". Maeterlinck said that. "We prophesize ourselves, Phil will pull a gun again"- I said that). Although individual members of the band didn't like this record I think it's great. "I Can't Make It On Time" is one of the best Ramones songs ever, the cover of the Ronnette's "Baby I Love You" is as good as the original, and "Do You Remember Rock N' Roll Radio" is a classic Phil Spector single. Joey was an awesome lyricist who could take a simple phrase and in the context of the song make it very powerful. "It's the end, the end of the '70's. It's the end, the end of the century" is a hell of a line and as pretty close to perfect as it gets. An arrangement that could have edged over into being bombastic (and I'm sure some people think it is) instead just ends up sounding huge. It was what Phil was good at, huge but with a heart beating solid at the center. And if Joey didn't have the voice of Ronnie or Darlene he was always just as sincere about the great truths of life; like John Lennon, T.Rex and 'Ol Moulty. (The 'Ol Moulty in the lyrics refers to an obscure 1966 song by the Barbarians about their drummer Moulty who lost his arm in an accident. A lost classic, remembered lovingly by Joey and the boys).
8) Walking In The Rain- The Ronettes
There are so many incredible Ronette's songs that narrowing them down to a couple to put on a list doesn't do them justice at all. Almost everything they ever recorded with Phil is worth listening to, (I say almost not because I know of some that aren't but just in case there are some that I've never heard) and almost every one sounds like a top ten hit to me. But just to set the record, here's some more Ronette's songs that I'm not putting on the list but are just as good as anything on it. ("Baby I Love You", "So Young", "You Baby", "Why Don't They Let Us Fall In Love", "Do I Love You", "You Came, You Saw, You Conquered", "The Best Part Of Breakin' Up", "When I Saw You", "I Can Hear Music" and whatever others I'm forgetting right now). There's something more than epic about this song though. The whole structure of the song feels somehow strange and beautiful. "Full fathom five thy father lies, of his bones are coral made, those are pearls that were his eyes, nothing of him that doth fade but doth suffer a sea change into something rich and strange" wrote Shakespeare, walking through his own Tempest. And the storm in that play is the rain that Ronnie loves. Rich and strange, like blue opals and white pearls piled up in heaps on a crysal sea floor. Tempests like this are rain worth walking through. We are such stuff as dreams are made on; like walking in the rain, and wishing on the stars up above, and being so in love.
continued next post
7) The Ramones- Do You Remember Rock N' Roll Radio
The Ramones' "End Of The Century" was the last full album that Phil Spector has produced up until this day. (April 15th, 2009) It was made in 1980 and its sessions were famously tense, with the band members disastisfied with a lack of input and complaints that Phil had pulled a gun on them. Pulled a gun on them. ("If Socrates leaves his house today he will find the sage seated on his doorstep. If Judas go forth tonight it is to Judas his steps will tend". Maeterlinck said that. "We prophesize ourselves, Phil will pull a gun again"- I said that). Although individual members of the band didn't like this record I think it's great. "I Can't Make It On Time" is one of the best Ramones songs ever, the cover of the Ronnette's "Baby I Love You" is as good as the original, and "Do You Remember Rock N' Roll Radio" is a classic Phil Spector single. Joey was an awesome lyricist who could take a simple phrase and in the context of the song make it very powerful. "It's the end, the end of the '70's. It's the end, the end of the century" is a hell of a line and as pretty close to perfect as it gets. An arrangement that could have edged over into being bombastic (and I'm sure some people think it is) instead just ends up sounding huge. It was what Phil was good at, huge but with a heart beating solid at the center. And if Joey didn't have the voice of Ronnie or Darlene he was always just as sincere about the great truths of life; like John Lennon, T.Rex and 'Ol Moulty. (The 'Ol Moulty in the lyrics refers to an obscure 1966 song by the Barbarians about their drummer Moulty who lost his arm in an accident. A lost classic, remembered lovingly by Joey and the boys).
8) Walking In The Rain- The Ronettes
There are so many incredible Ronette's songs that narrowing them down to a couple to put on a list doesn't do them justice at all. Almost everything they ever recorded with Phil is worth listening to, (I say almost not because I know of some that aren't but just in case there are some that I've never heard) and almost every one sounds like a top ten hit to me. But just to set the record, here's some more Ronette's songs that I'm not putting on the list but are just as good as anything on it. ("Baby I Love You", "So Young", "You Baby", "Why Don't They Let Us Fall In Love", "Do I Love You", "You Came, You Saw, You Conquered", "The Best Part Of Breakin' Up", "When I Saw You", "I Can Hear Music" and whatever others I'm forgetting right now). There's something more than epic about this song though. The whole structure of the song feels somehow strange and beautiful. "Full fathom five thy father lies, of his bones are coral made, those are pearls that were his eyes, nothing of him that doth fade but doth suffer a sea change into something rich and strange" wrote Shakespeare, walking through his own Tempest. And the storm in that play is the rain that Ronnie loves. Rich and strange, like blue opals and white pearls piled up in heaps on a crysal sea floor. Tempests like this are rain worth walking through. We are such stuff as dreams are made on; like walking in the rain, and wishing on the stars up above, and being so in love.
continued next post
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
10 Greatest Phil Spector Songs (Part 2)
Continued from last post
(Phil was found guilty of second degree murder charges against the actress Lana Clarkson yesterday)
4) Born To Be With You- Dion
From late in his career, here's Phil working with Dion of Dion and the Belmonts, "Runaraound Sue" and "The Wanderer". Dion's a great singer and here he is right in the middle of the strange and full mid '70's Phil Spector sound. Phil produced almost the entire album that this song is off of and it's one of his very few full length productions. (Also great off of that album is a song called "Only You Know") A swelling fat arrangement and it's "Little girl, by your side...". A one minute and forty second intro to a nearly seven minute song. It doesn't feel that long though; but anyway you can't measure this kind of stuff.
5)Unchained Melody- The Righteous Brothers
Bobby Hatfield of the Righteous Brothers gives one of the greatest vocal performances ever, and Phil cues in the waves and stars to come and back up every line. It's in that movie Ghost where they're making pottery. It's been covered a million times, it's in the modern music vernacular, it's the definition of a standard, try to think about before this song existed; you can't go back that far in time.
6) My Heart Beat A Little Bit Faster- Darlene Love
This is an obscure song and it's extremely long at almost 5 minutes if measured by the other early 60's Phil Spector songs. It starts out on Monday and by Friday he's kissed her lips. A slow, slow song so that Darlene can catch her breath. And you can have mine honey, we've got more breath than we need when we're not young anymore, I have a little faith, you're all the magic in the night that's left.
continued next post
(Phil was found guilty of second degree murder charges against the actress Lana Clarkson yesterday)
4) Born To Be With You- Dion
From late in his career, here's Phil working with Dion of Dion and the Belmonts, "Runaraound Sue" and "The Wanderer". Dion's a great singer and here he is right in the middle of the strange and full mid '70's Phil Spector sound. Phil produced almost the entire album that this song is off of and it's one of his very few full length productions. (Also great off of that album is a song called "Only You Know") A swelling fat arrangement and it's "Little girl, by your side...". A one minute and forty second intro to a nearly seven minute song. It doesn't feel that long though; but anyway you can't measure this kind of stuff.
5)Unchained Melody- The Righteous Brothers
Bobby Hatfield of the Righteous Brothers gives one of the greatest vocal performances ever, and Phil cues in the waves and stars to come and back up every line. It's in that movie Ghost where they're making pottery. It's been covered a million times, it's in the modern music vernacular, it's the definition of a standard, try to think about before this song existed; you can't go back that far in time.
6) My Heart Beat A Little Bit Faster- Darlene Love
This is an obscure song and it's extremely long at almost 5 minutes if measured by the other early 60's Phil Spector songs. It starts out on Monday and by Friday he's kissed her lips. A slow, slow song so that Darlene can catch her breath. And you can have mine honey, we've got more breath than we need when we're not young anymore, I have a little faith, you're all the magic in the night that's left.
continued next post
Monday, April 13, 2009
The 10 Greatest Phil Spector Songs (Part 1)
1) Be My Baby- The Ronnettes
I remember seeing something once where Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys said that the first time he heard Be My Baby he was driving and was so blown away that he swerved off the road. Whether that's true or not what's undoubtedly true is that unless you swerved off too than you haven't heard it right. It's a record worth swerving off to; and make sure the road is treacherous and very high. Like a prophecy come true, the drums are in the sky to announce that Ronnie's coming with two minutes and forty seconds of eternal teenage life. Why more cars didn't swerve off is the question. Here's what winning every bet you ever placed, hitting the lottery, finding love, and being young all mixed together with the greatest drum beat of all time would sound like if it was all recorded exactly right. There's a road to swerve off to for all time right here, and if I don't come back baby it's all alright.
2) Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)- Darlene Love
Along with the Pogues's "Fairytale of New York" and Elvis Presley's "Santa Claus is Back In Town" this is the undisputed greatest Christmas song ever written, sung, produced or performed. Darlene Love sings it like she's in the middle of a warzone, the northen lights flashing blue and purple in the sky, the snowflakes storming down on her like little tyrants, and the Crystal's singing backup as she's fighting for her life. Here's passion, here's love, here's a whole universe in December, every broken promise ever made, and life as love and love as life. The Passion in December. Darlene and Ronnie were sent by Phil to frozen lands to look for love and they're still there and they're still young and will still be for all of time. Baby please come home, and she never will, and he never will, she'll be out there still singing all through the summer. The hooks in this song are too good for just December and the pain in her heart's for all the blue and purple in the sky. And for whoever the piece of shit is that made her beg like that at Christmas time.
3) To Know Him Is To Love Him- The Teddy Bears
Phil Spector's father killed himself when Phil was 9 and the words on his grave were "To Have Known Him Was To Have Loved Him". When Phil was a senior in highschool he took his father's epitaph, changed the tense, and made a hit song. There's an eerieness here like it's something from a dream. The drum sounds like it was recorded not far away but long ago, like it's not just a drum with echo, but it's the memory of a drum. This was Phil's first number one hit and it's ironic in a way as everything seems to point to the fact that to know Phil Spector is not to love Phil Spector, but rather it brings on how the opposite feeling would go. But to hear that distant drumbeat is to fall in love with drumbeats, and to love something here but barely, like Phil's lost Rosebud in the snow. And I do and I do and I do and I do and I do...
Continued next post
I remember seeing something once where Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys said that the first time he heard Be My Baby he was driving and was so blown away that he swerved off the road. Whether that's true or not what's undoubtedly true is that unless you swerved off too than you haven't heard it right. It's a record worth swerving off to; and make sure the road is treacherous and very high. Like a prophecy come true, the drums are in the sky to announce that Ronnie's coming with two minutes and forty seconds of eternal teenage life. Why more cars didn't swerve off is the question. Here's what winning every bet you ever placed, hitting the lottery, finding love, and being young all mixed together with the greatest drum beat of all time would sound like if it was all recorded exactly right. There's a road to swerve off to for all time right here, and if I don't come back baby it's all alright.
2) Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)- Darlene Love
Along with the Pogues's "Fairytale of New York" and Elvis Presley's "Santa Claus is Back In Town" this is the undisputed greatest Christmas song ever written, sung, produced or performed. Darlene Love sings it like she's in the middle of a warzone, the northen lights flashing blue and purple in the sky, the snowflakes storming down on her like little tyrants, and the Crystal's singing backup as she's fighting for her life. Here's passion, here's love, here's a whole universe in December, every broken promise ever made, and life as love and love as life. The Passion in December. Darlene and Ronnie were sent by Phil to frozen lands to look for love and they're still there and they're still young and will still be for all of time. Baby please come home, and she never will, and he never will, she'll be out there still singing all through the summer. The hooks in this song are too good for just December and the pain in her heart's for all the blue and purple in the sky. And for whoever the piece of shit is that made her beg like that at Christmas time.
3) To Know Him Is To Love Him- The Teddy Bears
Phil Spector's father killed himself when Phil was 9 and the words on his grave were "To Have Known Him Was To Have Loved Him". When Phil was a senior in highschool he took his father's epitaph, changed the tense, and made a hit song. There's an eerieness here like it's something from a dream. The drum sounds like it was recorded not far away but long ago, like it's not just a drum with echo, but it's the memory of a drum. This was Phil's first number one hit and it's ironic in a way as everything seems to point to the fact that to know Phil Spector is not to love Phil Spector, but rather it brings on how the opposite feeling would go. But to hear that distant drumbeat is to fall in love with drumbeats, and to love something here but barely, like Phil's lost Rosebud in the snow. And I do and I do and I do and I do and I do...
Continued next post
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