Phil Spector
Okay, last week I posted that I’m taking Wednesday and Thursdays off because I need to devote more time to looking for a job. I was surprised because I got a decent amount of hits on the days that I didn’t post anything and felt bad there was nothing new to look at. So I’ve decided that on Wednesday and Thursday what I’m going to do is pick someone or a subject and post a few related videos up. That way there’s something new here and I can do it rather quickly and then get back to emailing and bugging people on LinkedIn about possible jobs out there, which I’m learning are few and far between. Today’s video subject is, legendary record producer and murderer, Phil Spector. I’ve picked three videos with and about him and three songs to accompany them. Enjoy and have a great Wednesday!
Phil Spector talks about the movie “Mean Streets” using “Be My Baby” without permission and how Brian Wilson was obsessed with that song. Notice how infrequently he blinks his eyes!
The aforementioned, “Be My Baby.”
Johnny and Dee Dee Ramone talk about the difficulty they had working with Phil Spector.
“Chinese Rocks” by the Ramones from the Phil Spector produced album, End Of The Century.
Members of Phil Spector’s famous Wrecking Crew discuss the album, A Christmas Gift for You From Phil Spector.
“Sleigh Ride” by The Ronettes off the album, A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector.
Further Reading: The Smoking Gun, Official Website and Phil Spector Jukebox.
Surprise link, click on it...I dare you!
------------------------------------
Bonus Phil Spector Art by "Boris!"
TWM art director and one half (along with DJ Gidget) of the "Secret Weapon" team, "Boris," sent in this piece of Phil Spector art. Great work, Daddio, thanks!
Brian Wilson, Phil Spector, Ronnettes, The Wrecking Crew Posted on Wednesday, May 9, 2012 at 9:01AM
Reader Comments (30)
Nice one TWM. Or should I say tripping with Phil Spector. I was in LA during his first trial and took a wander down to the courthouse to see if I could see some of the trial. I got there just as they were recessing for the morning and when I tried to get in to the courtroom it was already filled up with no more seats. I did however get to meet Dominick Dunne who was out there covering for GQ or Esquire or something. He was pretty nice.
Anyway...
My top 10 Phil Spector involved songs in no particular order:
10. Baby I Love You
9. He's a Rebel
8. Spanish Harlem
7. Pretty Little Angel Eyes
6. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
5. He's Sure the Boy I Love
4. Walking in the Rain
3. Da Doo Ron Ron
2. Be My Baby
1. Marshmallow World
Marty, When I was playing music & recording I had to work with some pain in the ass engineers, but I think I would have wrestled the gun away from Phil Spector & blew his fucking brains out or at least messed up his hair.
Talented producer, alas...crazier than the proverbial outhouse rodent.
No matter how much I may have loved the music --I used to have a few 45s but I now have CDs-- I always recall that he killed someone and that sure puts a damper on things because I really enjoying the tunes. That really sucks, and the songs are played less and less.
@randall: I believe Dominick Dunne covered the trial for Vanity Fair, very cool that you got to meet him! And that's a great list of Spector tunes!
@Danny the freelancer: Ha ha ha! I think Phil would have preferred to getting his brains blown out over getting his hair messed up!
@Jaws: I agree, I think his craziness helped him to produce some great records, but ultimately landed him in jail.
@Mykola Mick Dementiuk: Luckily, I can put him out of my mind and just enjoy the music that he produced and the musicians playing on the songs.
get a job on Rikers Island !
Damn uneditable posts !
Regardless of the fact that Phil is crazy, he produced some great music. Pulling a gun on John Lennon, seems everyone was scared of him, never knowing if he would lose his temper. Well he bought that Pyrenees Castle in Alhambra, Calif,,,,on top of a hill,,, nice place? not really, Alhambra is a dumpy area of Los Angeles. The fact that he killed that girl is not that surprising, going by his history. The best thing he did was produce Dion's album "Born to be with you". Even though Dion disowned it (Phil was impossible to work with) and Phil shelved it for like a year, it was a masterpiece. link to a review>.....http://www.allmusic.com/album/born-to-be-with-you-r1733085/review
@GENE: Great idea, as I've had some experience in jail already!
@Al: I read that where he lived was a bad part of L.A. I've never heard of that Dion album and after reading the review I'm going to go look for it online. Thanks for the link!
Ha ha @ the surprise link.
Just for the record, Phil Spector was not a photographer for this publication.
Marty, your not to respond to any comments until after 6p.m. your suppose to be looking for a jod dammit--now get to work!!!!
Phil Spector = totally-super-creepy.
Take out JOD and replace with job ...sorry
@csp: Ha ha ha! Nice linkage!
@Meleah: Totally super-creepy and nutty as a Snickers bar!
@tehennessey: Ha ha ha! You can't tell me when to look for a job till you can properly spell it the first time!
That Spector's one crazy motherfucker.
I'll have what Brian's having.
ok which half am i?
the bottom or top?
weapon or secret?
Funny I never knew about Phil Spector until he was in the News for Murder, never knew he Produced the Ramones or anything else, should I ?
@JHwang:
Well Phil, a Michigan native, always referred to Detroit as "Mo-Town". Due to his thick accent, people associated the two and the Mo-Town sound was born. He moved to Tin-Pan Alley and began working on Broadway. His most famous work was a collaboration with Irving Berlin and Julia Andrews. Between the three of them, they invented the Irving Berlin Wall of Sound of Music. Spector used a layered effect of all the notes in the rainbow, including Do, Ray, Mi, So, Fa, La, Ti, and another Doe. We take this for granted today, but back then everyone used those monosyllabic notes AND spoke in monotone; so it's a pretty big achievement. After several successes on Broadway, and a failed domestic partnership with a guy named Ronnie, Spector soon began to yearn for his mono roots. He bemoaned a world lost of its mono in favor as he described, "American capitalists with their portable stereos and Russians with their Broski Hi-5's." Inspired by his new lover Richard Gere, he traveled to Tibet to study the secret ways of mono Tibetan throat singing. While there, Spector went insane. He shoved a hamster up Gere's ass and his hair turned grey and imposing in its afro-tasticness. He tried to make a comeback in Western music production, but could never really adapt to a stereo world. He mugged the Beatles at gunpoint. Years later he attempted to produce the Ramones, but called it off calling them a bunch of punks. (Thus coining the term punk rock.) He retired to California, still quite insane, and shot a number of cocktail waitresses. (He is alleged to have said after each shooting, "No, I don't want you baby."; this is said to be some reference to his work with the Human League, a fringe musical terrorist group.)
I'm sure this is all under his Wikipedia entry, if not I'll be sure to update it later. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (and where you get what you paid for.)
One of the weirder and surreal Spector moments was in an old documentary about him I saw a long time ago. Apparently he bought a gun to a Ramones session he was producing and would also throw tantrums and yell at people. One of th Ramones remarked "It wasn't conducive to the creative process."
Mahhhrteee, I hear MakerBot graphics corp is movin' into new digs, gettin' bigger ovah in Brooklyn....maybe room for you in their expansion?
Give 'em hell, Cap'n!
unbelievable...UFB as GENE might say...a post when led to understand there would be no post...only stopped by TWM out of total boredom...lo and behold a new classic w/ just as many classic comments—yes a true gift...could say as much as csp 'bout spector (someone that gave all some great tunes)...this is about TWM who immediately saw a void and filled it,,,a magnum opus…
If some great catastrophe is not announced every morning, we feel a certain void. Nothing in the paper today, we sigh.
Lord Acton
rr
@Brian Wilson: Pot calling kettle black alert!
@Biff: I had some of what Brian had in the '70's.
@Gidget: Since Cher did work for Phil Spector back in the day, I have to answer, "Half Breed!" Don Pardo, what do I win?
@JHwang: Look directly beneath your comment!
@csp: Ha ha ha! Quite possibly the best comment ever! Great work!
@DaveW: Those Ramones sessions are legendary! Lots of good stories came out of them!
@DrBop: Thanks for the tip, I'm finding out it's pretty rough out there!
@rr: Glad you appreciated the new posting style for today and tomorrow! I just can't stand having a void here! Great quote as always!
Yes I read it, & Thanks So Much, never knew any of this, but know of all the songs, even the Human League, which I Like ! Funny thing about Mono, which is an adaption to stereo, just record same sound in room with 2 or more recorders with different microphones in different positions, but then you need to edit & maybe why he didn't like it. Adapt or Die is how I see it, like when Digital Cameras came, I went backwards & reinvented the film camera to achieve effects you can't get on Digital Cameras, & Film will not disappear like Records since the technology to produce both will still exist, so you might not get it sometimes, but someone will reproduce it, there is a big market for it Look what Happen to Polaroid, someone brought there old technology & reproduced it, & the camera that you brought was a used one since they made so many of them in different makes & models you can find them like they did & refurbish them which is what there doing, the reinvention of Dead Tech !!!
CSP's wiki of Phil is the best i ever read.. i am dying to repost it somewhere.. when i start blogging again maybe I will bug CSP to send it to me.. and maybe write me a description of Marty!
@JHwang: Glad you learned about Phil Spector today and I agree with your Adapt or Die theories.
@Gidget: I love csp's wiki of Phil, but hope he doesn't place his wiki on me!
And what is this?
@csp: That's a sign that the world will end soon!
Not that you're not fun to go out with, but you should stay home more often. I guess I did just smoke, but Spector is one of your best posts ever. Yes, genius is seldom tidy and neither is Phil Spector. I dare anyone to try the No Blink challenge! Is it possible the "Wall of Sound" was a byproduct of Mr. Phil's inability to close his eyes?
@Special Ed: Glad you enjoyed this, it was fun to put together and I'm happy you appreciated the work! I've tried the No Blink challenge and failed miserably! Love your "Wall of Sound" theory!