Can You Believe We've Still Got Even MORE Comments To Share?!?! (And We Haven't Even Started Posting Your NEW Comments Yet Since This Brand New Phil Spector Page Went Up!)
re: THE IN-BETWEEN CHAPTERS:
Interesting the way you broke some of these segments up. It gave you a great opportunity to feature some of the other tracks that were omitted trying to hold each chapter to five song examples. The additional tracks really make up a nice extra treat for the readers. Nice job!
Steve (SLK47)
Thanks, STEVE! I know we had some concerns regarding how long a series like this could run and still hold the readers' interest ... but I think mixing the "hits" in with some of these more obscure tracks helped to keep the folks listening in. They got to discover some music they'd probably never heard before (and would never even have the opportunity TO hear) as well as the stuff that put SPECTOR on the musical map in the first place. (kk)
The Phil Spector series is probably the BEST ever run! Congrats! PLEASE let everyone give a listen to the Checkmates’ version of SPANISH HARLEM. As incredible as all the other versions of this song are, this one is THE BEST! I bought A&M 1127 back when it came out and in Alabama, SPANISH HARLEM got all the airplay. Never heard the flip on the radio. And by the numbering on the label, I always assumed SPANISH HARLEM was the intended A side. Notice now in the trail off we get VERONICA AND PHIL!
Allan0318
TRACK
You cracked me up today! When you told me there was going to be a 9a based on segment 9, I tried to guess what songs you would select. "Hmmm, what five songs will Kent include???" I did pretty well. I guessed the two other versions of "Things Are Changing." I also guessed "Don't Go Home With Your Hard On," knowing what a pervert you can be (just kidding, I think). LOL, I also predicted another R&RHOF rant. You did surprise me with Dion's "Born To be With You." I also guessed you would feature the Ramones’ "Rock N Roll High School" and "Do You Remember Rock ‘N’ Roll Radio" just because the titles alone are so... well Rock & Roll.
Again, I hope some of this stuff does not drive away any FH Readers or scare them away from the rest of the Spector Series. It took guts to send some of today’s tracks out.
Steve (SLK47)
I knew I'd have to get THE RAMONES' track ROCK 'N' ROLL HIGH SCHOOL into this series SOMEWHERE ... so I just made it fit somewhere else!!! (lol) And I HAD to find a spot for LEONARD COHEN, rocker that he is, so that others, too, could enjoy the ground-breaking path he helped to carve in the annals of rock and roll history. And hey, EVERYBODY likes DION, right??? And look at the RAVE reviews we got from PING regarding the OTHER versions of THINGS ARE CHANGING!!! (kk)
Lordy! I always thought the Supremes' version of "Things Are Changing" was the aural equivalent of bong water. Jay's version is the aural equivalent of swallowing it. I'd thank you for passing it along, but ... um ... never mind.
Major kudos to SLK for a mighty cool series!
Ping
Kent,
That Leonard Cohen tune had one hook, the double entendre title. Way too
long, over-produced, not much of a memorable tune, just a simple chord deal
with some minor chords thrown in. Bob Dylan a poet? Yes, certainly
compared to this non-entity Leonard Cohen.
Some people, Jann Wenner comes to mind, have very low boiling points.
Kit
WOW! IT WAS GREAT TO HEAR THAT MFQ CUT AGAIN. I HAVE THAT RECORD SOMEWHERE! DID YOU KNOW THAT'S PHOTOGRAPHER HENRY DILTZ SINGING LEAD ON THAT TRACK? HENRY'S A LONGTIME FRIEND AND A SUPER GUY. I'VE ACTUALLY SEEN HIM JUMP ONSTAGE WITH A FEW BANDS AND SING IT LIVE ONSTAGE A FEW TIMES! HE'S BEEN AN INSPIRATION AND A GREAT HELP TO ME OVER THE YEARS, AND YOU'D HAVE TO CALL HIM A LEGEND! HE'S COVERED WOODSTOCK AND MONTEREY POP AS WELL AS COUNTLESS WEST COAST ARTISTS LIKE CSNY, THE DOORS, DAVID CASSIDY, DAN FOGELBERG, MAMA CASS, THE LOVIN SPOONFUL, AMERICA, THE EAGLES, THE MONKEES (THAT'S HOW I MET HIM) AND SO MANY OTHERS. YOU CAN CHECK OUT SOME OF HIS PIX @ WWW.MORRISONHOTELGALLERY.COM. HE DESERVES A PLUG!!
HAVE A GREAT DAY ...
MICHAEL G. BUSH
>>>One funny tribute to Phil Spector is by The Attack called "Please Phil Spector". (Steve - SLK47)
Not sure how this appeared in its original release, but it's on an ACE cd from the UK (Phil's Spectre) as Mike Lendell and The Attack. Mike Lendell is a very famous name in the music industry, but some may know him better as Mike Rashkow. If he was remembered for only one thing, it would be for writing the song Mary In The Morning with Johnny Cymbal. He also worked with Ellie Greenwich as a songwriter and producer as well. By the way, a third volume of Phil Spector Wall Of Soundalikes was issued in July of 2007.
Tom Diehl
Yes, SEVERAL people pointed out the release of a THIRD volume of WALL OF SOUNDALIKES ... I think we should ALL chip in and buy STEVE a copy as a "Thank You" for the OUTSTANDING job he did on this series!!! (kk)
Hi Kent,
Great job with the Spector series and readers’ comments.
Steve mentions royalty money for records that are played on the radio. How exactly does that work, and do writers receive money for every time a record is played on radio and or TV? How about the bands who record the music? Do they just get a flat fee?
Mark
Depending on what kind of rate the artist negotiated into their recording and/or publishing contract, they receive a set amount of money for each copy sold and each radio airplay as a recording artist and (if that artist also happened to WRITE the tune) each copy sold, each radio airplay and each recorded version ... this is often typically "pennies" per play for a non-superstar act, but it all adds up very quickly on a big hit record. During PHIL SPECTOR's recording era, typically session players were hired and paid a flat fee for that day's work ... usually the same for the engineer, producer, etc. (although I'm sure SPECTOR was financially rewarded VERY well for HIS production duties!!!) As an example, you'll read in next month's interview with BOBBY HART that he STILL earns about $15,000 per year in royalties for the use of his Theme to THE DAYS OF OUR LIVES that's aired five days a week for the past 40-some years!!! Mega-Stars earn a MUCH higher royalty and/or publishing rate ... and MOST of the artists of the '60's were REGULARLY ripped off by their managers, publishers, record companies, etc., etc., etc. (kk)
re: NEW READERS:
>>>Thanks to TOM DIEHL for posting info on the SPECTROPOP Website about STEVE's Tribute to the Genius of PHIL SPECTOR ... we picked up QUITE a few new subscribers this past week as a result of this! (kk)
That's really cool. WTG, Tom!!!
Well, Kent, Ol' Buddy, you drove off Bill Medley and the Beatles fans but got a bunch of new Spector freaks. Hmmm ... is that a good thing? Was it worth it? :-)
Here's what I found on the SPECTROPOP site:
One of the lists I am a part of is Kent
Kotal's Forgotten Hits newsletter. For the last few days, the email
newsletter has been sending out a series on Phil Spector created by Steve
Knuettel. While S'poppers may not learn anything new from the series, the
members of the Forgotten Hits newsletter are free to respond with comments
about the series, and some who are a part of S'pop have already responded to
the 4 parts of the series that have already come out with additions and
corrections. If other S'poppers who are not already a part of the Forgotten
Hits newsletter would be interested in joining the list, Kent Kotal can forward
to you the parts of the series that have already run, and you can add your
comments by responding to Kent in an email. I would like to thank Al Kooper for
adding some of his comments for the series and would hope that there would be
some other interest in the series on Spectropop. If you want to get in on
the series, all you have to do is send Kent an email at kk@forgottenhits.com and let him know that you would like to join the Forgotten Hits
newsletter and receive the entire Phil Spector series, and hopefully some of
you can add more comments and memories and history to the series. See you all
there!
--Tom Diehl
Rensselaer, NY
We
received a GREAT response to this when it first went out, so thanks again, Tom!
(In fact, I think I got something like TWELVE new readers in about twenty minutes after this was posted!!! LOL)
It makes sense ... FORGOTTEN HITS and SPECTROPOP BOTH cover the same era of music and many of the same artists. Although I've never been a regular visitor to their site, a quick spot check turned up interviews with many of the SAME artists who've graced OUR pages over the past several years. I believe anybody on EITHER list will find something to their liking on the OTHER list, too ... so this makes for a GREAT cross-promotion.
Glad to hear it got new FH readers. I bet Spectropop will get some new readers as a result of this series too. A two-way street - that's cool.
Steve (SLK47)
re: PHIL PIX:
Kent,
I thought with the big hoopla around Phil's series, I'd send along a "phew photos of Phil" from the 60's. The first three are from the Big TNT TV presentation in late ‘65 / early ‘66. First, is Phil doing his best to look like a Hudson Brother with his "fluffy" shirt as he exits "U.N.C.L.E." Actually, David McCallum was trying to get a recording career off the ground at the time. He signed with Capitol and even has a pic sleeve 45. He also hosted Hullaballoo (as if anyone needed to be "hip" to host THAT show!) Secondly, producer Jack Gold has evidently asked Phil to go outside and keep the birds in line, but obviously, Phil thought he meant "Byrds"?? Thirdly, Phil sits with Joan Baez pondering whether to ask her "Do you by chance know 'River Deep -Mountain High. Here's another shot of Phil from late 1965, seemingly on top of the world, yet maybe time had passed him by and he did not know it?
WLSClark
Thanks, CLARK!
I guess by now we're all so used to seeing PHIL's hair-dos ... and don'ts ... that we forget what he looked like back in the '60's!!! Heck, at one point, I was even inspired to try The PHIL SPECTOR Look on for size!!! (kk)
After listening to the Ramones song and the Ronnie Spector song included with today's segment, I thought of the songs that Joey Ramone produced for Ronnie and thought again about writing the Ronnie Spector and The Ronettes (non-Spector songs) series if you think there would be enough interest. LOL, I punningly refer to those songs as the Phil-Less songs. And, of course, there's still the Spector Soundalikes Series to consider. Both would make good companion series to this one, but I think the FH readers are gonna need a long, long break from anything remotely Spector related after this one finishes its run.I hope the readers are not getting too saturated with all this Spector stuff at once and losing interest.
Now I gotta go lay down and let my swollen head shrink back to normal after reading today's comments from Chris and Allan. BTW, when are the comments pages coming out? After the series has completed its run? I am really looking forward to reading them (especially if they are anything like today's).
Steve (SLK47)
Hey, you deserve the praise you've received for this series ... and I'm quite sure that SOME type of follow-up series is in order ... somewhere down the line. (Maybe if we pull together the JOE MEEK Series we've been talking about, the SPECTOR Sound-Alikes Series would make a good follow-up to THAT one!!!) Time will tell ... but the fans have spoken ... and they LOVED The PHIL SPECTOR Series! (kk)
re: AND THESE ... JUST IN!!!:
VERY RIGHTEOUS! Thanks for all the great inside
info. you and Steve added concerning the Dynamic Duo.
EdieAndrews
I have a correction to Part 13 of the Phil Spector series:
"White Dove" is not the only Spector produced track on Starsailor's
disappointing second album. He also produced the title track, "Silence Is
Easy." It says so on the
cover. And Ace Records released a third Spector soundalike album in 2007:
Phil's Spectre III: A Third Wall of Soundalikes
Keep up the good work.
Jon Vidar, Norway
I'm not quite sure what you mean ... we FEATURED the SILENCE IS EASY track as part of our PHIL SPECTOR Series. (kk)
Just wanted to mention how much I enjoyed the Phil Spector series, too.
Something I have in common with him is we went to the same schools, but at different times ... Fairfax High School and Los Angeles City College. I am a few years younger than him, graduating from high school in 1964.
Keep up the good work … I really enjoy all what you do.
Ken .... Rangely1952
Please keep me on the FH list ...
SUBSCRIBE,SUBSCRIBE, SUBSCRIBE,!!!
I look forward to my FH email ... I read it with my cup of coffee in the morning to start my day. The Phil Spector Series, has been nothing less than your best, as all FH series you do are!
Outstanding job, Kent!
Thank you, for your hard work and dedication, it is appreciated by many!
Janny
The kudos should go to Steve Knuettel … he’s the guy who put this whole thing together for us. We just throw in our two cents every now and again to keep things interesting! (lol) kk
>>>I hope you put together a list of Spector style songs. The new Bruce Springsteen LP contains a dandy of a song titled "Your Own Worst Enemy" that is full of Spector touches. (Bruce Spizer)
>>>Before this series even started, STEVE suggested that we could probably do TWO MORE WEEKS of SPECTOR sound-alike or influenced songs ... perhaps as a FOLLOW-UP to this piece when all is said and done ... in fact, if you guys LIKE that idea, send in YOUR suggestions now as to which songs you'd like to see us feature. That'll give STEVE some time to put together his commentary on each selection. (kk)
>>>As we have discussed, we could do an entire series on Spector sound-alikes. I'm game if you are. The best place to start would be the book "Collecting Phil Spector" by Fitzpatrick / Fogerty which has a section listing over 600 soundalike records. Also, the two CDs I mention later in the series on ACE CDs "Phil's Spectre" and "Phil's Spectre II". Steve (SLK47)
Which are now apparently up to as many as FOUR volumes … so lots of tracks to pick from! (kk)
Hi Kent,
First of all, huge congratulations to Steve and yourself for putting together a fantastic series on the fabulous Phil Spector.
On the subject of "soundalike" records, Steve mentions two Ace CDs, Phil's Spectre: A Wall Of Soundalikes and Phil's Spectre II: Another Wall Of Soundalikes. Since Steve wrote the series, Ace have released a third volume, Phil's Spectre III: A Third Wall Of Soundalikes. There is some fantastic music on this trio of CDs … it's the next best thing to having three albums of newly discovered Spector outtakes!
Track listings and other information for these three releases can be found here:
www.acerecords.co.uk/content.php?page_id=59&release=847
www.acerecords.co.uk/content.php?page_id=59&release=4606
www.acerecords.co.uk/content.php?page_id=59&release=7501
I'm looking forward to you continuing the Forgotten Hits e-mails - I love them just for the verbal content and regard the music files as just a bonus.
I was looking forward to the Boyce & Hart series … hopefully you'll still find a way to run it.
Best wishes,
Chris Chapman
Swindon, England
We received emails from two or three FH subscribers regarding a THIRD volume of PHIL'S SPECTRE now being available. STEVE was quick to thank those on the list for this information ... in fact, I think he's out buying HIS copy right now!!! (lol)
As for our OTHER projects, we're hoping to get things together quick enough to still run The BOYCE AND HART Series in March ... we'll keep you posted. Meanwhile, keep checking the blog page for updates (and other special features): forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com
Thanks for the kind words! (kk)
UPDATE: Before this series finished its first run, a FOURTH version of “Phil’s Spectre” was released … who KNOWS how many volumes may now be available, some twelve years later!!!
And, the Boyce and Hart Series DID run as planned … and now is permanently posted on The Forgotten Hits Website … along with an EXCLUSIVE Interview with Bobby Hart! (kk)
http://forgottenhits.com/the_music_of_tommy_boyce_and_bobby_hart
http://forgottenhits.com/forgotten_hits_interviews_bobby_hart
Thanks for sending the comments pages - gonna order that third "Phil's Spectre" CD today!!! I can't believe it came out and I didn't know about it!
Steve (SLK47)
Hi Kent,
Sorry to hear about all of your recent AOL problems - but I know you'll get around them. I certainly wish to remain on your subscriber list, despite time constraints (I'm only about a month behind in the Spector series, lol ). I intend to read it all, and play each song as it's discussed in each installment. Makes it all the more interesting. I will keep all the songs, including the infamous Let's Dance The Screw. I've always been a fan of the 'Wall of Sound.' I have a British import LP I bought in the early 80's entitled Phil Spector - Echoes of the 60's, compiled and released by Polydor Records (with a Phil Spector International LP label). It's the top 20 hits, leading off with River Deep Mountain High (my personal favorite other than the Christmas Album cuts). I took delight in playing this album for a friend who'd heard of Spector but was unfamiliar with his work. I think he was impressed. :)
Great series!
Thanks for all the enjoyable years of Forgotten Hits. It's great that so many renowned artists and deejays have come aboard. It's really great to read comments from people like Roger McGuinn, Al Kooper, The NC6, Bob Stroud, Scott Shannon and the rest. Excellent! Any of your readers who've ever contributed a piece knows how much work is involved. It boggles my mind that you've done this for all these years. That's real dedication on your part to the great music and for that I'm thankful.
RockaBob66
When this series first ran in 2008, Forgotten Hits was celebrating its 9th year. We’ve now got 22 years under our belt … and FORGOTTEN HITS has really become the "go to" source for all things oldies … and it's all thanks to the on-going support of readers like you and thousands of others who keep this boat afloat. The deejays and artists who've come onboard are the icing on the cake, to be sure ... where else (and when else) would we all EVER have had the chance to share our thoughts, memories and questions side by side with this elite a group? TRULY amazing. We want to make FORGOTTEN HITS the place we ALL want to come back to in order to share our memories for many years to come. (kk)
Hi Kent,
I've always thought that The Walker Bros. song "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" had a sort of Spector-like production, big drums, chimes, etc. Anybody know who did produce it? The song has always been a personal favorite of mine. Congratulations on the fantastic Spector series. I learned a lot that I had never known before as well as hearing a lot of wonderful songs that I wasn't aware of either.
Thanks Again for all the great work.
Eddie
I have to admit that I had a HELL of a time finding this information. NO production credit is shown on the original single pressing nor is it shown on any of the CD copies I have. After extensive searching, I found your answer: THE WALKER BROTHERS' version of THE SUN AIN'T GONNA SHINE ANYMORE was produced by JOHN FRANZ and IVOR RAYMONDE who, I think, did a VERY credible job of emulating The PHIL SPECTOR Wall Of Sound on this record. (Originally done by FRANKIE VALLI on a solo venture from THE FOUR SEASONS ... and written by the INCREDIBLE hit-making team of BOB GAUDIO and BOB CREWE ... THE WALKER BROTHERS breathed new life into an otherwise just so-so track. It's one of my FAVORITES from the "overlooked" portion of The British Invasion ... yet, incredibly, these guys are REALLY from Los Angeles ... and had to go over to The U.K. to make it, riding the heels of these OTHER British artists who were receiving all the airplay here on American radio at the time!) kk
Evidently quite a few of you folks on the list are still "SPECTORIZED" by our last series ... we're STILL getting comments ... like these:
re: THE SUN AIN'T GONNA SHINE ANYMORE:
>>>I've always thought that The Walker Bros. song "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" has a sort of Spector-like production, big drums, chimes etc. Anybody know who did produce it? (Eddie)
On a hunch, I sent an email to FH Reader VIC FLICK, one of the top recording session men at the time in Great Britain, thinking that HE may have been present at THE WALKER BROTHERS' recording session for THE SUN AIN'T GONNA SHINE ANYMORE. BINGO!!!
Here's what he had to say:
Hi Kent!
Good to hear from you. Yes, I was on 'The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore.' The Musical Director was either Ivor Raymonde or Wally Stott (who was soon to become Angela Morley!) We recorded the song in Phillips Recording Studios, Marble Arch, London, and thanks to Peter Olaf, the sound engineer, got that big, big sound. Johnny Franz produced all their recordings and did a great job. He also produced a few Dusty Springfield recordings, some of which I was on. I tell a couple of stories about the Walker Brothers in a book I've written that’s soon to be published by BearManor Media (www.bearmanormedia.com) the middle of this year - all being well. I may have mentioned it before, but the book is about the session and music scene in the UK during the 60s and 70s.
Very best wishes.
Vic
Thanks, VIC ... can't wait to read it!!!
re: MORE MISCELLANEOUS COMMENTS (These Just In!):
>>>If you want to really realize how great it is, listen to the fabulous Darlene Love version of it. (Frank)
It would be nice to be able to hear Darlene Love's version of River Deep Mountain High.
Northtexgal
Darlene Love's version of River Deep, Mountain High wasn't included in the series because it was NOT a Phil Spector Production. It is a very nice version, however, and I've sent it along for you to use in The Comments Pages. Also there is a video of Darlene singing this on "you tube" YouTube - Darlene Love on Letterman May 2007 River Deep Mountain High
Steve (SLK47)
Hi Kent!
Speaking of Phil Spector's "B" sides, when he was recording as The Teddy Bears, on the Dore Label, the B side was pretty good. It was called "Don't You Worry My Little Pet". Give it a listen sometime!
Did you catch Carol Connors (lead singer of the Teddy Bears) on TJ Lubinsky's new Doo Wop Show? She sounded good. She was a good songwriter in her own right, too. A little tidbit: She testified in the OJ Simpson trial defending "OJ's fine character."
TJ also brought back the Safaris - Image of a Girl and The Demensions - Over the Rainbow!!! Got to give him credit for finding these people!
Carolyn
No, haven't seen this new show. We may do a "joint" interview with CAROL CONNOR through FORGOTTEN HITS and SONGFACTS ... I'm talking with CARL right now about doing it THIS way so we can BOTH have something to run. We'll keep you posted!
Meanwhile, here’s your Teddy Bears B-Side. (kk)
>>>I was watching an episode of Cheers the other night and Bill Medley was in it ... Rebbeca's favorite song was "Lovin Feeling" so the guy she was dating hired Bill Medley to go to Cheers and sing it to her. (Mike)
I vaguely remember that episode but as I recall Rebecca's boyfriend hired Bobby Hatfield instead of Bill Medley and Rebecca was disappointed because he had hired "the other Righteous Brother"
Steve (SLK47)
re: THE BEATLES CONNECTION:
>>>The Let It Be [Apple 34001] album has been discussed ad infinitum and requires no further discussion here. (Steve - SLK47)
Maybe so, but it always reminds me of the observation made by George Martin when I asked him about that LP, for which he oversaw the original studio sessions. "I think the credits on the back of the album should have been rephrased," said Martin, dryly. "They should have read, 'Produced by George Martin, Overproduced by Phil Spector'." I, of course, HAD to include that comment in the Beatles section of "The History of Rock 'n' Roll."
By the way, it's very true that there were additional tracks on "All Things Must Pass" that should have been released as singles. At my station, I even programmed "Awaiting On You All" as if it WAS a single – and it got loads of requests. I was so surprised when it never did come out on a 45.
Gary Theroux
ALL THINGS MUST PASS was an INCREDIBLE album released by "The Quiet BEATLE" (or, perhaps more accurately, The "SILENCED" BEATLE) ... who KNEW that GEORGE had all this great music inside of him!!! (Being delegated to one or two tracks per album, GEORGE built up quite a supply of "unused" HARRISONGS and just BLEW the world away with his first solo LP release. Personal favorites (that ABSOLUTELY could have been hit records in their own right) include the title track, GEORGE's take on DYLAN's IF NOT FOR YOU (which we featured in our THE MUSIC OF BOB DYLAN Series a while back ... and was VERY quickly a hit for OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN once GEORGE's LP hit the streets), WAH-WAH, AWAITING ON YOU ALL, I DIG LOVE, BEWARE OF DARKNESS and THE ART OF DYING, ALL of which received SUBSTANTIAL airplay when the LP was first released. (kk)
Kent:
Great series on Phil Spector. Without a doubt, if the Beatles didn't have George Martin, Phil Spector would be the best choice and you can see with John Lennon's "Imagine," George Harrison's "All Things Must Pass" to even The Ramones’ "End of the Century" album. I would love to see Phil Spector work again as producer ‘cause I'd feel he does have one more to give, but who knows if that will ever happen.
Darlene
It’s interesting that in hindsight even George Harrison thought Phil Spector’s work was a bit over the top. Till his dying day, he wanted to remix his “All Things Must Pass” album to tone it down a bit. When the new reissue is released later this year in 2021, you’ll experience some of these efforts, executed by George’s son Dhani, after his father passed away. We’ll also hear, for the very first time, some of the bonus material that was recorded during these sessions … but have been locked up in the vault now for over fifty years. (kk)
WOW!!! You did a great job on segment 10a - I love it. Nice selections. WTG!
Steve (SLK47)
Kent,
How would one get the British version of "Instant Karma"?
Ed Pond
I'm not sure if I've ever HEARD a "different" version of INSTANT KARMA ... anybody out there know for sure??? (Are they really THAT distinguishable???) Perhaps someone has a copy to share? (kk)
Hmmm - I'm not sure - I'll check my Lennon Anthology CD Box set to see if it's on there. If not, maybe Chris (or one of your other readers) from England can send you a copy. I'll let you know when I have checked the boxed set.
Nope - it's not on the anthology set - Try Chris - and if you get it - I want one too!!!
Steve (SLK47)
OK ... putting the word out ... anybody got a copy of "The British Mix"??? (kk)
>>>The Let It Be [Apple 34001] album, remixed for disc by Phil Spector, was the last album recorded by the Beatles. (Steve - SLK47)
I'm not quite sure how I missed this in the proof-reading stage. LET IT BE was NOT the last album RECORDED by THE BEATLES ... it was the last album of new material RELEASED by THE BEATLES. After the DISASTER that begat the GET BACK / LET IT BE recording sessions, leaving literally HUNDREDS of hours of tapes to sort through (and ultimately be "cleaned up" enough to release under the "Produced By PHIL SPECTOR" banner), the band regrouped and recorded their swan song masterpiece, ABBEY ROAD. (The famous line, of course, has PAUL McCARTNEY literally BEGGING Producer GEORGE MARTIN to come back and make one more album "like we used to do it in the good old days.") They put ALL their differences aside and recorded what MANY believe to be their very best work in order to go out on a high note. It was ONLY to provide a soundtrack to their film that LET IT BE was resurrected and released in early 1970 ... by which time ALL of the former BEATLES were already recording solo albums. (kk)
I've sent you a clip of B Mitchell Reed on KMET from 1970. Do you know anything about this order from the music publisher telling the stations not to play the new LP?
David Lewis
I've never heard about this specific "cease and desist order ... but I know EXACTLY what they're talking about. About a year before LET IT BE was OFFICIALLY released to the public, BOOTLEG copies (PRE-PHIL SPECTOR Mix) were circulating ALL over the place ... in fact, you could OPENLY purchase copies in many of the "underground" record stores and head shops ... I probably have two or three copies of my own, each just a little bit different in content. Here in Chicago, tracks were played REGULARLY on the radio for a while, making me familiar with virtually ALL of the LET IT BE album a year before it was commercially released. (In fact, I remember a HORRIBLE five minute "rehearsal" version of McCARTNEY's TEDDY BOY being on the LP prior to the shortened version that later appeared on his first solo LP, McCARTNEY.) MANY of these tracks were the same (albeit nowhere NEAR as clean) mixes as what was released a year or two ago as LET IT BE ... NAKED. In fact, my band was already playing brand new BEATLES music as part of our act before the rest of the world even knew what it was!!! Cool clip 'tho ... especially with the NILSSON track. Thanks, David! (kk)
With much respect to Sir Paul. The Long and Winding Road would have needed more studio work if Spector would have not got involved. In my humble view.
-- Sanvtoman
There are some FINE tracks included on what ultimately became the LET IT BE album ... hard to believe that THE BEATLES were willing to just walk away from those and leave them in an unfinished clutter ... yet PAUL resurrected crap like TEDDY BOY for his first solo album!! (lol) McCARTNEY has redone THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD a number of times in his solo career ... one of my FAVORITE renditions comes from the soundtrack to GIVE MY REGARDS TO BROAD STREET ... just LOVE the sax treatment used in this version! (kk)
Kent -
Pretty incredible series on Phil Spector. I've really enjoyed it.
For Songfacts, we asked the delightfully entertaining Bobby Whitlock about working under Spector's direction on George Harrisons' All Things Must Pass:
"The real show in that whole place was Phil Spector - what a funny guy. He's not too funny now, but then, what he was doing in there and the way he was carrying on, I thought, they've got all these mics out here catching us jamming, where they need a mic is on the inside. He was a pretty colorful character to say the least. That was one of the highlights of it - listening to him and watching him and watching how he operated. I learned a lot just from being around him. He's just eccentric, he's real creative. I agree with his work ethic. I concur with him 100% when it comes to being creative in the studio - put six guitars on it if you need it. If it wasn't for Phil Spector, forget about The Righteous Brothers. There probably wouldn't be a lot of us here from 'You Lost That Lovin' Feeling' - you know how many babies were made to that?"
Toni Wine, who along with Irwin Levine wrote "Black Pearl" with Spector, said:
"Philip is incredibly talented, great sense of humor, and he's a musical genius, we all know that he's created some incredible memorable songs, as well as records."
"Black Pearl" Songfacts: http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=7961
"What Is Life" Songfacts: http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=1636
Be Well,
Carl
Thanks, CARL ... ALWAYS fun to hear some of the "behind the scenes" stuff on this music!!! I'm hoping we can put together that "tandem" interview with CAROL CONNOR, too!!!
Interesting to learn that it was sessions for George Harrison’s “All Things Must Pass” album that initiated the Derek and the Dominoes sessions for their “Layla” album … and that Phil Spector was originally their producer of choice based on these sessions. (That all changed after an initial single was recorded … and then pulled back off the market.)
I wasn’t aware that Toni Wine had a hand in writing “Black Pearl” … VERY cool. (kk)
I may be in the minority, as I don't recall the original feedback on the Let It Be (Naked) CD, but the version of the Long & Winding Road on it just shows you can make a bad song worse. 45 years later the two million 1963 dollars Capitol Records spent, promoting the Beatles, looks like a great investment. I'm glad I didn't get suckered into buying it. It's a good thing we knew John Lennon was plastered when he sang, Be My Baby, because that was awful. All in all, a great series on Phil.
rockandrollneverforgets
"(Let's Dance) the Screw" was better than John Lennon's version of "Be My Baby"!!!
Ping
re: THE RASCALS and THE LOVIN' SPOONFUL:
Very well done, as
always. Interesting to hear Felix's take on the whole production
question; his answer makes sense.
Anita Anderson
I had
NEVER heard about a connection between SPECTOR and these two '60's SUPER Groups
... STEVE just forwarded me copies of his sources of information on this ...
they're reprinted below (kk):
Both the Lovin' Spoonful and Young Rascals groups are discussed on page 101 of Dave Thompson's Wall Of Pain. Also, the Rascals are also discussed on pages 193 and 194 of Mark Ribowsky's He's A Rebel and the Lovin' Spoonful is discussed on pages 194 & 195
If you have those books, check it out. I have scanned those pages and sent them to you. (Steve - SLK47)
Thanks, STEVE ... and, giving proper credit where credit is due, HERE is what these books have to say:
(From Page 101 of Dave Thompson's "Wall Of Pain"):
"Even those groups that did interest him were unlikely to actually hear from him. For a few days in Spring, 1965, for example, Spector seemed utterly obsessed with a New York group called The Lovin' Spoonful, whose 'Do You Believe In Magic' demo was seldom off the Philles office turntable. But, though he liked their sound - a jugband bluegrass variant; and though he loved the song, even playing his own guitar along with it, he hated the group's name and never got in touch. Weeks later, John Sebastian and company signed with the Kama Sutra label and spent the next three years among America's best-loved bands. Outsiders accuse Spector of similar short-sightedness that same summer, when Danny Davis approached him about The Rascals, a Long Island blues-rock band fronted by the effervescent Felix Cavaliere. The Rascals' manager, concert promoter Sid Bernstein, put him onto the band, and it turned out that Vinnie Poncia knew of them, too - his wife Joanna's own band often gigged alongside The Rascals at the Barge, a club in Westhampton, Long Island. It took days of cajoling to persuade Spector to finally agree to drive out to see the band one evening in August, only for him to be left sorely disappointed when he got there. Thrilled when they heard Spector was coming, The Rascals put aside their own songs and rehearsed some of his old numbers instead, to be performed as a tribute when he arrived. All Spector heard, however, was a covers band and, though Poncia persuaded him to stay for the full show, he would not be deterred from his first impression. If Poncia loved the group so much, he should produce them, and Spector would release it on a new label he was launching with Davis, Phi-Dan. Otherwise, they should be left for labels that really wanted them. Jerry Leiber and Ahment Ertegun were both numbered among The Rascals' circle of acquaintances, and Spector simply did not care enough for the group's sound that he was willing to launch another feud with either man. And that is how it turned out. Weeks after Spector caught the band, Atlantic despatched producer Tom Dowd to check them out and, before the end of the year, The Rascals were chartbound with the sparkling 'I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore.'"
(From Pages 193-195 of Mark Ribowsky's "He's A Rebel"): "Phil did go see the Rascals at the Barge and the band was so elated that he was there that they performed some of Spector's hit songs in homage. Phil listened impassively, then turned to Danny and said, 'Let's get the fuck out of here. They don't do anything original.' Persuaded to stay, he heard the group's entire set and then went backstage to be introduced to them by Vinnie. 'They wanted Phil to produce them,' Poncia said, 'but Phil said he wanted me to produce them, for Phi-Dan Records, which immediately turned them off. They liked me but I was new to producing. They didn't want me, they wanted Phil Spector.' And so the Rascals declined, with the bitter taste of being brushed off by the godlike Spector. A short time later they signed with Atlantic Records, changed their name to the Young Rascals, and by the end of the year had their first hit, 'I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore.' Early in 1966, they had a Number One Record, 'Good Lovin',' followed by nine more Top 20 Hits. Phil received similar feelers to produce new acts, and Danny believed Phil wanted to widen his purview, not just to change with the times, but for his own survival. By mid-1965, the Crystals and Darlene Love were forgotten and on the verge of leaving Philles, and the Ronettes were only a step behind in alienation. Danny certainly knew the risks of the label becoming too dependent on the Righteous Brothers. 'We all knew it, the distributors, everybody. A lot of guys said, 'Jeez, Danny, you gotta break another act.' And Phil knew it. That's why people kept bringing 'em to him.' One such moment occurred at a party in L.A. given by Lance Reventlow, the race car driver son of heiress Barbara Hutton. A band was performing at the party whose lead vocalist was a little fellow with round glasses, John Sebastian, who played a lute tucked under his chin. Phil heard the band, the Lovin' Spoonful, and said, 'I don't like their name. They'll never happen.' But Phil was mildly intrigued with their folk-rock sound, which was played jug-band style. The Lovin' Spoonful stemmed from the Greenwich Village folk scene, whose influence in rock was growing with the emergence of Bob Dylan; in 1965, the Byrds, an L.A. band, recorded Dylan's 'Mr. Tambourine Man' using a loud electric guitar line and soft harmonies, creating a profound new rock form that seemed made for the plaintive, airy L.A. state of mind. The Lovin' Spoonful were as eager as the Rascals to be produced by Spector, and they sent Phil a demo of a record called 'Do You Believe In Magic'. Phil liked it, and played it for Vinnie Poncia one day while strumming a guitar to the melody. But he never did connect with the group, and the Spoonful signed with Kama Sutra / Buddah Records, a label begun by twenty-five-year-old Artie Ripp and on which they had five Top 10 hits over the next three years. 'Phil was considering them but passed on it,' Poncia said. 'He would dabble with new groups, get involved to be associated with something, and then pull out, never commit to it. Which was a big mistake. Phil needed groups like that. Had he taken the Rascals or the Lovin' Spoonful, he would have fulfilled his dreams of expanding. Had he gone through with all those people he was associated with, he would've been like Berry Gordy at Motown.' The biggest problem for Phil was facing the reality that working with a band that had songs and a sound would mean a reduction in his authority - which, unlike Berry Gordy, was tied directly to his own work. 'Every artist wants to have a voice in something,' Poncia said. 'The Rascals and Spoonful would have come in with songs so left field and not of his character - or with any of his input in their development - that he would have to be strictly a producer, just to get the shit down on tape. He couldn't have the same stamp on it, and he didn't want to do that. It would have required a total revamping and a totally different outlook in the studio, making an entirely different kind of record. 'Not that Phil was incapable of doing it, because it was so much easier to make a Rascals record. But his ego was involved, it wouldn't have been too much sharing of the spotlight - which wouldn't have been the case, it was only in his head. Phil wouldn't have been any less effective on a Rascals song than a Darlene Love song. Once he got in the studio and made the record, it didn't matter who wrote the song. He could've done 'I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore' and made a better record, because nobody makes a record like Phil Spector.'"
Those who read our BOBBY DARIN Series already know that JOHN SEBASTIAN's publishers were trying to find ANY connection to make JOHN's music happen on the charts. DARIN turned down THREE of SEBASTIAN's songs in 1966 alone ... and all three went on to become HUGE pop hits (and '60's classics.) There is really NO telling how different this music might have sounded with PHIL SPECTOR behind the glass ... but THE LOVIN' SPOONFUL and THE RASCALS are STILL regarded as two of the most PROLIFIC Super Groups of the '60's ... so it's really kinda hard to feel short-changed. (kk)
By the way, we finally DID hear back from JOHN SEBASTIAN, by way of his Booking Agency ... here is what HE had to say after our PHIL SPECTOR / LOVIN' SPOONFUL segment ran:
Neither of them decided the other was right for a project ... the band had what amounted to a fifth member with Eric Jacobson ... he understood the hybrid musical character they wanted ... when John went to Phil in later years (when he was already solo) Spector said that he was always trying to produce acts that did not have their own character, he liked to be the creative force behind his records. Hope this answers your question.
-- for John Sebastian
Meanwhile, it will be VERY interesting to see if either FELIX CAVALIERE or JOHN SEBASTIAN have any ADDITIONAL comments to share now that they've read these previously published accounts of their connection with PHIL SPECTOR. (Hey, like I ALWAYS say ... we're ALL about getting the story straight ... so if there is ANYTHING that you guys would like to add or clarify, PLEASE contact me so that we can continue to "help to spread the truth.")
re: PHIL SPECTOR AND THE ROLLING STONES:
>>>When Phil arrived in England, he met and became good friends with Andrew Loog Oldham, the Stones' producer who was a huge Spector fan. The Stones had not yet hit the U.S. market. Phil and Andrew decided it would be great to release the Stones' records on Philles in the United States. They approached Decca with the idea and were flatly refused. Angered and dejected, Phil and Andrew then went to Regent Sound where the Rolling Stones were recording that evening. Tony Calder, Andrew's business partner, was there. Fellow American Gene Pitney, who was about to embark on a tour of England, dropped by the studio to join his friends Phil and Andrew. Graham Nash and Allan Clarke of the Hollies also came by the studio that night. Two of the songs recorded during this now infamous session were an instrumental called "Mr. Spector And Mr. Pitney Came, Too" also called "And The Rolling Stones Met Phil And Gene," and the other was called "Andrew's Blues." The instrumental ended up on the Rolling Stones eponymous "England's Newest Hit Makers" album rerecorded and titled "Now I've Got A Witness," an obvious tribute to Marvin's Gaye's "Can I Get A Witness," which is also included on the album. "Andrew's Blues" was recorded as a direct result of the earlier meeting with Decca Records. It is perhaps more infamously known as "F***ing Andrew" and also as "Song For Andrew." The real work that night was to record "Not Fade Away." Tony Calder is quoted as saying "Phil really produced that one." It was a magical night. Phil played maracas, while Gene Pitney played piano on "Little By Little," which Phil co-wrote. At another later session in Los Angeles to record "The Last Time," Phil played bass on "Play With Fire," the flip side of "The Last Time".
(Steve - SLK47)
Kent -
I sent the Phil + Rolling Stones paragraph to Andrew Oldham who is mentioned a bit ... He differs radically ... see his comments below
Al Kooper
This is about 80% wrong ... the only thing I could do is give you a
list of actuals. Is it for you or for someone else?
Andrew Loog Oldham
I then explained the context of your newsletter and he replied in detail.
Al
Al-mamata:
‘tiz all over my books but perhaps easier to note than denote pages. so here goze:
I did not "meet and become good friends with phil." Ii found out from "Evening Standard" journalist Maureen Cleave (the very attractive journalist whom Murry Wilson chased around the breakfast table) what plane he would be arriving on and went to London Airport, was dazzling and became his British PR. He did have some affection for my, as Keith put it, "disgusting affection" for all things Phil. He was a good London mate. The going to Decca story is total fiction. I have no idea who made it up. Possibly Phil did, indeed, go to Decca, but if he did, he did not inform the Stones or myself. Remember that his Philles label was distributed in the UK by Decca. He may not even have met Sir Edward. I did not meet Sir Edward over the Stones (or Phil and the Stones) but later, over Marianne Faithfull. so ... adios "angry and dejected."
In February of '64, at the rooms we shared, Keith was strumming "Not Fade Away." It sounded like a hit. I booked Regent Sound for one night that same week. It did not sound like a hit in the studio. The band were still having problems rising to recorded occasions. Pressure, as one of your East Coast stars put it. I called Phil and another client, Gene Pitney ... figured the band needed an audience to rise to the vinyl occasion. Phil played maracas, Gene poured drinks. We had a hit. Mick and Phil went to the staircase of #4 Denmark Street (Regent Sound) and fleshed out the B-side, "Little By Little." Interestingly, it took until Allen Klein represented Spector (and own the Stones song) for Phil to get paid on that one. Marty Machet had never managed to collect and the Stones did not want to give anything up.
The hit cut, the B-side recorded, I invited Peter Meaden (the man who arguably, with Pete Townshend, invented the idea of the Who); Tony Hicks and maybe Graham Nash or Allen Clarke to join in the festivities. (I fancied the Hollies as clients, never got ' em.) Two more sides were cut, the instrumental "Now I've Got A Witness" and "Andrew's Blues," which was sung by Phil, Gene Piney and Mick Jagger. As for Tony Calder's statement, I'm not even sure he was there! I'll ask him, but if he said it, I guess he did it when he wanted to be quoted at a time he was not in love with me. The above is self-explanatory.
Now can I get back to buying zen garden effigies and writing my third volume of biography?
abrazo,
o
This is GREAT!!! Excellent ... as I would NEVER have had the opportunity to obtain a quote like this. As we've covered SO many times before, we just want to get the story right ... unfortunately, SO much of this has been documented and repeated as "fact" over the years, you come across the SAME stories in publication after publication after publication.
So ... SERIOUSLY ... my WHOLE-HEARTED thanks to sorting this out ... and if Andrew EVER wants to comment regarding ANYTHING else, "Stones Related" or otherwise, PLEASE have him contact me and do so!!!
(Would LOVE to have him join our list if he'd ever consider it ... think of the INSIGHT he could share!!!)
kk
He really don't go that way. It was a lucky shot, believe me!
Al
Well, I sincerely DO appreciate it ... certainly gives what WE do a bit more credibility ... and, hopefully ... over time ... as more artists discover that THIS is a place to (as you said) help "spread the truth" ... who knows!!! Thanks again! (kk)
WOW! WOW! WOW! – Damn, is that ever cool!!! - I bet Phil is gonna respond next!!! And I thought getting Titelman, Kooper and Cavaliere to respond was too cool to believe.
Steve
It's Unfrickin'believable!!! FORGOTTEN HITS just keeps getting cooler and cooler and cooler!!! (lol) Imagine if PHIL really DID read this and contact us ... you know, WITHOUT intention to shoot ... that would be AWESOME!!! (Hey, then maybe ALLEN KLEIN would FINALLY agree to my interview, too!!! Heck, if I got PHIL SPECTOR ... and ALLEN KLEIN ... could BOBBY VEE REALLY continue to refuse?!?!? lol) kk
re: KUDOS FOR KNUETTEL:
Congratulations again to STEVE KNUETTEL for a job well done ... his FORGOTTEN HITS / PHIL SPECTOR Series won all sorts of praise from the music fans out there. (You guys are COO-COO FOR COCOA PUFFS and filled our mailbox with KUDOS FOR KNUETTEL!!!) We'll keep you posted if a Weekend PHIL SPECTOR Radio Program comes to light ... and, in the meantime, if any of you fans (or SPECTOR Collectors) would like to contact STEVE directly about this series, please feel free to drop him an email. Thanks again, STEVE!!! (kk)
REMINDER: Steve Knuettel passed away a few years ago
Hi Kent.
I wanted to thank you for the Phil Spector Part-1 feature. I just love this sort of thing. God bless you and keep up the good work!!!
Pat Fogel
STEVE did an OUTSTANDING job putting this series together ... I think you'll all be VERY pleased with all that's yet to come! (kk)
The Spector article was extremely interesting. I anxiously await more.
MARK
Wow! This is great .... can't wait to learn more. Thanks.
Chris
This is an amazing series ....
Congratulations on such a great job!
Mamone
I love the series!
Thanks,
Gene
Kent,
Thanks! I am really enjoying all the info and humor that you include in your FH
letters! Keep up the good work!
Lynn
Love the information and you sent out some songs I’ve heard but didn’t know were Spector produced and I thank you for all your work you have done.
brad
Hey Kent ...
I'm lovin' this series.
Talk soon...
Mitch Schecter
The Rip Chords
Thanks, MITCH ... it DOES seem to be QUITE the hit!!! (kk)
Great series!
shar
Magnificent!
Mike
Hi Kent,
The Phil Spector series that Steve and you put together has been excellent. I am truly glad that I have read all of the newsletters thoroughly because some kind of fluke happened to my computer last night that caused me to lose all of my e-mails since last August, including all of the newsletters and music from you, since I've only been on the list since December. Needless to say, it's not been the greatest day.
Les
Been there ... have had THREE major computer crashes over the years and lost EVERYTHING. I've got a hunch that THIS series will be going out again as word continues to spread ... I'll be sure to let you know if and when it does so that you can get back on the list!!! (kk)
Thank you both for a very
interesting series. I appreciate your hard work and although I know it
was on a subject you love, it was still time consuming. And time is
expensive.
Steve, please feel free to share with us any other of your artists of
interest. I like your writing style.
~Suzanne Salinas
This series on Phil Spector is sensational. It contains so
many things that I never knew before. Keep up the good work.
Joe
Another outstanding piece of work, Kent! Great job! It was certainly a great read. I look forward to what you have up your sleeve next!
Ciao!
Doc
I've really been enjoying the Phil Spector series. It is very interesting, and very well done. I like some songs that are not the greatest and I've been playing "Let's Dance the Screw Part 1" often lately. I like it. It makes me laugh. I can't believe that in the day of the two minute single, Part One is over four and a half minutes long! I was hoping, but not expecting, that there would be some mention of Harry Nilsson's brief work with Phil in the sixties. Harry is one of my all-time favorites but I don't know much about his work with Phil during that time period. I know they co-wrote at least two songs that were recorded by The Ronettes … "Paradise" along with Garfield and Botkin, and "Here I Sit." Phil also produced at least one song that Harry recorded in the mid-sixties called "Let Me Go". It is a very rare acetate. My favorite version of "River Deep-Mountain High" was sung by Harry and was the final track on his first LP for RCA in 1967; Pandemonium Shadow Show. I think he did a fantastic job with the song. Why it was released as a single only in Canada is hard to figure.
Les Peterson
I LOVE THIS SPECTOR SERIES. AND THE SONGS? GREAT!!! LOTS I'VE NEVER HEARD OF BEFORE! THANK YOU FOR A JOB WELL DONE!
LARRY G.
Hi Kent
Thanks for such a great series. Thanks so much for bringing back some of the best music I ever heard growing up. Looking forward to the next one
Darla
Hi Kent,
I just wanted to thank you and Steve again for the Phil Spector feature. I never really knew anything much about the guy except his much touted "wall of sound". From everything I read, he is a selfish, ruthless, back-tabbing, controlling, greedy, manipulating son of a bitch. I have sympathy for the artists who had to suffer him! It also goes to show what a tough business music can be. I really do appreciate the good productions and the songs that I really loved. I just can't see how he can be respected as a "hero". All that being said, please don't stop giving us jewels like this feature.
Pat Fogel
Well, it took some doing to gather all these comments together again and FINALLY get them out to you ... but STEVE deserves a BIG round of applause for a job well done! Thanks again, STEVE, for a GREAT FORGOTTEN HITS Series!!! (kk)
***
Perhaps the worst series of B sides ever released were the end product of one of the industry’s most respected (well, THEN, anyway) producers, Phil Spector.
Phil -- hating the idea of one of his Philles B sides becoming a surprise hit and messing up his scheduled marketing plans -- went out of his way to ensure that his label’s B sides were just as lousy as his A sides were great. That’s why so many of them are pure junk (tuneless instrumentals, etc.)
Gary Theroux
This pretty much true.
Many of the Philles B sides were indeed throw-away instrumentals. There were
exceptions ... some singles did have vocal B-sides, and some of them were quite
good ...
The Crystals (Philles 100) - There's No Other / Oh Yeah Maybe Baby
had a good B-Side ... and The Ronettes (Philles 123) - Walking In The Rain /
How Does It Feel had an excellent vocal B-Side.
Steve (SLK47)
And those are the two we’re featuring today … both of which have been nominated for our brand new FAVORITE, FORGOTTEN B-SIDES POLL! (kk)
When we ran our Favorite, Forgotten B-Sides Poll, a couple of Phil Spector-produced tracks came thru with nomination …
Here are a couple of "SPECTOR-ized" B-SIDES that have already been nominated for our brand new Favorite, Forgotten B-Sides Series:
First up, how about OH YEAH, MAYBE BABY by THE CRYSTALS, flipside to their 1962 Hit THERE'S NO OTHER LIKE MY BABY.
And then we've got THE RONETTES doing HOW DOES IT FEEL, B-SIDE to their 1964 Hit WALKIN' IN THE RAIN.
As of right now, BOTH of these tunes have exactly FOUR Votes ... and I'm guessing that it's a pretty safe bet that the SAME four people voted for both tracks. Give these SPECTOR-ized B-SIDES a listen here today and let us know if are they amongst YOUR FAVORITES, too!!!
*****
Just as our original series came to an end, this headline was circulating around the world …
Phil Spector Found Guilty Of Second Degree Murder
It's been a long time coming ... but
yesterday ... after literally YEARS of delays going to trial ... and a
hung-jury / mistrial last year ... legendary music producer Phil Spector was
convicted of second-degree murder in the shooting death of film actress Lana
Clarkson at his mansion six years ago.
A Superior Court Jury returned the verdict after nearly 30 hours of
deliberations. They also found Spector guilty of using a firearm in committing
a crime.
Although his young wife Rachelle sobbed as the decision was read, Spector
exhibited no reaction to the verdict. His attorney argued that he should remain
free on bail pending the May 29 sentencing, but Judge Larry Paul Fidler
remanded him to jail immediately ... where he could spend the rest of his life.
(Second-degree murder carries a penalty of 15 years to life in prison, and the
firearm charge carries up to three years in prison.)
Clarkson, 40, and star of the 1985 cult film "Barbarian Queen," died
of a gunshot fired in her mouth as she sat in the foyer of Spector's mansion in
2003. She met Spector only hours earlier at her job as a nightclub hostess.
Testimony revealed that Spector, who typically led a life of seclusion in his
so-called "castle," was out on the town in Hollywood when he met
Clarkson on February 3rd, 2003, at The House of Blues. The tall, blond actress had
recently turned 40 and told Spector that she was unable to find acting work ...
and, as such, had taken a job as a hostess. When the club closed in the wee
hours, she accepted a chauffeured ride to Spector's home for a drink. Three
hours later, she was dead.
Spector's chauffeur, the key witness for the prosecution, said he heard a
gunshot, then saw Spector emerge holding a gun and heard him say: "I think
I killed somebody."
It was THAT comment by Spector that made headlines around the world six years
ago ... but Defense Attorney Doron Weinberg disputed whether the chauffeur
remembered the words accurately. In closing arguments, Weinberg listed 14
points of forensic evidence including blood spatter, gunshot residue and DNA,
which he said were proof of a self-inflicted wound. "It's very difficult
to put a gun in somebody's mouth," he said. "Every single fact says
this is a self-inflicted gunshot wound," Weinberg argued. "How do you
ignore it? How do you say this could have been a homicide?"
Prosecutors argued that Spector had a history of threatening women with guns
when they tried to leave his presence. He was portrayed as a dangerous man who
became a "demonic maniac" when he drank. They also presented blood
spatter evidence that they felt proved Clarkson could NOT have shot herself.
It was Spector's past history with guns ... and his treatment of women ... that
ultimately did him in. At the first trial, five different women gave testimony
telling of being threatened by a drunken Spector ... and even being held
hostage in his home ... with a gun pointed at them and threats of death if they
tried to leave. The parallels with the night Clarkson died were chilling even
if the stories were very old — as some of them were ... 31 years in one
instance!
Spector's contribution to Rock And Roll Music was revolutionary ... what a
TRAGIC ending to a remarkable career. (Quite honestly, he was probably as well
known for his bizarre, eccentric behavior as he was for his inventive musical
ear!)
To echo something famed promoter Fred Vail said to me earlier today, it's
amazing to think that the inventor of The Wall Of Sound may be staring at the
same four walls of his jail cell for many years to come.
ONE MORE THING: Thanks to the permanent posting of this
landmark series, we are now able to give readers a chance to relive this series
… and also allow NEW readers for ages to come to discover and enjoy Steve
Knuettel's incredible accounting of the career of Phil Spector.
Please help us to spread the word …
The Phil Spector Series is now officially available for viewing again! (kk)
CLICK HERE TO SEE SOME OF THE NEW COMMENTS THAT HAVE HAVE RECEIVED ON THIS SUBJECT::
https://fhphilspector.blogspot.com/2021/04/brand-new-phil-spector-comments.html
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