Phil Spector Series – Chapter 11 – Phil Spector International – Part 2 – Rare Masters
In the previous segment, each of the Phil Spector International albums was listed. Discussed in that segment were the first seven of those albums. This segment focuses on the remaining albums. British fans were blown away with the next two Phil Spector International albums. Just the “Rare Masters” titles alone were enough to make them buy the albums. Both albums delivered on their promise containing songs that had been rumored about for years, rare withdrawn tracks, and songs never released to the public before.
The Rare Masters album contained fourteen tracks. They were “Paradise” – Ronettes, “Run Run Run Runaway” – Darlene Love, “Why Don’t They Let Us Fall in Love” – Veronica, “Soldier Baby (Of Mine)” – Ronettes, “All Grown Up” – Crystals, “(He’s A) Quiet Guy” – Darlene Love, “Torpedo Rock” - The Phil Spector Wall Of Sound Orchestra, “Home Of The Brave” – Bonnie & The Treasures, “Why Can’t A Boy And Girl Just Stay In Love” – April Stevens, “Stumble And Fall”- Darlene Love, “Heartbreaker” – Crystals, “Girls Can Tell” – Ronettes (miscredited to the Crystals on the sleeve but not on the record), “Strange Love” – Darlene Love and “(I’m A) Woman In Love” – Ronettes.
Making its debut on this album was “Soldier Baby Of Mine” by the Ronettes. This is the original version covered by Candy & The Kisses on Cameo. It is a superior version that could easily have been a major hit for Philles.
Also debuting on this album was a different version of the Crystals “All Grown Up”. This version does not have the out of place sounding surf guitar. It’s a much stronger version than the single version and sounds much more like a Spector production. If Phil had released this version instead, it probably would have had a much better chart showing.
Also debuting on this album was the Crystals' (or is it Darlene Love?) “Heartbreaker”. It is inconceivable that Phil did not release this as the perfect follow up to “He’s A Rebel.” It is a stunning record that could have topped the charts.
“Girls Can Tell” by the Ronettes (not the Crystals as the album sleeve says) is again another masterpiece that could have been a hit. This (or the Crystals' version) is the original version which was covered by the Dixie Cups on the flip side of their hit “People Say”. Phil produced both "I Wonder" and "Girls Can Tell" by both the Crystals and The Ronettes. Many fans prefer the Crystals' versions over the Ronettes' versions. Both versions of both songs could have been big hits if Spector had released them on Philles.
The Rare Masters 2 album contained fourteen more tracks. They were “Everything Under The Sun – Ronettes, “I Wish I Never Saw The Sunshine” – Ronettes, “This Could Be The Night” – Modern Folk Quartet, “Act Naturally” – Betty Willis, “Take It From Me” – Darlene Love, “But You Don’t Love Me” – Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans, “A Long Way To Be Happy” – Darlene Love, “Keep On Dancing” – Ronettes, “Here I Sit” Ronettes, “Hold Me Tight” – Treasures, “The Walk” – Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans, “Playing For Keeps” – Darlene Love, “If I Had A Hammer” – Betty Willis, the de-seasonalized “Johnny (Baby Please Come Home)” – Darlene Love. Although it is not as solid as the first volume of Rare Masters, this one delivers some great jewels.
“This Could Be The Night” written by Harry Nilsson and performed by the Modern Folk Quartet is one of Brian Wilson’s favorite Spector productions. The Modern Folk Quartet consisted of Jerry Yester, Chip Douglas, Henry Diltz and Cyrus Faryar. This track was recorded in November of 1965 and used for the theme music of The Big TNT Show, but it was never released as a single or on an album until this release. Too bad!
“Keep On Dancing” is another Ronettes track that could have been a major hit if Spector had only released it as a single.
“Here I Sit” was written by Harry Nilsson and Phil and performed by the Ronettes. One can only surmise how many drinks and laughs Phil & Harry had as they wrote these lyrics supposedly based on bathroom graffiti. What they ended up with was a great song, perfect for the Ronettes.
The rest of the Phil Spector International albums are mostly reissued albums with the notable exception of Phil Spector 74/79 and the Phil Spector Wall Of Sound boxed set.
Phil Spector 74/79 was released in 1979 and contained tracks Phil produced from 1974 through 1979. The album contained cuts from Dion’s album, other Warner-Spector productions and a few songs specifically made only as UK singles. Those singles are the most interesting tracks.
Jeff Barry and Phil wrote “Here It Comes (And Here I Go)” for an artist named Jerri Bo Keno. The recording was designated as the first single to appear on the new Phil Spector International label. Unfortunately for Jerri, the single was overwhelmed by the slew of other material that Phil Spector International released at the same time.
Jeff and Phil also wrote a song specifically for Dion to be released as a single. That record was called “Baby Let’s Stick Together”. It is a rousing romp featuring unmistakable Spector production techniques and a driving vocal by the doo-wop kid from the Bronx.
In 1981, through an arrangement with Polydor, Phil Spector Records released a nine album box set called simply Phil Spector Wall Of Sound for UK only release. The nine albums were listed in the first segment on Phil Spector International. Of special interest to Spector collectors were two of the new albums included in the set - the Ronettes Greatest Hits Volume II album and the Darlene Love Masters album. The vast majority of the tracks in this nine album set have already been discussed throughout this series.
That sums up the Phil Spector International segments. The next segment will focus on some of the loose ends from the previous segments of this series. Stay tuned.
Today’s songs:
Here It Comes – Jerri Bo Keno
Baby Let’s Stick Together – Dion
Heartbreaker – Crystals
Here I Sit – Ronettes
This Could Be The Night – Modern Folk Quartet
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