Phil Spector Series – Chapter 12 – Loose Ends
This is a catch-all segment tying up some loose ends from the other segments, with odd bits of Spector trivia and miscellany.
Phil & The Rolling Stones – In Part V of this series, Phil’s trip to England and his meetings with Andrew Loog Oldham were mentioned with a promise of more information to come. 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”.
Phil & Derek & The Dominoes – After the George Harrison All Things Must Pass album sessions, Phil did start producing Derek & The Dominoes. The band was not pleased with the way the recording turned out, so the project was stopped but not before a promotional only single was released on Atco. “Tell The Truth” / “Roll It Over” [Atco 6780] was withdrawn and re-recorded for the Layla album.
Phil & John Lennon – In Part IX of this series, the recordings from John Lennon’s “lost weekend” that did not make it onto the Rock And Roll album were mentioned with the promise of more information to come. John and Yoko were having problems, and John needed time away from her. Yoko suggested that he visit his friend Phil Spector in Los Angeles. That is exactly what he did. Much has been written about that time period called John’s “lost weekend”. That weekend was more like three months. It was an outrageous visit filled with drugs, drunkenness, and partying (mostly by John and Harry Nilsson). Phil had agreed to produce an album of rock and roll oldies for John. The sessions turned into parties with friends and revelers dropping by the studio. Studios were wrecked and chaos reigned. Finally, Spector was totally frustrated with John’s continuous drunken stupor and the antics of those partying in the studio. He pulled out his gun, pointed it to the ceiling and fired it! The partying immediately stopped and the studio emptied. When everyone left, Phil gathered up all the tapes from the months of sessions and took them home. The next day, when John staggered back into the studio, Phil was nowhere to be found. He had had enough and wanted nothing more to do with the Lennon sessions. Phil refused to even talk with Lennon for weeks on end. Legal battles over the tapes erupted. In the end, Phil turned the tapes over to Capitol Records for $90,000 and a set royalty agreement. Spector had mixed many of the songs from the sessions and others remained untouched and stood more as a testament to the wild partying than any musical oldies tribute. The Rock And Roll album was finally issued a few years later after John had the tapes remastered so that they were at least suitable to release. Years later other songs would be released on John’s posthumous Menlove Avenue album including more Spector produced tracks. Another album was also released containing material from the lost weekend sessions. It was John Lennon Sings The Greatest Rock & Roll Hits (Roots) on Adam VIII records, number A-8018. The album was intended for television sales only, but was quickly withdrawn due to legal battles. The album has been bootlegged and original copies are rare bringing over $1,000 in the collectors market. One of the most sought after items of Lennon collectibles is that album which features John singing “Be My Baby.” That song is reportedly also available as an Adam VIII single. An official release of the recording finally appeared on the John Lennon Anthology CD box set. It was considerably enhanced through editing and sounds much better than the Adam VIII version - too bad John was plastered.
(EDITOR's NOTE: I had an original copy of the ROOTS LP ... ordered it off of the TV advertisement ... at my very first BEATLEFEST, I swapped it for a BUTCHER COVER, even money ... not a bad trade at all in MY mind!!! – kk)
Annette Kleinbard (aka Annette Bard / Carol Connors) became an accomplished songwriter after the Teddy Bears split up. Among other writing credits, she co-wrote the theme to Stallone’s movie Rocky; supplied two songs for Roman Polanski’s The Pianist and wrote “The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia.” She was not only an accomplished song writer, but she also released many solo recordings as Annette Bard or Carol Connors. Although none of her own singles made it to the Top 100, she did make some good records. One great example is her “My Baby Looks But He Don’t Touch.”
Marshall Leib did not disappear either. He became a record producer, too. He established Marsh Records and produced the Ribbons song “Ain’t Gonna Kiss Ya” [Marsh 202] which charted for four weeks in 1963, reaching #81.
Russ Titelman had an astonishing career after his stint in the Spectors Three. Not only did he play guitar and sing on all of the Gregmark Paris Sisters records, but he also became a very talented song writer, performer and producer. During his distinguished career he wrote songs with, played guitar on, sang on and produced some great records with artists ranging from Jack Nitzsche, Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, Gerry Goffin, Carole King, the Cookies, the Cinderellas, Glen Campbell, Brian Wilson & The Beach Boys, the Shindogs, Buffalo Springfield, George Harrison, Little Feat, Buffy Sainte-Marie, James Taylor, Rickie Lee Jones, Graham Central Station, Chaka Khan, Paul Simon, George Benson, Stevie Winwood, Eric Clapton and many others. For more information on his incredible accomplishments, check out this link from the Spectropop website http://www.spectropop.com/RussTitelman/index.htm
(EDITOR'S NOTE: He's ALSO now a member of our FORGOTTEN HITS Mailing List!!! And look ... we even spelled his name right this time!!! lol)
Paris Sisters – After leaving Gregmark Records, the Paris Sisters did not disappear. They even had one more charted hit. It was a cover of Bobby Darin’s “Dream Lover,” with a production that could not sound more like an early Spector production. It is a great cover record. (I really like it - but I like anything the Paris Sisters recorded - Priscilla's voice is sooooooooo sexy to me!!!) Phil and Priscilla Paris eventually got back on friendly terms, and he even wrote the liner notes for her solo album.
Vinnie Poncia & Peter Andreoli (Pete Anders) – Were song writers that Phil worked with for several of his productions including “(The Best Part Of) Breakin’ Up,” “Do I Love You,” “Stumble And Fall,” “How Does It Feel,” “Home Of The Brave,” and many others. They were also hit making performers as the Videls, the Treasures, the Innocence and the Trade Winds. Take a listen to “New York’s A Lonely Town” and hear the obvious Spector influence.
CD Releases – For those readers wanting to own some of the Phil Spector productions on CD, there are many releases available. Among them are individual greatest hits CDs domestically available for the Crystals, the Ronettes, Darlene Love, and the Righteous Brothers. Highly recommended is the 4 CD Phil Spector Back To Mono set (which, for you vinyl junkies, can also be found in album form).
Tributes – There are many songs recorded as tributes to Phil Spector. One funny such recording is by The Attack called “Please Phil Spector.” It is about an aspiring singer who implores Phil to produce his records and make him a star. It features a great Righteous Brothers take-off and makes fun of Phil’s liberal artist credits like Darlene Love records being credited as Crystals records.
Soundalikes – There are more records produced to sound like Phil Spector Productions than there are actual Spector productions. A whole series could be done of that topic alone. The most famous is probably “(You’re My) Soul And Inspiration” by the Righteous Brothers – which was rehearsed and planned as their follow up to “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” on Philles. Most of the Red Bird catalog could also qualify for this category, with the songs by the Trade Winds, Jelly Beans, Shangri-Las, Dixie Cups, Butterflys, etc. There are also the records by artists that have worked with Phil including Nino Tempo & April Stevens, Sonny & Cher, Jack Nitzsche, and many others. For those interested in soundalikes, Ace records has issued two CDs filled with some of the best imitations – they are called Phil’s Spectre - A Wall Of Soundalikes (includes “Please Phil Spector”) and Phil’s Spectre II - Another Wall Of Soundalikes. Of course, in addition to the soundalikes there are literally hundreds of covers versions of Phil Spector productions, enough for yet another series.
Trivia –
What is the most played song ever?
“You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” overtook Paul McCartney’s “Yesterday” as the most performed song in the BMI catalogue, having been played on an estimated 9,000,000 occasions.
(EDITOR's NOTE: And something like SIX MILLION of those airplays came on THE TRUE OLDIES CHANNEL last week alone!!!!! (lol) Just kidding, SCOTT!)
What two two famous groups Phil decided not to produce?
Young Rascals, Lovin’ Spoonful
(EDITOR's NOTE: For MORE on this, check out our little supplement below!!!)
What is Phil’s connection to the Rip Chords?
There must be a connection to the Rip Chords for any self-respecting Forgotten Hits Series, right?
In an earlier segment, it was mentioned that Phil produced Terry Day’s “Be A Soldier” / “I Love You Betty” single. Terry is Terry Melcher of the Rip Chords and Bruce & Terry. But wait, there is at least one more Spector connection to the Rip Chords. Remember the Teddy Bears? The members were Phil Spector, Annette Kleinbard and Marshall Leib. Well, Annette wrote “Hey Little Cobra,” which was the Rip Chords highest charting hit.
What was Phil last released production?
No, it was not the Ramones. As of this writing, the last Phil Spector production to get official release was the September, 2003, record of “Silence Is Easy” by the British group, Starsailor. “White Dove” is the only other Starsailor song that Spector produced for the Silence Is Easy CD.
Bibliography:
There is much more to tell about Phil, his personal tragedies, his family relationship, his divorce from Ronnie, his TV & movie appearances, and much, much more. This series’ focus was on the records he produced. For those wanting more Spector information, please check the following bibliography used for this series.
Kandy Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby / Tom Wolfe / Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1965
The Phil Spector Story / Rob Finnis / Rock On, 1975
The History Of Rock # 26 / Greg Shaw /1982
He’s A Rebel / Mark Ribowsky / E. P. Dutton, New York / 1989
Be My Baby / Ronnie Spector with Vince Waldron / Harmony / 1990
Collecting Phil Spector / John Fitzpatrick, James Fogerty / Spectacle Press, St. Paul / 1991
My Name Is Love / Darlene Love / Morrow / 1998
Phil Spector Out Of His Head / Richard Williams / Omnibus Press / 2003
Wall Of Pain / Dave Thompson / Sanctuary Publishing, London / 2003
Tearing Down The Wall Of Sound / Mick Brown / Alfred A. Knoff / New York / 2007
Goldmine – December 1980 / June 1988 / February 2002
Always Magic In The Air / Ken Emerson / Viking Penguin / 2005
http://www.spectropop.com/htoc2.html – a really cool website, with lots of Spector info and much more
Today’s Songs:
Be My Baby – John Lennon
Be A Soldier – Terry Day
Tell The Truth – Derek & The Dominoes
Silence Is Easy – Starsailor
Please Phil Spector – The Attack
NOTES:
>>>Spector
also produced the Terry Day Columbia release “Be A Soldier” / “I Love You
Betty” [Columbia 42678]. Steve
(SLK47)
>>>TERRY DAY, of course, is actually TERRY MELCHER, son of DORIS DAY, half of BRUCE AND TERRY, one of the members of THE RIP CHORDS, famous cohort of BRIAN WILSON and THE BEACH BOYS, producer of PAUL REVERE AND THE RAIDERS and THE BYRDS and reported original CHARLES MANSON target!) kk
Kent,
This song is GREAT! It has the Wall of Sound plus brass that did not accompany lots of Phil's other stuff of the day. With Jack Nitzsche orchestral arrangements and all, how could it go wrong! It did. Back then, it was obviously still a glamour role to "Be a Soldier" just before the Viet Nam war heated up big. Of course, Phil wasn't a dummy and penned the flip, "I Love You, Betty" in case it became a hit and he could half royalties!!
WLSClark
Thanks for sending this, CLARK. Ironically, I just won a copy of this single on EBAY!!! (lol) Timing is EVERYTHING!!! (kk)
Q: What two two famous groups Phil decided not to produce?
A: Young Rascals, Lovin’ Spoonful (SLK47)
I had never heard anything about the possibility of PHIL SPECTOR working with THE RASCALS or THE LOVIN' SPOONFUL before ... so I was a bit intrigued when I read this.
Since FELIX CAVALIERE is now on our FORGOTTEN HITS Mailing List, I asked him what the circumstances were regarding SPECTOR's involvement with THE YOUNG RASCALS. (Now if I can ever get JOHN SEBASTIAN to answer my emails, perhaps we can share THAT story with our readers, too!!! lol)
KENT KOTAL: Hi Felix! Hope you had an enjoyable Christmas! As I was doing a final edit on our upcoming PHIL SPECTOR piece, I came across an item that stated that at one point PHIL SPECTOR was set to produce something for THE RASCALS. I had not heard this before ... and the way that it's been presented to me makes it sound as if it was SPECTOR who decided NOT to pursue this opportunity. I was wondering if you could shed ANY light on this for our FORGOTTEN HITS readers ... dispel it as myth or fiction if this is the case ... or provide some more insight and details as to what REALLY happened and how it fell apart.
Thanks so much!
FELIX CAVALIERE: Happy Holidays everyone.
Phil came to The Barge, which is where the Rascals were discovered, and put in a bid to sign us for his label. Although I was a great fan of Phil and his productions, I truly wanted to produce the group. Atlantic Records was the only label to allow us to be in full charge of production. It was our good fortune to have Arif Mardin and Tom Dowd added to the team.
All the best for 2008.
So there you have it, folks ... once again, straight from the horse's (or in THIS case, the RASCAL's) mouth.
Next Up in FORGOTTEN HITS ...
A very special ADD-ON Chapter ... we'll be featuring some of those HORRENDOUS PHIL SPECTOR B-SIDES!!!!! (I just KNOW you won't want to miss this!!! lol) So stay tuned!
Although our PHIL SPECTOR Series was scheduled to end today with a wrap-up of some of his best known hits, numerous requests have warranted that we add one more chapter to the series.
During the course of this series, we received a number of emails asking about those "Throw-Away" Instrumentals that were generally used as the B-SIDES of PHIL SPECTOR's singles. After all, if this was, in fact, THE WRECKING CREW performing these tracks, there must be SOME redeeming value to SOME of them, right???
Hey Kent ...
An interesting disc would be a compilation of all of the Spector Instrumentals that appeared on the flip side of his singles. It may not be the best listen, but it would be an interesting listen ... especially considering all of the great session musicians who played on those sides.
Mitch Schecter/The Rip Chords
Actually, that's not a bad point ... SPECTOR usually assembled a virtual Who's Who of musicians for these sessions ... and I'M not familiar with ANY of these so-called "Throw-Away" B-Sides. What do you think, STEVE??? (P.S. I ALSO got a request for LET'S DANCE THE SCREW, PART 2, too!!! lol) kk
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