Phil Spector
Harvey Phillip "Phil" Spector (born
December 26,
1940) is an American
record producer of the
1960s and
1970s. The originator of the "
Wall of Sound" production technique, Spector first rose to prominence as one of the inventors of the 1960s
girl group sound. Later he worked with varied artists, including
The Beatles and
The Ramones. In
2003 Spector gained attention when he was indicted for
murder.
Phil Spector was born into a lower-middle class
Jewish family in the
Bronx,
New York.
[Article at Rock's Back Pages (subscription only)] In 2003, he would reveal in an interview with the Daily Telegraph journalist Mick Brown that his parents were first cousins. "I don't know, genetically, whether or not that had something to do with what I am or who I became," he said. His father committed suicide because of family indebtedness in
1949, and Spector and his family moved to
Los Angeles,
California in
1953.
Despite his shyness, Spector became involved in the local music scene. His first band was the
Teddy Bears, in which he had songwriting and guitar-playing duties and was one of three vocalists. The Teddy Bears, fronted by lead singer Annette Kleinbard (who later changed her name to
Carol Connors), had one major hit, "To Know Him is to Love Him", which sold more than 1 million copies after its release in
1958; the title of the song was paraphrased from Spector's father's
epitaph: "To Have Known Him Was To Have Loved Him."
Spector's career quickly moved from performing to songwriting to production. Having
perfect pitch, he learned how to use a studio, first as an apprentice to
Lester Sill and
Lee Hazlewood in
Arizona and, from
1960, after returning to
New York, with
Leiber and Stoller. Later that year he returned to L.A., and formed his own record label,
Philles Records, in partnership with Sill.
He worked at first with established artists, but soon found his vision easier to fulfill through
girl groups of his own devising. The groups — including
The Crystals,
Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans, and
The Ronettes — were often wholly interchangeable, with lineups based on who was available and whose voice he thought would fit the material (though mainly with
Darlene Love, a particular favorite). Although predominantly singles-based, Spector's groups did record at least one classic album:
A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector (
1963).
A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector was poorly received on its initial release in 1963. Spector's trademark during that era was the so-called
Wall of Sound, a production technique yielding a dense, layered effect that was carried well on
AM radio and
jukeboxes. To attain this signature sound, Spector gathered large groups of musicians (playing some instruments not generally used for ensemble playing, such as
electric and
acoustic guitars) playing orchestrated parts — often using many instruments playing in
unison — for a fuller sound. Spector himself called his technique "a Wagnerian approach to rock & roll: little symphonies for the kids."
While Spector directed the overall sound of his recordings, he took a relatively hands-off approach to working with the musicians themselves (usually a core group that became known as
The Wrecking Crew, including session players such as
Hal Blaine,
Carol Kaye,
Mac Rebennack, (a.k.a. "Dr. John"),
Cher,
Glen Campbell and
Leon Russell, delegating arrangement duties to
Jack Nitzsche and having
Sonny Bono oversee the performances, viewing these two as his "lieutenants".
Spector used songs from songwriters employed at
The Brill Building, such as the teams of
Ellie Greenwich and
Jeff Barry,
Barry Mann and
Cynthia Weil,
Gerry Goffin and
Carole King, Spector often receiving co-credit for compositions. Among the most famous from the prime of Philles Records are "Da Doo Ron Ron" by The Crystals, "
You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" by The Righteous Brothers and "
Be My Baby" by The Ronettes, the latter tune a personal favorite of
Brian Wilson, who aimed to emulate Spector's production style in his own work.
Spector was already known as a temperamental and quirky personality with strong, often unconventional ideas about musical and recording techniques. Despite the trend towards multi-channel recording, Spector was also vehemently opposed to
stereo releases, claiming that it took control of the record's sound away from the producer in favor of the listener. Spector also greatly preferred singles to albums, describing LPs as "two hits and ten pieces of junk".
The first time Spector put the same amount of effort into an LP as he had for 45s was when utilizing the full Philles roster and the Wrecking Crew, to produce what he felt would become a hit for the Christmas season.
A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector arrived in the shops shortly after the assassination of
President Kennedy on
November 22 1963. While eventually recognized for its quality over the course of time, the mood of the country in late 1963 most likely contributed to
Christmas Gift being a flop in its initial release.
After a string of girl-group hits through the early- and mid-1960s, Spector produced "
You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" for
The Righteous Brothers in late
1964.
Spector then became embroiled in record-company wrangles, fighting Lester Sill for control of
Philles Records and managing his own Phil Spector Records (under contractual agreement with Sill, this label only issued singles recorded by
Veronica "Ronnie" Bennett of the
Ronettes).
Amidst these conflicts and reports of increasingly eccentric behavior, Spector produced "
River Deep - Mountain High" for
Ike and Tina Turner in
1966, a recording he considered his best work. A hit in the UK, the song failed to catch on in the U.S., and Spector announced a self-described "retirement" at age 25.
Already something of a recluse, Spector withdrew almost entirely from the public eye, marrying Ronnie Bennett in
1968 and emerging briefly for a cameo as a drug dealer in the film
Easy Rider (
1969).
In
1970,
Allen Klein, manager to three of the
Beatles, had brought Spector to England to possibly record with the group, or produce for their label
Apple Records. (Spector had met the Beatles on their first visit to the US in
1964.)
His own labels issued covers of "
Hold Me Tight" by The Imaginations and the Treasures (who included future
Ringo Starr collaborator
Vini Poncia), a soul version of
Buck Owens' "
Act Naturally" by
Betty Willis (covered by The Beatles on
Help!), and an instrumental of
Yesterday by
Al de Lory. The Beatles themselves had recorded the Teddy Bears' "To Know Him Is to Love Him", Spector's first hit, with a change of gender, for their failed
Decca Records audition.
After completing "
Instant Karma!" in a single session for the
John Lennon solo release, Spector was invited by Lennon and
George Harrison to take on the task of turning the tapes from the abandoned "
Get Back" recording sessions into a usable album. Spector went to work using many of his production techniques to significantly change the sound of the songs. While this project was viewed as a major comeback for Spector, it was also part of the contentious break-up of The Beatles as Spector added what many considered inappropriate choir and orchestral arrangements to Lennon's "
Across the Universe" and Harrison's "
I Me Mine". His alteration of "
The Long and Winding Road" infuriated its composer
Paul McCartney, especially since the work had been done allegedly without his knowledge or opportunity to assess the results.
The album, now known as
Let It Be, was not a typical Spector production. Apart from the reworkings of the abovementioned cuts, he also added vocal asides, most likely at the request of Lennon, and short song takes between the complete songs on the album. For the most part, Spector left the other performances on
Let It Be alone - the initial goal of the Beatles producing an album without their usual production values, or as Lennon would put it
jiggery-pokery, surviving in the live feel Spector managed to impart to the songs that escaped orchestration. Nonetheless, McCartney succeeded in 2003 with the release of
Let It Be... Naked, to have the album stripped of Spector's techniques.
Through the
1970s and early
1980s Spector continued a pattern of reclusiveness interrupted by occasional production projects, working on albums for Lennon, Harrison,
Leonard Cohen, and
The Ramones. For George Harrison's mutil-platinum album
All Things Must Pass (1970), he provided a cathedral-like sonic ambience, complete with ornate orchestrations and gospel choirs. The same year he produced John Lennon's
Plastic Ono Band album, the sound of which was bare guitar, bass, drums, piano and vocal. In
1971, he co-produced the music for
The Concert for Bangla Desh with Harrison and co-produced Lennon's
Imagine album with the
Plastic Ono Band. Lennon retained him for the 1971
Christmas single "
Happy Xmas (War is Over)," the 1972 album
Some Time in New York City and the 1973 sessions for the album
Rock 'n' Roll. Spector's relationship with Lennon ended after the producer suffered a breakdown in the studio, brandishing a gun and disappearing with the
Rock 'n' Roll tapes. After several months, Lennon retrieved the tapes and finished the album himself.
In
1975, he created Phil Spector International, which supplied the recording facilities for artists such as
Dion,
Harry Nilsson,
Dusty Springfield,
Tina Turner and
Darlene Love. He also re-teamed with Yoko Ono in
1981 to co-produce
Season of Glass, her first work after her husband's death.
Spector remained inactive throughout most of the 1980s,
1990s, and early
2000s. He attempted to work with
Celine Dion on her album
Falling Into You, but that fell through. His most recent released project has been "Silence Is Easy" by
Starsailor, released in
2003. He was originally supposed to produce the entire album, but was fired due to personal and creative differences. Plans to work with
The Vines were halted due to his murder trial.
Many producers attempted to emulate the Wall of Sound, while
Brian Wilson of
the Beach Boys—a fellow adherent of mono recording—considered Spector his main competition.
Bruce Springsteen emulated the Wall of Sound technique in his recording of "
Born to Run".
Shoegazing, a brief musical movement in the late 1980s and early 1990s, was heavily influenced by the Wall of Sound. For his contributions to the music industry, Spector was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in
1989. Much of Phil's early musical influences was latin music in general and latin percussion in particular. This is heralded in many of his hit sings: shakers, guiros (gourds) and maracas in "Be My Baby" and the son montuno in "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" heard clearly in the song's bridge. Phil would visit Spanish Harlem clubs and schools to hone his listening and practical skills. He'd ask his pre-teen coffee boy from "El Barrio", Roberto Tirado, to borrow his parent's best Puerto Rican and Spanish LPs in order to listen to these at odd times. Unknowingly, Phil instilled some of his musical influence on little Roberto as he also became enmeshed in the music field later as an adult. But the latin influence is keenly perceptable in most, if not all, of Spector's recordings. Session bassist Carole Kaye plays the haunting son montuno in "You've Lost..." while the same repeating refrain is palyed on harpsichord by keyboardist
Larry Knechtel.
Spector has descended into many conflicts with the artists, songwriters, and promoters that he worked with. Stories include his discharging a firearm while in the studio with
John Lennon during the recording of his cover album
Rock 'n' Roll and placing a loaded pistol at
Leonard Cohen's head during the sessions for
Death of a Ladies' Man (
1977).
Dee Dee Ramone also reported that Spector threatened his bandmates during their recording sessions with his group,
The Ramones.
Shortly after
Lester Sill's departure from
Philles Records, Spector wrote, and had
The Crystals record, a single entitled "(Let's Dance) The Screw". Six minutes long and completely lacking Spector's customary
Wall of Sound production techniques, "The Screw" was neither releasable (by 1963 music industry standards) nor intended for general release. Indeed, only a handful of copies of the single were pressed, one of which Spector had delivered to Sill as a parting shot at his former partner. (Legend has it that the recording of "The Screw" served a second purpose: to cheat Sill out of royalties due him from sales of the next Philles recording. However, this claim has never been verified.) [
1]
Phil and Ronnie Spector divorced in
1974. In
2000, Ronnie Spector successfully sued him for over $2 million for
breach of contract over unpaid royalties to the Ronettes.
On
February 3,
2003, Spector was arrested for murder after the body of 40-year-old starlet
Lana Clarkson of Los Angeles was found at his faux-
castle mansion (called Pyrenees Castle) in
Alhambra, California. Police responded to a
9-1-1 phone call from one of Spector's neighbors and discovered Clarkson, who had been shot and was pronounced dead at the scene. On
November 20,
2003, Spector was indicted for Clarkson's murder.
Four weeks prior to the death of Clarkson, Spector had admitted in an interview with the British
Daily Telegraph that he suffers from
bipolar disorder and that he considered himself "relatively insane".
[MTV News (February 6, 2003). "Phil Spector Recently Claimed To Be 'Relatively Insane'"][Ananova, "Court records reveal Spector 'crime scene'"] In September
2004 he was ordered to stand trial in Los Angeles.
On
October 28,
2005, a judge ruled that potentially damning statements Spector allegedly made to police may be used against him at trial. Spector's lawyers had sought to suppress an apparent statement made by Spector after Clarkson was found dead. Spector allegedly said, "I didn't mean to shoot her." His lawyer argued that comments attributed to the music producer should be thrown out because he was suffering from prescription-drug withdrawal symptoms at the time. The judge has also ruled that transcripts from a
deposition taken of Spector several months before Clarkson's death may also be introduced by the
prosecution at trial.
So far Spector has gone through three attorneys. Defense attorney
Robert Shapiro represented Spector at his arraignment and early pretrial hearings, and arranged for his release on bail. He was later replaced by
Leslie Abramson and
Marcia Morrissey. They, in turn, were later replaced by
Bruce Cutler, the former lawyer of
John Gotti.
[CBS News, "Gotti Lawyer To Rep Phil Spector"] Spector is also involved in a civil suit against Shapiro, who refused to return his $1 million retainer.
[Deutsch, Linda (January 27, 2006). "Phil Spector's deposition to be released", Associated Press via the San Jose Mercury News.]Phil Spector, currently free on $1 million bail, had been scheduled to stand trial on
April 24,
2006. It was announced
April 25,
2006 that due to scheduling conflicts, the judge involved has postponed the date of the trial until
January 16,
2007. Spector additionally faces a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Lana Clarkson's mother, Donna Clarkson, but it won't go ahead until after the criminal trial proceedings.
[World Entertainment News Network, "Spector wrongful death suit delayed".]*
A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector (1963)
*
Back to Mono (1958-1969), a 4-
CD box set encompassing all of Spector's important work of that period.
Among the works attributed to Spector include:
*"Corrina, Corrina" recorded by
Ray Peterson*"Spanish Harlem" recorded by
Ben E. King*"Be My Boy" recorded by
The Paris Sisters*"Every Breath I Take" recorded by
Gene Pitney*"Pretty Little Angel Eyes" recorded by
Curtis Lee*"I Love How You Love Me" recorded by
The Paris Sisters*"He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss)" recorded by
The Crystals*"There's No Other Like My Baby" recorded by
The Crystals*"He's a Rebel" recorded by
The Crystals*"Da Doo Ron Ron" recorded by
The Crystals*"Then He Kissed Me" recorded by
The Crystals*"He's Sure the Boy I Love" recorded by
The Crystals*"Be My Baby" recorded by
The Ronettes*"Baby I Love You" recorded by
The Ronettes*"(The Best Part Of) Breakin' Up" recorded by
The Ronettes*"Walking in the Rain" recorded by
The Ronettes*"(Today I Met) The Boy I'm Gonna Marry" recorded by
Darlene Love*"Wait 'Til My Baby Gets Home" recorded by
Darlene Love*"Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" recorded by
Darlene Love*
He's a Rebel: The Truth About Phil Spector – Rock and Roll's Legendary Madman, by Mark Ribowsky (biography). ISBN 0306814714.
* "The First Tycoon of Teen",
Tom Wolfe (magazine article reprinted in
The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby, ISBN 0553380583, and in the
Back to Mono liner notes.)
*
Out of His Head, by Richard Williams (biography). ISBN 0711998647
*
Wall of Pain: The Biography of Phil Spector, by Dave Thompson. ISBN 1860745431
*
Joe Meek –
British music producer and contemporary of Spector's, who like Spector was immensely gifted, influential, and tragically eccentric.
