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Harvey Phillip "Phil" Spector (født 26. desember 1940 i The Bronx, New York), er en kjent og innflytelsesrik plateprodusent som sto bak en rekke av de mest populære poplåtene fra 1960- og 1970-tallet. Spector var beryktet for sin eksentrisitet og sin sterke vilje, men var nyskapende både i sitt musikalske uttrykk og satsingen mot tenåringer som målgruppe for musikken. Han er blitt kalt "the first tycoon of teen" da han var mangemillionær da han såvidt hadde passert tenårene.

Spector hadde en cameoopptreden som narkolanger i filmen «Easy Rider» fra 1969.

Efnisyfirlit

[breyta] Barndom og oppvekst

Phil Spectors farfar var en russisk jøde som endret etternavnet fra Spekter til Spector på Ellis Island da han imigrerte til USA. Phil bodde sine første år i New York og familien, en typisk lavere middelklassefamilie slet med svak øknomi og etterhvert tynget av gjeld. I sin fortvilelse over gjeldspresset begikk faren Benjamin selvmord i 1949. I 1953 flyttet moren Bertha med Phil og søsteren Shirley til Los Angeles hvor hun fikk jobb som syerske.

Som tenåring var Phil en loner, som gikk mye for seg selv. Den lave (rundt 1,60 høy), tynne og litt puslete gutten med de triste øynene hadde vanskeligheter med å passe inn og virket litt forkommen. Det var lite ved skolen som interesserte ham utover musikkundervisningen i gitar og piano. Her utmerket han seg og spilte etterhvert gitar, piano, slagverk, bass og horn. Los Angeles var på denne tiden et senter for Rhythm and blues-musikk med mange nye uttrykk, musikere og små, uavhengige plateselskap. Phil hang rundt disse og prøvde å få tilfeldige spillejobber. Slik ble han kjent med folk i bransjen.

Etter å ha tatt eksamen fra Fairfax High School i 1958 ville han prøve seg innen musikken og bestilte studiotid ved Gold Star Studios. Pengene for studiotiden lånte han av moren og diverse småbeløp fra venner og bekjente. Han fikk produsert en demo-tape og fikk omsider en avtale med det lille, lokale selskapet Era Records, kanskje mest fordi Lew Bedell, en av eierne var Phils nabo.

Hans første utgivelse og listetopp kom i Los Angeles i 1958 med vokalgruppen The Teddy Bears (tok navn etter Elvis Presleys hitsang) med «To Know Him Is To Love Him». Tittelen hadde han tatt fra innskriften på faren Benjamins grav. Denne sangen var egentlig baksiden av singelplaten, det var forsiden «You Don't Know My Little Pet» plateselskapet hadde sendt ut, men en DJ i en radiostasjon i Fargo, Nord Dakota hadde snudd platen, og suksssen var et faktum. Det kom umiddelbart inn en bestilling fra Minneapolis om 18.000 kopier! Bedell og Phil trodde dette var en spøk, og ba om bekreftelse. De svarte med å øke bestillingen og nyhetene om dette gjorde at flere radiostasjonen begynte å spille «To Know Him Is To Love Him» og dette gjorde sangen mer kjent. Fra den ble sendt ut i august, hadde den innen jul solgt over en million eksemplarer. Ikke verst for en 17 år gammel debutant som gjorde det meste selv.

Era Records var for lite plateselskap til å håndere denne voldsomme suksessen, og med det fulgte den vanlige krangelen om penger. En hit er ikke nok til verken å sikre fremtiden eller åpne alle dører i musikkbransjen, i hvert fall ikke for en tenåring, slik at Phil i mellomtiden gjenopptok sin deltidsjobb som rettsreferent. Han hadde kjent Lester Sill i flere år, og Sill startet plateselskap sammen med sangeren og komponisten Lee Hazlewood. Sill inviterte Spector til studio, denne gangen uten navnet The Teddy Bears som han ikke kan bruke av juridiske årsaker fra krangelen med Era Records.

I 1960 sender Sill og Hazlewood den 19 år gamle Spector til New York City for å lære mer om musikkbransjen, som etter Spectors mening var infiltrert av 95% "morons" (tullinger). Sammen danner de Phillies Records høsten 1961. Navnet er en sammensetning av fornavnene deres og allerede året etter kjøpte Phil Spector ut Lester Sill og ble eneeier. Slik ble Phil Spector i en alder av 21 år Amerikas yngste innehaver var et plateselskap.

[breyta] Produksjon

Som opphavsmannen bak produksjonsteknikken som blir kalt «Wall of Sound» («muren av lyd»), ble Spector først berømt som en av hovedarkitektene bak «jentegruppe»-stilen, som spilte en betydelig rolle i musikkindustrien i første halvdel og rundt midten av 1960-tallet. Hans mest kjente produksjoner fra denne perioden er en rekke listetopper med artister som The Crystals («Da Doo Ron Ron»), The Ronettes («Be My Baby») og The Righteous Brothers med «Unchained Melody» og «You've Lost that Lovin' Feelin'» den siste nådde listetoppen 17. februar 1965. Denne perioden kulminerte med den kunstneriske suksessen, men til Spectors store skuffelse kommersielle fiaskoen «River Deep, Mountain High», med Ike og Tina Turner.

Senere i sin karriere jobbet Spector med et bredere utvalg av artister, noen av dem svært berømte, som The Beatles, John Lennon, George Harrison, Leonard Cohen og The Ramones. Blant hans mest kjente produksjoner fra 1970-tallet finner vi sanger som «The Long And Winding Road» med The Beatles, «Imagine» med John Lennon og «My Sweet Lord» med George Harrison.

[breyta] «The Wall Of Sound»

Spectors lydmessige «varemerke», den såkalte «muren av lyd», består av et fortettet lydbilde i mange lag som ga en svært virkningfull og dramatisk effekt på 1960-tallets lydutstyr, som var dominert av mellombølge-radio og jukebokser som de viktigste kanaler for spredning av popmusikk. Disse teknologiene la i lydgjengivelsen vekt på tonene i mellomtoneregisteret, noe som gir et betydelig mer «avrundet» lydbilde enn dagens teknologi, som i mye større grad er preget av klar og gjennomtrengede diskant.

Spector bygget opp sin «mur av lyd» gjennom å ta i bruk store grupper av musikere på innspillingene, hvorav mange spilte de samme stemmer og toner samtidig i delvis orkestrerte arrangementer. Disse store musikergruppene, som besto av både orkesterinstrumenter som strykere og blåsere og typiske rockeband-instrumenter som elektriske gitarer, ble presset inn på et lite areale i Spectors Gold Star-studio, der romklangen som reflekterte fra veggene bidro til å fortette lyden og få klangen av de enkelte instrumentene til å smelte sammen til en helhet der det er vanskelig å skilne dem fra hverandre.

Spector engasjerte en rekke av datidens profesjonelle låtskrivere til å forsyne seg med poplåter til sin «fabrikk», og blant disse finner man «radarparene» som jobbet med utgangspunkt i Brill-bygningen i New York City: Ellie Greenwich/Jeff Barry, Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil og Gerry Goffin/Carole King.

Spector rekrutterte musikere til sine innspillinger blant en krets av produktive og svært profesjonelle studiomusikere i Los Angeles-området. Disse musikerne jobbet mot timebetaling for en rekke produsenter av plater og filmmusikk, og enkelte av dem var svært ettertraktet og meget hyppig brukt, blant annet trommeslageren Hal Blaine og el-bassisten Carol Kaye. Andre i denne kretsen av musikere etablerte senere egne solokarrierer, som pianistene Leon Russell og Mac Rebenack (som tok artistnavnet Dr. John), gitaristen og sangeren Glen Campbell og korsangeren Cherilyn Sarkisian, bedre kjent som Cher. Hal Blaine sies å ha vært mannen som ga denne «indre krets» av de mest brukte studiomusikerne kallenavnet «The Wrecking Crew».

Spector hadde også samarbeidspartnere som fylte andre roller: Arrangementene ble i stor grad gjort av Jack Nitzsche (som senere arbeidet for Neil Young og The Rolling Stones), og Sonny Bono var ofte produksjonsleder og «oppsynsmann».

Spector ble tatt opp i Rock and Roll Hall of Fame i 1989.

[breyta] Eksentrisk og ustabil, men morder?

Spector har gjennom hele livet vært noe for seg selv, og blitt karakterisert både som eksentrisk, genial og gal. Han gikk med langt hår før noen andre, og da en butikkekspeditør kommenterer hans «lange» nakkehår, svarer Spector med å kjøre over ved å ramse opp diverse aktuelle nasjonale og internasjonale problemer og konstaterer til slutt at «and all what you are concered about, is my haircut». I et intervju med Time Magazine i 1965, beskrives hans daværende orginale oppkledning med spisse, høyhælede støvler, trange bukser, tøy-caps og Davy Crockett-jakke, og konstaterer at dette vanskelig kan kombineres med hans påståtte ønske om å være i bakgrunnen. Men musikalt har han gjort det. Det er også en historie om hvordan han i et plutselig anfall av flyskrekk fikk flymannskapet til å stanse flyet på rullebanen og at han i strid med alle sikkerhetsregler evakuerer flyet ute på flyplassen.

Han er ganske ustyrlig, eksempelvis forlangte plateselskapet at han ikke skulle lage sanger over 3 minutter, som regnes som den tiden radioer vil holde på samme sang. Spector løste dette problemet enkelt ved å skriv 3.06 minutter på plateetiketten på «You Lost that Lovin' Feeling», mens sangen vitterlig tar 3.42 minutter.

På den annen side har han et voldsomt kontrollbehov som nærmer seg paranoiditet. I følge konen Ronnie Spector (vokalist i The Ronettes - skilt i 1974) forlangte han eksempelvis at hun skulle kjøre med en dukke i passasjersetet i bilen som lignet på ham, «slik at ingen skulle innbille seg noe». Selv sier han i et intervju med London-avisen The Daily Telegraph i 2003, hans første på 25 år, at han ofte må kjempe mot «devils inside [my] tortured soul» (djevler i min plagede sjel). Han bekymrer seg for hvilken innflytelse han har på datteren Nicole (født 1983) og at hun skal bli tiltrukket av menn som ham selv. Han karakteriserer seg ikke som gal, men ikke frisk nok til å fungere i samfunnet og derfor har han trukket seg unna fra dette.

Han har hatt en uvettig omgang med skytevåpen, avfyrt skudd i studio og truet både Leonard Cohen og John Lennon i studio med ladde våpen. Han har imidlertid aldri vært voldelig.

I 2003 kom Spector på ny i medienes søkelys da han ble siktet for drap. Saken overrasker vennene siden han de siste årene har vært ganske rolig. «For 20-30 år siden, derimot...» Drapssaken er bestemt til å komme opp for retten tidlig i 2007. Spector er i mellomtiden løslatt mot en kausjon på en million dollar.

[breyta] Eksempelsamling

En tradisjonell diskografi over Spectors produksjon vil bli svært omfattende, og hans inflytelse på musikkutviklingen kan knapt overvurderes. Men samleboksen Back to Mono fra 1991 gir en god presentasjon på det han produserte i årene 1958-1969. Denne inkludere også juleplaten A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector fra 1963 og denne inneholder sanger som senere har blitt populærmusikk for juletiden.

I boken som følger med Back to Mono-boksen er det en del biografisk stoff om Spector.

[breyta] Biografier

Det har vært planlagt en spillefilm om Phil Spectors noe spesielle liv, hvor Tom Cruise har vært aktuell for hovedrollen. En grunn til at dette så langt ikke er blitt realisert, har vært at manusforfatterne ikke har funnet noen god avslutning av filmen. Men dette var før drapsaken og siste kapittel om Phil Spector er ennå ikke skrevet.

Blant alt som er produsert om ham, kan nevnes:

  • He's a Rebel: The Truth About Phil Spector – Rock and Roll's Legendary Madman. Biografi av Mark Ribowsky. ISBN 0306814714.
  • Tekstboken i Back to Mono-boksen
  • Out of His Head. Biografi av Richard Williams (biography). ISBN 0711998647
  • Wall of Pain: The Biography of Phil Spector. Dave Thompson. ISBN 1860745431

[breyta] Eksterne lenker


Harvey Phillip Spector (born December 26, 1940) is an American musician, songwriter and record producer.

Coming to prominence in the early 1960s, Spector became one of the most distinctive producers in the history of popular music. He was hailed in his heyday as "the Tycoon of Teen." The originator of the famous "Wall of Sound" production technique, Spector was a pioneer of the 1960s girl group sound. Later he worked with various artists, including Tina Turner, The Beatles and the Ramones.

In later years, he increasingly became known for eccentric outbursts, litigiousness, and a reclusive temperament. In 2003, Spector returned to the public eye when he was indicted for murder.

[breyta] Early life

Born in the Bronx, New York, Spector became involved in music when his family moved to Los Angeles, California in 1953. At 16, he performed Lonnie Donegan's "Rock Island Line" at a talent show at Fairfax High School.[1] While there at Fairfax, he joined a loosely knit community of young aspirants, including Lou Adler, Bruce Johnston, and Sandy Nelson, the last of whom played drums on Spector's first record release, "To Know Him Is To Love Him."[2]

[breyta] The Teddy Bears

With three friends from high school, Marshall Lieb, Harvey Goldstein, and Annette Kleinbard, Spector formed a group, the Teddy Bears. Spector had the group's songwriting and guitar-playing duties, and was one of three vocalists. By the spring of 1958 he had raised enough money to buy two hours of recording time at Gold Star Studios. With Spector producing, the Teddy Bears recorded "Don't You Worry My Little Pet," which helped them secure a deal with Era Records. At their next session, they recorded a song inspired by the epitaph on Spector's father's tombstone. Released on Era's subsidiary label, Dore Records, "To Know Him Is to Love Him" went to #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart, selling over a million copies by year's end.

Following the success of their debut, the group signed with Imperial Records, but their next single "I Don't Need You Anymore" only reached #91, while its B-side "Oh Why" charted at #98. Several more recordings were released, including an album The Teddy Bears Sing!, but the group never again charted in the Hot 100. The Teddy Bears went their separate ways in 1959.

[breyta] Record producer

After the split, Spector's career quickly moved from performing and songwriting to production. While recording the Teddy Bears' album, Spector had met Lester Sill, a former promotion man who was a mentor to Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. His next project, the Spectors Three, was undertaken under the aegis of Sill and his partner Lee Hazlewood. Though it reaped little commercial reward, Sill in 1960 arranged for Spector to work as an apprentice to Leiber and Stoller in New York.

Having perfect pitch, Spector quickly learned how to use a studio. He contributed greatly to Leiber and Stoller's productions as a composer, co-writing the Ben E. King Top 10 hit "Spanish Harlem" as well as King's "Young Boy Blues" (which reached #66). He also worked as a session musician, most notably playing the guitar solo on the Drifters' "On Broadway." His own productions, while less conspicuous, included releases by LaVern Baker, Ruth Brown and Billy Storm, as well as the Topnotes' original version of "Twist And Shout."

While working with Leiber and Stoller, Spector was commissioned to produce Ray Peterson's "Corrina, Corrina," which reached #9 in January 1961. Later he produced another major hit for Curtis Lee, "Pretty Little Angel Eyes," which made it to #7.

Returning to Hollywood, Spector agreed to produce one of Lester Sill's acts. After both Liberty Records and Capitol Records turned down the master of "Be My Boy" by the Paris Sisters, Sill formed a new label, Gregmark Records with Lee Hazlewood and released it. It only managed to reach #56, but the follow-up, "I Love How You Love Me" was a smash, reaching #5.

[breyta] Philles Records

In the fall of 1961 Spector formed a partnership with Sill, who by this time had ended his business agreement with Hazlewood. Philles Records combined the names of its two founders. Through Hill and Range Publishers, Spector found three groups he wanted to produce: the Ducanes, the Creations and The Crystals. The first two signed with other companies, but Spector managed to secure the Crystals for his new label. Their first single "There's No Other (Like My Baby)" was a success, hitting #20. Their next release, "Uptown," did even better, making it to #13.

Spector continued to work freelance for other artists. In 1962 another record he produced, "Second Hand Love," by Connie Francis, reached #7. He also briefly took a job as head of A&R for Liberty Records. It was while working at Liberty that he heard a song written by Gene Pitney, for whom he had produced a #41 hit, "Every Breath I Take" a year earlier. "He's a Rebel" was due to be released on Liberty by Vicki Carr, but Spector rushed into Gold Star Studios and recorded a cover version using Darlene Love on lead vocals. The record was released on Philles, attributed to the Crystals, and quickly rose to the top of the charts.

By the time "He's a Rebel" went to #1, Lester Sill was out of the company, and Spector had Philles all to himself. He created a new act, Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans, featuring Darlene Love and Bobby Sheen, a singer he had worked with at Liberty. The group had hits with "Zip-a-Dee Doo-Dah" (#8), "Why Do Lovers Break Each Other’s Hearts?" (#38) and "Not Too Young To Get Married" (#63). Spector also released solo material by Darlene Love in 1963. In the same year, he released "Be My Baby" by the Ronettes, which went to #2.

Although predominantly a singles-based label, Philles did release a few albums, one of which was the perennial seller A Christmas Gift for You in 1963.

[breyta] The Wall of Sound

Spector's trademark during that era was the so-called Wall of Sound, a production technique yielding a dense, layered effect that reproduced 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 doubling and tripling 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 frequently used songs from songwriters employed at The Brill Building, such as the teams of Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, and Gerry Goffin and Carole King. Spector often worked with the songwriters, receiving co-credit for compositions.

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 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".

Mynd:Xmas phil spector.jpg
A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector

The first time Spector put the same amount of effort into an LP as he did into 45s was when he utilized the full Philles roster and the Wrecking Crew to make what he felt would become a hit for the 1963 Christmas season. A Christmas Gift for You arrived in the shops the day of the assassination of President Kennedy, November 22 1963. The somber mood of the country may have contributed to Christmas Gift being a flop in its initial release. Despite its initially poor reception, singles from the album are now Yuletide mainstays on radio stations, and the album has since been a regular seller during the holiday season.

[breyta] The mid-Sixties

Mynd:EasyRider 01.jpg
Screenshot of Spector in Easy Rider as he enjoys the quality of cocaine

In 1964 the Ronettes appeared at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. Also on the bill were The Righteous Brothers. Spector, who was conducting the band for all the acts, was so impressed with Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield that he bought their contract from Moonglow Records and signed them to Philles. In early 1965 "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" became the label's second #1 single. Three more major hits with the group followed: "Just Once in My Life" (#9), "Unchained Melody" (#4) and "Ebb Tide" (#5).Despite having hits, Spector lost interest in producing the Righteous Brothers and sold their contract and all thier master recordings to Verve Records. However,the sound of the Righteous Brothers' singles was so distinctive that the act chose to replicate it after leaving Spector, notching a second #1 hit in 1966 with the Bill Medley produced (You're My) Soul and Inspiration.The Spector produced recording of "Unchained Melody" was able to reach a whole new audience 25 years after it's initial release when it was featured prominently in the smash hit movie "Ghost, which prompted an unexpected demand for the record and a re-release of the single which made became a surprise CHR (Top 40) hit in 1990 where it reached number 13 on the CHR Charts, and went to number one on the Adult Contemporary charts. This resulted in "Unchained Melody" being in the unique position of getting heavy airplay in the Oldies, Adult Contemporary & CHR (Top 40) radio formats and also put Spector (as a producer) back on the Top 40 charts since his last appearance in 1970 with The Beatles single " The Long & Winding Road.

Spector's final signing to Philles was the husband-and-wife team of Ike and Tina Turner in 1966. Spector considered their recording of "River Deep - Mountain High," to be his best work,(which was essentially a solo Tina Turner record produced by Spector with literally no involvement from Ike Turner ) but it failed to go any higher than #88 in the United States. (It was more successful in Britain, reaching #3.) Spector subsequently lost interest in his label and the recording industry. Already something of a recluse, he withdrew temporarily from the public eye, marrying Veronica "Ronnie" Bennett, lead singer of the Ronettes, in 1968. Spector emerged briefly for a cameo as a drug dealer in the film Easy Rider in 1969.

[breyta] Comeback

In 1969 Spector made a brief return to the music business by signing a production deal with A&M Records. A Ronettes single ("You Came, You Saw, You Conquered") flopped, but Spector returned to the Hot 100 with "Black Pearl" by Sonny Charles and the Checkmates, Ltd. Although Black Pearl reached #13, the A&M deal was short-lived.

In 1970 Allen Klein, manager of the Beatles, brought Spector to England. While producing John Lennon's hit solo single "Instant Karma," which went to #3, Spector was invited by Lennon and George Harrison to take on the task of turning the Beatles abandoned "Get Back" recording sessions into a usable album. Spector went to work using many of his production techniques, making significant changes to the arrangements and sound of some songs. The resulting album, Let It Be, was a massive commercial success and yielded a #1 single, 'The Long and Winding Road." Although viewed as a major creative comeback for Spector, it may also have contributed to the contentious Beatles breakup, as Spector added what many considered inappropriate choir and orchestral arrangements to Lennon's "Across the Universe" and Harrison's "I Me Mine". His overdubbing of "The Long and Winding Road" infuriated its composer, Paul McCartney, especially since the work was allegedly completed without his knowledge and without any opportunity for him to assess the results. In 2003, McCartney spearheaded the release of Let It Be... Naked, which stripped the songs of Spector's input.

However, both John Lennon and George Harrison were satisfied with the results, and Let It Be led to Spector co-producing albums with both ex-Beatles. For George Harrison's multi-platinum album All Things Must Pass (#1, 1970), Spector provided a cathedral-like sonic ambiance, complete with ornate orchestrations and gospel choirs. The LP yielded two major hits: "My Sweet Lord," topped the charts for five weeks, and "What Is Life" reached #10. The same year, Spector co-produced John Lennon's Plastic Ono Band (#6) album, which featured a very different, spare and raw sound.

In 1971 Spector was named director of A&R for Apple Records. He only held the post for a year, but during that time he co-produced the single "Power To The People" with John Lennon (#11), as well as Lennon's chart-topping Imagine album, including the #3 title track. With George Harrison, Spector co-produced Harrison's "Bangla-Desh" (a #23 hit), Ronnie Spector's "Try Some, Buy Some" (which made it to #77), and the music for the #1 triple album The Concert For Bangla Desh.

Lennon retained Spector for the 1971 Christmas single "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)," the poorly-reviewed 1972 album Some Time In New York City (#48) and the 1973 sessions for the album Rock 'n' Roll (#6). 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.

[breyta] Later years

In 1974 Spector established the Warner-Spector label which undertook new recordings with Dion, Cher, Harry Nilsson and others, as well as several reissues. A similar relationship with Britain's Polydor Records led to the formation of the Phil Spector International label in 1975.

The majority of Spector's classic Philles recording had been out of print in the U.S. since the original label's demise, although Spector had released several Philles Records compilation in Britain. Finally , he released an American compilation of his Philles recordings in 1977 which put most of the better known Spector hits back into circulation after many years.

As the seventies progressed, Spector became a recluse. He emerged to produce albums by Leonard Cohen (Death of a Ladies' Man, 1977) and the Ramones (End of the Century, 1980). 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 because of personal and creative differences. Plans to work with The Vines were halted due to his murder trial.

[breyta] Influence

Many producers have tried to emulate the Wall of Sound, and Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys—a fellow adherent of mono recording—considered Spector his main competition as a studio artist. Bruce Springsteen emulated the Wall of Sound technique in his recording of "Born To Run". Shoegazing, a British 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. In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked him #63 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.[3]

Spector's early musical influences included Latin music in general, and Latin percussion in particular. This is apparent from the percussion in many of his hit songs: 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 recordings 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 perceptible in many, if not all, of Spector's recordings. Session bassist Carol Kaye plays the haunting son montuno in "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" while the same repeating refrain is played on harpsichord by keyboardist Larry Knechtel.

The Beach Boys paid tribute to Spector in the lyrics of their song "Mona":

  • "Come on/Listen to "Da Doo Ron Ron," now/Listen to "Be My Baby"/I know you're gonna love Phil Spector"

[breyta] Eccentricity

Spector has had many conflicts, sometimes bizarre, with the artists, songwriters and promoters he worked with. Describing the dissolution of their Philles Records partnership, Lester Sill said, "I sold out for a pittance. It was shit, ridiculous, around $60,000. I didn't want to but I had to. Let me tell you, I couldn't live with Phillip . . . I just wanted the fuck out of there. If I wouldn't have, I would have killed him. It wasn't worth the aggravation."

As a peevish farewell gesture, 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 is considered unlikely.) [1].It has also been said that Spector brought one his own lawyers into the recording studio to yell out the chorus of the song ( "--do the screw !" )

Spector's domineering attitude toward Ronnie Spector led to the dissolution of their marriage. Ronnie Spector has claimed that Spector showed her a gold coffin with a glass top in his basement, promising to kill and display her should she ever choose to leave him; he had earlier forbid her from speaking to the Rolling Stones or touring with the Beatles for fear of infidelity. During Spector's reclusive period in the late 1960s, he reportedly kept his wife locked inside their mansion. She claimed he also hid her shoes to dissuade her from walking outside. Spector's son later claimed that he was kept locked inside his room, with a pot in the corner to be used as a toilet. Ronnie Spector did leave the producer and filed for divorce in 1972. She wrote a book about her experiences, and said years later, "I can only say that when I left in the early '70s, I knew that if I didn't leave at that time, I was going to die there." In 1998, Spector and her fellow Ronettes sued Spector for allegedly cheating them of royalties and licensing fees, winning a $3 million judgment; however, an appeals court later reversed the decision, upholding the terms of the group's binding 1963 contract.

Stories of Spector's gunplay mounted over the years, including his discharging a firearm while in the studio with John Lennon during the recording of his cover album Rock 'n' Roll, placing a loaded pistol at Leonard Cohen's head during the sessions for Death of a Ladies' Man, and forcing Dee Dee Ramone to play bass guitar to Spector's specifications at gunpoint. The band reportedly had to play the opening chord to the song "Rock and Roll High School" for eight hour straight; Johnny Ramone later described the session philosophically: "It was a positive learning experience. And that chord does sound really good." Marky Ramone said, "A lot of these things were overblown, and a lot of these things were alcohol-induced."

[breyta] Murder charges

Snið:Current-section On February 3, 2003, Spector was arrested for murder after the body of 40-year-old actress 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. She was pronounced dead at the scene. On November 20, 2003, Spector was indicted for Clarkson's murder.

Four weeks before the death of Clarkson, Spector stated in an interview with the British Daily Telegraph that he has bipolar disorder and that he considered himself "relatively insane". [4][5] 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 can 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 Spector made several months before Clarkson's death can also be introduced by the prosecution at trial.

So far Spector has gone through three attorneys. Defense attorney Robert Shapiro (an original O.J. Simpson "dream team" member) represented Spector at his arraignment and early pretrial hearings, and arranged for his release on ($1 million) bail. He was later replaced by Leslie Abramson and Marcia Morrissey. They, in turn, were later replaced by Bruce Cutler, the former longtime lawyer of New York City mafia boss John Gotti. [6] Spector is also involved in a civil suit against Shapiro, who refused to return his $1 million retainer. [7]

Phil Spector, currently free while awaiting trial, 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 trial to January 16, 2007. On October 11, 2006, it was announced that the trial has been delayed until March 5, 2007. On January 16, 2007, it was announced that the trial would begin on March 19, 2007. It was announced on February 16, 2007 that the judge would televise Spector's trial, proclaiming that we have to get beyond O.J. Simpson.

[breyta] Hit records produced or co-produced by Phil Spector

  • “To Know Him Is to Love Him,” Teddy Bears (12/01/58, #1)
  • “I Don’t Need You Anymore,” Teddy Bears (2/16/59, #91)
  • “Oh Why,” Teddy Bears (3/16/59, #98)
  • “Corrine, Corrina,” Ray Peterson (1/09/61, #9)
  • “Be My Boy,” Paris Sisters (5/15/61, #56)
  • “Pretty Little Angel Eyes,” Curtis Lee (8/07/61, #7)
  • “Every Breath I Take,” Gene Pitney (9/11/61, #42)
  • “I Love How You Love Me,” Paris Sisters (10/30/61, #5)
  • “Under The Moon of Love,” Curtis Lee (11/27/61, #46)
  • “There’s No Other (Like My Baby),” Crystals (1/06/62, #20)
  • “I Could Have Loved You So Well,” Ray Peterson (1/27/62, #57)
  • “He Knows I Love Him Too Much,” Paris Sisters (3/10/62, #34)
  • “Uptown,” Crystals (5/26/62, #13)
  • “Let Me Be the One,” Paris Sisters (5/26/62, #87)
  • “Second Hand Love,” Connie Francis (6/09/62, #7)
  • “He’s a Rebel,” Crystals (11/03/62, #1)
  • “Zip-a-dee Doo-dah,” Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans (1/12/63, #8)
  • “He’s Sure the Boy I Love,” Crystals (2/16/63, #11)
  • “Puddin N’ Tain (Ask Me Again, I’ll Tell You the Same),” Alley Cats (2/16/63, #43)
  • “Why Do Lovers Break Each Other’s Hearts,” Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans (3/30/63, #38)
  • “(Today I Met) The Boy I’m Gonna Marry,” Darlene Love (5/11/63, #39)
  • “Da Doo Ron Ron,” Crystals (6/08/63, #3)
  • “Not Too Young to Get Married,” Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans (7/13/63, #63)
  • “Wait ’Til My Bobby Gets Home,” Darlene Love (9/07/63, #26)
  • “Then He Kissed Me,” Crystals (9/14/63, #6)
  • “Be My Baby,” Ronettes (10/12/63, #2)
  • “A Fine Fine Boy,” Darlene Love (11/23/63, #53)
  • “Baby, I Love You,” Ronettes (2/01/64, #24)
  • “Little Boy,” Crystals (2/08/64, #92)
  • “(The Best Part of) Breakin’ Up,” Ronettes (5/16/64, #39)
  • “Do I Love You?,” Ronettes (8/01/64, #34)
  • “All Grown Up,” Crystals (8/01/64, #98)
  • “Walking In the Rain,” Ronettes (12/05/64, #23)
  • “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’,” Righteous Brothers (2/06/65, #1)
  • “Born to Be Together,” Ronettes (3/06/65, #52)
  • “Just Once in My Life,” Righteous Brothers (5/15/65, #9)
  • “Is This What I Get for Loving You?,” Ronettes (6/12/65, #75)
  • “Hung on You” Righteous Brothers (8/21/65, #47)
  • “Unchained Melody” Righteous Brothers (8/28/65, #4)
  • “Ebb Tide,” Righteous Brothers (1/08/66, #5)
  • “River Deep - Mountain High,” Ike and Tina Turner (6/18/66, #88)
  • “Love Is All I Have to Give,” Checkmates, Ltd. (5/03/69, #65)
  • “Black Pearl,” Sonny Charles and the Checkmates, Ltd. (7/05/69, #13)
  • “Proud Mary,” Checkmates, Ltd. (11/01/69, #69)
  • “Instant Karma!” John Lennon (3/28/70, #3)
  • “The Long and Winding Road” / “For You Blue,” Beatles (6/13/70, #1)
  • “My Sweet Lord” / “Isn’t It a Pity,” George Harrison (12/26/70, #1)
  • “Mother,” John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band (1/20/71, #43)
  • “What Is Life,” George Harrison (3/27/71, #10)
  • “Power to the People,” John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band (5/15/71, #11)
  • “Try Some, Buy Some” Ronnie Spector (5/22/71, #77)
  • “Bangla-Desh” / “Deep Blue,” George Harrison (9/11/71, #23)
  • “Imagine,” John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band (11/13/71, #3)
  • “Woman Is the Nigger of the World,” John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band with Elephants Memory (6/10/72, #57)
  • "The Beatles' Movie Medley," Beatles (5/08/82, #12)
  • “Jealous Guy,” John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band (10/22/88, #80)
  • “Unchained Melody,” Righteous Brothers (reissue) (10/20/90, #13)

[breyta] Selected discography

  • All Things Must Pass, George Harrison
  • Back to Mono (1958-1969), Various Artists
  • The Best of the Crystals, Crystals
  • The Best of the Darlene Love, Darlene Love
  • The Best of the Ronettes, Ronettes
  • A Christmas Gift for You, Various Artists
  • The Concert for Bangla Desh, George Harrison
  • Imagine, John Lennon
  • Let It Be, Beatles
  • Plastic Ono Band, John Lennon
  • Some Time in New York City, John Lennon and Yoko Ono
  • Season of Glass, Yoko Ono
  • End of the Century, Ramones
  • Death of a Ladies' Man, Leonard Cohen

[breyta] Further reading

  • Tearing Down the Wall of Sound: The Rise and Fall of Phil Spector, by Mick Brown,(Forthcoming)
  • He's a Rebel: The Truth About Phil Spector – Rock and Roll's Legendary Madman, by Mark Ribowsky (biography). ISBN 0-306-81471-4.
  • "The First Tycoon of Teen", Tom Wolfe (magazine article reprinted in The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby, ISBN 0-553-38058-3, and in the Back to Mono liner notes.)
  • Out of His Head, by Richard Williams (biography). ISBN 0-7119-9864-7
  • Wall of Pain: The Biography of Phil Spector, by Dave Thompson. ISBN 1-86074-543-1
  • Always Magic in the Air: The Bomp and Brilliance of the Brill Building Era, by Ken Emerson, (ISBN 0-670-03456-8)
  • Fuel-Injected Dreams (novel whose central character is based on Phil Spector), by James Robert Baker. ISBN 0-452-25815-4

[breyta] References

  1. Snið:Cite book
  2. Snið:Cite book
  3. Snið:Cite web
  4. Snið:Cite news
  5. Snið:Cite news
  6. CBS News, "Gotti Lawyer To Rep Phil Spector"
  7. Deutsch, Linda (January 27, 2006). "Phil Spector's deposition to be released", Associated Press via the San Jose Mercury News.

[breyta] External links