Phil Spector December 26, 1939 – January 16, 2021 RIP (1 Viewer)

[GICOP]

I know Phil Spector was serving time for a murder he committed in 2003 but I, along with many Forum members I'd like to bet, would have grown up listening to the "Wall of Sound" groups and solo artists Phil Spector recorded in the 60's. I will be adding several of these recordings to my Jukebox in February


Martyn

 

[jazzeum]

It’s not a “but” question. He was a serial abuser and murderer who was talented. They have to be considered together.

He invented the wall of sound but it’s time passed so much so that when he helped produce Let it Be, McCartney hated it so much he stripped out the lushness and made Let It Be Naked, which is a better album.

This song is aptly named.

https://youtu.be/f20Oz9Yr_So

 

[mikemiller1955]

he was a crazy genius...

 

[jazzeum]

At the Hoffman music forum, probably the largest global music forum, they had to close several threads. One of the mods had to post the following:

”Please refrain from starting new or reopening Phil Spector threads fir now. They’re impossible to moderate, filled with hate and vitriol. We’ll figure something out.”

A knowledgeable music fan, whose opinion I trust, put it this way: “Before he was a murderer, Phil Spector was a psycopath. Before that, he was deranged, and before (and during) that, he was a creative force whose legacy remains to this day.”

 

[jazzeum]

This is a good article on Phil Spector, Creating the Wall of Sound: 15 Phil Spector Songs.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/18/arts/music/phil-spector-songs.html

One of the albums he produced, which is an absolute masterpiece, is All Things Must Pass. The article mentions What is Life. Here’s a video link.

https://youtu.be/fiH9edd25Bc

Frankly, the song would have been better if it was a little stripped down but it’s still a great song nonetheless.

For Record Store Day, a new mix of the song All Things Must Pass was made, which was somewhat de-Spectorized. Although Harrison liked the album as originally produced, later on he wasn’t so sure. See this article in RS, https://www.rollingstone.com/music/...-must-pass-song-50th-anniversary-mix-1092728/

Hopefully, a new remastered version of the album comes out in the not too distant future.

 

[damian]

No mention of how Spector changed Leonard Cohen's " Death of a Ladies Man"

Two iconic stars Cohen and Spector and the resulting album was pretty unique

 

[jazzeum]

Here’s All Things Must Pass as originally recorded and the new mix from 2020 RSD (Record Store Day). The differences are not major but the 2020 mix is a bit cleaner, not as cluttered, less reverb.

Original

https://youtu.be/oVx_8mj-UyE

2020 mix

https://youtu.be/QWV4pFV5nX4

 

[jazzeum]

For those who play vinyl, Sundazed is having a sale on Phil Spector related titles, https://sundazed.com/store/Search.aspx?SearchTerms=Phil Spector

I have several Sundazed records in my collection and they’re very high quality.