The Smiley Smile Message Board

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I think Brian prefers the more romantic, "swimmy" style of Spector production.  He also is in love with Ronnie Spector's voice.  The songs Brian has most mentioned in interviews besides "Be My Baby" are "Walking in the Rain" and "Baby, I Love You."  It's a Ronettes thing as well as a Phil thing.

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He's a Rebel, Baby I Love You, and Walking in the Rain are all greater songs than "Be My Baby" I think.  "Walking in the Rain" is one of the greatest ever recorded, people will listen to that 500 years from now and hold it up as an example of the love and romanticism that existed in the mid 20th century.  I'm serious. 

"Frosty The Snowman" is a favorite. I think it's one of Hal Blaine's best tracks...

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Keep On Dancing to me is one of the big gems. The best intro. and its so dramatic. So genius.  8)

I think Spector's best moment was I Wish I Never Saw The Sunshine! :afro

okay.....wait...I just listened to an original 45 of Be my baby, on a tube amp......and i was blown away. The sound on the back to mono set is pretty awful in comparison.

The 'Back To Mono' boxset was released 15 years ago, and cd technology has come a long way since then. I think the reason they're selling it for 12 bucks now, instead of 70, is because they're getting ready to dump it and put out something new. Allen Klein owns the Spector catalog and ABKCO has done a decent job with the Stones re-releases, so maybe the Spector catalog will get its due.

Here is a new Phil Spector collection from England that is supposed to have improved sound.

http://www.amazon.com/Phil-Spector-Collection/dp/B000K2Q8DQ/sr=1-1/qid=1168075855/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-7182886-8584136?ie=UTF8&s=music



Here's a new Paris Sisters collection: http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Phil-Spector-Sessions/dp/B000J10JW4/ref=pd_sim_m_4/102-7182886-8584136

I thought "He's A Rebel"  was the finest moment for Hal Blaine - and perhaps the finest moment for drums in rock as well.
Something that seemed to be lost I think by Springsteen when he went for a Spector-like sound in 1974-75 was that Spector gave the drummer relatively free reign.   (or perhaps Bruce just consciously differed on this). 
     

exactly brother! I dunno what springsteen was usin, but you cant get a hal blaine sound with a click track. There's so much give and take, so many ways to accent the beat. Mr. Blaine does it in spades. and thats a good thing.

uh maybe you can do hal blaine on a click track....I dont really know anything about click tracks......now lets all go out for some frosty chocolate milkshakes!

Ernest  Carter, the jazz inclined drummer who played on ('Born To Run' the single) was actually pretty free to play a bit on the track.   But (BTR the single) was recorded several months before the rest of the album.  In the interim Carter with keyboardist David Sancious quit the band, presumably to play jazz.  Springsteen hired Max Weinberg and Roy Bittan to replace them.  Springsteen for some reason did a 180 and decided at this point to go with very tightly controlled drumming.   Max, who I think of as fairly conservative by nature, was, (wisely as it has turned out) ok with this approach.  He is quite more skilled than he gets to show on that album, an amazing and enduring drummer. 
Former manager Mike Appel said that Bruce absolutely was conciously trying to duplicate the Spector wall of sound - right down to flatter-than-Twiggy mono on a couple of the tracks, so it seems odd that he either missed or differed on the drums.     

Just got me the "River deep mountain high"-album by Ike&Tina on vinyl, produced by Spector. A great record and the title song really sounds like one of the best. So my vote goes to "River deep" with a special mention of "You've lost that loving feeling", but in terms of songwriting because Elvis' version blows everything away imo.

Then it would be a greatest moment special mention for Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil    (although Spector has been said to have “helped out” with the bridge).

Elvis and Phil
Spector did produce some instrumental tracks that were used by Elvis as demos.  Spector has claimed that that Elvis sometimes used his backing-tracks for released songs, with Elvis just providing a new vocal, rather than re-recording them with his own band.  I don't know about that, but it would be interesting to hear the demos.  I'm uncertain if they are in circulation and specifically what songs are involved.

Darlene Love of Spector's Crystals become part of The Blossoms who worked with Elvis.  They were in the show when I saw Elvis in Jan. 1970.   Love sang a lead vocal on the gospel song 'Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child'.

1972 Spector introduced his bodyguard Mike Stone to Elvis.  Stone subsequently had an affair with Priscilla that led to Priscilla & Elvis’ divorce.       -'You've Lost That Loving Feeling'

No, that's not ture. He produced some of the demos, but Elvis always cut a new backing track. In case of "Night rider" it's been said that they didn't get to beat Spector's demo, I never heard the demo though. But Elvis never sang over an Spector-track, he always produced the stuff himself.

Spector was also in the audience of the sit-down-shows of the comeback. You can see him at one point during "Memories" (and proabably at some other points), I think it was the second show, where Elvis did "Tiger man".

I heard about Spector having co-written "You've lost....", that's why I mentioned it. Anyway, Elvis blew him away imo.

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I take this thread back.....



Edit: true dat. except for He's a Rebel being great. That's still true as ever. Starting threads. Glad I got through that phase.

And speaking, of river Deep mountain high. thats gotta to be the one spector track I've never heard Brian mention in an interview.(come to think of it Ive never heard hime mention He's a rebel either) he Must not''ve been a fan?

Brian recorded "River deep mountain high" in the early 80s. Still unreleased but booted.
Also H&V has a very similar bassline like "River deep..."

I always thought H & V and "Do I Love You" (especially the intro.) really sounds similar. Has anyone ever thought that too or am I just crazy?

Now that you mention it yes. I guess they both copped a few licks from each other....Be my baby/dont worry baby, surfin safari/da doo ron ron, river deep/H & V,

Not crazy.  They both have the same sort of jaunty-shuffle rhythm on C# thing going on.  I think Brian originally copped this for Little Honda, which probably led to H&V.

He mentioned River Deep in the Tom Nolan article from 1971.

Spector's greatest moment: This Could Be the Night by the Modern Folk Quartet, easily.

Agreed

I have a preference for 'Da Doo Ron Ron', 'Then He Kissed Me', 'Walking In The Rain', 'I Wish I Never Saw The Sunshine', and especially 'Be My Baby'. No wonder that's Brian's favorite song. It's bigger than life.

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