The Smiley Smile Message Board

The 50th anniversary of the Philles Records label (1961-2011) has arrived. The long-range campaign promise announced in 2009 by Legacy Recordings and EMI Music Publishing, to dig deep into the rich catalog of Phil Spector’s ‘Wall Of Sound’ on Philles, moves ahead with four newly-compiled albums. The quartet of titles will be available at all physical and digital retail outlets starting February 22nd through Phil Spector Records/ Legacy, a division of SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT:

DA DOO RON RON; THE VERY BEST OF THE CRYSTALS, 18 tracks including “There’s No Other (Like My Baby),” “He Hit Me (It Felt Like A Kiss),” “He’s A Rebel,” “He’s Sure the Boy I Love,” “Da Doo Ron Ron,” and “Then He Kissed Me,” with numerous B-sides and rarities, plus the previously unreleased “Woman In Love (With You)”;

BE MY BABY: THE VERY BEST OF THE RONETTES, 18 tracks including “Be My Baby,” “Baby, I Love You,’ “(The Best Part Of) Breakin’ Up,” “Do I Love You?,” “Walking In The Rain,” and “I Can Hear Music,” with numerous B-sides and rarities, bonus solo tracks by Veronica (aka Ronnie Spector), plus the 1969 A&M single “You Came, You Saw, You Conquered”;

THE SOUND OF LOVE: THE VERY BEST OF DARLENE LOVE, 17 tracks, her first comprehensive multi-label collection ever, including her own “(Today I Met) The Boy I’m Gonna Marry,” “Wait ‘Til My Bobby Gets Home,” and “A Fine, Fine Boy,” plus examples of her work as lead singer with the Blossoms (in 1958 on Capitol Records, and later in 1965 on Reprise), the Crystals, and Bob B. Soxx and The Blue Jeans (“Why Do Lovers Break Each Others Hearts?,” “Not Too Young To Get Married”);

WALL OF SOUND: THE VERY BEST OF PHIL SPECTOR 1961-1966, 17 tracks covering a cross-section of the top-charted A-side Philles hits from 1961 to ’66 by the Crystals, the Ronettes, Darlene Love, Bob B. Soxx and The Blue Jeans, plus special bonus tracks from the Righteous Brothers (“You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling”) and Ike & Tina Turner (“River Deep, Mountain High”).>>

http://www.yourwaytomusic.com/restor...ay+To+Music%29

Not a bad start, but perhaps Sony Legacy will throw us die hard fans a bone and release a comprehensive box set compiling ever Philles Records master recording (or at least the A&B sides of every single).

How is any of this worthwhile if Back to Mono already exists? It is, after all, a box set that compiles (more or less) every notable single that Philles released! Is that out-of-print or something? Why would you want the B sides? They're all filler anyway...

Unless this is sarcastic, it is hugely funny to me that anyone on a Beach Boys board where people seriously debate reissues including Battle Hymn of the Republic, Al Jardines finest cheese, and alternate versions of Brian Wilson's farts might question the value of B-sides or filler. So I really hope that was just sarcasm.

Except that, in Spector's case, most of the B-sides were just that: filler.  He saved the good ones for the A's. If he could have gotten away with putting out one sided records, he would have.

As opposed to the glory of a remix of an alternate take of a third-rate Lookin' Down the Coast? The point, I would hope, is clear: one man's obvious filler should also be another's, but usually isn't.

Have you actually heard the Back to Mono and other old cds?! They sound terrible. I mean, super bad. Totally flat and lifeless with none of the power that the wall of sound commands. Hopefully these reissues will have some life breathed back into them! I intend to get them all.

I meant 'filler' in a non-snide way since Spector would basically put backwards tracks or random talking or whatever on the B sides of singles to ensure the A side was played without fail. Unless he only did this at some points and not as a rule?

I don't find the box set to be poorly mastered, if that's what you mean. Maybe I'm not as picky about it though since... well, it's not like his productions are especially hi-fi anyway -- they're supposed to knock you on your ass rather than have every instrument heard discretely, and I think the sound on the box set does that pretty well enough.

These hostile responses are making me think I'm missing something completely. I hope I'm not!

Wow, glad to see this has sparked so much debate!  Funny enough, Howie Binni sent me this article tonight, and it has the complete tracklisting:  http://www.vintagevinylnews.com/2011/01/preview-new-compilations-from-crystals.html

For example - Where's Lets Dance the Screw?

I'd snap up a definitive 70's collection, though.

Sure, that would make sense if LDTS was a B-side; but as not, and not filler either, Poor Lester!

Wait....you mean to say there are unreleased tracks from the flatulence sessions?!?   I hope this merits a 9th disc on the 50th anniversary box.



As for an update of the Spector box, I'd love one if it sounded better.  I wonder what they could do with those recordings to improve them?  After all, they are all MONO. 
But, you know........

 I don't know about the rest of you but Spector being a crazy as a s---house rat  murderous  SOB who mistreated his artists, peers, and Ronnie Bennett, I really don't want to see his picture on the albums or his name as more than a footnote.  Just give me Ronnette and Darlene Love albums.  That I think I would buy.

Yeah, I agree.  I'm up for hearing Phil's filler material.  I'll hear anything he had a hand in, and loooovveee it.  Filler or not. 

Donald, I think you're hinting at what we all fear.  They're gonna do some bullshit with these and ruin them. 

Lesse, they are

1. Mono.  Big no no.  Nothing is released in mono anymore, so they'll do some crap to simulate stereo, or whatever.
2. Distorted - recorded in the red, tons of noise on the recordings, all which ways of f***ed up, but of course they'll try to fix that too.
3. Over recorded - layers are in the tracks that you can't even noticeably hear.  So they'll clean everything up so now you CAN hear the stuff, or whatever, and it'll ruin it.

I'll bet the way it was recorded though leaves it where you can't mess with too much of the early stuff since it all bleeds.  I shudder to think though what they're going to do with the later recordings that were (I suppose?) done with larger multitracks. 

Dance the SCREW!

If they released these four "new" CD's in stereo, I'd buy 'em. Until then, I'll listen to my "Back To Mono" box.

I've heard a few Spector-produced tracks in stereo and they sound fantastic.  Don't know much about these tracks, but I assume these are stereo fan mixes or are they released?

There's a good boot out there called "Spector Sessions - '62-'66 Studio Outtakes".  Fun listening!