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Title: Best 'overlooked' Phil Spector productions Post by: Mitchell on January 04, 2006, 10:01:18 AM I'm just listening to the Back to Mono boxed set and I want some of you experts to point out a few I may have overlooked. My favourite "hidden gem" is Walking in the Rain. I don't have any of his other productions outside of End of the Century, though.
Title: Re: Best 'overlooked' Phil Spector productions Post by: donald on January 04, 2006, 10:50:33 AM My favorite previously unreleased song on the box is Darlene Love singing Chapel of Love.
Man o man! Does this version ever have the Dixie Cups beat. And on top of that, its done as a stroll number! I break into a stroll just listening. And there ain't NOBODY sings better than Darlene Love. This is my favorite nostalgia music bar none. This takes me back better than the BeachBoys. Title: Re: Best 'overlooked' Phil Spector productions Post by: Chris D. on January 04, 2006, 10:56:10 AM I'm just listening to the Back to Mono boxed set and I want some of you experts to point out a few I may have overlooked. My favourite "hidden gem" is Walking in the Rain. I don't have any of his other productions outside of End of the Century, though. You mean overlooked on the set? Aside from the obvious, the best stuff for me is: Stumble and Fall Do I Love You? Hold Me Tight Long Way to be Happy This Could Be the Night (everyone does mention this one) Black Pearl Love is All I Have to Give Keep on Dancing Heartbreaker Under the Moon of Love Woman in Love (With You) -- slow build, savage chorus Pretty Little Angel Eyes There's No Other Like My Baby He's Sure the Boy I Love Strange Love Wait Til My Bobby Gets Home Title: Re: Best 'overlooked' Phil Spector productions Post by: Mitchell on January 04, 2006, 11:02:56 AM Yeah, the set is what I was aiming for. I made a 20-something song 'best of the box' mix a while ago, most of which was the obvious choices, so I have kind of ignored a lot of the box because of this, which is why I figured I'd discuss it!
I love Hold Me Tight... I listened to the Beatles' version recently and didn't like it nearly as much, even though it's their song. Title: Re: Best 'overlooked' Phil Spector productions Post by: al on January 04, 2006, 11:04:31 AM Haven't got the box but by far my favourite is Bonnie and the Treasures 'Home of The Brave'. Stunning. I wouldn't 'Walking in the Rain' as unknown at all in comparison - heard it on Radio 2 just the other day.....wonder where!
Title: Re: Best 'overlooked' Phil Spector productions Post by: Chris D. on January 04, 2006, 11:07:55 AM I love Hold Me Tight... I listened to the Beatles' version recently and didn't like it nearly as much, even though it's their song. I totally agree. It's one Beatles cover that works better than the original because the original is so obviously trying to be like something Spector would do anyway. Title: Re: Best 'overlooked' Phil Spector productions Post by: Mitchell on January 04, 2006, 11:40:18 AM This just in: I Wish I Never Saw the Sunshine is pretty great (I'm just listening to the box now).
Title: Re: Best 'overlooked' Phil Spector productions Post by: donald on January 04, 2006, 12:21:21 PM Back to Mono is almost ALL good. But I must say I am especially partial to Darlene Love and the Ronettes.
Title: Re: Best 'overlooked' Phil Spector productions Post by: I. Spaceman on January 04, 2006, 01:01:41 PM I love Hold Me Tight... I listened to the Beatles' version recently and didn't like it nearly as much, even though it's their song. I totally agree. It's one Beatles cover that works better than the original because the original is so obviously trying to be like something Spector would do anyway. Nailed it. I LOVE He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss) too. Title: Re: Best 'overlooked' Phil Spector productions Post by: Mitchell on January 04, 2006, 01:06:44 PM Yeah, that one sounds great. The lyrics are awesome, too. Disturbing, yes, but awesome.
Title: Re: Best 'overlooked' Phil Spector productions Post by: Jeff Mason on January 05, 2006, 05:34:01 PM Believe it or not, my favorite track on that whole box is the very first one. Something about the simplicity of that and the ache in the vocal just does it for me. And it also even received the Beatles' stamp of a BBC cover.
Title: Re: Best 'overlooked' Phil Spector productions Post by: cabinessence on January 05, 2006, 08:52:42 PM I'm another big fan of He Hit Me...it's hypnotically passionate-pathological with an aftertaste of outrageous camp humor. I've read it was done as a sort of throwaway gag record, goofing on the extremes of teen melodrama (the equivalent of a Roy Lichtenstein Romance Comicbook ben day dot Pop Art Painting - see illustration below), but jokes often prove a liberating means of creative expression. Great track
Walking in the Rain was the first Spector production I fell in love with in 'real time' (as in when it was on the radio). Sorry to hear it's underrated, certainly not by me, incredibly romantic song. One that possibly deserves to be underrated, but which I can't get out of my head increasingly (a slow, slow acquired addiction) is late production Black Pearl by Sonny Charles and the Checkmates. Another kind of underknown one that I find sublime: Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah by equally fictitious=sounding unit Bobb B. Sox and the Blue Jeans, among my top 5 favorite Spector tracks. related Lichtenstein Pop Art:(http://www.refnum.com/xiola/brad.jpg) Title: Re: Best 'overlooked' Phil Spector productions Post by: I. Spaceman on January 05, 2006, 08:57:54 PM Big Zip fan too, the record (after Rumble) that invented Fuzz!!!!!!
Also, how about the insanely erotic I Love How You Love Me? Title: Re: Best 'overlooked' Phil Spector productions Post by: Jeff Mason on January 05, 2006, 09:01:17 PM Big Zip fan too, the record (after Rumble) that invented Fuzz!!!!!! Also, how about the insanely erotic I Love How You Love Me? Embarrassing admission -- when I was lonely and single, this song would drive me crazy. I used to wish that someone who looked the way the singer sounded would want to sing that to me. Lord only knows what would have happened to my heart in those days had I heard any of Bobbie Gentry. Title: Re: Best 'overlooked' Phil Spector productions Post by: I. Spaceman on January 05, 2006, 09:08:36 PM Haha, great post. I ain't lonely or single, and that record still drives me crazy!
Bobbie's voice on Morning Glory, Dusty's on Look Of Love and Miss Paris on Love How You Love is the great sexy pop trilogy of all time. Title: Re: Best 'overlooked' Phil Spector productions Post by: cabinessence on January 05, 2006, 09:49:44 PM Love How You Love Me was the song I was about to edit into my post!
Bryan Ferry's version on his first solo LP isn't its equal, but sure shows good taste in song selection (as does the rest of the record These Foolish Things, an immaculate track list of songs to cover: www.bryanferry.com/tft.html (http://www.bryanferry.com/tft.html) Title: Re: Best 'overlooked' Phil Spector productions Post by: I. Spaceman on January 05, 2006, 09:55:32 PM Another Place Another Time and Let's Stick Together ain't too shabby either!
Title: Re: Best 'overlooked' Phil Spector productions Post by: Mitchell on January 06, 2006, 06:44:07 AM Just to clarify: I don't know if Walking in the Rain is underrated or whatever, but I only heard it because of the box, not as a radio song/song that other people have covered, so I had to 'discover' it.
To Know Him is to Love him is also a great song. The "Whyyyy can't he seeeee..." part is so good. Title: Re: Best 'overlooked' Phil Spector productions Post by: Daniel S. on January 07, 2006, 12:12:21 PM I like, "Oh Yeah, Maybe, Baby" and "What A Nice Way To Turn 17," both by The Crystals.
Title: Re: Best 'overlooked' Phil Spector productions Post by: jazzfascist on January 08, 2006, 05:06:42 AM Besides the hits I always liked "Born To Be Together" by Ronettes.
Søren Title: Re: Best 'overlooked' Phil Spector productions Post by: Carl LaFong on January 10, 2006, 11:08:55 AM 1. 'Rock 'n' Roll Radio' - The Ramones
2. 'True Love Leaves No Traces' - Leonard Cohen 3. 'Stand By Me' - John Lennon 4. 'Born To Be With You' (LP) - Dion Dimucci 5. 'Girls Can Tell' - The Crystals 6. 'When I Saw You' - The Ronettes 7. 'Santa Claus Is Coming To Town' - The Crystals 8. 'Keep On Dancing Little Girl' - The Ronettes 9. 'This Could Be The Night' - The Modern Folk Quartet 10. that 2 CD Spector sessions bleg set that I happen to have... All in no particular order of course. Title: Re: Best 'overlooked' Phil Spector productions Post by: Mitchell on January 10, 2006, 11:29:43 AM Man, I love Rock 'n' Roll Radio. Am I nuts, or do I hear a split second of Surfin' USA in the intro?
Title: Re: Best 'overlooked' Phil Spector productions Post by: monkee knutz on January 10, 2006, 12:18:09 PM Some stuff he did with the MFQ was quite good. Tad (Henry) Diltz, Chip Douglass, Cyrus Faryar, Jim & Jarry Yester (later of the Association). I'm not sure how much MFQ stuff he did, tho. Did he produce Night Time Girl? I'm at work can't look up the facts.
Title: Re: Best 'overlooked' Phil Spector productions Post by: jazzfascist on January 11, 2006, 01:27:39 PM Man, I love Rock 'n' Roll Radio. Am I nuts, or do I hear a split second of Surfin' USA in the intro? Oddly enough, it actually reminds a lot of a song called "Let's Go" by an old danish pop group called Sir Henry And His Butlers. They sang "One two, one two three, one two three four, let's go" where Ramones sings "Rock'n, rock'n'roll radio, Let's go" over the same melody. Don't know if it's just a coincidence or if Ramones had actually heard the song, maybe they collected obscure european pop records. I think that "Let's Go" was somewhat inspired by a song by Ventures, so maybe that's where Ramones got it. Søren Title: Re: Best 'overlooked' Phil Spector productions Post by: I. Spaceman on January 11, 2006, 01:45:44 PM The Ventures covered it but the hit version was by The Routers, and I believe that was where the Ramones got their inspiration.
Title: Re: Best 'overlooked' Phil Spector productions Post by: jazzfascist on January 12, 2006, 07:16:39 AM The Ventures covered it but the hit version was by The Routers, and I believe that was where the Ramones got their inspiration. Yes, that must be the explanation. I always thought it kind of weird that Ramones and Sir Henry and His Butlers had this in common, but I guess it goes to show that music is a universal language. Søren |