Phil Spector

Harvey Phillip "Phil" Spector (born December 26, 1940) is a highly influential record producer who turned out some of the best-known popular music of the 1960s and 1970s. The originator of the "Wall of Sound" production technique, Spector first rose to prominence as one of the masterminds behind the 1960's girl group sound. Later in his career he worked with more varied artists, including The Beatles and The Ramones. In 2003 Spector returned to public awareness when he was indicted for murder.

Comeback

In 1970, John Lennon, a long-time fan of Spector's, asked Spector to take on the task of making the tapes resulting from the abandoned Let It Be recording sessions into a usable album. Spector went quickly to work, using many of his well-known production techniques to sweeten and significantly change the sound of the songs. While this project was viewed as a major comeback for Spector, it was also part of the contentious break-up of The Beatles; the re-working of the album was done without the approval of Paul McCartney, who was very critical of the results.

Related Topics:
John Lennon - Let It Be - The Beatles - Paul McCartney

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Let It Be was not a typical Spector production. Spector applied his "Wall of Sound" technique sparingly to two songs: George Harrison's "I Me Mine" and Lennon's "Across the Universe." He also added vocal snippets and short song takes between the complete songs on the album. His most significant reworking was to Paul McCartney's "The Long and Winding Road", to which Spector added an entire orchestra, including harp, transforming McCartney's sparce, piano-based ballad into a lush production. This reworking of "Winding Road" triggered a long-standing feud between McCartney and Spector and only added to the animosity that existed between The Beatles. The other performances on Let It Be he left largely alone.

Related Topics:
George Harrison - The Long and Winding Road - Harp

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Through the '70s and early '80s Spector continued a pattern of reclusiveness interrupted by occasional production projects, working on albums for Lennon, George Harrison, and The Ramones. In 1975, he created Phil Spector International, which worked with artists such as Cher, Dion, Harry Nilsson, Dusty Springfield, Tina Turner and Darlene Love.

Related Topics:
George Harrison - The Ramones - 1975 - Cher - Dion - Harry Nilsson - Dusty Springfield - Tina Turner - Darlene Love

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Spector remained inactive throughout most of the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s. He attempted to work with Céline Dion, but the project 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 due to personal and creative differences. Plans to work with The Vines were halted due to his murder trial.

Related Topics:
1980s - 1990s - 2000s - Céline Dion - Starsailor - 2003 - The Vines

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