Behind the Curtain: Phil Spector (1939-2021)

The Behind the Curtain series is dedicated to the talented people behind the stars, who helped them to shine as brightly as they did: producers, songwriters, session players, etc. This (third) episode is dedicated to the perhaps single most influential producer of pop music, Phil Spector (December 26, 1939 - January 16, 2021). Inspired by the popular music of New York City in the 1950s, tortured by demons, Spector's is a fascinating story of a paranoid and megalomaniac genius, who created some of pop's most enduring evergreens.
We've put together the playlist below to highlight different stages of Spector's career, which you can access here: • Playlist )
1) To Know Him Is To Love Him, The Teddy Bears
2) Da Doo Ron Ron, The Crystals
3) Then He Kissed Me, The Crystals
4) He's A Rebel, The Crystals
5) Be My Baby, The Ronettes
6) The making of Be My Baby
7) Baby, I Love You, The Ronettes
8) Spanish Harlem, Ben E King
9) Chapel of Love, Darlene Love
10) Unchained Melody, Righteous Brothers
11) You've Lost That Loving Feeling, Righteous Brothers
12) Black people reacting to Blue-eyed Soul
13) River Deep, Mountain High, (Ike and) Tina Turner
14) Imagine, John Lennon & The Plastic Ono Band
15) The Long And Winding Road, The Beatles
16) My Sweet Lord, George Harrison
17) Bangla Desh, George Harrison
18) The Concert for Bangladesh trailer
19) Born To Be With You, Dion
20) Death of a Ladies' Man, Leonard Cohen
21) Rock N' Roll High School, The Ramones
22) Mindweaver, Yoko Ono
23) Phil Spector in I Dream of Jeannie
24) Easy Rider - Airport dealer
25) The Agony and Ecstasy of Phil Spector
If you'd like to find out more about Phil Spector, check out these readings:
"Phil Spector: The Rolling Stone Interview" by Jann S. Wenner, Rolling Stone: November 1, 1969.
(www.rollingsto...)
"Chapter 10: Phil Spector," from Disgraceland: Musicians Getting Away with Murder and Behaving Very Badly, by Jake Brennan. (www.novelsuspe...)
"The First Tycoon of Teen," from The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby,
by Tom Wolfe.
Tearing Down The Wall of Sound: The Rise And Fall of Phil Spector, by Mick Brown
/ steveanddaves1

[@frankjuster8726]

the biggest lesson phil learned about the music business was the value of music publishing , THAT is where the money's at .

[@steveanddaves6530]

As true today as it was then.

[@annaritaranalli1791]

Spector was a main without a many troubled personalità but he was one best producers and songs's writers in music and culture 's history

[@vintageVids]

Phil Spector is a music genius!!!!

[@steveanddaves6530]

Agreed. An enormously complicated, even dangerous, individual, Spector left an incredible musical legacy.

[@sugarjoe50]

My brother in law was a classmate of Spector's in the Bronx, 1940s. He went by his true name Harvey at the time. A very smart but rather withdrawn kid.

[@brainworthy]

Thanks Steve and Dave for letting us listen in on your discussion about Phil Spector. I really like Be My Baby and all you groovy guys and gals can see the Ronettes perform the song in black and white on KZbin.

[@steveanddaves6530]

Thanks for the nice comment, Brian. We appreciate having you as a listener.

[@ivanvdk4902]

RIP Phil Spector.

[@michaelares4240]

That was the magic of the wall of sound

[@annaritaranalli1791]

Late spector was a Genius indeed...what a shame he ruined his life and one of another peoplw

[@bohall]

All material on Spector is missing Jack Nitczhie who arranged the major part of the spectors productions. Phil did not read music...en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Nitzsche

[@j.c7719]

I thought everyone knew that already, it was a case of Spector would tell him how he wanted the arrangement whilst playing the songs to him on piano or guitar and Jack would write the score.

[@bohall]

Yeas So....Hed did not write the arrangments.....google Jack @@j.c7719

[@johnhorazy12notes]

Phil Spector passed away in a medical correctional facility in Stockton California. Cause of death was Covid-19, Phil Spector had lost his ability to speak and difficulty hearing for several years before his death.

[@ambikawolf664]

Everyone who worked with him knew he was a weirdo. Even The Beatles . He was nonetheless a genius. I read Hal Blaine's book too. The Ramones complained about him but their album with Phil Spector is great. I still love Rock And Roll High School. The movie too.

[@janbriggs3387]

YOU TWO GENTLEMEN ARE SO GREAT...THANKS FOR YOUR COMMENTARY. THANKS FOR SHARING. .........

[@steveanddaves6530]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@michaelares4240]

Wagner symphonies, when the music rose from the pit created sounds never heard from any other created instruments

[@AdamBHarrisHarpist]

Todd Rundgren produced Bat out of Hell, not Steinman. Spector worked on Plastic Ono Band before Imagine. RIP nutty Phil. The world is poorer but safer without him.

[@steveanddaves6530]

Rundgren did indeed produce Bat Out of Hell -- among many other lps. An argument could be made that Rundgren's greatest influence on popular music has come as a producer, not necessarily as a performer. From Laura Nyro to Grand Funk Railroad, Rundgren has worked as a producer with a wide range of artists.

[@lennartnordstrom1656]

Much qualified discussion.

[@steveanddaves6530]

Thanks, Lennart!

[@schumacherphotographs1464]

Really cool and interesting channel and really love listening to you guys but Dave, PLEASE, get a new mic. There are so many words get cut off in all the videos I have seen so far. Just sayin'

[@steveanddaves6530]

Thanks so much for the nice comments and for the feedback. Obviously, my mic problem plagued us throughout many of the early videos - the worst of our low-budget sins - but we've had that problem fixed for a while now. I hope nothing else gets in the way of your listening enjoyment. - Dave

[@michaelares4240]

Ramones did not know understand Spector. He wanted any musician to.play over and over so when they recorded the sound was the best

[@johnhorazy12notes]

Phil Spector is no different than anyone. In that we are all created equal, we all don’t become equal. Based on how we as individuals choose to life our temporary life. We all grow and develop. Choose wisely how we become as individuals. Some people placed in history books while most go unknown to the future generations to discover. PS did a lot of fantastic things and PS made horrific actions that over shadow his forever story while being here.

[@janbriggs3387]

AS A LISTENER AND FAN......AND MUSICIAN. I HEARD CLEAR CONCISE CRISP. CLEAN TRACKS. .

[@charlyromeo7926]

You love to hear yourself talk also I see. Don't you babe

[@michaelgreen2656]

He got more attractive post 2013. I think they did not give him a shaver on that 2019 photo. ashame

[@michaelares4240]

The only time he seemed to get better was when he had his son Phil. junior, he died of leukemia; there was no coming back at that point

[@michaelares4240]

Sorry for the misspelled words

[@rippinaroundeverywhere9249]

How did you guys post this 6 months ago, knowing his date of death?...

[@Synthpoptroubadour]

exactly

[@steveanddaves6530]

Hi, Rippin. We didn't know the date of his death when we posted, obviously (if we had that level of prescience, we'd be playing the lottery). We edited the title to stay current.

[@Synthpoptroubadour]

good ol phil

[@michaelares4240]

Yes, mental help beck then was horrible. There was no real help. But there were a few superior psychoanalysts, he could have chosen to get help, but he chose not to get help

[@vronica84]

He did go to a psychologist in New York I believe.

[@gerry.shafer6101]

HE SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN CHARGED WITH MURDER AS IT WAS AN ACCIDENT AS HE LOVED GUNS !! IF YOU MURDER YOU HATE AND IT IS PLANNED !!! SO WAS AN ACCIDENT !!!

[@michaelares4240]

Stienam a disciple of Spector

[@delboyoelmundo4718]

He's got a wig orn ain't he?

[@michaelares4240]

No mystery to it

[@charlyromeo7926]

Master music producer who was also a psychopath. RIP.

[@michaelares4240]

His mental problems are classic. He is not bipolar

[@janbriggs3387]

HW WAS A WINNER !!! I THREW IN THE TOWEL AND RETIRED !!!

[@charlyromeo7926]

Yeah babe.....Its alI about boxing. Very good john

[@michaelares4240]

Worked with dion

[@stuart-st1gu]

Gave up trying to watch this. Too much hesitant and indecisive speech going on. Stop umming and ahing and just get on with it.

[@steveanddaves6530]

Thanks for the feedback, Stuart. We're aware that it's an area we need to improve on.

[@michaelares4240]

His obnoxious quality was tiresom; people just got sick of him

[@michaelares4240]

Selfish and rotten to the core

[@michaelares4240]

Wagner

[@robertgregory1912]

Why does this guy have a show,He doesn't have the proper information on the very person he's talking about, plus he dresses like a bum, Please do research on your topic or person,

[@steveanddaves6530]

Hi, Robert. If you found any specific inaccuracies, please feel free to point them out. We're always interested in learning.

[@Oxygen691]

1939 - 2021? And this video was posted six months before Mr. Spector died? You pretty much called him dead when he was ALIVE. #RIP #PhilSpector

[@steveanddaves6530]

Hi, OM. Eerie shit, huh? No, seriously, the simple explanation is that we edited the title after hearing about his death.

[@Oxygen691]

@@steveanddaves6530 Cool. Nice that you changed the date out of respect for Mr. Spector. Sorry about that.