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Volume #0401 April 3, 2000
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soulful yearning that every teenager understands
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Subject: BOUNCE: Non-member submission
Received: 04/02/00 10:39 pm
From: Spectropop: Archive | Bulletin Board
To: Spectropop!
========= Start of forwarded message =========
[Main Spectropop Bulletin Board | Post Followup | FAQ ]
A Giant Stands 5 Ft. 7 In.
Posted by Alan Ackerman
on Sat, 01 Apr 2000 12:15:07
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In Time magazine, February 19, 1965, there was a short
article about Phil Spector on the heels of his
then-current big hit "You Lost That Lovin' Feelin'." The
following is the text of that article:
A Giant Stands 5 Ft. 7 In.
You never close your eyes anymore when I kiss your lips.
There's no tenderness like before in your fingertips...
You've lost that lovin' feelin'.
"Kids don't think like that," admits Phil Spector. "But
when they hear those lyrics with our sound, they respond,
baby, they respond." And how. For the past three weeks
they have made Spector's You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'
the top-selling record in the U.S. Since founding Philles
Records in 1962, Spector--as songwriter, arranger,
producer and distributor--has turned out 24 catchy,
tear-drenched rock 'n' roll songs that have sold a
fantastic total of 20 million copies, making Phil a
millionaire at 24.
In the fickle pop market, most other record makers operate
on a scatter-platter basis, indiscriminately grinding out
some 100 new records each week on a
hit-and-nearly-always-miss basis. Spector, by contrast,
has shown an uncanny knack for catching adolescent ears
with nearly every record he produces. Almost all of them
celebrate post-pubescent passsion: Be My Baby, Then He
Kissed Me, Wait Till My Bobby Gets Home. Spector has
already made bigtime teen-market recording stars of a
succession of singers and vocal groups such as the
Ronettes, Bobb. B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans, Darlene Love,
the Crystals.
Karate, in Case. Spector Sound, as it's called in the
industry, is marked by a throbbing, sledgehammer beat,
intensified by multiplying the usual number of rhythm
instruments and boosting the volume. Spectral
orchestration, undulating with shimmering climaxes, is far
more polished, varied and broadly rooted than the general
run of rock 'n' roll. In Lovin' Feelin', Spector used two
basses, three electric guitars, three pianos, a
harpsichord, twelve violins, a ten-voice chorus and four
brawny percussionists. His vocalists, a pair of 23-
year-old white Californians who call themselves the
Righteous Brothers, imitate the Negro gospel wail, a sound
that Spector prizes as the "soulful yearning that every
teenager understands."
Spector, who is 5 ft. 7 in. and weights 131 lbs.,
personifies the bizarre, make believe world that he
dominates. "I've always wanted to stay in the background,"
he insists, primping his scraggly, Prince Valiant locks.
But his attire could hardly be called a camouflage.
Standard costume: stiletto-pointed boots with three-inch
Cuban heels, tight pants, cloth cap, Davy Crockett
pullover. He ignores the rude hoots that greet his
progress down the street, confides that "in case of real
trouble I could literally kill a guy. I've studied karate
for years."
Teen Pan Alley. Born in The Bronx and raised in Los
Angeles, Spector (his real name) played jazz guitar in
nightclubs during his high school years. At 17, inspired
by the inscription on his father's tombstone, he wrote his
first song, To Know Him Is To Love Him. It sold 1,200,000
copies and has become an alltime teen classic. Phil marked
time for two years working as a court stenotypist. Then, at
19, he moved to Manhattan and tried to crash "Teen Pan
Alley" only to discover that "95% of the music business is
heavily infiltrated by morons. If they hadn't been so
greedy and vicious, I wouldn't have tried to control them."
Fortunately, as Phil puts it, "I function well in a
world of hostility."
This month Phil Spector moved from a Manhattan penthouse
to a rambling 21-room mansion in Beverly Hills, Calif., to
be near his recording studio and Mother Bertha Productions,
a subsidiary corporation that publishes sheet music. His
mother Bertha is a bookkeeper there. The move was delayed
by Phil's reluctance to leave his $600-a-month Manhattan
psychoanalyst. Now, however, he figures that he can "keep
my equilibrium" by calling the analyst long-distance
anytime he needs instant therapy.
Nonacceptance. His maladjustment seems to stem from a
feeling of nonacceptance by the adult world. "I'm
affecting millions of people's lives in some way," he
complains, "but I'm not supposed to be human. We're the
only ones communicating with the teenagers. They are so
prone to anxiety and destruction, and they can't
intellectualize their wounds. Breaking up with a boy
friend is just as realistic to them as it is to a 30-
year-old. Our music helps them to understand. If we're not
what's happening today, then what is? Maybe I'm living in
an America that doesn't exist?"
It exists, all right. To make doubly sure, Entrepreneur
Spector has co-founded a new company to make TV
documentary films. The first production, starring Spector,
will be called A Giant Stands 5 Ft. 7 In.
--------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------
Subject: Brill Building
Received: 04/02/00 8:19 pm
From: J. H. Ket
To: Spectropop!
Hello,
I remember some Spectropop subscribers were asking for
cd's with Brill Building Pop. I just got a 2cd set with 57
tracks (31 prev. unreleased demos) sung by Carol. I don't
remember this one is ever mentioned in the Spectropop list.
The right girl, Carole King, Complete recordings 1958-
1966, Brill Tone Records 1995 ckw 222. Germany. The claim of
mastertape quality on the cd's is true.
Hans Ket
--------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------
Subject: Duane Eddy and Phil Spector
Received: 04/02/00 8:19 pm
From: Frank Lipsius
To: Spectropop!
In researching the next Duane Eddy CD we're putting out on
Jamie Records (Especially for You, his second LP from Jamie,
originally done in 1959), I became aware of Phil
Spector's being present at Duane Eddy sessions. Does
anyone know exactly which sessions they were? There was
apparently tension between Phil and Lee Hazlewood. Is
there further information about that and how many sessions
Phil actually attended? Thanks.
--------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------
Subject: Favie gurlies
Received: 04/02/00 8:19 pm
From: Kingsley
To: Spectropop!
Well, all I can say is that my goose bumps concur with
everyone else's so far. Yep, they're all my fave moment
too! BUT, and a big but, along with Mary, Ronnie, LaLa,
Rep et al, special mention should go to Judy Craig of The
Chiffons who was right up there with the best. The
Chiffons were foxy looking, sweet, sassy and sexy all at
once. But Judy's voice does a lot for me. Check out
"Sailor Boy", especially when she comes back in after the
break.... And as a one-off great record, try The
Inspirations "What Am I Gonna Do With You (Hey Baby)" on
Black Pearl. Great song, great version.
Look out very soon for Mick Patrick's Dynavoice
compilation, and Volumes 5 & 6 of my own Ripples comps
(Beach Bash & Folk Rock). There will be a Volume 7, another
full on summer one, after which I think that we'll call it
a day.
Kingsley Abbott
--------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------
Subject: Favorite Girl Group Moment Received
Received: 04/02/00 8:18 pm
From: Gary Spector
To: Spectropop!
Hello all.
I wanted to mention my favorite song but it looks like
Paul Urbahns already did.
The song "I Can Hear Music" has been my favorite since I
first heard it back in the early 80's. I was looking
around a hall closet when I was young and came across a
one-sided 45 (B-side was blank and unthreaded) and noticed
that it was made of a very different material then regular
45's. It had only a blank white label on the A side. I had
to find out what was on this record so I brought it to my
room and placed it on my "patch-work" record player and
that was when I heard "I Can Hear Music" for the first
time.
I had no clue as to who was singing on it but I guessed it
was either the Crystals or the Ronettes, and I knew then
and there that I had found my favorite song. Boy did I try
to sing along with it many times. (I just listened to "I
Can Hear Music" again and I can easily tell it was sung by
the Ronettes but when I was younger I was not sure.)
I asked my father about it and he explained that it was
never released in the U.S. and that he gave the song to
the Beach Boys. I told him how much I liked it and that he
made a mistake by not releasing it.
I finally heard a Beach Boys' version on the radio and
went to a record store to find out about it. That had a
lady sing the lead but the original will always be the
best. I was fortunate to find someone through the internet
that sold me an LP that was sold in Europe called "Phil
Spector's Wall of Sound Volume 4" with the Ronettes
singing it.
"I Can Hear Music, Sweet Sweet Music".
Gary P. Spector
A lifetime Spector fan.
--------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------
Subject: Favorite Girl Group Moment
Received: 04/02/00 8:19 pm
From: David Feldman
To: Spectropop!
"When he holds me tight
Everything's right
Crazy as it seems"
It's not the lyrics that make this my favorite, but the
beautiful melody and the passionate singing. The very
beginning of the spoken intro of "He's Sure the Boy I Love"
hooked me irrrevocably. But this chord progression
creates a physiological response. Every time I hear this
phrase on record, or live (I've heard Darlene Love sing it
many times), I get goose bumps on my arms. Every time, just
like folks who sneeze when they look up at the sun. No
other song does it.
I have a friend who cries every time she hears the Charlie
Chaplin song, "Smile." I was in a restaurant with her once
when a Muzak instrumental was playing so softly that I
didn't even notice it. Tears started falling down her
cheeks and I asked her why she was upset, and she said:
"Can't you hear what's playing?"
Dave Feldman
http://www.imponderables.com
--------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------
Subject: Jimmy Botticelli and the Hairdooz
Received: 04/02/00 8:19 pm
From: Jimmy Cresitelli
To: Spectropop!
I'm 44, and can easily recall the early 60s in my Brooklyn
neighborhood, when girlz used to do each other's hair. They
would all gather together Saturdays on Florence Burke's
front stoop and tease, rat, comb, spray, and (it seemed
sometimes) de-louse until the sun set. Gabbing, wearing
pedal pushers and dirty white sneakers or open-toed
walkers, they reminded me of the groups of chimpanzees who
sit around all day grooming one another in those Jane
Goodall documentaries. As well, there always seemed to be
a pink plastic transistor radio in the vicinity, forever
getting knocked over when accidentally kicked by a stray
cha-cha heel. All day it played the Top 40, interspersed
with great commercials: "The alone phone baby is the phone
for you..." "Dippity Do..." "Brylcreem... a little dab'll
do ya..." And the hair creations: pretty tame on my block
compared to the Italian girls who ruled a few avenues away
(my neighborhood was mostly Irish), but they were big dooz
nonetheless. Gloria Jones always had a bow stuck on
somewhere in front... Eileen Iacono (the lone Italian girl)
refused to take off her blue speckled harlequin
eyeglasses, thereby ruining the effect of whatever she was
able to achieve on top of her head; she looked like a
walking, talking yearbook photo... and Frannie Canty had
what looked like a giant, frizzy chrysanthemum up there...
Ahhh, yes... I remember those dooz well. And why? Who
knows... it's a question I continue to ask myself. : )
--------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------
Subject: Re: Favorite girl group moment
Received: 04/02/00 8:19 pm
From: Ron Buono
To: Spectropop!
For me it has to be The Shangri-La's "Leader of the Pack".
From the first spoken line: "Is that Jimmy's ring you're
wearin'?.......Uh huh", to Mary Weiss' wailing, whiny
vocals, not to mention the (arguably) greatest sound
effects on vinyl, this one is an all-time anthem for me! A
close runner-up has to be the "bum, bah, bum, BAH" drum
break in "Be My Baby" (after Ronnie's "whoa, oh, oh, oh's").
One of Spector's defining moments! It still gets to me.
I have to turn it way up on the radio whenever I hear it.
If you havn't seen the British "Shivaree" TV Show,
featuring The Ronettes' choreography at that point in the
song (bouffants and slit-skirts intact), you havn't lived!
--------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------
Subject: Favorite GG moments and Girlpop Live365
Received: 04/02/00 8:19 pm
From: Jamie LePage
To: Spectropop!
In 399 I wrote:
>The Raindrops' "The Kind of Boy You Can't Forget" when the
>record stops dead in its tracks only to re-enter for the
>fade with that super compressed drum/percussion track.
In 400 BJ Spradlin wrote:
>One of my all-time favorite moments is on the Raindrops
>"The Kind of Boy You Cant Forget" when that great
>Over-Compressed drum break that jumps out of the mix
>around 1:47
Billy, not only do you concur with what possibly might be
my very favorite moment on record, period, you concur for
precisely the same reason. On top of that, the playlist on
the girlpop radio show on Live365 could have been taken
from my personal list of favorite girl group records ever.
Talk about going to different schools together! Amazing!
As for the rest of youse guys' fave gg moments, the only
ones I can't agree with are the ones I haven't heard yet!
Great, great moments in pop and I just gotta say it is
delightfully surprising to read that many others are so
passionate about parts of records that I too personally
treasure. Great topic, and thanks to Jimmy C for starting
it!
Here's another big one for me...At the end of the bridge
in Ronettes' Paradise, when the band stops and Ronnie
repeats the line "Die for him". Her voice slightly dips
just below the note on "him" when the drums lead back into
the tag. So much tension and power, with great release once
the chorus comes flooding back in. A great personal fave.
Jamie
--------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------
Subject: Girl Group Moments
Received: 04/02/00 8:19 pm
From: Jimmy Cresitelli
To: Spectropop!
Thanks, everyone, for all your cool responses to my query
re your favorite girl-group moments... and, naturally
enough, I've thought of a few others of mine: Mary (or
Betty?) huskily breathing "Oh boy, oh boy..." on "What Is
Love..." the closing bars of Dorothy Berry's storming
"You're So Fine..." the Secrets trading party dresses for
tight slit skirts on "Oh, Donnie..." the Orchids closing
out "Ooh Chang-A-Lang" with some of the best harmony ever
put onto wax... and the closing bars of "He Don't Love Me"
by Shelley Fabares, with that rubbery guitar twanging away...
ahhhh yes. Sing out, girls!
--------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------
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