VARIOUS ARTISTS
''PHIL SPECTOR: BACK TO MONO (1958-1969), DISC ONE''
NOVEMBER 12 1991
205:49
DISC ONE
1. The Teddy Bears/To Know Him Is To Love Him//2:24
2. Ray Peterson/Corrine, Corrina/2:41
3. Ben E. King/Spanish Harlem/2:52
4. Curtis Lee/Pretty Little Angel Eyes/2:46
5. Gene Pitney/Every Breath I Take/2:45
6. Paris Sisters/I Love How You Love Me/2:07
7. Curtis Lee/Under The Moon Of Love/2:52
8. The Crystals/There's No Other Like My Baby/2:31
9. The Crystals/Uptown - The Crystals/2:21
10. The Crystals/He Hit Me (It Felt Like A Kiss)/2:33
11. The Crystals/He's A Rebel/2:27
12. Bob B. Soxx & Blue Jeans/Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah/2:50
13. The Alley Cats/Puddin' N' Tain/2:48
14. The Crystals/He's Sure The Boy I Love/2:45
15. Bob B. Soxx And The Blue Jeans/Why Do Lovers Break Each Others Hearts/2:49
16. Darlene Love/The Boy I'm Gonna Marry (Today I Met)/2:48
17. The Crystals/Da Doo Ron Ron/2:18
18. The Crystals/Heartbreaker/2:35
19. Veronica/Why Don't Let Us Fall In Love/2:40
20. Darlene Love/Chapel Of Love/2:25
21. Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans/Not Too Young To Get Married/2:28
22. Darlene Love/Wait Til My Bobby Gets Home/2:23
23. The Crystals/All Grown Up/2:49
DISC TWO
1. The Ronnettes/Be My Baby/2:41
2. The Crystals/Then He Kissed Me/2:37
3. Darlene Love/Fine, Fine Boy/2:48
4. The Ronnettes/Baby, I Love You/2:50
5. The Ronnettes/I Wonder/2:46
6. The Crystals/Girls Can Tell/2:37
7. The Crystals/Little Boy/3:00
8. The Treasures/Hold Me Tight/2:54
9. The Ronnettes/(The Best Part Of) Breakin' Up/3:03
10. The Ronnettes/Soldier Baby Of Mine/2:53
11. Darlene Love/Strange Love/3:02
12. Darlene Love/Stumble And Fall/2:24
13. The Ronnettes/When I Saw You/2:45
14. Veronica/So Young/2:36
15. The Ronnettes/Do I Love You?/2:52
16. The Ronnettes/Keep On Dancing - The Ronettes/2:33
17. The Ronnettes/You, Baby - The Ronettes/2:57
18. The Ronnettes/Woman In Love (With You)/2:57
19. The Ronnettes/Walking In The Rain/3:16
DISC THREE
1. The Righteous Brothers/You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'/3:47
2. The Ronnettes/Born To Be Together/2:59
3. The Righteous Brothers/Just Once In My Life/3:54
4. The Righteous Brothers/Unchained Melody/3:38
5. The Ronnettes/Is This What I Get For Loving You?/3:23
6. Darlene Love/Long Way To Be Happy/2:48
7. The Righteous Brothers/(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons/2:48
8. The Righteous Brothers/Ebb Tide/2:50
9. Phil Spector/This Could Be The Night/2:40
10. The Ronnettes/Paradise/3:37
11. Mountain High/River Deep, Mountain High/3:37
12. Ike & Tina Turner/I'll Never Need More Than This/3:27
13. Ike & Tina Turner/A Love Like Yours (Don't Come Knockin' Everyday)/2:58
14. Ike & Tina Turner/Save The Last Dance For Me/2:47
15. The Ronnettes/I Wish I Never Saw The Sunshine/3:49
16. The Ronnettes/You Came, You Saw, You Conquered/2:49
17. Sonny Charles & The Checkmates/Black Pearl/3:19
18. The Checkmates/Love Is All I Have To Give/4:09
DISC FOUR
1. Darlene Love/White Christmas/2:56
2. The Ronnettes/Frosty The Snowman/2:20
3. Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans/The Bells Of St. Mary/2:58
4. The Crystals/Santa Claus Is Coming To Town/3:28
5. Phil Spector/Sleigh Ride/3:05
6. Phil Spector/Marshmallow World/2:27
7. The Ronnettes/I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus/2:41
8. The Crystals/Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer/2:34
9. Darlene Love/Winter Wonderland/2:30
10. The Crystals/Parade Of The Wooden Soldiers/2:58
11. Darlene Love/Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)/2:50
12. Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans/Here Comes Santa Claus/2:07
13. Phil Spector & Artists/Silent Night/2:10
REVIEW
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
At the time Back to Mono was released in 1991, Phil Spector's reputation as one of pop's great visionaries was intact, but there was no way to hear his genius. It wasn't just that there were no collections spotlighting his productions, there weren't collections of artists he produced. It wasn't until Back to Mono that there was a thorough overview of Spector's greatest work, and while it's not without flaws, it still stands as one of the great box sets. Some may complain that there are no selections from his superstar '70s productions for John Lennon, George Harrison, Leonard Cohen, and the Ramones, but that's for the best, since their presence would have been incongruous, taking attention away from the music that forms the heart of Spector's legacy. All of that music is here, not just on the first three discs, all devoted to singles, but also on the fourth disc, his seminal 1963 holiday album, A Christmas Gift for You, which isn't just the greatest rock Christmas album, but a crystallization of his skills. It could be argued that the song selection overlooks some obscure fan favorites, such as "Do the Screw," but that's simply nitpicking, because what's here are all the great Spector records, which were hardly just great productions, they were great songs as well. As the set plays, it's hard not to be stunned by the depth of the material and clarity of Spector's vision for his famed Wall of Sound, whether you've heard these songs hundreds of times or not at all -- especially because they gain power when grouped together. Many producers have been credited as the true creative force behind many rock records, but usually that's hyperbole. In Spector's case, it wasn't, as this set gloriously proves.
BIOGRAPHY
by Richie Unterberger
Strictly speaking, Phil Spector wasn't even a performer -- he's a musician, but he very rarely released records under his name. However, as a producer -- and, to a significant extent, songwriter, label owner, and session player -- he has influenced the course of rock & roll for more than all but a handful of performers. The Wall of Sound that he perfected in the early '60s opened unlimited possibilities for arrangements and sound construction in rock and pop, and his brilliant talents imprinted the discs that he produced with an artistic vision that was much more attributable to him than the talented performers with whom he worked.
Spector entered the record business in 1958 as songwriter, guitarist, and backup singer for the L.A. group the Teddy Bears, who landed a left-field number one with their first release, "To Know Him Is to Love Him." the Teddy Bears couldn't follow their hit up and soon disbanded, but Spector almost immediately moved to New York and became a songwriter and producer. After producing a few hits, he founded his own label, Philles, and ran off a series of brilliant smashes, primarily with girl groups the Crystals and the Ronettes.
To an extent that had never been imagined in rock & roll, Spector pumped his records full of orchestration -- strings, horns, rattling percussion -- that coalesced into teenage symphonies, never overwhelming the material or the passionate vocals. Often called a mad genius because of his eccentric and temperamental behavior, Spector's idiosyncrasies were almost always validated by the artistic and commercial results of his sessions, which combined dozens of instruments and innovative production techniques into end products which only he could combine into works of art. His influence was immense, not only in the dozens of imitation Wall of Sound productions (some very accurate and worthy, it must be added) that flooded the market between 1962 and 1965, but as an inspiration to Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, Rolling Stones producer Andrew Loog Oldham, and others.
Spector was hip to the British Invasion before it had even reached the U.S., befriending the Beatles and Rolling Stones, but had nearly as much trouble as the rest of the industry in maintaining his success. Self-contained bands were writing more adventurous material and finding more adventurous sounds, and Spector's teen operas were becoming out of fashion, although he enjoyed a lot of success with blue-eyed soul duo the Righteous Brothers in the mid-'60s. After the failure of Ike & Tina Turner's 1966 single "River Deep, Mountain High" -- which he always considered among his greatest achievements, blaming a vengeful U.S. music industry for its poor sales (although it was a big hit in Britain) -- he retired to his L.A. mansion, marrying Ronnie Bennett, lead singer of the Ronettes.
Spector re-emerged in the late '60s and was hired by the Beatles to do post-production on their controversial Let It Be album; critics and Paul McCartney himself found his work faulty, although it must be pointed out that the material he was given to work with didn't rank among the Beatles' best. He then produced George Harrison's and John Lennon's first solo albums; though these were artistic triumphs, they were hardly Spector productions in the classic sense, owing much more of their success to the talents of the performers than the producer. After that, he was active only sporadically, producing isolated albums by Dion, Leonard Cohen, and the Ramones. He became one of rock's most legendary recluses and eccentrics, rarely appearing in public, but his accomplishments cast a shadow over all performers and producers who aspire to create works of art in the studio. That reclusiveness took a public turn in 2003 with the death of Lana Clarkson. The actress/fashion model was shot and killed in Spector’s home, though Spector denied any involvement, citing an “accidental suicide.” It took four years for the case to go to trial, the first of which resulted in a mistrial, and the second of which found Spector guilty of murder in the second degree. He was sentenced on May 29, 2009 to 19 years to life in the California state prison system.
DoWnLoAd
''PHIL SPECTOR: BACK TO MONO (1958-1969), DISC ONE''
NOVEMBER 12 1991
205:49
DISC ONE
1. The Teddy Bears/To Know Him Is To Love Him//2:24
2. Ray Peterson/Corrine, Corrina/2:41
3. Ben E. King/Spanish Harlem/2:52
4. Curtis Lee/Pretty Little Angel Eyes/2:46
5. Gene Pitney/Every Breath I Take/2:45
6. Paris Sisters/I Love How You Love Me/2:07
7. Curtis Lee/Under The Moon Of Love/2:52
8. The Crystals/There's No Other Like My Baby/2:31
9. The Crystals/Uptown - The Crystals/2:21
10. The Crystals/He Hit Me (It Felt Like A Kiss)/2:33
11. The Crystals/He's A Rebel/2:27
12. Bob B. Soxx & Blue Jeans/Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah/2:50
13. The Alley Cats/Puddin' N' Tain/2:48
14. The Crystals/He's Sure The Boy I Love/2:45
15. Bob B. Soxx And The Blue Jeans/Why Do Lovers Break Each Others Hearts/2:49
16. Darlene Love/The Boy I'm Gonna Marry (Today I Met)/2:48
17. The Crystals/Da Doo Ron Ron/2:18
18. The Crystals/Heartbreaker/2:35
19. Veronica/Why Don't Let Us Fall In Love/2:40
20. Darlene Love/Chapel Of Love/2:25
21. Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans/Not Too Young To Get Married/2:28
22. Darlene Love/Wait Til My Bobby Gets Home/2:23
23. The Crystals/All Grown Up/2:49
DISC TWO
1. The Ronnettes/Be My Baby/2:41
2. The Crystals/Then He Kissed Me/2:37
3. Darlene Love/Fine, Fine Boy/2:48
4. The Ronnettes/Baby, I Love You/2:50
5. The Ronnettes/I Wonder/2:46
6. The Crystals/Girls Can Tell/2:37
7. The Crystals/Little Boy/3:00
8. The Treasures/Hold Me Tight/2:54
9. The Ronnettes/(The Best Part Of) Breakin' Up/3:03
10. The Ronnettes/Soldier Baby Of Mine/2:53
11. Darlene Love/Strange Love/3:02
12. Darlene Love/Stumble And Fall/2:24
13. The Ronnettes/When I Saw You/2:45
14. Veronica/So Young/2:36
15. The Ronnettes/Do I Love You?/2:52
16. The Ronnettes/Keep On Dancing - The Ronettes/2:33
17. The Ronnettes/You, Baby - The Ronettes/2:57
18. The Ronnettes/Woman In Love (With You)/2:57
19. The Ronnettes/Walking In The Rain/3:16
DISC THREE
1. The Righteous Brothers/You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'/3:47
2. The Ronnettes/Born To Be Together/2:59
3. The Righteous Brothers/Just Once In My Life/3:54
4. The Righteous Brothers/Unchained Melody/3:38
5. The Ronnettes/Is This What I Get For Loving You?/3:23
6. Darlene Love/Long Way To Be Happy/2:48
7. The Righteous Brothers/(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons/2:48
8. The Righteous Brothers/Ebb Tide/2:50
9. Phil Spector/This Could Be The Night/2:40
10. The Ronnettes/Paradise/3:37
11. Mountain High/River Deep, Mountain High/3:37
12. Ike & Tina Turner/I'll Never Need More Than This/3:27
13. Ike & Tina Turner/A Love Like Yours (Don't Come Knockin' Everyday)/2:58
14. Ike & Tina Turner/Save The Last Dance For Me/2:47
15. The Ronnettes/I Wish I Never Saw The Sunshine/3:49
16. The Ronnettes/You Came, You Saw, You Conquered/2:49
17. Sonny Charles & The Checkmates/Black Pearl/3:19
18. The Checkmates/Love Is All I Have To Give/4:09
DISC FOUR
1. Darlene Love/White Christmas/2:56
2. The Ronnettes/Frosty The Snowman/2:20
3. Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans/The Bells Of St. Mary/2:58
4. The Crystals/Santa Claus Is Coming To Town/3:28
5. Phil Spector/Sleigh Ride/3:05
6. Phil Spector/Marshmallow World/2:27
7. The Ronnettes/I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus/2:41
8. The Crystals/Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer/2:34
9. Darlene Love/Winter Wonderland/2:30
10. The Crystals/Parade Of The Wooden Soldiers/2:58
11. Darlene Love/Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)/2:50
12. Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans/Here Comes Santa Claus/2:07
13. Phil Spector & Artists/Silent Night/2:10
REVIEW
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
At the time Back to Mono was released in 1991, Phil Spector's reputation as one of pop's great visionaries was intact, but there was no way to hear his genius. It wasn't just that there were no collections spotlighting his productions, there weren't collections of artists he produced. It wasn't until Back to Mono that there was a thorough overview of Spector's greatest work, and while it's not without flaws, it still stands as one of the great box sets. Some may complain that there are no selections from his superstar '70s productions for John Lennon, George Harrison, Leonard Cohen, and the Ramones, but that's for the best, since their presence would have been incongruous, taking attention away from the music that forms the heart of Spector's legacy. All of that music is here, not just on the first three discs, all devoted to singles, but also on the fourth disc, his seminal 1963 holiday album, A Christmas Gift for You, which isn't just the greatest rock Christmas album, but a crystallization of his skills. It could be argued that the song selection overlooks some obscure fan favorites, such as "Do the Screw," but that's simply nitpicking, because what's here are all the great Spector records, which were hardly just great productions, they were great songs as well. As the set plays, it's hard not to be stunned by the depth of the material and clarity of Spector's vision for his famed Wall of Sound, whether you've heard these songs hundreds of times or not at all -- especially because they gain power when grouped together. Many producers have been credited as the true creative force behind many rock records, but usually that's hyperbole. In Spector's case, it wasn't, as this set gloriously proves.
BIOGRAPHY
by Richie Unterberger
Strictly speaking, Phil Spector wasn't even a performer -- he's a musician, but he very rarely released records under his name. However, as a producer -- and, to a significant extent, songwriter, label owner, and session player -- he has influenced the course of rock & roll for more than all but a handful of performers. The Wall of Sound that he perfected in the early '60s opened unlimited possibilities for arrangements and sound construction in rock and pop, and his brilliant talents imprinted the discs that he produced with an artistic vision that was much more attributable to him than the talented performers with whom he worked.
Spector entered the record business in 1958 as songwriter, guitarist, and backup singer for the L.A. group the Teddy Bears, who landed a left-field number one with their first release, "To Know Him Is to Love Him." the Teddy Bears couldn't follow their hit up and soon disbanded, but Spector almost immediately moved to New York and became a songwriter and producer. After producing a few hits, he founded his own label, Philles, and ran off a series of brilliant smashes, primarily with girl groups the Crystals and the Ronettes.
To an extent that had never been imagined in rock & roll, Spector pumped his records full of orchestration -- strings, horns, rattling percussion -- that coalesced into teenage symphonies, never overwhelming the material or the passionate vocals. Often called a mad genius because of his eccentric and temperamental behavior, Spector's idiosyncrasies were almost always validated by the artistic and commercial results of his sessions, which combined dozens of instruments and innovative production techniques into end products which only he could combine into works of art. His influence was immense, not only in the dozens of imitation Wall of Sound productions (some very accurate and worthy, it must be added) that flooded the market between 1962 and 1965, but as an inspiration to Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, Rolling Stones producer Andrew Loog Oldham, and others.
Spector was hip to the British Invasion before it had even reached the U.S., befriending the Beatles and Rolling Stones, but had nearly as much trouble as the rest of the industry in maintaining his success. Self-contained bands were writing more adventurous material and finding more adventurous sounds, and Spector's teen operas were becoming out of fashion, although he enjoyed a lot of success with blue-eyed soul duo the Righteous Brothers in the mid-'60s. After the failure of Ike & Tina Turner's 1966 single "River Deep, Mountain High" -- which he always considered among his greatest achievements, blaming a vengeful U.S. music industry for its poor sales (although it was a big hit in Britain) -- he retired to his L.A. mansion, marrying Ronnie Bennett, lead singer of the Ronettes.
Spector re-emerged in the late '60s and was hired by the Beatles to do post-production on their controversial Let It Be album; critics and Paul McCartney himself found his work faulty, although it must be pointed out that the material he was given to work with didn't rank among the Beatles' best. He then produced George Harrison's and John Lennon's first solo albums; though these were artistic triumphs, they were hardly Spector productions in the classic sense, owing much more of their success to the talents of the performers than the producer. After that, he was active only sporadically, producing isolated albums by Dion, Leonard Cohen, and the Ramones. He became one of rock's most legendary recluses and eccentrics, rarely appearing in public, but his accomplishments cast a shadow over all performers and producers who aspire to create works of art in the studio. That reclusiveness took a public turn in 2003 with the death of Lana Clarkson. The actress/fashion model was shot and killed in Spector’s home, though Spector denied any involvement, citing an “accidental suicide.” It took four years for the case to go to trial, the first of which resulted in a mistrial, and the second of which found Spector guilty of murder in the second degree. He was sentenced on May 29, 2009 to 19 years to life in the California state prison system.
DoWnLoAd
