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Phil Spector: Wall of Sound or Shame?
No matter what happened in Phil Spector’s mistrial Wednesday, he remains one of my musical heroes - even though I think Spector is a pathetic lout.
I’ve been bemused by coverage of the trial that referred to the producer as a “forgotten music industry legend.” Maybe that’s true for people who have no interest in anything older than they are. But even if you’ve been living under a rock, chances are Spector’s Wall of Sound has penetrated it. Just look at how often his music shows up in memorable movie scenes.
“Be My Baby” by the Ronettes has opened movies as disparate as Mean Streets and Dirty Dancing.
Elisabeth Shue should have been a bigger star solely on the basis of her wonderful routine to the Crystals’ “And Then He Kissed Me” at the beginning of Adventures in Babysitting.
The pottery scene in Ghost is set to “Unchained Melody,” one of Spector’s subtler productions.
Goodfellas is jam-packed with Spector tunes, most notably “And Then He Kissed Me,” which accompanies the famous long tracking shot.
Scorsese also used “He’s Sure the Boy I Love” by the Crystals, “Frosty The Snowman” by the Ronettes and George Harrison’s “What Is Life” in the film.
And if you’ve seen Easy Rider, you’ve seen Spector. That’s him playing the drug dealer with the sunglasses toward the beginning of this clip.
Because the movies have made such good use of Spector’s music, because he was the key influence on one of my idols, Brian Wilson, and because he was simply a great producer, I still love Phil Spector’s work - and I always will.
Even if Spector had been convicted yesterday in the death of actress Lana Clarkson, I would still play his music. When “Be My Baby” comes on, my reaction will still be to shout “YES” and crank up the volume. Nothing in this sordid case will change that, no matter what the eventual outcome. I’m hardly going to skip over the tracking shot the next time I watch Goodfellas.
Some people may think I’m being disrespectful or unmindful of Clarkson and her family. Hogwash. Unlike some people, I can separate Phil Spector the sorry human being from Phil Spector the genius producer. For me, the two have nothing to do with each other.
I believe Spector killed Clarkson, although I think it was a reckless act, rather than a malicious one. Prosecutors may have better success with a lesser charge like manslaughter, although whether it will stick is anybody’s guess.
No matter what fate holds for Spector, that doesn’t affect the music. It doesn’t change the pits in my CDs or the digital files in my MP3 player, or the waves of the Wall of Sound. Phil Spector’s career was over long before that fateful night, but his legacy as one of rock’s greatest producers should remain intact - even if he spends his last years behind bars.
That will still be better than what Lana Clarkson got.
What did you think of the non-verdict? What will happen with Spector? And how does this affect his legacy? Should it?
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Celebrities
Comments
By Cali
September 30, 2007 1:22 AM | Link to this
What a great and well written article! Your article totally made me realize all of the great music he has created!