The Other trial of the Century. We have had enough of to many trials of this century to be dubbed the trial of the century. We had Robert Blake's murder case, Michael Jackson's molestation case and we are now faced with Phil Spector's murder case. I begin to wonder whats the deal with so many trials. Today I am looking at Phil Spector. And since I have been a big music fan since I was younger I thought I'd explore more of Phil Spector.
Any history of Phil's gunplay is pretty interesting (supposedly, he pulled a gun on the Ramones during the recording of "End of the Century"), but any discussion of evidence, no matter how shocking, pales in comparison with that hair. I mean, c'mon! Just look at it! Wow!Murder charges aside, I've always been a big Phil Spector fan. That whole "Wall of Sound" technique is one of the genius achievements in pop music, in my opinion, and his demanding (to say the least) production values gave pop an operatic boost just when it needed it. Naturally, that would all be taken too far during the "Sgt. Pepper" era, necessitating the brutal stripping-back-down the Ramones gave rock 'n' roll in the mid '70s. But Spector's girl group work still sounds pure and beautiful, and his 1963 album, "A Christmas Gift To You" is one of the finest holiday recordings ever. (I know Beatles fans bitch and moan about the production job he did on "Let It Be," but you know what? Beatles fans are a pain in the ass.)Then again, pop genius aside, Phil has always had the repulation of being a, shall we say, difficult collaborator. Besides the Ramones incident, he's rumored to have fired a gun while in the studio with John Lennon, pointed a gun at Leonard Cohen and made Ronnie Spector's life a living hell for years. And though Carole King and Gerry Goffin wrote the 1963 Crystal's single "He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss)," Phil was the one who brought it to life via the Wall of Sound. Great tune, jaw-droppingly apalling lyrics.For more of Phil's trial, keep your eyes glued to E! For more of his music, pick up the "Back to Mono" boxed set that came out in the early '90s. It includes all his hits, plus "A Christmas Gift to You" and, in case you're morbidly curious, "He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss)."
By the way, wasn't Tom Cruise supposed to be making a biopic of Phil? The story is building up to a big ending, Tom. Time to stop jumping around like a monkey on "Oprah" and get fitted for that Phil Spector wig!