"the phil spector thread"

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Welcome To The "PHIL SPECTOR" Thread! By popular demand, I am presenting a Spector Biography [[below) which will be followed by:

A - Complete Philles 45 Discography
B - Complete Philles LP Discography
C - The Unreleased Masters

[[B & C will be coming soon!) Here's hoping you'll all enjoy and comment on the legendary masterpieces of Phil Spector and Philles Records.


PHIL SPECTOR BIOGRAPHY:

Phil Spector was born in NYC on December 26, 1940. As a life-long music lover, he went on to write and produce many number one songs in the US and UK while developing his signature "Wall of Sound" of which many attempted to copy but few succeeded.

Phil's first hit record in 1958 was The Teddy Bear's "To Know Him Is To Love Him" on which he wrote, produced, and performed, sending it to #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
https://youtu.be/vrwf-sIcr0M
L-R: Marshall Lieb, Annette Kleinbard, Phil Spector)

After acting as a freelance writer/producer at various record labels, it was in 1961 that Phil Spector formed a business partnership with Lester Sill by setting up his own record label, Philles Records [[PHIL + LESter = Philles). [NOTE: Although the spelling suggests a pronunciation like the female name 'Phyllis', everyone I've ever known pronounces it Phillies, like the baseball team, which also explains why many often misspell Philles Records by adding the letter 'i' to the es.]

Phil Spector recorded his famous Philles recordings with The Wrecking Crew session musicians at Gold Star studio in L.A. Phil's band included 5 or 6 guitars, three pianos, tenor saxes and an army of baritone saxes, two or three bass players, Hal Blaine's thunderous drums and Earl Palmer's trap set, and a myriad of percussion including castanets, maracas, shakers, bells, chimes, woodblock, temple blocks, sleigh bells, handclaps, and an array of back-up singers including Darlene Love & The Blossoms, Sonny Bono, Cher, Nino Tempo, and any sound effect that the song-at-hand required -- all squeezed into that tiny little Gold Star studio with its low ceilings and famous echo chamber! Phil typically spent 3 hours just setting up the mics positioned at each musician's chair. By the time he was satisfied and ready to start the tape rolling, the guitar players' fingers would be bleeding. But the Wrecking Crew all loved working with Phil because they knew that what they'd end up with at the end of the all-day session would be a magnificent masterpiece they would all be proud to be a part of!

To achieve the Wall Of Sound, Phil would record the successful take on a mono tape recorder. He would then have his recording engineer, Larry Levine, copy that tape onto another recorder. From the 2nd recorder, he would dub that copy back over onto the first recorder so that every time he dubbed [[overdubbed), the sound would double. [[This process was known as "Sound-On-Sound".) The original 5 guitars would become 10 guitars, 3 pianos became 6, the saxes became an army of tenor and and baritone saxes, and Hal Blaine's drum fills became gloriously thunderous, as did the percussion instruments. The back-up singers went from a back-up chorus of 6 or 7 to a choir of 12 or 14. Phil would keep overdubbing and again doubling the sound until he heard what he wanted. Larry Levine would warn Phil, "Jeez, Phil, you can't do that! The VU meter is already up into the Red Zone", and Phil would reply, "I don't care. The sound is exactly how I want it.", and Larry, of course, would abide. Each time Phil overdubbed, the echo effect would increase. Add to that Gold Star's famous built-in echo chamber and you've got the Spector "Wall-Of-Sound" which proved to be revolutionary, thus paving the way for overdubbing in the world of Popular music.

[See NOTE below [[in "Complete Philles 45 Discography" immediately following the Philles 111 entry) regarding the exit of Lester Sill from Philles Records.)

It's also important to note that from 1961-1967, Philles released a total of only 37 singles and 13 albums. The reason is that, while many record companies released several records at one time, throwing a handful of them to the wind, hoping that one might hit big, Phil Spector concentrated on producing just one recording at a time -- taking great care that each and every note in his 3-minute "Little Symphonies" were absolutely perfect and worthy of Philles release. Whereas other record companies would typically record 4 songs within a timed, Union-controlled recording session, Phil would book session time at Gold Star for the entire day to perfect and record just that one song. And he paid his Wrecking Crew musicians handsomely, too. It has been reported that Tina Turner's recording of "River Deep - Mountain High" required a total of 5 recording sessions to complete, costing Phil an incredible $22,000.00 which was unheard of back in the day, yet he felt that "River Deep" was his crowning achievement and was willing to pay whatever it cost to achieve it. Sadly, "River Deep" stalled at #88 on the U.S. Pop chart, causing a discouraged and defeated Phil Spector to close Philles' doors in 1967.
********************************
ON A PERSONAL NOTE:
For me, it started with The Crystal's "He's A Rebel" 45 in October '62 [[when I was 11). After getting The Crystals' "He's A Rebel" LP for my 12th birthday in March '63, Philles soon became my very first favorite record label, and Phil Spector became my first favorite producer. The hits continued into 1963 with more Crystals, Bob B. Sox & The Blue Jeans, and Darlene Love gems, as well as the newest stars on the Philles roster, The Ronettes. 1963 represented Philles' peak year which also included the 6-week, all-night-long, marathin Gold Star recording sessions for the iconic Christmas album, "A Christmas Gift For You From Philles Records." Hits continued throughout 1964 with more of the same and also adding the Righteous Brothers to the roster through 1965 until Philles hits and successes started waning. Phil refused to bribe the radio DJ's with Payola. He figured his track record of hits should be enough for the radio DJs to crave each of his new releases, which they did, until the older DJ's retired and were replaced by a new crop of wise-ass, "entitled" D.J.'s who figured, "Who does Spector think he is -- expecting us to play his records without compensating us for it?" Phil also should have been signing new groups in order to keep up with the times and the latest trends, but he didn't. Philles slowly went down the tubes -- partly because of that, and partly because the British Invasion knocked the Philles girl groups off the charts. It's sad that Philles died out, while Motown grew up hand in hand with The Beatles and the other British groups.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

COMPLETE PHILLES RECORDS 45 DISCOGRAPHY"

PHILLES 100-114:

PHILLES 100 [[Released 10/1961)
THE CRYSTALS:
"There's No Other [[Like My Baby)
[[L. Bates - P. Spector)
Lead Vocal: Barbara Alston
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Phil Spector
https://youtu.be/Vfctn_DX5r0
b/w
"Oh Yeah, Maybe Baby"
[[H. Hunter - P. Spector)
Lead Vocal: Pat Wright
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Phil Spector
https://youtu.be/XLyCmu7MvEE


PHILLES 101 [[Released 3/1962)
JOEL SCOTT:
"You're My Only Love"
[[George Motola - Ricki Page)
Producer: Lester Sill-Motola-Silver
Arranger: Unknown
https://youtu.be/20K3vfn6tRQ
b/w
"Here I Stand"
[[George Motola)
Producer: Lester Sill-Motola-Silver
Arranger: Unknown
https://youtu.be/t0VD95cnE9Y


PHILLES 102 [[Released 3/1962)
THE CRYSTALS:
"Uptown"
[[B. Mann - C. Weil)
Lead Vocal: Barbara Alston
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Phil Spector
https://youtu.be/_K-ZrnDxxXo
b/w
"What A Nice Way To Turn Seventeen"
[[L. Kolber - J. Keller)
Lead Vocal: Barbara Alston
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Phil Spector
https://youtu.be/RtXaNiD_Yis


PHILLES 103 [[Released 1962)
ALI HASSAN:
"Malaguena" [[Instrumental)
[[E. Lecuona)
Producer: Al Hazan
Arranger: Al Hazan
https://youtu.be/z8nTp-x3WJ0
b/w
"Chop Sticks" [[Instrumental)
[[Traditional)
Producer: Al Hazan
Arranger: Al Hazan
https://youtu.be/9OGNzNmvrPE


PHILLES 104 [[Released 6/1962)
STEVE DOUGLAS & HIS MERRY MEN:
"Lieutenant Colonel Bogey's Parade" [[Instrumental)
[[L. Sill)
Producer: Lester Sill
Arranger: Lester Sill
https://youtu.be/Zm-tzNpvh-o
b/w
"Yes Sir, That's My Baby" [[Instrumental)
[[W. Donaldson - G. Kahn)
Producer: Lester Sill
Arranger: Lester Sill
https://youtu.be/GZdv5RNPqNo


PHILLES 105 - [[Released 7/1962) [[Withdrawn)
THE CRYSTALS:
"He Hit Me [[And It Felt Like a Kiss)"
[[C. King - G. Goffin)
Lead Vocal: Barbara Alston
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Phil Spector
https://youtu.be/f20Oz9Yr_So
b/w
"No One Ever Tells You"
[[C. King - G. Goffin - P. Spector)
Lead Vocal: Barbara Alston
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Phil Spector
https://youtu.be/qm6gf8XsUic


PHILLES 106 [[Released 10/1962)
THE CRYSTALS [[The Blossoms):
"He's A Rebel"
[[Gene Pitney)
Lead Vocal: Darlene Love
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Phil Spector
https://youtu.be/jbp1h74-RUs
b/w
"I Love You Eddie"
[[P. Spector - H. Hunter)
Lead Vocal: Barbara Alston
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Phil Spector
https://youtu.be/gesaxB2kAy8


PHILLES 107 [[Released 10/1962)
BOB B. SOXX & THE BLUE JEANS:
[[Bobby Sheen w/Darlene Love & The Blossoms):
"Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah"
[[R. Gilbert - A. Wrubel)
Lead Vocal: Bobby Sheen
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Jack Nitzsche
https://youtu.be/PWOkSyR_NhU
b/w
"Flip And Nitty" [[Instrumental)
[[P. Spector)
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Phil Spector
https://youtu.be/6m2yVIpVsAo


PHILLES 108 [[Released 1/1963)
THE ALLEY CATS:
"Puddin' 'N' Tain [[Ask Me Again I'll Tell You The Same)"
[[B. Caufield - G. Pipkin - A. Willis)
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Jack Nitzsche
https://youtu.be/nvrsfjgjSRc
b/w
"Feel So Good"
[[B. Caufield - G. Pipkin)
Producer: Lou Adler
Arranger: Unknown
https://youtu.be/U8-s8zGpodE


PHILLES 109 [[Released 12/1962)
THE CRYSTALS [[The Blossoms):
"He's Sure The Boy I Love"
[[B. Mann - C. Weil)
[[Lead Vocal: Darlene Love)
Producer: Phil Spector
Arrranger: Jack Nitzsche
https://youtu.be/Lf_fxswodiQ
b/w
"Walkin' Along [[La-La-La)"
[[Instrumental with Back-Up Vocals)
[[P. Spector)
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Phil Spector
https://youtu.be/ccUAHane2QE


PHILLES 110 [[Released 1/1963)
BOB B. SOXX & THE BLUE JEANS [[Bobby Sheen w/Darlene Love & The Blossoms):
"Why Do Lovers Break Each Other's Heart"
[[P. Spector - E. Greenwich - T. Powers)
Lead Vocal: Darlene Love
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Jack Nitzsche
https://youtu.be/cCzBJe5Mt6k
b/w
"Dr. Kaplan's Office" [[Instrumental)
[[P. Spector)
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Jack Nitzsche
https://youtu.be/TIjQyXVZ-_U


PHILLES 111 [[Promos Only, Early 1963)
THE CRYSTALS [[Back-up Vocals Only)
[[P. Spector)
"[[Let's Dance) The Screw - Part I"
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Phil Spector
https://youtu.be/Pdd6a9nFEWA
b/w
THE CRYSTALS [[Back-Up Vocals Only)
"[[Let's Dance) The Screw - Part II"
[[P. Spector)
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Phil Spector
https://youtu.be/1-nw-lsQJ3M

[NOTE: Phil Spector had been enjoying a perfect track record with his Philles productions while business partner Lester Sill [[the LES in PhilLES) was releasing second-, or even third-rate, material [[like Philles 104 above), thus threatening to taint Philles' stellar reputation which Phil had worked so hard to build. Phil wanted Lester Sill OUT of Philles ASAP. To accomplish this, Phil offered Sill ALL proceeds from The Crystals' next record. As a result, Sill agreed to the offer, to which Phil released the sure-fire flop -- "The Screw" [[as in "Screw you, Lester Sill!").]

Also assigned to the same record #:

PHILLES 111 [[Released 4/1963)
DARLENE LOVE:
"[[Today I Met) The Boy I'm Gonna Marry)"
[[P. Spector - E. Greenwich - T. Powers)
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Jack Nitzsche
https://youtu.be/xpe8u-FDXVU
b/w
"My Heart Beat A Little Faster"
[[P. Spector - E. Greenwich - T. Powers)
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Jack Nitzsche
https://youtu.be/__GY5btOmSM

[NOTE: Some B-side copies of PHILLES 111 [[Darlene Love) pressed with:
"Playing For Keeps"
[[Spector - Sands)
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Phil Spector
https://youtu.be/GHj4uZf4CIQ


PHILLES 112 [[Released 4/1963)
THE CRYSTALS:
"Da Doo Ron Ron [[When He Walked Me Home)"
[[P. Spector - E. Greenwich - J. Barry)
Lead: Delores "LaLa" Brooks
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Jack "Specs" Nitzsche
https://youtu.be/S-OTd7DXjlo
b/w
"Git' It" [[Instrumental)
[[Arnold Goland)
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Phil Spector)
https://youtu.be/5hwS-C5V-VM


PHILLES 113 [[Released 5/1963)
BOB B. SOXX & THE BLUE JEANS
[[Bobby Sheen/The Blossoms):
"Not Too Young To Get Married"
[[P. Spector - E. Greenwich - J. Barry)
Lead Vocal: Darlene Love
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Jack "Specs" Nitzsche
https://youtu.be/RzyoXLEfD_o
b/w
"Annette" [[Instrumental)
[[P. Spector - C. Sands)
Back-Up Vocal: Bobby Sheen???)
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Phil Spector
https://youtu.be/u_QZcGnjilk


PHILLES 114 [[Released 7/1963)
DARLENE LOVE [[Darlene Wright):
"Wait 'Til My Bobby Gets Home"
[[P. Spector - E. Greenwich - J. Barry)
Lead Vocals: Duet - Darlene Wright & sister Edna Wright [[Later, Of Honey Cone Fame)
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Jack "Specs" Nitzsche
https://youtu.be/ZXCIETOrw4Q
b/w
"Take It From Me"
[[P. Spector - C. Sands)
Lead Vocal: Darlene Love [[Darlene Wright)
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Phil Spector
https://youtu.be/d6PThB_QbYk

[Philles/Motown Gary]

PHILLES 115-124:

PHILLES 115 [[Released 8/1963)
THE CRYSTALS:
"Then He Kissed Me"
[[P. Spector - E. Greenwich - J. Barry)
Lead Vocal: LaLa Brooks
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Jack "Specs" Nitzsche
https://youtu.be/DfM6dl_yt10
b/w
"Brother Julius" [[Instrumental)
[[Arnold Goland)
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Phil Spector
https://youtu.be/Ek3JfPtYoEc


PHILLES 116 [[Released 8/1963)
THE RONETTES:
"Be My Baby"
[[P. Spector - E. Greenwich - J. Barry)
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Jack "Specs" Nitzsche
https://youtu.be/P5PoIljTtFQ
b/w
"Tedesco And Pitman" [[Instrumental)
[[P. Spector)
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Phil Spector
https://youtu.be/l4LCbpji4pY


PHILLES 117 [[Released 10/1963)
DARLENE LOVE:
"A Fine, Fine Boy"
[[P. Spector - E. Greenwich - J. Barry)
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Jack "Specs" Nitzsche
https://youtu.be/QWHoI3W8pns
b/w
"Nino And Sonny [[Big Trouble)" [[Instrumental)
[[P. Spector)
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Phil Spector
https://youtu.be/erOvAZm2ESg


PHILLES 118 [[Released 12/1963)
THE RONETTES:
"Baby I Love You"
[[P. Spector - E. Greenwich - J. Barry)
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Jack "Specs" Nitzsche
https://youtu.be/5NRlLQW9w4o
b/w
"Miss Joan And Mr. Sam" [[Instrumental)
[[P. Spector)
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Phil Spector
https://youtu.be/9zjtM7psgEc


PHILLES 119 [[Released 11/1963)
DARLENE LOVE:
"Christmas [[Baby Please Come Home)"
[[P. Spector - E. Greenwich - J. Barry)
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Jack "Specs" Nitzsche
https://youtu.be/tNPpBMTeHUI
b/w
"Harry And Milt Meet Hal B." [[Instrumental)
[[P. Spector)
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Phil Spector
https://youtu.be/jEPRfWXHbqA


PHILLES X-EP [[Released Christmas Season 1963)
VARIOUS ARTISTS - "CHRISTMAS EP":
Side A:
1) THE RONETTES - "Sleigh Ride"
https://youtu.be/Y6rDA2Czz0E
2) BOB B. SOXX & THE BLUE JEANS - "The Bells Of St. Mary"
Lead Vocal: Bobby Sheen
https://youtu.be/sZqxQYgTpFw
b/w
Side B:
3) DARLENE LOVE: "White Christmas"
https://youtu.be/gY1MAsk-eAA
4) THE CRYSTALS: "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town"
Lead Vocal: LaLa Brooks
https://youtu.be/Cljd0ILpMRY


PHILLES 119X [[Released 1/1964)
THE CRYSTALS:
"Little Boy"
[[P. Spector - E. Greenwich - J. Barry)
[[Lead Vocal: LaLa Brooks)
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Jack "Specs" Nitzsche
https://youtu.be/k9ppGbcDxo0
b/w
"Harry [[From W. VA) & Milt" [[Instrumental)
[[P. Spector)
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Phil Spector
https://youtu.be/iOvAovzW-Oc


PHILLES 120 [[Released 4/1964)
THE RONETTES:
"[[The Best Part Of) Breakin' Up"
[[P. Spector - V. Poncia - P. Andreoli)
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Jack "Specs" Nitzsche
https://youtu.be/dTEx3dd_ScE
b/w
"Big Red" [[Instrumental)
[[A. L. Spector)
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Phil Spector
https://youtu.be/tTc0kedZVxQ


PHILLES 121 [[Released 6/1964)
THE RONETTES:
"Do I Love You"
[[P. Spector - V. Poncia - P. Andreoli)
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Jack "Specs" Nitzsche
https://youtu.be/FJ-FoTs6Oqw
b/w
"Bebe And Susu" [[Instrumental)
[[P. Spector)
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Phil Spector
https://youtu.be/5A-t-X-E7mo


PHILLES 122 [[Released 7/1964)
THE CRYSTALS:
"ALL GROWN UP" [[Surf Version)
[[P. Spector - E. Greenwich - J. Barry)
[[Lead Vocal: LaLa Brooks)
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Jack "Specs" Nitzsche
https://youtu.be/40zmbb0Nk0w
b/w
"Irving [[Jaggered Sixteenths) [[Instrumental)
[[A. Goland)
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Phil Spector
https://youtu.be/WZd3zXqJhJc


PHILLES 123 [[Released 8/1964) [[Withdrawn 2 Weeks Later)
DARLENE LOVE:
"Stumble And Fall"
[[P. Spector - V. Poncia - P. Andreoli)
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Jack "Specs" Nitzsche
https://youtu.be/KO1Rxq4d4SM
b/w
"[[He's A) Quiet Guy"
[[P. Spector - V. Poncia - P. Andreoli)
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Jack "Specs" Nitzsche
https://youtu.be/Gciizyqyg4k

[NOTE: Darlene Love and The Blossoms had managed to secure a position on the weekly musical TV show "Shindig" as back-up singers for guest recording artists each week. Having just released Darlene's "Stumble And Fall" 45 on Philles 123, Phil informed Darlene that he wanted her to quit "Shindig" and make herself available to him at all times for recording sessions, as necessary. Darlene refused on the grounds that Phil records track after track on her but then never releases them, whereas her "Shindig" gig pays a steady paycheck. Darlene stuck it out with "Shindig", Phil took it as betrayal, and, to punish her, withdrew "Stumble And Fall" within two weeks of its release. To add insult to injury, Phil reassigned Philles 123 to the upcoming Ronettes' "Walking In The Rain" single, as though Darlene's "Stumble And Fall" never existed. Ouch!]


PHILLES 123 [[# 123 Reassigned & Released 10/1964)
THE RONETTES:
"Walking In The Rain"
[[P. Spector - B. Mann - C. Weil)
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Jack "Specs" Nitzsche
https://youtu.be/gRUmxjVYA8k
b/w
"How Does It Feel"
[[P. Spector - V. Poncia - P. Andreoli)
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Jack "Specs" Nitzsche
https://youtu.be/BuCpyZnaNF0


PHILLES 124 [[Released 11/1964)
THE RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS:
"You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling"
[[P. Spector, B. Mann, C. Weil)
[[Lead Vocal: Bill Medley & Bobby Hatfield)
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Gene Page
https://youtu.be/uOnYY9Mw2Fg
b/w
"There's A Woman"
[[B. Medley, B. Hatfield, P. Spector)
Lead Vocals: Bill Medley & Bobby Hatfield
Producer: Bill Medley
Arranger: Bill Medley
https://youtu.be/P7AJ6-2257g

[Philles/Motown Gary]

PHILLES X125-136

PHILLES X-125 [[Released 12/1964
DARLENE LOVE:
"Christmas [[Baby Please Come Home)"
[[P. Spector, E. Greenwich, J. Barry)
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Jack Nitzsche
https://youtu.be/0otJfACKDvM
b/w
"Winter Wonderland"
[[Smith - Bernard)
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Jack Nitzsche
https://youtu.be/AWuzE9V3NDE

[NOTE: Some copies of Philles X-125 pressed with the extremely rare B-Side:

"Winter Blues" [[Instrumental)
[[P. Spector)
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Phil Spector
https://youtu.be/-A4VJhIKF78


PHILLES 126 [[Released 2/1965)
THE RONETTES:
"Born To Be Together"
[[P. Spector, B. Mann, C. Weil)
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Jack "Specs" Nitzsche
https://youtu.be/rpkMvPweuDg
b/w
"Blues For Baby"
[[P. Spector)
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Phil Spector
https://youtu.be/D7shQlfZdCQ


PHILLES 127 [[Released 4/1965)
THE RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS:
"Just Once In My Life)
[[P. Spector, G. Goffin, C. King)
[[Lead Vocals: Bill Medley & Bobby Hatfield)
https://youtu.be/mTS2L-TrHJk
b/w
"The Blues"
[[B. Medley)
Lead Vocals: Bill Medley & Bobby Hatfield
Producer: Bill Medley
https://youtu.be/dK4BonyjVXA


PHILLES 128 [[Released 5/1965)
THE RONETTES:
"Is This What I Get For Loving You"
[[P. Spector, G. Goffin, C. King)
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Jack "Specs" Nitzsche
https://youtu.be/bymNkZRDZ_8
b/w
"Oh, I Love You"
[[P. Spector)
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Phil Spector
https://youtu.be/jwjM0MXm5fw


PHILLES 129 [[Released 7/1965)
THE RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS
"Hung On You"
[[P. Spector, G. Goffin, C. King)
Lead Vocals: Bill Medley & Bobby Hatfield
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Jack "Specs" Nitzsche
https://youtu.be/rIE3kBVYzxQ
b/w
"Unchained Melody"
[[Zaret-North)
Lead Vocal: Bobby Hatfield
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Not Listed
https://youtu.be/5zzjjkPA5dg

[NOTE: "Hung On You" was the intended A-Side of Philles 129. However, radio deejays flipped the record over and B-Side "Unchained Melody" became the hit. The record label credits Phil Spector as Producer. However, in his book, "The Time Of My Life", Bill Medley claims that he, himself, produced it -- not Phil. Believe what you may.


PHILLES 130 [[Released 11/1965)
THE RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS:
"Ebb Tide"
[[Carl Sigman - Robert Maxwell)
Lead Vocal: Bobby Hatfield
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Perry Botkin, Jr.
https://youtu.be/sMfxIS3pHnI
b/w
"[[I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons"
[[Deek Watson - William Best)
Lead Vocal: Bobby Hatfield
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Jack "Specs" Nitzsche
https://youtu.be/OyB0O0-DdXU


PHILLES 131 [[Released 5/1966)
IKE & TINA TURNER:
"River Deep - Mountain High"
[[P. Spector; J. Barry, E. Greenwich)
Lead Vocal: Tina Turner
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Jack "Specs" Nitzsche
https://youtu.be/ULw1RHHPv5g
b/w
"I'll Keep You Happy"
[[P. Spector)
Lead Vocal: Tina Turner
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Phil Spector
https://youtu.be/qzrU2jn7sN4


PHILLES 132 [[Released 10/1966)
THE RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS:
"The White Cliffs Of Dover"
[[Frank J. Black & Alice Duer Miller)
Lead Vocal: Bobby Hatfield
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Gene Page
https://youtu.be/wQ1p4AP3SsI
b/w
"She's Mine All Mine"
[[Bob Hatfield)
Lead Vocal: Bobby Hatfield
Producer: Bill Medley
Arranger: Unknown
https://youtu.be/jbFF9Sgi3Ic


PHILLES 133 [[Released 10/1966)
THE RONETTES:
"I Can Hear Music"
[[P. Spector, J. Barry, E. Greenwich)
Producer: Jeff Barry
Arranger: Unknown
https://youtu.be/Tj1D06K4eEY
b/w
"When I Saw You"
[[Phil Spector)
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Jack "Specs" Nitzsche
https://youtu.be/Hdvuw96j1x8


PHILLES 134 [[Released 10/1966)
IKE & TINA TURNER:
"Two To Tango"
[[D. Manning & A. Hoffman)
Producer: Bob Crewe
Arranger: Herb Bernstein
https://youtu.be/H3wqGtLqQoU
b/w
"A Man Is A Man Is A Man"
[[Pete Antell)
Lead Vocal: Tina Turner
Producer: Bob Crewe
Arranger: Herb Bernstein
https://youtu.be/A-U7qP7No4Q


PHILLES 135 [[Released 6/1967)
IKE & TINA TURNER:
"I'll Never Need More Than This"
[[P. Spector, J. Barry, E. Greenwich)
Lead Vocal: Tina Turner
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Jack "Specs" Nitzsche
https://youtu.be/Gx2BoL07HJ0
b/w
"The Cash Box Blues" Or [["Oops, We Printed The Wrong Story Again") [[Instrumental)
[[Phil Spector)
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Phil Spector
https://youtu.be/dGtbr2_UsSQ


PHILLES 136 [[Released 1967)
IKE & TINA TURNER:
"A Love Like Yours [[Don't Come Knocking Every Day)"
[[Holland-Dozier-Holland)
Lead Vocal: Tina Turner
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Unknown
https://youtu.be/lgHKVUVzheY
b/w
"I Idolize You"
[[Ike Turner)
Lead Vocal: Tina Turner
Producer: Ike Turner
Arranger: Unknown
https://youtu.be/1-pqTW5gd3Q

[marv2]

Here's my small contribution to this Phil Spector thread. That's Phil on guitar:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrwf-sIcr0M

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Here's my small contribution to this Phil Spector thread. That's Phil on guitar:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrwf-sIcr0M

Thanks, Marv. I already included a link for this video in the main post above [[under "Phil Spector Biography"). I could hardly believe it when I discovered it yesterday. The Perry Como Show! What a rare and wonderful piece of history!

[Motown Eddie]

Very well done biography & discography on Phil Spector. Thanks to Philles/Motown Gary.

[lucky2012]

Thank you! I love the Wall of Sound. I cherish the Back To Mono box set.

[smallworld]

[NOTE: "Hung On You" was the intended A-Side of Philles 129. However, radio deejays flipped the record over and B-Side "Unchained Melody" became the hit. The record label credits Phil Spector as Producer. However, in his book, "The Time Of My Life", Bill Medley claims that he, himself, produced it -- not Phil. Believe what you may.

The 45 label didn't initially credit Phil Spector as producer of "Unchained Melody", though he was always credited as producer on "Hung on You". You can see some of the pressings - including promo labels - at the link below.

http://www.45cat.com/record/129

[Boogiedown]

This is really great stuff Gary ! very thorough job! :)

At first I thought, wait a minute , I only see 36 singles listed , but then I realized the first single was numbered #100. Very organized , and not a missing number in his cataloguing , makes me think Phil was very precise in his thinking and in his way of doing business. [[?)

I'll reread your work here when time permits Gary . I look forward to it! :cool:

[144man]

Thanks for that listing. I had completely forgotten that at the time I was unable to access hearing the Lester Sill tracks which, thanks to your YouTubelinks, I have now finally had the [dis]pleasure of listening to at last.

The Crystals' "I Wonder" was issued in the UK as a single. Was there never a US number allocated?

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Very well done biography & discography on Phil Spector. Thanks to Philles/Motown Gary.

Thank you very much, Eddie. I appreciate it!

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Thank you! I love the Wall of Sound. I cherish the Back To Mono box set.

You're very welcome, Lucky. That "Back To Mono" box set was a gift straight from heaven!

[Philles/Motown Gary]

The 45 label didn't initially credit Phil Spector as producer of "Unchained Melody", though he was always credited as producer on "Hung on You". You can see some of the pressings - including promo labels - at the link below.

http://www.45cat.com/record/129

My copy credits Phil as producer, smallworld. [[See attached video/photo.)
https://youtu.be/66V_YbcXgWc

I guess it's one of the world's wonders we'll never be quite sure of!

[Philles/Motown Gary]

This is really great stuff Gary ! very thorough job! :)

At first I thought, wait a minute , I only see 36 singles listed , but then I realized the first single was numbered #100. Very organized , and not a missing number in his cataloguing , makes me think Phil was very precise in his thinking and in his way of doing business. [[?)

I'll reread your work here when time permits Gary . I look forward to it! :cool:

Thanks so much, John! I really appreciate it. Yeah, Phil started the numbering of his singles with 100 which throws off the total count by one. He did the same thing with the Philles LPs which started with 4000.

And, yes, Phil was/is a perfectionist. Everything had to be just so. The slightest veering from perfection would drive him crazy. I know what he went through. I, too, am a perfectionist and I drive MYSELF crazy at times! Ha!

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Thanks for that listing. I had completely forgotten that at the time I was unable to access hearing the Lester Sill tracks which, thanks to your YouTubelinks, I have now finally had the [dis]pleasure of listening to at last.

The Crystals' "I Wonder" was issued in the UK as a single. Was there never a US number allocated?

You're very welcome, 144man. "Dis"-pleasure is right! Some of those Lester Sill releases are tough to listen through! It's hard to believe that Steve Doiglas & His Merry Men [[Philles 104 above) is the same Steve Douglas who played the cool tenor sax solo on The Crystals' "He's A Rebel"! It's plain to see why Phil wanted Lester Sill out of Philles before any further damage could be done.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Thanks for that listing. I had completely forgotten that at the time I was unable to access hearing the Lester Sill tracks which, thanks to your YouTubelinks, I have now finally had the [dis]pleasure of listening to at last.

The Crystals' "I Wonder" was issued in the UK as a single. Was there never a US number allocated?

Almost forgot, 144man -- The Crystals' "I Wonder" was never released as a single in the U.S. I'm saving it for Part C - "Previously Unreleased Philles" tracks [[with YouTube sound clips!)

[144man]

Almost forgot, 144man -- The Crystals' "I Wonder" was never released as a single in the U.S. I'm saving it for Part C - "Previously Unreleased Philles" tracks [[with YouTube sound clips!)

Will you be including somewhere the 1964 releases on the Phil Spector, Shirley and Annette labels which used to be considered as subsidiaries of Philles, all of which are produced by Phil Spector?

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Will you be including somewhere the 1964 releases on the Phil Spector, Shirley and Annette labels which used to be considered as subsidiaries of Philles, all of which are produced by Phil Spector?

I was afraid somebody might ask that, 144man! HaHa! The truth is, the majority of music on those subsidiary labels was so substandard, they mean nothing to me, although I do have some of them in my 45 collection -- just-to-have for the sake of having one each of those 45 labels [[minus Annette). Phil spent so much time and loving care on each of the Philles recordings, it's hard to believe that he could release such 2nd-rate schlock on those subsidiary labels [[Phil Spector Records, Annette [[honoring his first wife), Shirley [[honoring his sister), and Phi-Dan [[honoring Danny Davis, who was Phil's promotions man). Maybe they provided Phil with a tax write-off? Who knows. Now that I've finished the Philles 45 Discography, let me concentrate on providing you with the Philles LP's Discography followed by the Unreleased Philles tracks. Then I'll see what I can do for you with the subsidiary labels. Sound good?

[kenneth]

Wow, Gary, you put a lot of time and effort into this. I had no idea there could still be any Ike & Tina tracks left in the can. Hopefully, we'll hear them someday.

Good work! Especially showing who were the "real" artists on the singles...very interesting.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Wow, Gary, you put a lot of time and effort into this. I had no idea there could still be any Ike & Tina tracks left in the can. Hopefully, we'll hear them someday.

Good work! Especially showing who were the "real" artists on the singles...very interesting.
Hey Kenny! Where have you been, Buddy? I've missed you the past week or so.

Thanks for the compliments! You know me and Philles -- it's a labor of love which I enjoy sharing.

I hate to disappoint you, but, to my knowledge, there are no Tina Turner Philles tracks in the can, although there are more tracks [[Phil Spector productions) which I'll include in the upcoming Philles LP Discography very soon.

Stay tuned [[and don't be such a stranger)! Ha!

[kenneth]

Gary,

Oh, sorry I misspoke. I was referring to this 45:

PHILLES 134 [[Released 10/1966)
IKE & TINA TURNER:
"Two To Tango"
[[D. Manning & A. Hoffman)
Producer: Bob Crewe
Arranger: Herb Bernstein
https://youtu.be/H3wqGtLqQoU
b/w
"A Man Is A Man Is A Man"
[[Pete Antell)
Lead Vocal: Tina Turner
Producer: Bob Crewe
Arranger: Herb Bernstein
https://youtu.be/A-U7qP7No4Q

So not left in the can, but a non-LP single. Produced by Bob Crewe, no less.

Let's catch up later today. Things here are the same, the usual on again-off again scene I've been in all year. Actually, been busy because I finally bought a new car after renting for almost 2 months. Got a Ford Fusion and love it.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Gary,

Oh, sorry I misspoke. I was referring to this 45:

PHILLES 134 [[Released 10/1966)
IKE & TINA TURNER:
"Two To Tango"
[[D. Manning & A. Hoffman)
Producer: Bob Crewe
Arranger: Herb Bernstein
https://youtu.be/H3wqGtLqQoU
b/w
"A Man Is A Man Is A Man"
[[Pete Antell)
Lead Vocal: Tina Turner
Producer: Bob Crewe
Arranger: Herb Bernstein
https://youtu.be/A-U7qP7No4Q

So not left in the can, but a non-LP single. Produced by Bob Crewe, no less.

Let's catch up later today. Things here are the same, the usual on again-off again scene I've been in all year. Actually, been busy because I finally bought a new car after renting for almost 2 months. Got a Ford Fusion and love it.
Kenny, the Bob Crewe-produced single was the result of Phil having given up. He had already lost interest in his girl groups [[due to their poor showing on the charts during 1964) as well as the devastating failure of Tina's "River Deep". If you'll notice, for the last Ronettes' single [[Philles 133, "I Can Hear Music"), Phil handed the production reigns over to Jeff Barry, having pretty much washed his hands of Philles. The only reason he released another Ronettes record at all was to satisfy Ronnie's urging to get back in the studio, which she so loved. As far as how and why Bob Crewe came into the picture, I don't know. I don't recall ever reading anything about that. If I did, I've forgotten. The record is far from a glorious Phil Spector production. If I had my druthers, however, I would have made "A Man Is A Man Is A Man" the A-side.

Sorry to hear that nothing has improved on the home front. Congrats on the new car, though! My aunt's been driving a Fusion and she loves it! Yep, let's talk soon!

[arr&bee]

As great as phil was,i best memory is him playing on-the drifters[on broadway].

[Philles/Motown Gary]

As great as phil was,i best memory is him playing on-the drifters[on broadway].

He sure did, arr&bee. He played guitar on it. That's him wailing in the instrumental break. On the way to The Drifter's recording session, Leiber & Stoller bumped into Phil on the street and invited him to sit in on the "On Broadway" session. Phil agreed, and the rest is history. If not for that chance meeting, that guitar would have been played by somebody else, or possibly not at all.

Phil originally produced "On Broadway" for The Crystals, but he wasn't satisfied with it enough for single release, so it was saved as an LP track for their "Twistin' Uptown" and "He's A Rebel" albums.

THE CRYSTALS:
"On Broadway"
https://youtu.be/gkpeUDbVAlE

THE DRIFTERS:
"On Broadway"
https://youtu.be/yPYRtjxYEH8

[Boogiedown]

Gary , I'm finding your list here with the YouTube links to be a great and handy way to review these Philles recordings , most of them unfamiliar to me. It's fun to be able to bring them up to listen to so quickly.

Right now, I keep replaying TUMBLE AND FALL because of the intriguing Shindig storyline you told about it. I want to say i think it would've been a smash , because I'm really enjoying it , but I'm not sure . [[ Does the opening almost sound like an off sync loop? the drumming particularly) I like the record , I hear a hit, but maybe not a smash. Too bad we'll never know !!
I'm surprised and pleased to see certain names in the credits. Names like Bob Crewe, whose Philles contribution I see doesn't impress you much. I'm listening to TWO TO TANGO and I can see why you feel it doesn't properly represent . That ending though ! ....worth the wait!
And Gene Page ,early in his career, I wonder how he and Phil got along....any stories?
Also I see the name Jack Nitzsche appearing more than once. Is he like Phil's Charlie Kipps??

OK , I don't want to over load this ! I'll likely have more comments though as I continue to listen if that's ok!

Looking forward to the continuation of this Philles breakdown Gary !:cool:

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Gary , I'm finding your list here with the YouTube links to be a great way to review these Philles recordings , most of them unfamiliar to me.

Right now, I keep replaying TUMBLE AND FALL because of the intriguing Shindig storyline you told about it. I want to say i think it would've been a smash , because I'm really enjoying it , but I'm not sure . [[ Does the opening almost sound like an off sync loop? the drumming particularly) I like the record , I hear a hit, but maybe not a smash. Too bad we'll never know !!
I'm surprised and pleased to see certain names in the credits. Names like Bob Crewe, whose Philles contribution I see doesn't impress you much. I'm listening to TWO TO TANGO and I can see why you feel it doesn't properly represent . That ending though ! ....worth the wait!
And Gene Page ,early in his career, I wonder how he and Phil got along....any stories?
Also I see the name Jack Nitzsche appearing more than once. Is he like Phil's Charlie Kipps??

OK , I don't want to over load this ! I'll likely have more comments though as I continue to listen if that's ok!

Looking forward to the remainder of this Philles breakdown Gary !:cool:

Thanks, Boogie! I'm thrilled that you like Darlene's "Stumble And Fall"! I've been in love with that track from the first time I heard it on one of the two Rare Masters albums that Phil FINALLY released in Fall 1976. It is considered one of the rarest of all the Philles releases. [[You wouldn't believe how much my NM yellow/red Promo copy cost me!)

Is the intro an off-sync loop, you wonder? If we're talking about the same process, the answer is no, this was 1964 before computerized recording was ever heard of. Besides, Phil cut everything live in the studio with the Wrecking Crew. If you're referring to his overdubbing resulting in it being out of sync, however, I don't know. The intro sounds normal to me with those magnificent baritone saxes paving the way!

Jack Nitzsche was Phil's music arranger at nearly every one of Phil's Gold Star recording sessions starting with Philles 107. Jack would write out the instrumentation for each instrument. Changes would often be made on the spot during a recording session, and Jack would be the one to write the changes for the instruments affected. In the early days of Philles, Phil wrote out his own arrangements, but he would rather let Jack do it, thus freeing up Phil to handle other things during the recording sessions. It worked out great because Phil and Jack were of one mind musically. Jack knew exactly what Phil wanted on each track, and he knew exactly how to arrange the songs to meet Phil's and Philles strict criteria.

Gene Page was rarely, if ever, mentioned in the many Spector books, so, no, I doubt if there was ever any friction between the two. In fact, Phil liked and highly respected his recording session crew, and they respected him as well. There was never an issue as to Phil being in charge, and I'm sure that Gene, the professional that he was, respected that. As I glance through quickly, I see only a couple of Righteous Brothers' sessions that Gene Page sat in on. I think there was a reason given why Jack couldn't make those two sessions, but I forget exactly why. If memory serves, Jack had started producing movie soundtracks at the time, and his schedule conflicted with Phil's Gold Star session, but the conflict was only temporary and Jack returned, as normal.

Sure, John, I welcome your comments! Feel free to express them whenever you feel inspired. I look forward to it, Buddy!

[144man]

I was afraid somebody might ask that, 144man! HaHa! The truth is, the majority of music on those subsidiary labels was so substandard, they mean nothing to me, although I do have some of them in my 45 collection -- just-to-have for the sake of having one each of those 45 labels [[minus Annette). Phil spent so much time and loving care on each of the Philles recordings, it's hard to believe that he could release such 2nd-rate schlock on those subsidiary labels [[Phil Spector Records, Annette [[honoring his first wife), Shirley [[honoring his sister), and Phi-Dan [[honoring Danny Davis, who was Phil's promotions man). Maybe they provided Phil with a tax write-off? Who knows. Now that I've finished the Philles 45 Discography, let me concentrate on providing you with the Philles LP's Discography followed by the Unreleased Philles tracks. Then I'll see what I can do for you with the subsidiary labels. Sound good?

Thanks. I'm glad you might come back to the subsidiaries as the Ronettes' story would be incomplete without the inclusion of Veronica's "Too Young" and "Why Don't They Let Us Fall In Love [Gee The Moon Is Shining Bright]".

I hadn't mentioned Phi-Dan as none of the tracks were produced by Phil Spector [[though I am particularly fond of The Ikettes' "Down Down").

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Thanks. I'm glad you might come back to the subsidiaries as the Ronettes' story would be incomplete without the inclusion of Veronica's "Too Young" and "Why Don't They Let Us Fall In Love [Gee The Moon Is Shining Bright]".

I hadn't mentioned Phi-Dan as none of the tracks were produced by Phil Spector [[though I am particularly fond of The Ikettes' "Down Down").
Oh, don't worry about that, 144man. I love those 2 tracks! "So Young" will be included in the "Presenting The Fabulous Ronettes" LP segment of the "Complete Philles LP Discography" coming up next, and The Ronettes "Why Don't They Let Us Fall In Love" will be included in the "Unreleased Philles Masters" following soon after. [[Rest assured, I would NEVER omit anything Phil Spector-related by The Crystals, The Ronettes, nor Darlene Love. They're the reason Phil made me love Philles!

[smallworld]

Does anyone know why "Lord If You're a Woman" has only ever been on CD in an underdub version, sans backing vocals?

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Does anyone know why "Lord If You're a Woman" has only ever been on CD in an underdub version, sans backing vocals?
I've wondered the same thing, smallworld. That stripped down version is not only lacking the back-up vocals, it's void of the strings, too! I much prefer Phil's complete version with back-up vocals and strings. To satisfy that need, I dubbed the complete 12" Single version to CD. It sounds like it's from the master tape! Since it was never released in the U.S. [[available only as an import), I'll include it with Part C - "The Philles Unreleased Masters" [[with a special note that it was post-Philles Phil Spector International Records).

[144man]

Did anyone here ever play the Crystals and Ronettes instrumental B-sides more than a couple of times? I know I didn't.

[kenneth]

Did anyone here ever play the Crystals and Ronettes instrumental B-sides more than a couple of times? I know I didn't.

I never had any of the 45s, but I read somewhere that Spector would always put these throwaway instrumentals on the B-sides to make sure no one flipped the record over, so that the A-side was the only one that would be played on the radio.

Someone else mentioned the song "Stumble and Fall" by Darlene Love. I love that song! I too heard it first on the "Rare Masters" albums which were quite a revelation when I bought them, kind of like the Motown "From the Vaults" and "Motown Superstars sing Motown Superstars" which I think were the first time Motown had ever released whole albums of previously unreleased material by a variety of artists.

When I was young, I never had any conception that a record company would have anything at all on an artist that never got released. I had always thought an album was always designed as a cohesive whole from start to finish. So to learn stuff existed that I'd never heard was astounding to me. Who would have ever thought that Motown or any studio would have such riches buried away for so long?

Actually, this made me want to ask a question I've always pondered. Based on the old Billboard charts, music critics and reviewers would usually comment that when a record was flipped by a DJ such that the flip became the "A" side, it would depress chart action of the record overall. So, for example, when "Locking Up My Heart" was flipped in favor of the B-side "Forever," neither side charted well, "Locking" cannibalized the chart position of "Forever," and vice versa.

Why is that? I mean, whether someone buys a record because of the A-side or the B-side, the record still sells another copy. Can any of you who might know more about the industry explain it to me? And, in a related question, how does a reporting record store know which side of the record someone was buying? Obviously, a reporting radio station would know which side they were playing, but sales would seem to be oblivious to the A-side vs B-side preference on behalf of the buyer.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Did anyone here ever play the Crystals and Ronettes instrumental B-sides more than a couple of times? I know I didn't.

Probably not, 144man! That's was why Phil purposely put those little instrumental ditties on the B-sides of his Philles singles -- to prevent radio DJ's from flipping the record over and competing with his intended A-side. As kids, it makes you wonder how many of us actually thought it was The Crystals or The Ronettes with a guitar slung over their shoulder playing those instrumentals! Ha! Ya know, there a few of them that I actually like:

Philles 109 - The Crystal's- "Walkin' Along [[La-La-La)" I love Darlene Love & The Blossoms' "ooh-ah-oohs".
and
Philles 116 - The Ronettes - "Tedesco And Pitman" which is cool jazz.
and
Philles 119 - Darlene Love - "Harry & Milt Meet Hal B" which is pure blues.

[kenneth]

And look, the B-sides finally got respectable and have their own album! [[Unfortunately, a download only.)

https://www.amazon.com/Phils-Flipsides-Spector-Sound-Orchestra/dp/B007TDA13W/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=phils+flipsides&qid=1565740607&s=gateway&sr=8-1

[Philles/Motown Gary]

I never had any of the 45s, but I read somewhere that Spector would always put these throwaway instrumentals on the B-sides to make sure no one flipped the record over, so that the A-side was the only one that would be played on the radio.

Someone else mentioned the song "Stumble and Fall" by Darlene Love. I love that song! I too heard it first on the "Rare Masters" albums which were quite a revelation when I bought them, kind of like the Motown "From the Vaults" and "Motown Superstars sing Motown Superstars" which I think were the first time Motown had ever released whole albums of previously unreleased material by a variety of artists.

When I was young, I never had any conception that a record company would have anything at all on an artist that never got released. I had always thought an album was always designed as a cohesive whole from start to finish. So to learn stuff existed that I'd never heard was astounding to me. Who would have ever thought that Motown or any studio would have such riches buried away for so long?

Actually, this made me want to ask a question I've always pondered. Based on the old Billboard charts, music critics and reviewers would usually comment that when a record was flipped by a DJ such that the flip became the "A" side, it would depress chart action of the record overall. So, for example, when "Locking Up My Heart" was flipped in favor of the B-side "Forever," neither side charted well, "Locking" cannibalized the chart position of "Forever," and vice versa.

Why is that? I mean, whether someone buys a record because of the A-side or the B-side, the record still sells another copy. Can any of you who might know more about the industry explain it to me? And, in a related question, how does a reporting record store know which side of the record someone was buying? Obviously, a reporting radio station would know which side they were playing, but sales would seem to be oblivious to the A-side vs B-side preference on behalf of the buyer.

You heard right, Kenny. Phil purposely put those meaningless little doo-dads on the B-side to force the radio DJs' attention on the A-side only. The B-sides always credited Phil as producer, but sometimes, after an all-day session at Gold Star, and on his way out the door, Phil would instruct Hal Blaine and a couple other Wrecking Crew members to throw together a quick little 2:00-minute B-side which they'd compose on the spot and nail in one take! Those guys were professionals. Like Motown's Funk Brothers, all they had to do was look at each other and KNOW exactly what they were gonna play!

"Stumble And Fall" Yes! One of my very, very favorite Philles singles! And also one of the rarest and most expensive of the Philles lot! I cherish my NM yellow/red PR Promo copy. I, too, heard it first in those two magnificent "Rare Masters" albums that Phil finally released in that glorious Fall of 1976! I felt like a kid at Christmas! 36 previously-unreleased Philles tracks all at one time seemed almost too good to be true! And they were all thrilling, to boot! But it wasn't too good to be true -- it was for real! I think it's safe to say that Phil Spector knocked the socks off of all of us with those two stunning LPs!

Kenny, I never understood that, either. It seems to me that, if a radio station plays both sides of a record, it would double the sales potential, but they say that's not how it works, so.... Go figure!

[Philles/Motown Gary]

And look, the B-sides finally got respectable and have their own album! [[Unfortunately, a download only.)

https://www.amazon.com/Phils-Flipsides-Spector-Sound-Orchestra/dp/B007TDA13W/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=phils+flipsides&qid=1565740607&s=gateway&sr=8-1

Oh, that "Phil's Flip-Sides" collection was released as a CD, too, as part of the Philles Albums box set a few years back. Unfortunately, this particular disc was a disappointment as some B-sides were left out, just as several Philles albums were left out of the box set. It was a golden opportunity horribly lost.

[kenneth]

@Gary, if you send me a photo of your "Stumble and Fall," I'd love to see it and will post it here. What a find!

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Okay. Thanks Kenny! Give me a few minutes!

[Boogiedown]

HI Gary! Still sifting through these 45s one by one as time allows! With my morning coffee this morning I'm getting a jolt listening to CHOPSTICKS ! Which is the "b" side to a lively MALAGUENA which got several disco remakes[[ for some reason) but its a tune that is so bland to me , each time I come across it I have a hard time recognizing it .


O well, I digress . Don't know who Ali Hassan is/was but he's helping me wake up this morning !

I didn't realize the Philles roster was as broad as it was.


https://soulfuldetroit.com/showthread.php?23932-quot-the-phil-spector-thread-quot

[Philles/Motown Gary]

HI Gary! Still sifting through these 45s one by one as time allows! With my morning coffee this morning I'm getting a jolt listening to CHOPSTICKS ! Which is the "b" side to a lively MALAGUENA which got several disco remakes[[ for some reason) but its a tune that is so bland to me , each time I come across it I have a hard time recognizing it .


O well, I digress . Don't know who Ali Hassan is/was but he's helping me wake up this morning !

I didn't realize the Philles roster was as broad as it was.


https://soulfuldetroit.com/showthread.php?23932-quot-the-phil-spector-thread-quot

Hi Boog! If you count the one song that Phil produced on The Alley Cats, Phil had 7 artists on the Philles roster. The other 3 were Lester Sill's doings. It's interesting to note that the worst of Sill's records was by Steve Douglas & His Merry Men -- the SAME Steve Douglas who was a member of The Wrecking Crew and who played the hot tenor sax solo on The Crystals' "He's A Rebel". I have no idea who Ali Hassan was, although I Googled him one day recently to discover that he's an American musician and not a bad-looking guy.

AL HAZAN Photo:
Al Hazan https://g.co/kgs/QP3FWR

He was one of Lester Sill's "contributions" to the Philles label, and one of the reasons Phil wanted Sill out of Philles. Actually, Ali Hazzan's recording isn't a bad one. It would just be better-suited on the Dot label [[along with Lawrence Welk and crew) -- but definitely NOT appropriate for Philles.

BTW, John, if you're only on Philles 103, you've got a ways to go! Hope your Philles journey will prove to be a powerful and exciting one!

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Hey John! You're not gonna believe this! I just discovered that Al Hazan is B Bumble & The Stingers! Remember "Nut Rocker" from 1962? What a small world!

B. BUMBLE & THE STINGERS
https://youtu.be/Op2U-qGUDkg

[motony]

Excellent thread. Next to MOTOWN, Phil Spector was my fave "record man" growing up.1964 & the Blossoms on Shindig..." .[[He's A)Quiet Guy" by Darlene Love was getting heavy air-play on all the Pop stations in Florida, I went that week end to buy the 45 and told not available yet, then Darlene got a solo spot on Shindig and did "Quiet Guy" then I hear it was withdrawn. I didn't hear "Stumble & Fall" til years later and "Quiet Guy" is so much better. I have recently bought what is suppose to be all the Shindig episodes but some are really bad condition and have seen both Fanita & Jean in solo spots, which I remembered from original broadcasts, but haven't ran across the Darlene "Quiet Guy" but I know I wasn't trippin.

[motony]

many years later I met a New Yorker that had a radio promo copy of the Darlene #123 and Quiet Guy was designated the A side.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Excellent thread. Next to MOTOWN, Phil Spector was my fave "record man" growing up.1964 & the Blossoms on Shindig..." .[[He's A)Quiet Guy" by Darlene Love was getting heavy air-play on all the Pop stations in Florida, I went that week end to buy the 45 and told not available yet, then Darlene got a solo spot on Shindig and did "Quiet Guy" then I hear it was withdrawn. I didn't hear "Stumble & Fall" til years later and "Quiet Guy" is so much better. I have recently bought what is suppose to be all the Shindig episodes but some are really bad condition and have seen both Fanita & Jean in solo spots, which I remembered from original broadcasts, but haven't ran across the Darlene "Quiet Guy" but I know I wasn't trippin.

Thanks, motony! I'm glad you're enjoying the Phil Spector/Philles thread! There's lots more good stuff to come! In fact, I'm working on Part B - "Complete Philles LP's" -- as we speak.

I'm pleasantly surprised to hear that Darlene's single was getting heavy airplay throughout Florida, and I'm equally surprised that it was the alleged B-side, "[[He's A) Quiet Guy", they were playing [[which, BTW, is one of Darlene's favorite Philles tracks)! It's funny, Phil almost always stuck those instrumentals on the B-sides to force airplay attention on the A-Side only. This time, he put two great tracks back-to-back on the same disc, with "Stumble And Fall" as the intended A-side, and first thing the DJ's do is flip it over to the B-side "Quiet Guy"! And, of course, when you went to the record store to buy it, it wasn't available yet because Phil had only pressed DJ Promo copies at the time, which he withdrew soon after when he and Darlene locked horns over the Shindig gig. [[Like you, I loved Shindig! I watched faithfully every week.) I'm surprised to learn that the NYC guy you met had a promo copy indicating that "Quiet Guy' was the intended A-side, and I'm equally surprised to hear that Darlene performed it on Shindig. My Promo copy of Darlene's Philles 123 has "Stumble And Fall" on one side and "[[He's A) Quiet Guy" on the other side. Both sides are marked "D.J. Copy Not For Sale", with no indication of the intended A-side. The Phil Spector books have always referred to "Stumble And Fall" as the A-side, which happens to be my preferred side, so that's what I've always gone by. Another oddity regarding this single is that, up until Darlene's Philles 123, Philles promo copies have always been white label with black PR logo. My DJ Promo copy is yellow/red, like a stock Philles copy, yet it clearly states "D.J. Copy, Not For Sale.

You'll get to see my NM Promo copy soon, I hope. Last night, just a few posts back, my buddy Kenny [[Kenneth) offered to post photos of it if I would send some to him, which I did immediately. "Stumble And Fall" b/w "[[He's A) Quiet Guy" is considered among the rarest and most valuable of all the Philles single releases. I was most fortunate to have found my copy in NM condition. It remains one of my pride & joys.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

many years later I met a New Yorker that had a radio promo copy of the Darlene #123 and Quiet Guy was designated the A side.

Motony, I'm gonna take a stab in the dark here. Was that NYC dealer with the Darlene Love Promo, by any chance, a guy named Howard Farber? He used to have a gigantic 45 and LP collection -- always in NM condition -- which he advertised regularly in Goldmine magazine. I used to buy a lot of records from him back in the '80s. If any dealer had a super-rare Philles promo copy, it would be him. A nice guy with records that would make your mouth water!

[kenneth]

Truly a beautiful item.

16094

16095

16096

16097

Considering we were talking about the B-sides, kind of surprising that this record had a legitimate vocal on the B-side, and a very good one at that. "Quiet Guy" is also a great song, though it lacks the excitement and that Wall of Sound quality that "Stumble and Fall" possesses.

What a beautiful record. It’s magnificent. Really mint condition. I bet it was never even played. Have you listened to it on your favorite RCA record player?

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Truly a beautiful item.

16094

16095

16096

16097

Considering we were talking about the B-sides, kind of surprising that this record had a legitimate vocal on the B-side, and a very good one at that. "Quiet Guy" is also a great song, though it lacks the excitement and that Wall of Sound quality that "Stumble and Fall" possesses.

What a beautiful record. It’s magnificent. Really mint condition. I bet it was never even played. Have you listened to it on your favorite RCA record player?

Kenny, thanks for posting the photos of my Darlene Love "Stumble And Fall" 45. It's among the rarest of the rare Philles 45s and I consider myself very fortunate to have found it in NM condition. I may have been eating hot dogs and beans for a while afterward, but it was worth every penny spent. Thanks again for offering to upload them, Buddy! They came out looking great!

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Truly a beautiful

What a beautiful record. It's magnificent. Really mint condition. I bet it was never even played. Have you listened to it on your favorite RCA record player?

Yeah, Kenny, my copy of "Stumble And Fall" was unplayed. And, yes, I've played it and ALL of my Philles 45 collection on both of my restored 1950s RCA 45-EY2 and RCA 6-EY2 45 changers. The records look cooler than heck while they're playing, and they still look unplayed.

[WaitingWatchingLookingForAChance]

OH YEAH! Excellent thread, Gary! I've been working some overtime at work, coming home later than usual. I want to wait til Friday night or Saturday when I can really relax, take my sweet time enjoying your hard work here. You've put a large smile on my tired face and brought a bit of a spring to my aching bones tonight! Can't wait for the weekend to take all of this in...

[Philles/Motown Gary]

OH YEAH! Excellent thread, Gary! I've been working some overtime at work, coming home later than usual. I want to wait til Friday night or Saturday when I can really relax, take my sweet time enjoying your hard work here. You've put a large smile on my tired face and brought a bit of a spring to my aching bones tonight! Can't wait for the weekend to take all of this in...
Thanks, Waiting! And you've just made my day! I'm currently working on Part B - "The Complete Philles LP Releases", complete with audio for each track. Hoping to have it ready by this weekend, but it's taking a bit longer than expected. If I don't finish it in time for the weekend, it will be soon after. I have many more fun ideas in mind which I'm sure you'll enjoy! In the meantime, hope you enjoy the "Complete Philles 45 Releases" as much as I've enjoyed preparing it for you.

[motony]

The "promo" copy I saw of Stumble & Fall & Quiet Guy was white & had two stars printed on the Quiet Guy side. This is the first time I've seen the regular Philles label 45 of it. Amazing. The local radio I called at the time told me that had been told to stop playing the record "Quiet Guy" as it was withdrawn from the market. As you know, the Crystals first record "Oh Yea, Maybe Baby" was intended to be the A side & djs flipped it to "Theres No Other" thats why Phil said he put those throw away instrumentals on the back after that happened. The Crystals told me that some promoters would tell them to please bring their instruments with them to play, LOL

[kenneth]

The "promo" copy I saw of Stumble & Fall & Quiet Guy was white & had two stars printed on the Quiet Guy side. This is the first time I've seen the regular Philles label 45 of it. Amazing. The local radio I called at the time told me that had been told to stop playing the record "Quiet Guy" as it was withdrawn from the market. As you know, the Crystals first record "Oh Yea, Maybe Baby" was intended to be the A side & djs flipped it to "Theres No Other" thats why Phil said he put those throw away instrumentals on the back after that happened. The Crystals told me that some promoters would tell them to please bring their instruments with them to play, LOL

So that would mean that "Quiet Guy" was the intended A-side, wouldn't it?

That's funny that the promoters would think the Crystals were a self-contained band!

[Philles/Motown Gary]

The "promo" copy I saw of Stumble & Fall & Quiet Guy was white & had two stars printed on the Quiet Guy side. This is the first time I've seen the regular Philles label 45 of it. Amazing. The local radio I called at the time told me that had been told to stop playing the record "Quiet Guy" as it was withdrawn from the market. As you know, the Crystals first record "Oh Yea, Maybe Baby" was intended to be the A side & djs flipped it to "Theres No Other" thats why Phil said he put those throw away instrumentals on the back after that happened. The Crystals told me that some promoters would tell them to please bring their instruments with them to play, LOL

ROTFL!!!! "Bring their instruments with them"!!! Ha! Now THAT'S FUNNY!!! HaHaHaHaHaaaaaaa!!! Yeah, I was baffled to see my yellow/red Promo copy instead of the usual white/black Promo label, which may explain its exhorbitant price. Doesn't matter. Either way, I Iove it as it is. It's really odd that the white/black "Quiet Guy" copy you saw had the 2 stars on the intended B-side. On the first "Rare Masters" LP [["Vol. 5 Wall Of Sound" series on Phil Spector International Records), it states that "[[He's A) Quiet Guy" was the intended "flip side of 'Stumble And Fall". If you'll notice in the video for Steve Douglas & His Merry Men's "Yes Sir, That's My Baby" [[Philles 104) on the "Complete Philles 45 Discography), my white/black Promo 'Script' label copy has the DJ's writing on the wrong side as well, as "Colonel Bogey's Parade" was the intended A-side. Doesn't matter. It probably didn't get any airplay anyway!

Yeah, ""Oh Yeah, Maybe Baby" was Phil's intended A-side" of "There's No Other", and The Righteous Brothers' "Unchained Melody" was Phil's intended B-side of "Hung On You". I guess there was some method to Phil's madness when he put those little instrumentals on the Philles' B-sides!

[Boogiedown]

The "promo" copy I saw of Stumble & Fall & Quiet Guy was white & had two stars printed on the Quiet Guy side. This is the first time I've seen the regular Philles label 45 of it. Amazing. The local radio I called at the time told me that had been told to stop playing the record "Quiet Guy" as it was withdrawn from the market. As you know, the Crystals first record "Oh Yea, Maybe Baby" was intended to be the A side & djs flipped it to "Theres No Other" thats why Phil said he put those throw away instrumentals on the back after that happened. The Crystals told me that some promoters would tell them to please bring their instruments with them to play, LOL


Philles/Motown Gary:

Yeah, ""Oh Yeah, Maybe Baby" was Phil's intended A-side" of "There's No Other", and The Righteous Brothers' "Unchained Melody" was Phil's intended B-side of "Hung On You". I guess there was some method to Phil's madness when he put those little instrumentals on the Philles' B-sides!


Very interesting . I can see why Phil would be upset :"OH YEAH MAYBE BABY" is his introduction to the world of his upcoming 'wall of sound' sound while THERE'S NO OTHER was more of a safe throw back to what others had done.
[[When did record companies start sub-labeling their 45's to give the program directors a clue as to which side was the chosen play side?)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLyCmu7MvEE&feature=youtu.be


Gary I can feel the holy grailness of your STUMBLE AND FALL 45. It's beautiful .

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Thanks, Kenny! That, and my super-rare white/black Promo copy of "A Christmas Gift For You From Philles Records" are my 2 "Holy Grails" in my Philles collection. Of course, the Philles Promo copy of the Christmas LP is worth even more than the "Stumble And Fall" Philles 45.

As far as record companies labeling which side of a 45 is the "plug" side, they've been doing that for years in one form or other. Sometimes they'd use printed stars, as motony pointed out. Sometimes they'd have the intended A-side on both sides of the record -- one in Mono, the other in Stereo. Columbia Records had a great big letter "A" on the plug side indicating "Audition" side for radio DJ's. There are surely additional examples of indicating the plug side, but that's all that comes to mind at the moment. There is one way, however, that I discovered on my own over the years. On the record label, there is a small set of numbers [[often located near the actual record catalog #). As a hypothetical example, the A-side's numbers might be 80231; the numbers on the B-side would be 80232. That's how I learned to decipher the intended A-side. Now that I've said it, there are probably exceptions to that rule!

[kenneth]

Thanks, Kenny! That, and my super-rare white/black Promo copy of "A Christmas Gift For You From Philles Records" are my 2 "Holy Grails" in my Philles collection. Of course, the Philles Promo copy of the Christmas LP is worth even more than the "Stumble And Fall" Philles 45.

As far as record companies labeling which side of a 45 is the "plug" side, they've been doing that for years in one form or other. Sometimes they'd use printed stars, as motony pointed out. Sometimes they'd have the intended A-side on both sides of the record -- one in Mono, the other in Stereo. Columbia Records had a great big letter "A" on the plug side indicating "Audition" side for radio DJ's. There are surely additional examples of indicating the plug side, but that's all that comes to mind at the moment. There is one way, however, that I discovered on my own over the years. On the record label, there is a small set of numbers [[often located near the actual record catalog #). As a hypothetical example, the A-side's numbers might be 80231; the numbers on the B-side would be 80232. That's how I learned to decipher the intended A-side. Now that I've said it, there are probably exceptions to that rule!

Hey Gar, it was boogiedown who made the "holy grail" comparison, though I agree! I wasn't sure if you meant that for me or boogiedown.

Interesting though about how the A-side was designated. I love piecing together these old ways of doing things. It's fascinating.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Very interesting . I can see why Phil would be upset :"OH YEAH MAYBE BABY" is his introduction to the world of his upcoming 'wall of sound' sound while THERE'S NO OTHER was more of a safe throw back to what others had done.
[[When did record companies start sub-labeling their 45's to give the program directors a clue as to which side was the chosen play side?)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLyCmu7MvEE&feature=youtu.be


Gary I can feel the holy grailness of your STUMBLE AND FALL 45. It's beautiful .

John, I'm sorry! I just replied to your post thinking it was Kenny who complimented my Holy Grail and the question about when they started indicating which side of a record was the plug side. I apologize for that. Again, great post! Thanks so much for that! Maybe I can get Kenny to post a photo of my Promo Philles Christmas LP. It's the "Holiest" of my Philles "Grail"!

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Hey Gar, it was boogiedown who made the "holy grail" comparison, though I agree! I wasn't sure if you meant that for me or boogiedown.

Interesting though about how the A-side was designated. I love piecing together these old ways of doing things. It's fascinating.
I know, Kenny! Just another one of many senior moments! I've already apologized to John for my error and thanked him for his excellent post.

You're right, Kenny - from a fan's standpoint, the record business has been fascinating! Over the years, we've learned what went on behind the scenes at the record companies, and also at the actual recording sessions. Then there are the various pressings and label variations of the records themselves, with entire books devoted to the latter alone. We've lived a good life musically. What do today's upcoming music fans have? A download. Thank goodness we grew up when we did!

[Boogiedown]

ha ! no foul no harm!

Hey Gary, when I mentioned my overall tepid enthusiasm for MALAGUANA , I wondered if you might try and set me straight with a rousing version by Billy Vaughn! !

Oh another name I see that I find interesting here in the Philles documents .....Gene Pitney ! So much to discuss !!

[motony]

Patricia Wright was the lead singer on "Oh Yea, Maybe Baby" as all the Crystals could sing.When I met the group the first time in 1971 it was Barbara, Dee Dee & Mary. Thats when I first had bad thoughts about Phil because they told me they got $5,000. out of him after "Theres' No Other" AND "Uptown" hit...they marched up to his office & told him they would not record anymore until he paid them...they went straight to his bank & cashed the check. They said "thank GOD he was not our manager" because they did real good on LIVE engagements.Phil wanted to control everything he was mad at them & thats why he went to Calif. & did "he's A Rebel" they said they were on their way to an engagement when they hear it on the radio & luckily Gene Pitney was on the same show & taught them the song because he wrote it for them but somehow the publisher had offered it to Snuff Garrett & Phil at the same time.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

ha ! no foul no harm!

Hey Gary, when I mentioned my overall tepid enthusiasm for MALAGUANA , I wondered if you might try and set me straight with a rousing version by Billy Vaughn! !

Oh another name I see that I find interesting here in the Philles documents .....Gene Pitney ! So much to discuss !!

Hey Boogie! I just searched my word Processing Playlist through ALL 50+ of my Billy Vaughn CDs and each and every track on ALL of them. Billy was the king of cover versions, and he did them really well, too, but to my surprise, "Malaguena" is one song he did not release.

However, I DO have a version of "Malaguena" for you which, I can almost bet money on, you won't find boring nor tepid. It's by Connie Francis -- another one of my favorite 1950's-'60s [[MGM) recording artists. The video doesn't go with the music, but the poster provided many great photos and video moments of Connie from back in the day

https://youtu.be/VdlBmnRd7vc

Phil produced "Every Breath I Take" on Gene Pitney during the pre-Philles days before Phil developed his style and his Girl Group "Wall Of Sound". And then, after Phil established Philles, Gene Pitney wrote The Crystals' "He's A Rebel". Other than that, I know that Gene had some really nice radio hits like "Only Love Can Break A Heart", 'Town Without Pity", "Half Heaven, Half Heartache", etc. But, other than that, I don't know much about him. Sounds like he's one of your favorites?

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Patricia Wright was the lead singer on "Oh Yea, Maybe Baby" as all the Crystals could sing.When I met the group the first time in 1971 it was Barbara, Dee Dee & Mary. Thats when I first had bad thoughts about Phil because they told me they got $5,000. out of him after "Theres' No Other" AND "Uptown" hit...they marched up to his office & told him they would not record anymore until he paid them...they went straight to his bank & cashed the check. They said "thank GOD he was not our manager" because they did real good on LIVE engagements.Phil wanted to control everything he was mad at them & thats why he went to Calif. & did "he's A Rebel" they said they were on their way to an engagement when they hear it on the radio & luckily Gene Pitney was on the same show & taught them the song because he wrote it for them but somehow the publisher had offered it to Snuff Garrett & Phil at the same time.

Yeah, that's right, Motony. The Phil Spector books all confirm that. Unfortunately, it was the norm back then. The record companies didn't pay the artists any more than they had to. As Mary Weiss of The Shangri-Las said, and I've heard Ronnie Ronette say it, too, they weren't even thinking about money back then. For them, it was all fun and games at the time -- making records, wearing cool stage attire, plus the thrill of performing live on stage to the audiences' applause. They were having a ball, and they were just thrilled to be a part of it. When the girls did need the money, they had to fight to get it. It doesn't make it right, but it was a sign of the times -- not just with Phil.

[Boogiedown]

Hey Boogie! I just searched my word Processing Playlist through ALL 50+ of my Billy Vaughn CDs and each and every track on ALL of them. Billy was the king of cover versions, and he did them really well, too, but to my surprise, "Malaguena" is one song he did not release.

However, I DO have a version of "Malaguena" for you which, I can almost bet money on, you won't find boring nor tepid. It's by Connie Francis -- another one of my favorite 1950's-'60s [[MGM) recording artists. The video doesn't go with the music, but the poster provided many great photos and video moments of Connie from back in the day


Very kind of you Gary to search through fifty Billy Vaughn CDs .... [[you have fifty!?)....in the hopes of a MALAGUENA cover. You shouldn't do that!!

And yes Connie 's version is anything but boring or tepid. And --- Can I just leave it at that? :rolleyes:


<sub>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HROT1ZdDpzo




Phil produced "Every Breath I Take" on Gene Pitney during the pre-Philles days before Phil developed his style and his Girl Group "Wall Of Sound". And then, after Phil established Philles, Gene Pitney wrote The Crystals' "He's A Rebel". Other than that, I know that Gene had some really nice radio hits like "Only Love Can Break A Heart", 'Town Without Pity", "Half Heaven, Half Heartache", etc. But, other than that, I don't know much about him. Sounds like he's one of your favorites?

Not a specific favorite, but i respect his work .

And so much of this information is circular and interlocking :

For instance, Gene Pitney's biggest hit was ONLY LOVE CAN BREAK A HEART. It peaked at #2. By doing a little research , wiki!:p, guess what I discovered was the song that was blocking his ascent to #1?:confused:
And Gene would never get as close to a #1 again.

--- Not trying to sound like an expert at all, but also from reading some at wiki
and for
Motony ,it looks like Pitney first wrote HES A REBEL for The Shirelles , who turned it down.:)

One last thing . We lost Ali Hassan only months ago. RIP.

[robb_k]

I was afraid somebody might ask that, 144man! HaHa! The truth is, the majority of music on those subsidiary labels was so substandard, they mean nothing to me, although I do have some of them in my 45 collection -- just-to-have for the sake of having one each of those 45 labels [[minus Annette). Phil spent so much time and loving care on each of the Philles recordings, it's hard to believe that he could release such 2nd-rate schlock on those subsidiary labels [[Phil Spector Records, Annette [[honoring his first wife), Shirley [[honoring his sister), and Phi-Dan [[honoring Danny Davis, who was Phil's promotions man). Maybe they provided Phil with a tax write-off? Who knows. Now that I've finished the Philles 45 Discography, let me concentrate on providing you with the Philles LP's Discography followed by the Unreleased Philles tracks. Then I'll see what I can do for you with the subsidiary labels. Sound good?
16099
I wouldn't leave several Phil Spector and Phi-Dan issues off of a Philles biographical discography. Both Veronica 45s on Phil Spector records, and many cuts by various artists released on Phi-Dan were worthy of inclusion in The Philles canon, like "Why Can't They let us Fall In Love". Some of the Phi-Dan cuts are among my favourites.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Very kind of you Gary to search through fifty Billy Vaughn CDs ....fifty..in the hopes of a MALAGUANA cover. You shouldn't do that!!

And yes Connie 's version is anything but boring or tepid. And --- Can I just leave it at that? :rolleyes:


<sub>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HROT1ZdDpzo



Not a particular favorite, but i respect his work .

And so much of this information is so circular:

For instance, Gene Pitney's biggest hit was ONLY LOVE CAN BREAK A HEART . It peaked at #2 . By doing a little research , wiki!:p, guess what I discovered was the song that was blocking his ascent to #1?:confused:
And Gene would never get as close to a #1 again.

--- Not trying to sound like an expert at all, but also from reading some at wiki
and for
Motony ,it looks like Pitney first wrote HES A REBEL for The Shirelles , who turned it down.:)
Thanks for the praise, John, but my word processor did all the work! You see, whenever I get a new CD, I enter the artist's name, the title of the CD, and each of the track titles in the CD. [[I have to do this. With 5,000-6,000 CDs in my collection, it's the only way I can keep track of what I have. Lord help me if my PC or my external hard drive ever conks out.) Anyway, with 50+ Billy Vaughn CDs in my collection, they are represented in 50 separate Billy Vaughn entries in my word Processing CD Playlist aling with the tracklist within each entry. All I had to do search for the word "Malaguena" and it will either locate it -- or tell me that nothing was found -- in about one second. It's super fast. Of course, if the word Malaguena is within my CD Playlist but it's spelled wrong, the search engine won't recognize it. I hope that wasn't the case. But Billy Vaughn was so very, very prolific throughout his career, I'm almost shocked that he didn't cover that song -- especially on his album of Latin American hits. I looked at that entry manually, but "Malaguena" wasn't on that CD.

You didn't like Connie's version, I take it. I'm not crazy about that kind of music, either, but I do love Connie's regular pop hits. She's another one who had 50+ albums. Her popularity was huge world-wide.

Yeah, I had forgotten that The Shirelles turned down "He's A Rebel". I'm glad they did, as The Crystal's were much better singers and had much better pitch. If things had happened any differently, Philles Records might have never happened. [[I take it Gene Pitney's record was kept out of the #1 chart position by "He's A Rebel"? Ha!
That's almost funny! I'll bet he cried all the way to the bank!

Please don't ever apologize for sharing what you know, John. To a degree, we're all experts in the music that we know and love. For me, it's Philles and Motown, and a few other categories. That's the neat thing about SDF. We all come here to learn and to share in the expertise. You've never come off like a know-it-all. I don't think anyone here does. In fact, I admire people who can teach me even more about the music that I love.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

16099
I wouldn't leave several Phil Spector and Phi-Dan issues off of a Philles biographical discography. Both Veronica 45s on Phil Spector records, and many cuts by various artists released on Phi-Dan were worthy of inclusion in The Philles canon, like "Why Can't They let us Fall In Love". Some of the Phi-Dan cuts are among my favourites.
Don't worry, Robb, they're coming. I'm concentrating on that which I love which is just Philles proper at the moment. I'm working on Part B - the "Complete Philles LPs" as we speak. [[One Veronica single you mentioned is included on The Ronettes "Presenting The Fabulous Ronettes" LP; and the other tracks you mentioned will be included in Part C - "Rare And Unreleased Philles", as in the "Rare Masters" albums "Plus".) Sooner or later, it will all be incorporated into my Phil Spector thread, including A&M and WarnerSpector. And then there's Phil Spector International! There's just so much of it which takes time and planning on my part. I'll do the subsidiary labels as a Part D after Part C is compiled and presented. Just try to be patient and stay tuned!

[Boogiedown]

deleted. too far off topic :).

[Philles/Motown Gary]

I can hear what you're saying, Boog -- in the middle part, especially if you're hearing it from a room away -- they sound very similar. I wonder if that would work in reverse? If I were to hear White Rabbit from a room away, would it remind me of "Connie's "Malaguena"? Interesting! Too bad you're not here. You could test me with it one day when I least expect it! Ha!!!

[kenneth]

Well now I’m wondering what that deleted post said. And just by the way though it doesn’t really matter as far as this thread goes, I love Connie Francis‘s version of malaguena! But I love almost anything Connie Francis does anyway especially on her foreign language LPs.

[144man]

I know I'm going too far off-topic, but, while we're on the subject of Connie Francis, I can never resist the opportunity to mention her "Don't Ever Leave Me", written and produced by Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Deleted post? The only thing I can think of is when I tested a few lines from Part B - the "Complete Philles LP Discography" -- which I'm currently working on -- to see how the line endings were coming out, as I didn't want them wrapping sloppily onto the next line. So I tested a few lines' worth in a newly-created post and then deleted them. I didn't know that you could see a deletion on your end. [[For some reason, on my Smartphone, when I post something and then discover a typo or a better way I could have worded it, I've always revised it to make it perfect. Lately, however, it won't let me do that. It only gives me the option to delete the post, so I used it to my advantage to test the line endings and then deleted my test. Sorry about that. Now that I know you can see that deletion on your end, I won't do it again.

Yeah, I love Connie, too, Kenny. She could sing anything. I'm not particularly fond of foreign-language recordings, but Connie's three Italian albums are gorgeous.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

I know I'm going too far off-topic, but, while we're on the subject of Connie Francis, I can never resist the opportunity to mention her "Don't Ever Leave Me", written and produced by Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry.
Oh, yeah, for sure, 144man! "Don't Ever Leave Me" was Connie's best girl-group record EVER!

CONNIE FRANCIS - "Don't Ever Leave Me"
https://youtu.be/UcPgIoZzNEI

Jeff & Ellie wrote a ton of great material for Phil Spector as well as for girl-group label Red Bird and other label's artists, i.e., Connie Francis, Lesley Gore's "Girl Talk" LP, etc.

[Boogiedown]

Oh dear . Now I've made a bigger mess on your thread Gary. Exactly what i wanted to avoid.
I woke up in the middle of the night regretting I was diverting the topic too far from what you're working so hard on. So I got up out of bed turned on the computer and deleted my post to help keep us on track.
That's what Kenny was referring to .

[Philles/Motown Gary]

deleted. too far off topic :).

Oh, okay, John, so it's YOUR deleted post Kenny was referring to, not mine! No problem. Yeah, the "White Rabbit" post was kinda out-there; but hey -- when we're talking about music that we love, it's easy to get momentarily side-tracked. Some of the best conversations happen that way. If people don't like it, they can just skip on to the next post to where the original topic is back on track.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Oh dear . Now I've made a bigger mess on your thread Gary. Exactly what i wanted to avoid.
I woke up in the middle of the night regretting I was diverting the topic too far from what you're working so hard on. So I got up out of bed turned on the computer and deleted my post to help keep us on track.
That's what Kenny was referring to .

Yeah, I figured that out. Bless your heart, man! You didn't have to go through all that! But it shows you were being conscientious and considerate, and I appreciate that! Thanks!

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Philles fans, Kenny has offered to upload the photos of my most prized Philles possession -- the super-rare NM, white/black PR-logo Promo version of "A Christmas Gift For You From Philles Records". Stay tuned!

[144man]

Oh, yeah, for sure, 144man! "Don't Ever Leave Me" was Connie's best girl-group record EVER!

CONNIE FRANCIS - "Don't Ever Leave Me"
https://youtu.be/UcPgIoZzNEI

Jeff & Ellie wrote a ton of great material for Phil Spector as well as for girl-group label Red Bird and other label's artists, i.e., Connie Francis, Lesley Gore's "Girl Talk" LP, etc.

You won't be surprised to hear that I used to collect the Red Bird and Blue Cat labels.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Not at all surprised, 144man! I, too, have most of the Red Bird output on CD, and also some favorites of those titles on NM 45s. There are still a few super-rare, elusive Red Bird titles that I was never able to find, but that's okay. Can no longer afford to buy them now anyway! But that was a great girl-group label. Jeff & Ellie and Shadow Morton embraced it and made it their own. It was a shame that George Goldner gambled it all away.

[kenneth]

Philles fans, Kenny has offered to upload the photos of my most prized Philles possession -- the super-rare NM, white/black PR-logo Promo version of "A Christmas Gift For You From Philles Records". Stay tuned!

Yes, that way for a moment, I can pretend at least via the ether, I had them myself!

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Yes, that way for a moment, I can pretend at least via the ether, I had them myself!

Yeah, Kenny, you can enjoy my Philles vinyl vicariously through my photos!

We've decided that Kenny will wait and upload the Promo Christmas LP photos when I submit the new Part B - "Complete Philles LP Disccography" which is nearly completed. They will be more appropriate there rather than here in the "Complete Philles 45 Discography".

[Boogiedown]

With the recent passing of Peter Fonda [[RIP), I heard it mentioned that Phil Spector was in the movie EASY RIDER . He was billed as " The Connection":


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXBAgAxn1x4

[Philles/Motown Gary]

With the recent passing of Peter Fonda [[RIP), I heard it mentioned that Phil Spector was in the movie EASY RIDER . He was billed as " The Connection":


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXBAgAxn1x4

Thanks for that timely piece, John. Believe it or not, as much as I love Phil Spector, I've never seen this movie scene before. I knew it existed, and I have a photo of Phil's coke-sniffing scene in the Christmas card he sent me back around 1969 in which it says, "A little snow never hurt anybody." But, the actual movie scene itself, no -- not until now.

[mysterysinger]

Loving this thread [[I knew I would).

Apart from 1, all the Philles albums are available on mini-LP CDs as well as the Ike & Tina and The Checkmates offerings from the A&M days. The missing one, "Lenny Bruce is Out Again" does seem to be available as an mp3 download from Amazon though.

[mysterysinger]

At the risk of digressing [[a little) this version of "Spanish Harlem" by Phil, for me, is probably the best.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8AAooEiZgE

[mysterysinger]

And I also love those Paris Sisters "What Am I To Do" etc...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sm5BDTbnIM

[Philles/Motown Gary]

At the risk of digressing [[a little) this version of "Spanish Harlem" by Phil, for me, is probably the best.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8AAooEiZgE
Hi mysterysinger! Yeah, Phil does an amazingly nice job on this demo. I wonder if it was meant as a demo for the version that Phil produced on Sonny Charles & The Checkmates which I'm also very fond of.

https://youtu.be/Yy9GK4zdivE

Glad to hear you're enjoying the Phil Spector thread so far! There's lots more fun Philles stuff to come!

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Loving this thread [[I knew I would).

Apart from 1, all the Philles albums are available on mini-LP CDs as well as the Ike & Tina and The Checkmates offerings from the A&M days. The missing one, "Lenny Bruce is Out Again" does seem to be available as an mp3 download from Amazon though.

I have the three Righteous Brothers Philles CDs sold separately from the Philles LP box set. I also have a Lenny Bruce 2-fer CD which includes the entirety of the "Is Out Again" show of which Phil included only a portion on The Philles LP. I wasn't aware that the 2 A&M albums have been RE-reissued on CD. [[I have the 2 original CD releases. I may have to look into them if the new ones are indeed remastered.)

[mysterysinger]

These are my mini-LPs. Not sure about re-mastering I'll have to listen again. I do know the Checkmates one [[and maybe Ike & Tina) was also re-issued by Hip-o-Select so they could well be re-mastered. Mine are the Japan versions.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cookephotography/albums/72157683687804772

[Philles/Motown Gary]

They're beautiful, mysterysinger! I have them all in the small cardboard album material except for the two A&M titles, of which mine are just the regular CD packaging from several years back.

[144man]

At the risk of digressing [[a little) this version of "Spanish Harlem" by Phil, for me, is probably the best.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8AAooEiZgE

Hearing this for the first time is really painful to me. How can anyone so talented screw up their life so badly?

[robb_k]

So that would mean that "Quiet Guy" was the intended A-side, wouldn't it?
That's funny that the promoters would think the Crystals were a self-contained band!
16111
I've always liked "He's a Quiet Guy" much, much, much more than "Stumble and Fall". It became my favourite [[by far) Philles record upon my first listen.

[robb_k]

Don't worry, Robb, they're coming. I'm concentrating on that which I love which is just Philles proper at the moment. I'm working on Part B - the "Complete Philles LPs" as we speak. [[One Veronica single you mentioned is included on The Ronettes "Presenting The Fabulous Ronettes" LP; and the other tracks you mentioned will be included in Part C - "Rare And Unreleased Philles", as in the "Rare Masters" albums "Plus".) Sooner or later, it will all be incorporated into my Phil Spector thread, including A&M and WarnerSpector. And then there's Phil Spector International! There's just so much of it which takes time and planning on my part. I'll do the subsidiary labels as a Part D after Part C is compiled and presented. Just try to be patient and stay tuned!
16112
Well, I have ALL of them on the original records in at least near mint shape, and all of the previously unreleased that were released later [[early 1970s?) on facsimile Philles labels. So, I can hear them whenever I want, anyway. But, it's nice to hear that your project will be complete.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Hearing this for the first time is really painful to me. How can anyone so talented screw up their life so badly?

I know, 144man. It's such a shame. Despite that massive talent, sometimes Phil was his own worst enemy, and, unfortunately, it all caught up with him.

[Boogiedown]

Hi mysterysinger! Yeah, Phil does an amazingly nice job on this demo. I wonder if it was meant as a demo for the version that Phil produced on Sonny Charles & The Checkmates which I'm also very fond of.

https://youtu.be/Yy9GK4zdivE

!

Does it not need to be said that Phil had a hand in the writing of this song? Listening to it, the percussive spoons [[?) , the sweeping strings, seems like working on this song in 1960 might've helped steer Phil's sound into what it would become?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3X69vrvkPY

Incredibly , SPANISH HARLEM was another b side on a 45 that got flipped !!

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Does it not need to be said that Phil had a hand in the writing of this song? Listening to it, the percussive spoons [[?) , the sweeping strings, seems like working on this song in 1960 might've helped steer Phil's sound into what it would become?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3X69vrvkPY

Incredibly , SPANISH HARLEM was another b side on a 45 that got flipped !!

Absolutely, John. Phil had a flair for writing and/or producing records with a Baion beat both pre-Philles and early Philles like "Spanish Harlem", "Save The Last Dance For Me," "On Broadway", "Uptown", etc.

[Boogiedown]

Absolutely, John. Phil had a flair for writing and/or producing records with a Baion beat both pre-Philles and early Philles like "Spanish Harlem", "Save The Last Dance For Me," "On Broadway", "Uptown", etc.
Are you saying that Phil had a history with the song SAVE THE LAST DANCE... before recording it with Tina Turner?


and backing up a bit , concerning Connie Francis, first of all her MALAGUENA has now somewhat grown on me :)!, [[although I keep drifting into Ricky Ricardo's BABALU at times as I listen!lol!)....but also Phil produced one [[?) song [[how does that happen?) for her in 1962 and it went top ten [[#7) :


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXNkL5ZgyIY

A very restrained Spector on that one , nothing signature about it , almost a walk in the park. Is she trying to compete with Patsy Cline with this one perhaps ?

and I had to look up Baion , Gary , that's a new term for me!

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Are you saying that Phil had a history with the song SAVE THE LAST DANCE... before recording it with Tina Turner?


and backing up a bit , concerning Connie Francis, first of all her MALAGUENA has now somewhat grown on me :)!, [[although I keep drifting into Ricky Ricardo's BABALU at times as I listen!lol!)....but also Phil produced one [[?) song [[how does that happen?) for her in 1962 and it went top ten [[#7) :


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXNkL5ZgyIY

A very restrained Spector on that one , nothing signature about it , almost a walk in the park. Is she trying to compete with Patsy Cline with this one perhaps ?

and I had to look up Baion , Gary , that's a new term for me!

Can't say for sure, John. Although Phil wasn't given producer credit for The Drifters' "Save The Last Dance For Me", fans have wondered for years if he was involved, as its overall sound is reflective of other pre-Philles recordings with which Phil was involved.

Yeah, Phil was reportedly the producer on Connie Francis' "Second-Hand Love". It's never discussed much, and in Connie's "Who's Sorry Now" autobiography from the '80s, she discusses many of her releases in detail, although, if memory serves, she never mentions Phil Spector. In fact, Connie was so prolific in her various styles of music, and she was so successful as her albums and singles sold like hotcakes the world over, MGM allowed Connie to choose her own LP tracklists. They even let her produce her own recording sessions, which was unheard of back then for a female singer, although Connie was never credited as producer on any of her releases. If she produced her own sessions, why would she need Phil's help? And the Phil Spector books never discuss it at all, either, other than to list Connie's "Second-Hand Love" in a long list of Phil's productions. I think everybody remains stumped on that one, especially since Connie's record, beautiful as it is, doesn't contain any of Phil's signature traits.

Connie recorded 3 country LPs with MGM -- one as a duet album with a very young Hank William's, Jr. [[who was also an MGM artist), and then two country-pop LPs of her own at the height of her early-60s career [[both of which were very appealing). I'm sure that Connie wasn't trying to compete with Patsy Cline nor with anyone. She had no need to. Connie's career was going strong on her own. When Country music started going pop, Connie jumped on the bandwagon -- and very successfully, too.

I wish I could take credit for coming up with the Baion terminology, Boog, but the books have all referred to Phil's attraction to a Baion arrangement in some of his pre-Philles and early Philles productions. Still, I'm glad that this old dog was able to teach you a new trick! HaHa!

[mysterysinger]

Not Baion [[and not the greatest vocal) but another Phil Spector demo for "I Can Hear Music" with piano and vocal...


https://uk.video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?fr=mcafee&p=youtube+phil+spector+demo#id=40&vid=96fcf5c1b81ba5b2a831bfa4149a24a4&action=click

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Not Baion [[and not the greatest vocal) but another Phil Spector demo for "I Can Hear Music" with piano and vocal...


https://uk.video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?fr=mcafee&p=youtube+phil+spector+demo#id=40&vid=96fcf5c1b81ba5b2a831bfa4149a24a4&action=click

Mystery, when I tried to open the link, it was a message from Oath, wanting me to grant them permission to invade my computer. There's no way I was gonna grant them that permission, so I checked YouTube and found this version of Phil singing "I Can Hear Music". Is this the same one that you posted?

https://youtu.be/CaXAPj1CDh8

[Boogiedown]

Can't say for sure, John. Although Phil wasn't given producer credit for The Drifters' "Save The Last Dance For Me", fans have wondered for years if he was involved, as its overall sound is reflective of other pre-Philles recordings with which Phil was involved.

Yeah, Phil was reportedly the producer on Connie Francis' "Second-Hand Love". It's never discussed much, and in Connie's "Who's Sorry Now" autobiography from the '80s, she discusses many of her releases in detail, although, if memory serves, she never mentions Phil Spector. In fact, Connie was so prolific in her various styles of music, and she was so successful as her albums and singles sold like hotcakes the world over, MGM allowed Connie to choose her own LP tracklists. They even let her produce her own recording sessions, which was unheard of back then for a female singer, although Connie was never credited as producer on any of her releases. If she produced her own sessions, why would she need Phil's help? And the Phil Spector books never discuss it at all, either, other than to list Connie's "Second-Hand Love" in a long list of Phil's productions. I think everybody remains stumped on that one, especially since Connie's record, beautiful as it is!, doesn't contain any of Phil's signature traits.

I see! Well one thing is certain, looking at the song's label, Spector was involved in writing the song [[or was credited for such) with Hank Hunter , a name I've noticed as sharing other writing credits with Spector.

https://i.ebayimg.com/thumbs/images/g/rEYAAOSw7e5bMgoD/s-l225.jpg

the arranger is credited as being Mike Lewis and it must be his style we are hearing on the record, don't you think?
Connie was quite a star wasn't she , another favorite for you Gary?

[Philles/Motown Gary]

I see! Well one thing is certain, looking at the song's label, Spector was involved in writing the song [[or was credited for such) with Hank Hunter , a name I've noticed as sharing other writing credits with Spector.

https://i.ebayimg.com/thumbs/images/g/rEYAAOSw7e5bMgoD/s-l225.jpg

the arranger is credited as being Mike Lewis and it must be his style we are hearing on the record, don't you think?
Connie was quite a star wasn't she , another favorite for you Gary?

You've been noticing Hank Hunter's name with Phil's! I knew that listing the writers' credits would be beneficial for somebody!

I can't read the credits on the yellow promo MGM label you provided, but when I pulled up the shiny black MGM stock copy, it doesn't list an arranger. [[See attached link.)
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F33 3127297524
If Mike Lewis is credited as Arranger, it's probably true, although if Connie did the actual producing, she probably reserved the right to override the arranger's charts. I wish I knew the extent to which Connie produced her records but I don't. I do know that Connie had a ton of hits, all of which were high quality. She also recorded her albums and singles in several different languages which increased her worldwide popularity.

And, yes, John, I Iove Connie Francis! I have all of her 50+ albums of which most are on CD.

[Boogiedown]

So Gary, some of your tastes are retro , before your time , like Connie Francis and Billy Vaughn. Others? And your interest in them was/is enough to go at 'em in a big way. I admire that. :) How many artists do you collect this extensively? Your collection must be phenomenal as a result.


Hey, I got the Mike Lewis info from discogs :

https://www.discogs.com/composition/f6f95f0e-a946-4688-8390-d955ba444dad-Second-Hand-Love [[https://www.discogs.com/composition/f6f95f0e-a946-4688-8390-d955ba444dad-Second-Hand-Love)

[Philles/Motown Gary]

So Gary, some of your tastes are retro , before your time , like Connie Francis and Billy Vaughn. Others? And your interest in them was/is enough to go at 'em in a big way. I admire that. :) How many artists do you collect this extensively? Your collection must be phenomenal as a result.


Hey, I got the Mike Lewis info from discogs :

https://www.discogs.com/composition/f6f95f0e-a946-4688-8390-d955ba444dad-Second-Hand-Love [[https://www.discogs.com/composition/f6f95f0e-a946-4688-8390-d955ba444dad-Second-Hand-Love)

HaHa! Thanks for the compliment, John, but Connie Francis and Billy Vaughn weren't before my time! I was born in 1951. Connie and Billy started making it big in the late '50s when I was about 7.

Who else was I inspired to collect everything of? Elvis Presley. I got on a huge Elvis kick back in the late '80s. Whatever artist or genre of music I embrace, I go for it gung-ho. Phil Spector [[Philles), Motown, '70s Philly Soul, '60s Girl Groups, Van McCoy, Disco, '80s-90s Country, and Classical Vocal [[Choral & Opera). I have approximately 6,000 CDs in my collection. The trouble is, I'm suddenly realizing that, at my age, I have more CDs than I'll ever have time to play again. Not sure how to deal with this new-found, overwhelming feeling.

Mike Lewis is certainly an old duffer! I'm surprised at the number of pop and rock groups that he produced -- Crosby, Stills & Nash, Rod Stewart, Julio Iglesias and KC & The Sunshine Band. Who would have ever guessed!

[Boogiedown]

HaHa! Thanks for the compliment, John, but Connie Francis and Billy Vaughn weren't before my time! I was born in 1951. Connie and Billy started making it big in the late '50s when I was about 7.

Who else was I inspired to collect everything of? Elvis Presley. I got on a huge Elvis kick back in the late '80s. Whatever artist or genre of music I embrace, I go for it gung-ho. Phil Spector [[Philles), Motown, '70s Philly Soul, '60s Girl Groups, Van McCoy, Disco, '80s-90s Country, and Classical Vocal [[Choral & Opera). I have approximately 6,000 CDs in my collection. The trouble is, I'm suddenly realizing that, at my age, I have more CDs than I'll ever have time to play again. Not sure how to deal with this new-found, overwhelming feeling.

Mike Lewis is certainly an old duffer! I'm surprised at the number of pop and rock groups that he produced -- Crosby, Stills & Nash, Rod Stewart, Julio Iglesias and KC & The Sunshine Band. Who would have ever guessed!

Hi Gary , Ha , so, no not old! , just a classic , and only four years ahead of me! I guess what I mean by "retro" is that you weren't buying these artists' recordings hot off the presses. Rather you went back and collected what they had previously released at a later date . Right ? And Phil Spector was your first artist/talent whose career you specifically followed as it unfolded ?
I never went retro with any artist save Al Green , whose older music on BACK UP TRAIN , and GREEN IS BLUES I bought to be complete with his music up until that point , probably when LETS STAY TOGETHER was out. Otherwise I only sought current releases or greatest hits packages by artists.
Another thing I see differently is you seem to have embraced music pretty consistently throughout your life . yes? I took a huge break [[ about twenty five years!) by the mid-late eighties.

Elvis eh? Wasn't expecting that ! Now that'd be quite a task of a thread to create wouldn't it !!
I have one of my fondest memories seeing Elvis in Vegas around 1972.
My family, including my older sister and her husband, went and stayed at the Hilton where he was appearing. That family trip is a strong memory , lounging in the pool.
Elvis had someone hold up his young daughter who was in the audience and they spotlighted her. It was a supper club setting and my Dad tipped the seater twenty bucks so we'd get a reasonable table . We weren't close but we werent way back either. Probably should've been a fifty! Ha Ha! As Elvis came out ,after doing the long booming intro, I guess my Mom got overly excited and she was howling .... but it was because of a cramp she'd gotten in her big toe. lol!
He did a great show, we left pleased.
Do you have an Elvis song that is your favorite Gary? I do , but surely we'll part company on this one?? So many candidates. His catalogue is unbelievable. If you've got 50 CDs of Connie Francis, I shudder to think how many of Elvis!

Anyway back to Phil Spector. Listening to each song ,as time allows, including this brilliant well known piece:



PHILLES 119 [[Released 11/1963)
DARLENE LOVE:
"Christmas [[Baby Please Come Home)"
[[P. Spector - E. Greenwich - J. Barry)
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Jack "Specs" Nitzsche
https://youtu.be/tNPpBMTeHUI
b/w



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UV8x7H3DD8Y

It made me think of the songs Bonnie Pointer would release on Motown in the late seventies , with all the exuberant percussive elements, a sound I loved, and I couldn't help thinking , too bad someone didn't think of Bonnie doing a remake of this song, would've fit right into the style . Just a special 12" pressing at Christmas time.
I would've loved it , I know that!

[Philles/Motown Gary]

A "classic", eh, John! Ha! That's one way to put it!

Retro? Where Billy was concerned, my purchasing his albums was totally retro. I started buying brand new Still Sealed copies of them in 1969 or 1970 from the closeout bins for next to nothing. And I kept going until I had them all. Connie was partly retro, but not totally. As a kid, I was buying some of Connie's 45s -- one at a time -- as I heard them on the radio. I remember I had "Who's Sorry Now", "Toward The End Of The Day" [[Beat-Ballad version), "Many Tears Ago", "Lipstick On Your Collar", "Vacation" "I'm Gonna Be Warm This Winter", and "Your Other Love" on 45s. My obsession with getting all of her LPs/CDs happened in the late 80s, which was when my obsession with Elvis began, although I had his "Jailhouse Rock" 45 EP as a kid, and I heard all of his hits on the radio as I was growing up. I never really appreciated him, though, until the late 80s.

How cool, John, that you and your family spent a night with Elvis at The Hilton! Lounging at the pool and tipping the guy to get you a good seat are memories that will last you forever! And, especially, how lucky you were to see Elvis perform live! There are people out there who would have given their right arm to have seen that show! Who were Elvis' back-up singers at the time? Was it The Imperials and The Blossoms or was it J.D. Sumner & The Stamps with The Sweet Inspirations? [[I should remember this stuff, but I haven't thought about it in a while.)

Yeah, I've been obsessed with music since I was real little. My parents had a photo of me sitting on the floor playing my "Little Golden Records" [[remember those?) by the hour!

Yes, I remember vividly your love for Al Green! In fact, that's how we met on the "Rhodes-Chalmers-Rhodes" thread!

I'm not sure whether Bonnie Pointer has the pipes to pull off a Darlene Love track like "Christmas [[Baby Please Come Home)". Surprisingly, I loved Mariah Carey's version, but I still prefer Phil and Darlene's original Philles version. It would be interesting to hear what Bonnie and Motown might have done with it.

[mysterysinger]

Or even Johnny Baby Please Come Home [[or as a mashup Midnight Johnny Baby Please Come Home.

[WaitingWatchingLookingForAChance]

After acting as a freelance writer/producer at various record labels, it was in 1961 that Phil Spector formed a business partnership with Lester Sill by setting up his own record label, Philles Records [[PHIL + LESter = Philles). [NOTE: Although the spelling suggests a pronunciation like the female name 'Phyllis', everyone I've ever known pronounces it Phillies, like the baseball team, which also explains why many often misspell Philles Records by adding the letter 'i' to the es.]


I have been wondering for years just how you're supposed to pronounce this!


Phil also should have been signing new groups in order to keep up with the times and the latest trends, but he didn't. Philles slowly went down the tubes -- partly because of that, and partly because the British Invasion knocked the Philles girl groups off the charts. It's sad that Philles died out, while Motown grew up hand in hand with The Beatles and the other British groups.

O.K. This is something I always wondered about too. The more I would read about Philles, the more I kept thinking, "why did Phil let his groups wither on the vine?" I got the feeling, Phil would lose interest in groups, singers, like The Crystals and Bob B. Soxx and just gave up on trying to keep the momentum going with their careers. When The Ronettes came along, it was as if he put practically all of his eggs into that one basket, save for The Righteous Brothers. It seems Philles became essentially a two-group record label.

Had Phil Spector not been so autonomous, he may have been able to delegate some of the production work to others. Perhaps that would have helped to keep the other groups going and that may have made Philles a bit stronger entity. Just some thoughts I've had.

I've only read the first post you made here and already you're giving me plenty to sink my teeth into!

[WaitingWatchingLookingForAChance]

PHILLES 123 [[Released 8/1964) [[Withdrawn 2 Weeks Later)
DARLENE LOVE:
"Stumble And Fall"
[[P. Spector - V. Poncia - P. Andreoli)
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Jack "Specs" Nitzsche
https://youtu.be/KO1Rxq4d4SM
b/w
"[[He's A) Quiet Guy"
[[P. Spector - V. Poncia - P. Andreoli)
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Jack "Specs" Nitzsche
https://youtu.be/Gciizyqyg4k

[NOTE: Darlene Love and The Blossoms had managed to secure a position on the weekly musical TV show "Shindig" as back-up singers for guest recording artists each week. Having just released Darlene's "Stumble And Fall" 45 on Philles 123, Phil informed Darlene that he wanted her to quit "Shindig" and make herself available to him at all times for recording sessions, as necessary. Darlene refused on the grounds that Phil records track after track on her but then never releases them, whereas her "Shindig" gig pays a steady paycheck. Darlene stuck it out with "Shindig", Phil took it as betrayal, and, to punish her, withdrew "Stumble And Fall" within two weeks of its release. To add insult to injury, Phil reassigned Philles 123 to the upcoming Ronettes' "Walking In The Rain" single, as though Darlene's "Stumble And Fall" never existed. Ouch!]

When I heard "Stumble And Fall", it knocked me out! I really like this one and couldn't understand why Phil would withdraw something this good. Now you've brought out the light on this one. I love Darlene's [[and The Blossoms') work on "Shindig!" I've managed to collect, I think, every episode of the show [[and I could talk for decades about my love of this show!)

I often wondered about how their weekly appearances on the show affected their working with Phil. I don't think the Blossoms ever promoted their own records on the show, unless I just haven't seen the espisode[[s) yet. I had never known that Phil Spector view Darlene's being on the show as a betrayal. Very interesting.

Gary, your work here, listing all these records, recording info, etc. is nothing short of amazing. I love your love for this subject!

[WaitingWatchingLookingForAChance]

PHILLES X125-136

PHILLES 135 [[Released 6/1967)
IKE & TINA TURNER:
"I'll Never Need More Than This"
[[P. Spector, J. Barry, E. Greenwich)
Lead Vocal: Tina Turner
Producer: Phil Spector
Arranger: Jack "Specs" Nitzsche
https://youtu.be/Gx2BoL07HJ0


[[heavy, HEAVY sighs!) This one song by Tina, for me, ranks right up there with "River Deep", but for different reasons. "River" leaves me gasping for air whenever I play it. It's such a rush of adrenaline, like being caught up in an aural whirlpool, that I always feel like I was hit by several freight trains at once.

"I'll Never Need More Than This", on the other hand, is a sneaky little devil of a song. It doesn't beat you over the head but instead, it seems to just play on something much deeper; almost a sort of subliminal mind game. This one burrows deep into me. I've never had hash brownies, but I have the feeling the effect is very much like hearing this song: an odd sort of dream-like feeling where you're not even sure if you're dreaming or not.

The chorus, choir of singers behind Tina sounds like Phil somehow got two football stadiums full of people singing onto tape. Their sound is pure joy and euphoria and when the song gets to the end- one stadium, full of singers just grooving on their mountainous "ahhhhhs" while the second stadium packed with singers jamming on singing "wish this could go on forever"...and I really do wish they could just go on forever singing that refrain.

This record is pure rapture.

And thanks for including links to youtube for each song!

[Philles/Motown Gary]

When I heard "Stumble And Fall", it knocked me out! I really like this one and couldn't understand why Phil would withdraw something this good. Now you've brought out the light on this one. I love Darlene's [[and The Blossoms') work on "Shindig!" I've managed to collect, I think, every episode of the show [[and I could talk for decades about my love of this show!)

I often wondered about how their weekly appearances on the show affected their working with Phil. I don't think the Blossoms ever promoted their own records on the show, unless I just haven't seen the espisode[[s) yet. I had never known that Phil Spector view Darlene's being on the show as a betrayal. Very interesting.

Gary, your work here, listing all these records, recording info, etc. is nothing short of amazing. I love your love for this subject!
Thank you very much for your kind words, Waiting. It's acknowledgment and compliments like yours that keep me going. And, believe me, there's still a lot more to come and more work to do! I'm nearly finished compiling Phil Spector - Part C - "Rare & Unreleased Philles Plus" which I'm really excited about!

You are the umpteenth person who has said the same thing and raved about Darlene's "Stumble And Fall" recently. I believe that if people had been given a chance to hear it on the radio, it might have been the hit that Phil was desperately in need of at the time. But, withdrawing it to get back at Darlene was merely cutting off his own nose to spite his face. Again, Phil was, at times, his own worst enemy.

I always loved those Shindig shows with Darlene and The Blossoms. In addition to backing up other artists on the show, they were usually given one song to sing on their own, but I don't remember it ever being one of their own Philles songs. The performance I remember most was when they sang The Velvelettes' "Needle In A Haystack". I can still see their finger movements like sewing with a needle and thread! Real good stuff!

[Philles/Motown Gary]

[[heavy, HEAVY sighs!) This one song by Tina, for me, ranks right up there with "River Deep", but for different reasons. "River" leaves me gasping for air whenever I play it. It's such a rush of adrenaline, like being caught up in an aural whirlpool, that I always feel like I was hit by several freight trains at once.

"I'll Never Need More Than This", on the other hand, is a sneaky little devil of a song. It doesn't beat you over the head but instead, it seems to just play on something much deeper; almost a sort of subliminal mind game. This one burrows deep into me. I've never had hash brownies, but I have the feeling the effect is very much like hearing this song: an odd sort of dream-like feeling where you're not even sure if you're dreaming or not.

The chorus, choir of singers behind Tina sounds like Phil somehow got two football stadiums full of people singing onto tape. Their sound is pure joy and euphoria and when the song gets to the end- one stadium, full of singers just grooving on their mountainous "ahhhhhs" while the second stadium packed with singers jamming on singing "wish this could go on forever"...and I really do wish they could just go on forever singing that refrain.

This record is pure rapture.

And thanks for including links to youtube for each song!

You're very welcome, Waiting. Providing links for each song to back up my comments is half the fun of it!

Yeah, "I'll Never Need More Than This" is just a great, great record which deserved to be a huge it. Unfortunately, I doubt if it even got any airplay. Such were the final days at Philles Records.

[reese]

... I love Darlene's [[and The Blossoms') work on "Shindig!" I've managed to collect, I think, every episode of the show [[and I could talk for decades about my love of this show!)

I often wondered about how their weekly appearances on the show affected their working with Phil. I don't think the Blossoms ever promoted their own records on the show, unless I just haven't seen the espisode[[s) yet. I had never known that Phil Spector view Darlene's being on the show as a betrayal. Very interesting.



Off the top of my head, I know they performed their releases THAT'S WHEN THE TEARS START and GOOD GOOD LOVIN' on the show. But they were on the Reprise label.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Off the top of my head, I know they performed their releases THAT'S WHEN THE TEARS START and GOOD GOOD LOVIN' on the show. But they were on the Reprise label.

Reese, back then, I wasn't even aware that The Blossoms had signed with Reprise Records. [[I thought they were still with Philles.) If I had heard them sing "Good, Good Lovin'" on Shindig, I would have just figured they were singing a cover version of somebody else's song, which was what the girls always did on Shindig.

[robb_k]

HaHa! Thanks for the compliment, John, but Connie Francis and Billy Vaughn weren't before my time! I was born in 1951. Connie and Billy started making it big in the late '50s when I was about 7.

Who else was I inspired to collect everything of? Elvis Presley. I got on a huge Elvis kick back in the late '80s. Whatever artist or genre of music I embrace, I go for it gung-ho. Phil Spector [[Philles), Motown, '70s Philly Soul, '60s Girl Groups, Van McCoy, Disco, '80s-90s Country, and Classical Vocal [[Choral & Opera). I have approximately 6,000 CDs in my collection. The trouble is, I'm suddenly realizing that, at my age, I have more CDs than I'll ever have time to play again. Not sure how to deal with this new-found, overwhelming feeling.

Mike Lewis is certainly an old duffer! I'm surprised at the number of pop and rock groups that he produced -- Crosby, Stills & Nash, Rod Stewart, Julio Iglesias and KC & The Sunshine Band. Who would have ever guessed!
16215
I wonder if he was the SAME Mike Lewis who wrote songs for, and produced several Soul artists on Leiber and Stoller's Blue Cat [[and Red Bird) Records, and also with Juggy Murray's Sue Records? Many of them were solid Soul, rather than Brill Building sounds.

[reese]

Reese, back then, I wasn't even aware that The Blossoms had signed with Reprise Records. [[I thought they were still with Philles.) If I had heard them sing "Good, Good Lovin'" on Shindig, I would have just figured they were singing a cover version of somebody else's song, which was what the girls always did on Shindig.

In Darlene's book, she included a photo of the Blossoms holding their Teen Screen award. In the captioned, she mention how SHINDIG! brought them an award but no hit records.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

In Darlene's book, she included a photo of the Blossoms holding their Teen Screen award. In the captioned, she mention how SHINDIG! brought them an award but no hit records.
I know, Reese. As professional as The Blossoms were, and as in-demand as they were for supplying back-up vocals on other artists' records, they couldn't catch a break on their own other than their hits at Philles under names other than their own [[The Crystals; Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans; Darlene Love). I would say the closest they came was their one and only LP -- "Shockwave" on MGM/Lion.

[144man]

Despite the different composer credits, isn't Darlene Love's "Take It From Me" more or less a vocal version of "Git' It"?

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Despite the different composer credits, isn't Darlene Love's "Take It From Me" more or less a vocal version of "Git' It"?

Yes it is, 144man -- in a sped-up fashion. Thanks for pointing that out. [[I had forgotten about their similarity.)

BTW, back on Phil Spector - Part B - "Complete Philles LPs", you had asked a question regarding a Philles track being the same song as a song by another group on another label. I answered your question but you didn't respond, leaving me to wonder if you had seen it. Let me go update that for you.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Originally Posted by 144man View Post
Wasn't parts of "I Wonder" used in another song, but I'm scratching my head trying to remember what it was?

144 man, My reply to you was:
Not that I know of with "Girls Can Tell", 144man, but I think you might be thinking of The Ronettes' "Why Don't They Let Us Fall In Love" in which the line is, "Gee, the moon is shining bright". The very same line AND melody were used in The Dixie Cups "Gee The Moon Is Shining Bright" 45 on Red Bird. Both songs were written by Jeff & Ellie & Phil [[Barry & Greenwich & Spector). It was almost as if they weren't sure which direction to go with the song or which title to use, so they did one of each -- one version for The Ronettes, and the other version for their own group, The Dixie Cups. Might that be what you were thinking of?

THE RONETTES:
"Why Don't They Let Us Fall In Love"
https://youtu.be/SPk9mZLnD78

THE DIXIE CUPS:
"Gee The Moon Is Shining Bright"
https://youtu.be/Ms-ecwmgjuI

There you are, 144man. Are those the two songs you were thinking of?

[robb_k]

You're very welcome, Waiting. Providing links for each song to back up my comments is half the fun of it!

Yeah, "I'll Never Need More Than This" is just a great, great record which deserved to be a huge it. Unfortunately, I doubt if it even got any airplay. Such were the final days at Philles Records.
16247
It didn't get ANY airplay in Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Detroit, Indianapolis, Des Moines, Los Angeles, San Diego, or San Francisco Bay Area, as far as I remember.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

16247
It didn't get ANY airplay in Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Detroit, Indianapolis, Des Moines, Los Angeles, San Diego, or San Francisco Bay Area, as far as I remember.

And that's a shame, Robb. I love "I'll Never Need More Than This" even more than "River Deep".

[marv2]

Phil Spector was not a perfect person. There I said it! But, his talent and determination made him able to make one of the biggest impacts on American Popular Music in the early 1960s.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Phil Spector was not a perfect person. There I said it! But, his talent and determination made him able to make one of the biggest impacts on American Popular Music in the early 1960s.
I couldn't have said it better myself, Marv. Seems like all of my musical heroes have their unbecoming dark side, but how they shined while making music! And Phil was no exception. Whenever he stepped into that Gold Star studio, he became a musical genius. 50+ years later, his Philles recordings still hit me with the same power and beauty today as they did back in the day.

[mysterysinger]

"To Know Him Is To Love Him" is such a great song sung beautifully by Annette Kleinbard - probably better known as Carol Connors. There is, or course, a link with Motown since Carol wrote the lyrics to "With You I'm Born Again", music by David Shire and performed by Billy Preston and Syreeta. Carol sings "To Know Him Is To Love Him" beautifully in this video and introduced by Motown legend Jerry Butler.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nLB9Ac55HM

[mysterysinger]

It's the same song, but to go with the Phil Spector biography here are some rare photos pf Phil Spector put together by Louis Spector in this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WovFPbLrnro

[Levi Stubbs Tears]

It was in the 1980s when teenage me got into Phil Spector records [[and many other retro records). Although I had heard many of the hit songs, it was fascinating to learn more about this man and his 'wall of sound'.

I remember going to a specialist record store and buying 'Phil Spector's Greatest Hits' [[a double album with a painted cover of the artists in a kind of Macy's Parade with Phil - and his big nose - as some sort of balloon). What a great find that was.

Love the thread and hope to read more.