Phil Spector - Part C - "Rare & Unreleased Philles Plus"

[Philles/Motown Gary]

You're very welcome, 144man. I'm glad you're enjoying it! Philles was a lot like Motown -- always high quality; always full of surprises! Darlene's original "Chapel Of Love" is no exception, nor is The Ronettes' version from their "Presenting The Fabulous Ronettes" album. There's an additional part of the "Chapel Of Love" story which I haven't revealed. "Chapel" was co-written by Phil, Jeff & Ellie.
Before The Dixie Cups' version was released, Jeff & Ellie phoned Phil from NY to ask if he planned to release Darlene's or The Ronettes' version as a single, as they themselves had a new version by The Dixie Cups they wanted to release as a part of their new work relationship with Red Bird Records. Phil thought about it for a few seconds and said, "No, I'm not gonna release it as a single." Jeff & Ellie felt free to go ahead and release theirs. [[Mind you, Jeff & Ellie had every right to release their version whether Phil had planned to release his version or not, especially since they wrote at least 2/3 of the song. If the truth be known, Phil may very well have changed a word or two and then claimed equal writer's credit for the entire song, which was the way of the music world back in the day.) Still, Jeff & Ellie enjoyed their work relationship with Phil, and, heaven knows, their songwriting careers had benefitted greatly from their association with Phil Spector and Philles, and they knew it. To maintain good will in their business relationship with Phil and to keep things on the up and up, they gave Phil first chance before releasing their new Dixie Cups version. After getting what they thought was Phil's blessing, they went ahead and released theirs. When The Red Bird version went to #1, Phil got mad at Jeff & Ellie for releasing their version! Jeff & Ellie took a real burn on it, and rightfully so -- especially after they went out of their way to be more than fair. And, Phil, as usual, interpreted it as betrayal. That was 1964. The three of them did not work together again until two years later when they collaborated on Tina Turner's "River Deep - Mountain High" in 1966. Such things were one of the reasons why the music industry hated Phil Spector and was also why so many took great joy in seeing Philles fail. It's true, Phil could be a royal prick, but if you keep the artist separate from the art, Phil was a musical genius. He proved it every time he stepped into Gold Star. And that's the Phil Spector that I love and admire.