Phil Spector Revisited

The music world, and the world at large, for that matter, lost another great musician.

No, he's not dead. Just gone. Away.

Into the prison industry you go, Phil. It's one of the few industries making big dollars these days, kinda like you continue to do (so far). Plus, there isn't a shortage of wackos and freaks in the joint. So you should fit right in.

Phil Spector is a genius, as well as a psychotic, mentally unstable, and essentially crazy dude. It was regarded as widely well known that it was not uncommon for him to have some kind of firearm with or near him a lot of the time. He was known to have it with him in the studio, keeping the doors locked and, essentially, holding everyone there hostage 'til he was done doing whatever he was doing. Whether it was his early producing days with the likes of the Ronettes or later on and past his "prime" with the Ramones, he had his piece.

Finally, probably inevitably, someone ended up dead. So he's a killer. He should rot in jail with the rest of the killers and pedophiles and banking executives. He'll probably die there.

Boo-friggin'-hoo.

Now that all of that is out of the way, he was also the ultimate music producer, making some of the greatest and most innovative music of our time, with some of the greatest and innovative bands of our time. The "wall of sound", which has become almost a common-place phrase, is the ultimate of revolutionary breakthroughs in the history of recorded music.

So I'm also very sad that he did this. It's a loss to all music fans.

Even though he's an ego maniacal killer, he still was the producer for some of MY favorite records. That includes, without a doubt, his Christmas album, which is the best Christmas album ever made (yes it is, so don't argue.)

Ok, ok. The Charlie Brown Christmas is very/close.

I've spent a good part of the day listening to my John Lennon and George Harrison records. It seemed like the thing to do. George's All Things Must Pass is fantastic. It's my personal favorite, which makes it the BEST of all of the post-Beatle albums.

Songs like Isn't it a Pity, Wah-Wah, Apple Scruffs (it's about groupies-yes sir!) are the cream of the crop on that album. They are also the epitome of the Spector sound. It's a sound my ear has grabbed on to and embedded into my puny and mortal brain. Because of Phil, these songs were given a life that continually charges the pleasure receptors in that same puny and mortal brain.

Almost as much as Muddy Waters, may HE rest well.

So it goes...