The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation confirmed the death in a statement. The official cause of death hasn’t yet been determined. Since 2009, Mr. Spector had been serving a sentence of 19 years to life for the 2003 shooting death of actress Lana Clarkson at his home.
A legendary music producer, songwriter and musician, Mr. Spector, known for hits like “Be My Baby” and “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’,” created a lush, regal approach to music production whose extravagant orchestral arrangements and overpowering layers of sound shaped the pop and rock of the 1960s. More than any other producer of his time, Mr. Spector elevated the role of pop music in culture and transformed the recording studio into an instrument—all while capturing the crushes and breakups of teenagers.
WSJ obituary here.
The Wall of Sound is a music production formula developed by American record producer Phil Spector at Gold Star Studios, in the 1960s, with assistance from engineer Larry Levine and the conglomerate of session musicians later known as “the Wrecking Crew”.
Layers of sound a.k.a. “Wall of Noise”.
Phil Spector’s Wall Of Sound
Pseudo Echo – Funkytown – Wall of Noise
Good music producer.
Ordinary person.
SMH says Covid.
No loss to civilization. I only hope he repented before his Judgement.
Spector? A dead set grub.
more interesting is the sudden death of benjamin de rothschild….57
Which artists did he work with?
mh,
some con-artists i believe
The wrecking crew documentary is worth watching, Spector’s influence on music was amazing.
Vale A much flawed but musical genius/freak of his time. Having spent my teenage years in the Swinging Sixties I can’t imagine it existing without Spector’s influence & his strikingly unique Wall of Sound, whilst not forgetting the likes of the beautifully brilliant Ronettes & the many other girl groups whom without Spector”s guidance would never have reached the brilliance & prominence they subsequently achieved.
Phil Spector.
Interred in death.
A turd in life.
As longtime Beatles producer George Martin drolly commented to EMI’s management when he wasn’t given a credit on Let It Be, “I produced the original, and what you should do is have a credit saying ‘Produced by George Martin, over-produced by Phil Spector.’”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let_It_Be_(Beatles_album)
via instapundit
The wrecking crew documentary is worth watching…
+1
Those guys (and gals) were amazing.
I don’t mourn a murderer. However without his Wall of Sound there would not have been Jim Steinman or Meatloaf. Make of that what you will.
Awful chap.
Great “Artist’ (I think thats the right word to use)
A flawed genius, but what a remarkable contribution to recorded music.
Another song featuring “the wall of sound” is Ike and Tina’s version of “River deep, Mountain high”.
As for Spector himself, he seems to have a been a barking mad psychopath (i.e. “tortured genius”) who consumed way too many licit and illicit “substances” in his time, which eventually caught up with him and those unfortunate enough to have been in his orbit.
For good or bad, his cultural legacy will live on.
His wig collection will probably do well at a music memorabilia auction in years to come.