Phil Spector's dead to me now

It's like looking for a ring amid the brambles and thickets but realizing there is no ring.

Oh well, life's a journey.

Life’s an illusion
Love is a dream

No idea why anyone would have a problem with "End of the Century". It's good!

xp And "h'mmm, good shit-shining!" might've gotten him even more work (if that's what he did, or some needy stars thought he did).

But then compared to what came after, of course...

James, compare that w their Laswellization, Too Tough To Die, and please let us know what you think (I've never heard either, but better you than me).

Per Dow’s request, I just switched over to listen to the first track of Too Tough to Die and am about to switch right back.

Re: _Plastic Ono Band_, he did play piano on "Love" and he was heavily involved in the mixing, but yes, otherwise he was MIA for most of the sessions. As a joke, Lennon even rented a billboard, asking Spector to come back and produce his album.

(It's not just the speaker, the transmission alone makes a difference in how you hear something on the radio.)

Wow

Speaking of reputations, that album was produced by Andy Johns, whose name as engineer is on several of the greatest rock albums ever made. And yet the band claims he would pass out drinking wine and that they produced it themselves.

I love the sound of Time Out of Mind, and if that is Lanois's nadir, then hats off to that guy.

I’m onto side two of End of the Century. It’s okay, but honestly it’s making me want to listen to The Undertones.

“Rock ‘N’ Rock High School” being the umpteenth song with RnR in the title and/or lyric that doesn’t quite measure up, although perhaps it’s better than most. Now songs about funk otoh...

I listened to this record this morning, the echoed booming of the drums was the most notably Spectorian attribute of the punkier tracks.

I love the sound of Time Out of Mind, and if that is Lanois's nadir, then hats off to that guy.

Same here. The only track I thoroughly dislike is "Make You Feel My Love" (it should've been replaced by "Red River Shore"), but otherwise the less ambitious songs ("Dirt Road Blues," "Million Miles" and "'Til I Fell in Love with You") sound like great mood pieces. They make me wish Augie Meyers had played on more Dylan albums - Love and Theft is the only other one that features him.

Dylan wanted him on Modern Times, but weather conditions prevented Meyers from making the trip up from Texas.

Bill Wyman's new article for NYMag is pretty damn good: https://www.vulture.com/article/phil-spector-music-producer-murderer-obituary.html#_ga=2.227531550.2076685399.1611222315-356502157.1611222315

re End Of The Century, I've never heard it on vinyl, so I don't know how it originally sounded, but in the 90s I had it on CD and it sounded really muddy. I sold that off and bought the remastered version in the early 00s and it was a massive improvement. now I like it more than Road To Ruin tbh.

Bill Wyman article good but

Ellie Greenwich and Phil Barry

Plus they worked for Leiber and Stoller and so they were actually in the Brill Building proper.

Also, LaLa Brooks sang “Da Doo Ron Ron,” which is not noted.

A couple of those lost Celine Dion tracks actually leaked. Not surprisingly, they're pure schlock, but if I had to sit through her records, the first track would be almost tolerable:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pvvOnWOMTs