New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ Legacy Recordings) The development of Phil Spector's magnificent Wall Of Sound productions, "Tomorrow's Sound Today," is given its most expansive display ever on the new box set, PHIL SPECTOR PRESENTS THE PHILLES ALBUM COLLECTION. In a continuing celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Philles Records label (1961-2011), this new box set supersedes all previous collections in its scope. Gathered together in mini-replica LP sleeves are the first six original Philles albums from 1962-1964 (five by The Crystals, The Ronettes, and Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans, plus the timeless Today's Hits), and a brand-new CD of Spector's never-before-collected instrumental B-sides:
- THE CRYSTALS TWIST UPTOWN (1962, with "Uptown," "There's No Other Like My Baby," and more);
- HE'S A REBEL by The Crystals (1963, with "He's A Rebel," "He's Sure the Boy I Love,' "He Hit Me (It Felt Like A Kiss)," and more);
- ZIP-A DEE-DOO-DAH by Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans (1963, with "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah," "Why Do Lovers Break Each Others Heart?" and more);
- THE CRYSTALS SING THE GREATEST HITS, VOLUME 1 (1963, with "Da Doo Ron Ron" and more - plus 4 songs with The Ronettes' vocals);
- PHILLES RECORDS PRESENTS TODAY'S HITS (1963, by The Crystals, Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans, The Ronettes, Darlene Love, The Alley Cats);
- PRESENTING THE FABULOUS RONETTES FEATURING VERONICA (1964, with "Walking In The Rain," "Do I Love You?" "(The Best Part Of) Breakin' Up," "Be My Baby," "Baby, I Love You," and more); and
- PHIL'S FLIPSIDES by The Phil Spector Wall of Sound Orchestra.
Adding to the historical importance of this new box set, is the fact that some of these six original Philles album reproductions have never been officially reissued in their entirety in the CD era. PHIL SPECTOR PRESENTS THE PHILLES ALBUM COLLECTION is a limited-edition box set that is now available for pre-order at www.philspector.com in advance of the October 18th release date through Phil Spector Records/Legacy, a division of SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT. The box set will also be available through all standard retail outlets.
Arriving on the same date, THE ESSENTIAL PHIL SPECTOR is a brand-new 34-song, double-CD collection that lives up to its title as a desert-island gathering of Spector's work during his peak hit-making years. It starts with his first record of note, The Teddy Bears' "To Know Him Is to Love Him" (1958), then moves through Spector's Brill Building productions of 1960-61, with Ray Peterson ("Corrine, Corrina"), Ben E. King ("Spanish Harlem," the launch of his solo career), Curtis Lee ("Pretty Little Angel Eyes"), Gene Pitney ("Every Breath I Take"), and The Paris Sisters ("I Love How You Love Me").
THE ESSENTIAL PHIL SPECTOR then devotes itself to the litany of 23 hits on the Philles label. From The Crystals' "There's No Other Like My Baby," through Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans, Darlene Love, The Ronettes, the climactic trilogy of career-defining Righteous Brothers hits ("You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling," "Unchained Melody," "Ebb Tide"), and Ike & Tina Turner's show-stopping "River Deep, Mountain High" (1966). THE ESSENTIAL PHIL SPECTOR finishes up with the superb "Black Pearl" by Sonny Charles and the Checkmates LTD (1969).
New liner notes are written by two acknowledged authorities on Phil Spector. Domenic Priore, '60s West Coast rock aficionado, compilation producer, annotator, and author of Riot on Sunset Strip: Rock 'n' Roll's Last Stand in Hollywood (2007), penned the essay for THE ESSENTIAL PHIL SPECTOR. Mick Patrick, a UK-based reissue producer/consultant to Ace Records, one of the foremost authorities on Girl Groups, wrote the essay included on PHIL SPECTOR PRESENTS THE PHILLES ALBUM COLLECTION.
PHIL SPECTOR PRESENTS THE PHILLES ALBUM COLLECTION, with its seven CDs and 87 tracks, now far supersedes the 20-year old 1991 box set, Back To Mono (1958-1969) (ABKCO). The latter housed three compilation CDs, and a reissue of 1963's A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector. In October 2009, the Philles catalog came to Sony Music as the result of a licensing agreement with EMI Music Publishing. Not long after, a newly-remastered version of A Christmas Gift for You found a permanent home in the new Phil Spector Records/Legacy catalog.
In February 2011, the campaign continued with four brand-new compilations. Rob Santos, VP of Legacy A&R, served as Compilation Producer for all four packages (and now serves as Compilation Producer for THE ESSENTIAL PHIL SPECTOR and PHIL SPECTOR PRESENTS THE PHILLES ALBUM COLLECTION). The four earlier titles were:
- Da Doo Ron Ron; The Very Best Of The Crystals;
- Be My Baby: The Very Best Of The Ronettes;
- The Sound Of Love: The Very Best Of Darlene Love; and
- Wall Of Sound: The Very Best Of Phil Spector 1961-1966.
PHIL SPECTOR PRESENTS THE PHILLES ALBUM COLLECTION now represents the ultimate collectible for Wall Of Sound enthusiasts. Of special interest is the bonus disc which gathers, in numerical order (Philles #107, Philles #109, and so on), the B-sides that Spector chose for his singles. Although some of these have occasionally appeared on vinyl, there has never been an entire CD devoted to them.
As Patrick's notes explain: "In the days before it became the norm to put the same track on both sides of promotional copies of a single, a way to ensure radio jocks played only the intended deck was to have a B-side of no commercial appeal. Utilizing hastily assembled two-minute instrumentals - sometimes comprising studio jams or elements of recycled backing tracks - Phil Spector developed this into a fine art at Philles, frequently namechecking musicians, colleagues and family members in the process." The liner notes go on to provide often comical clarifications, for example:
"Brother Julius": The eponymous subject of "Brother Julius," the wild sax instrumental released as the flipside of The Crystals "Then He Kissed Me," earned his living shining shoes in the Gold Star car park.
"Harry And Milt Meet Hal B": The title of the rumbling bass-led jam "Harry And Milt Meet Hal B" alludes to Wrecking Crew members Harry Betts, Milton Bernhart and Hal Blaine. The track was released as the B-side of Darlene Love's 1963 single "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)."
"Big Red": "Big Red" was the nickname of Spector's brawny Irish bodyguard/ chauffeur, after whom he titled the B-side of The Ronettes' "(The Best Part Of) Breakin' Up."
To understand the impact of Phil Spector's studio creations, consider the first big two-year breakthrough of Philles Records releases, starting with The Crystals' "There's No Other (Like My Baby)" in November 1961 (Philles 100) and "He's a Rebel" in September 1962 (Philles 106).
Virtually every single on the label, averaging more than one per month, became a bonafide hit over the next year or so: "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" by Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans (Philles 107, November 1962), "He's Sure the Boy I Love" by The Crystals (Philles 109, December 1962), "Why Do Lovers Break Each Others Hearts?" by Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans (Philles 110, February 1963), "(Today I Met) The Boy I'm Gonna Marry" by Darlene Love (Philles 111, April 1963), "Da Doo Ron Ron" by The Crystals (Philles 112, April 1963), "Not Too Young to Get Married" by Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans (Philles 113, June 1963), "Wait 'Til My Bobby Gets Home" by Darlene Love (Philles 114, July 1963), "Then He Kissed Me" by The Crystals (Philles 115, August 1963), "Be My Baby" by The Ronettes (Philles 116, August 1963), "A Fine, Fine Boy" by Darlene Love (Philles 117, October 1963), "Baby I Love You" by The Ronettes (Philles 118, December 1963), and Darlene Love's "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" (Philles 119, November 1963). (The majority of these - including all The Ronettes and Darlene Love sides - were Ellie Greenwich/ Jeff Barry/Phil Spector compositions.)
"Phil Spector turned the table on recording structure and concept during the 20th century," Priore writes. "Prior to his string of hits during the first half of the 1960s, the studio was simply a place to replicate live performance. Instead, the amount of focus, concentration and effort put into a single track by Phil Spector, the sheer magnitude and incredible force of each superb A-side, would guarantee that his work would rise above more common industry-standard recordings. The truth was in his tagline: 'Tomorrow's Sound Today'."
PHIL SPECTOR PRESENTS THE PHILLES ALBUM COLLECTION
(Phil Spector Records/Legacy 88697 92782 2)
CD One - THE CRYSTALS TWIST UPTOWN by The Crystals (Philles PHLP-4000, originally issued 1962):
1. Uptown (A-side, Philles single #102, Hot 100 #13, R&B #18)
2. Another Country - Another World
3. Frankenstein Twist
4. Oh Yeah, Maybe Baby (B-side, Philles single #100)
5. Please Hurt Me
6. There's No Other Like My Baby (A-side, Philles single #100, Hot 100 #20, R&B #5)
7. On Broadway
8. What A Nice Way To Turn Seventeen (B-side, Philles single #102)
9. No One Ever Tells You (B-side, Philles single #105)
10. Gee Whiz Look At His Eyes (Twist)
11. I Love You Eddie (B-side, Philles single #106).
CD Two - HE'S A REBEL by The Crystals (Philles PHLP-4001, originally issued 1963):
1. He's A Rebel (A-side, Philles single #106, Hot 100 #1, R&B #2)
2. Uptown (A-side, Philles single #102, Hot 100 #13, R&B #18)
3. Another Country - Another World
4. Frankenstein Twist
5. Oh Yeah, Maybe Baby (B-side, Philles single #100)
6. He's Sure the Boy I Love (A-side, Philles single #109, Hot 100 #11, R&B #18)
7. There's No Other Like My Baby (A-side, Philles single #100, Hot 100 #20, R&B #5)
8. On Broadway
9. What A Nice Way To Turn Seventeen (B-side, Philles single #102)
10. No One Ever Tells You (B-side, Philles single #105)
11. He Hit Me (It Felt Like A Kiss) (A-side, Philles single #105)
12. I Love You Eddie (B-side, Philles single #106).
CD Three - ZIP-A DEE-DOO-DAH by Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans (Philles PHLP-4002, originally issued 1963):
1. Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah (A-side, Philles single #107, Hot 100 #8, R&B #7)
2. Why Do Lovers Break Each Others Heart? (A-side, Philles single #110, Hot 100 #38)
3. Let The Good Times Roll
4. My Heart Beat A Little Faster (B-side, Philles single #111)
5. Jimmy Baby
6. Baby (I Love You)
7. White Cliffs Of Dover
8. This Land Is Your Land
9. Dear (Here Comes My Baby)
10. I Shook The World
11. Everything's Gonna Be All Right
12. Dr. Kaplan's Office.
CD Four - THE CRYSTALS SING THE GREATEST HITS, VOLUME 1 by The Crystals PHLP-4003, originally issued 1963):
1. Da Doo Ron Ron (A-side, Philles single #112, Hot 100 #3, R&B #5)
2. On Broadway
3. He's A Rebel (A-side, Philles single #106, Hot 100 #1, R&B #2)
4. Hot Pastrami - The Ronettes
5. There's No Other Like My Baby (A-side, Philles single #100, Hot 100 #20, R&B #5)
6. The Wah Watusi - The Ronettes
7. Mashed Potato Time - The Ronettes
8. He's Sure the Boy I Love (A-side, Philles single #109, Hot 100 #11, R&B #18)
9. Uptown (A-side, Philles single #102, Hot 100 #13, R&B #18)
10. The Twist - The Ronettes
11. Gee Whiz Look At His Eyes
12. Look In My Eyes.
CD Five - PHILLES RECORDS PRESENTS TODAY'S HITS by Various Artists (PHLP-4004, originally issued 1963):
1. Then He Kissed Me - The Crystals (Philles single #115, Hot 100 #6, R&B #8)
2. Da Doo Ron Ron - The Crystals (Philles single #112, Hot 100 #3, R&B #5)
3. Oh Yeah, Maybe Baby - The Crystals (B-side, Philles single #100)
4. Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah - Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans (Philles single #107, Hot 100 #8, R&B #7)
5. Why Do Lovers Break Each Others Heart? - Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans (Philles single #110, Hot 100 #38)
6. Not Too Young To Get Married - Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans (Philles single #113, Hot 100 #63)
7. Be My Baby - The Ronettes (Philles single #116, Hot 100 #2, R&B #4)
8. Wait Til' My Bobby Gets Home - Darlene Love (Philles single #114, Hot 100 #26)
9. (Today I Met) The Boy I'm Gonna Marry - Darlene Love (Philles single #111, Hot 100 #39)
10. My Heart Beat A Little Faster - Darlene Love (B-side, Philles single #111)
11. Puddin' N' Tain - The Alley Cats (Philles single #108)
CD Six - PRESENTING THE FABULOUS RONETTES FEATURING VERONICA by The Ronettes (PHLP-4006, originally issued 1964):
1. Walking In The Rain (A-side, Philles single #123, Hot 100 #23, R&B #3)
2. Do I Love You? (A-side, Philles single #121, Hot 100 #34, R&B #11)
3. So Young - Veronica (A-side, Phil Spector Records single #1)
4. (The Best Part Of) Breakin' Up (A-side, Philles single #120, Hot 100 #39)
5. I Wonder
6. What'd I Say
7. Be My Baby (A-side, Philles single #116, Hot 100 #2, R&B #4)
8. You Baby
9. Baby, I Love You (A-side, Philles single #118, Hot 100 #24, R&B #6)
10. How Does It Feel? (B-side, Philles single #123)
11. When I Saw You (B-side, Philles single #133)
12. Chapel Of Love
Bonus CD Seven - PHIL'S FLIPSIDES by The Phil Spector Wall of Sound Orchestra:
1. Flip And Nitty (B-side, Philles single #107)
2. Walkin' Along La La La (B-side, Philles single #109)
3. Dr. Kaplan's Office (B-side, Philles single #110)
4. Git' It (B-side, Philles single #112)
5. Annette (B-side, Philles single #113)
6. Brother Julius (B-side, Philles single #115)
7. Tedesco And Pitman (B-side, Philles single #116)
8. Nino And Sonny (Big Trouble) (B-side, Philles single #117)
9. Miss Joan And Mister Sam (B-side, Philles single #118)
10. Harry And Milt Meet Hal B (B-side, Philles single #119)
11. Harry (From W. Va.) And Milt (B-side, Philles single #119)
12. Big Red (B-side, Philles single #120)
13. Larry L. (B-side, Phil Spector single #1)
14. Chubby Danny D (B-side, Phil Spector single #2)
15. Bebe And Susu (B-side, Philles single #121)
16. Irving (Jaggered Sixteenths) (B-side, Philles single #122)
17. Torpedo Rock (Surfing Corrido) (from the Phil Spector International album Phil Spector Wall Of Sound, Vol. 5: Rare Masters Vol. 1)
THE ESSENTIAL PHIL SPECTOR
(Phil Spector Records/Legacy 88697 86422 2)
CD One:
1. To Know Him Is to Love Him - The Teddy Bears (1958, Dore single #503, Hot 100 #1, R&B #10)
2. Corrine, Corrina - Ray Peterson (1960, Dunes single #2002, Hot 100 #9)
3. Spanish Harlem - Ben E. King (1960, Atco single #6185, Hot 100 #10, R&B #15)
4. Pretty Little Angel Eyes - Curtis Lee (1961, Dunes single #2007, Hot 100 #7)
5. Every Breath I Take - Gene Pitney (1961, Musicor single #1011, Hot 100 #42)
6. I Love How You Love Me - The Paris Sisters (1961, Gregmark single #6, Hot 100 #5)
7. There's No Other Like My Baby - The Crystals (1961, Philles single #100, Hot 100 #20, R&B #5)
8. Uptown - The Crystals (1962, Philles single #102, Hot 100 #13, R&B #18)
9. He's A Rebel - The Crystals (1962, Philles single #106, Hot 100 #1, R&B #2)
10. Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah - Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans (1962, Philles single #107, Hot 100 #8, R&B #7)
11. Puddin' N' Tain - The Alley Cats (1962, Philles single #108)
12. He's Sure the Boy I Love - The Crystals (1962, Philles single #109, Hot 100 #11, R&B #18)
13. Why Do Lovers Break Each Others Heart? - Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans (1962, Philles single #110, Hot 100 #38)
14. (Today I Met) The Boy I'm Gonna Marry - Darlene Love (1963, Philles single #111, Hot 100 #39)
15. Da Doo Ron Ron - The Crystals (1963, Philles single #112, Hot 100 #3, R&B #5)
16. Not Too Young To Get Married - Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans (1963, Philles single #113, Hot 100 #63)
17. Wait Til' My Bobby Gets Home - Darlene Love (1963, Philles single #114, Hot 100 #26)
CD Two:
1. Be My Baby - The Ronettes (1963, Philles single #116, Hot 100 #2, R&B #4)
2. Then He Kissed Me - The Crystals (1963, Philles single #115, Hot 100 #6, R&B #8)
3. A Fine, Fine Boy - Darlene Love (1963, Philles single #117, Hot 100 #53, R&B #29)
4. Baby, I Love You - The Ronettes (1963, Philles single #118, Hot 100 #24, R&B #6)
5. (The Best Part Of) Breakin' Up - The Ronettes (1964, Philles single #120, Hot 100 #39)
6. Hold Me Tight - The Treasures featuring Pete Anders (1964, Shirley single # 500)
7. Stumble And Fall - Darlene Love (1964, Philles single #123)
8. When I Saw You -The Ronettes (1964, Philles single #133)
9. Do I Love You? - The Ronettes (1964, Philles single #121, Hot 100 #34, R&B #11)
10. Walking In The Rain - The Ronettes (1964, Philles single #123, Hot 100 #23, R&B #3)
11. You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling - The Righteous Brothers (1964, Philles single #124, Hot 100 #1, R&B #2)
12. Unchained Melody - The Righteous Brothers (1965, Philles single # 129, Hot 100 #4, R&B # 6)
13. Ebb Tide - The Righteous Brothers (1965, Philles single # 130, Hot 100 #5, R&B #13)
14. This Could Be The Night - The Modern Folk Quartet (1965, not originally issued - first released on the ABKCO Records box set, Back To Mono)
15. Paradise - The Ronettes (1965, from the Phil Spector International album Phil Spector Wall Of Sound, Vol. 5: Rare Masters Vol. 1)
16. River Deep, Mountain High - Ike & Tina Turner (1966, Philles single #131, Hot 100 #88)
17. Black Pearl - Sonny Charles and the Checkmates LTD. (1969, A&M single #1053, Hot 100 #13, R&B #8)
Please visit:
philspector.com
legacyrecordings.com
