Customer Reviews

He's a Rebel: Phil Spector: Rock 'n' Roll's Legendary Producer

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The author updates his 1989 biography of one of rock music's legendary geniuses with additional chapters that lead up to Phil Spector's murder trial this year. Ribowsky provides an inside look at the early days of the rock 'n' roll record industry, when record producers like Spector called all the shots and matched singers with songs until the Beatles kicked down the established formula for stardom. Spector's life was shaped by the early death of his father, being raised and dominated by his mother and sister, and his relentless drive for perfection in the recording studio. He created the so-called "Wall of Sound" and produced some of the best records in rock history, but left a trail of wreckage in his wake. Ribowsky captures the flavor of the music business and takes music fans through the behind-the-scenes stories of records made by the Ronnettes, Crystals, Gene Pitney, Beatles and Tina Turner.

This book is one of several I've read (ordered) about Phil Spector. I remember being intrigued by his music as a very young child, I am a 62 year young black female,(don't act like you're not surprised)! His musical arrangements really are amazing and unique. As I read the book I pulled up some of his music on "youtube" and it's still an amazing sound!! Never knew he "wrote" and produced so many popular songs and artists. His music is reminiscent of the sound of a waterfall, instead of hearing the roar of water you hear a roar of music (blended instruments). Some kind of genius for sure.

He must be really "different" but reading the book(s) he was many different things to many different people and I believe it all to be "their" truths. Who knows why any of us are the way we are. His life ended up in a sad fate. Perhaps we should all try to learn to differentiate between what is "weird" and what "insanity" really is. God bless Ms Lana Clark's soul. What a tragedy for her and what a wasteful shame for him.

First, I read Tearing Down the Wall of Sound and that wasn't enough for me. Phil Spector is not only a musical "genius," but an intensely fascinating man. Like Orson Welles he peaked at such a young age and withered away to the extent where he found himself in a state much like Welles' own Kane character. A man surrounded by reminders of his own legacy, reliving the past in a self-imposed exile.

Out of the two books it's hard for me to decide which one is better - Tearing Down the Wall of Sound or this one.

I would recommend them both for Spector fans.

Author Mark Ribowsky has covered the troubled career of "Rock and Roll's Legendary Producer" quite well in this up-to-date biography of Phil Spector. The suicidal death of his father while Phil was a young boy robbed him of a male role model. Many words can be used to describe Phil. He established his Wall of Sound while recording some of the early hits such as Be My Baby, He's A Rebel, and Da Doo Ron Ron that distinguish the early 1960s. The book covers his relationship with his first wife who he cheated on by romancing and later marrying Veronica Bennett of The Ronettes, Darlene Love, The Righteous Brothers, Lenny Bruce, and others whose life crossed Phil Spector's. He was a perfectionist in his work, and he could be very difficult to work with. His insecurities keep popping up throughout his life as illustrated by his looking to alcohol as a solution to his problems, having temper tantrums by insisting on having things his own way, secluding himself in his home, and his disrespectful treatment of women. Phil Spector undoubtedly is/was a musical genius, but he is a deeply troubled man. This is a good biography, but be prepared to wade through a lot of ghastly situations in the life of Phil Spector.

This gave me some insight into Phil's life, as I am now seeing his Murder trial play out on Court TV. He has always had problems with Women, guns,and drinking to much, as well as possible pychotic episodes. A "Madman", he is called that cheated many a singer out of their due. And songs that I remember from the 50's, 60's, along with working on the Beatles album "Let It Be". This is an updated version and refers to the Lana Clarkson Murder Case, for which he is in, at the present time.

Joan

"Truth is really stranger than fiction. While Phil Spector's murder trial continues in real life (with the TV movie sure to come), you can read the true life story of a rock n'roll legend who is now on trial for his life.

OK, maybe I'm being a perfectionist nit-picker, not unlike Spector himself, but several glaring discographical references rankle me. In the edition I have, there is a photo reproduction of the 45rpm "HE'S A REBEL" on the dust jacket. The key to the images clearly states that it is "The ORIGINAL Philles issue of HE'S A REBEL". However, the Collectables catalog number of COL 3200-A identifies the record as an '80s reissue.
In the discography itself, key suffixes (such as the X on #119 for the Christmas release) are missing. This is an important fact, since the catalog number was used more than once. And, where is "DO THE SCREW", Spector's angry legal retort to a mandated Crystals release ?
Alternate B-sides (such as on WAIT TIL MY BOBBY COMES HOME) are not indicated, and the discography continues the ongoing falsehood that Philles 123,134,135, and 136 were not released. I have stock copies of all but 136.
In the text, the writer refers to Gene Pitney's EVERY BREATH I TAKE as a "flop". Sure, # 42 on Billboard isn't a HUGE hit, but it is FAR from a flop.

With all that said, the book is still fun to read, and there are genuine glints and gleans into Spector that add to the history of the legendary producer.

Just a short rebuttal to crazycgh, though one hardly seems necessary given his ludicrous -- and clearly absent-minded --citations of the "omissions" in Ribowsky's wonderful biography of Phil Spector.

The message is this: Hey, genius, if you'd, uh, like READ the book, you would see that on Page 131 there is a full discussion of "Do the Screw" (which incidentally is NOT the title of that track; it's "Let's Dance the Screw Part 1 and 2"), including the musicians who played on it, the studio where it was recorded, the delicious fact that the only copy of the song ever sent out was to the co-owner of Spector's label, whom he was trying to ease out, as well as a comment from said co-owner, to the effect that the record was Spector's way of saying, "F**k you buddy." One would have to be seriously narcoleptic to miss all that. So now we know a little something about crazycgh.

As his other quibbles demonstrate, perhaps crazy could find something to do in Cookstown, anything to get him out of the house more. Or at all.