Customer Reviews

River Deep Mountain High

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

No offense,but previous reviewer dont have a clue about rock history - how can anybody give 3 stars to one of the most influental albums of all time,I simply cannot understand!? OK lets see what do we got here: ORIGINAL (as a difference of countless complation albums with same name) LP recorded in 1966.and snubbed by audience in USA by the time of release.Seems that European listeners listened more carefully,as this album became huge hit in UK and it began a decades-long love affair between Tina and her European fans.Half "Wagnerian",undescribable symphonic sound of Phil Spector,half Ike's gutsy R&B,this album was monumental achievement of 1960's music and still sounds great today.As we all know,Ike was NOT close to studio on Spector's sessions,but still his name is one the cover of the album.At this stage of her life (27 years old) Tina was not a Goddes-in-making,but a wild Queen of Amazon woman warriors - her singing,passion and attitude are simply out of this world:numerous British rock stars were hugely impressed after hearing this album (Rod Stewart:"I wanted to BE Tina Turner") and Rolling Stones invited them on a UK tour immediately.Never mind commercial flop in USA,Brian Wilson from "Beach Boys" still list this album as one of his all-time favourites.One has also to remeber it was a girl-group age when girls sounded sweet,so Tina's wild vocals were completely different from the rest of the competition,she was obviously more inspired by screaming,hot soul male singers like James Brown than say,Motown girls.I remeber reading interviews with her,where she never mentioned any female singer as her influence and its clear why - this woman had her own sound that was not "feminine" in conventional way,her voice at that time was more raw & primitive than anything you could hear in 1960's - almost like Stone Age woman clawing her way out of the Cave,with arrow in her hands.Ike was obviously not impressed with Spector's masterpiece,as it shows on "Kent Years" compilation which follows the period shortly afterwards:he just kept on touring and recording his less-than-inspired R&B that mostly copied his own style from early 1960's.Tina had bigger commercial succes in 1980's and I enjoyed the fact that world finally recognised her importance,but this was a moment of her immortality,the reason why she is always listed in every Rock-antholgy.(By the way,Darlene Love - Spector's faithfull background singer who did most of his classic work - pleaded Spector to give her "River Deep" but he always refused,saying its made for Tina,after he was blown away with her live performance)

This album is one of the most influential albums of all time and is a highlight of Phil Spector's career. A few of these songs: I Idolize You, A Fool In Love and It's Gonna Work Out Fine were hits when they were signed to the Sue label and the original versions are on the "Proud Mary: The Best of Ike & Tina Turner" compilation on EMI which is THE essential compilation of their hits spanning their entire career but with nothing from this album although that compilation does have an inferior remake of the title song from this album. The title track of course is the most essential track of the album but the rest of the album is as well produced as this album. I actually have another CD pressing of this album that features this album in stereo plus "Sonny Charles & The Checkmates, Ltd.'s "Love Is All We Have To Give" on CD in stereo, featuring "Black Pearl" as a Spanish import The Sonny Charles album is not available on CD otherwise. As mentioned in another review, all songs from this album that are on the Back To Mono boxed set are in mono, the stereo versions are great while I'll add that another mono copy of the title song is on Tina's "Simply The Best" compilation from 1989 on Capitol with her 1980's comeback hits.

George Harrison once called the single "River Deep, Mountain High" an absolutely perfect record ... and he wasn't far wrong. It was Phil Spector's pinnacle production -- and it remains a nearly overwhelming recording -- and reaching for the stars, he carried Tina to new heights. But music was changing in the mid '60s and America had tired of Spector's intricate productions and fabled Wall of Sound. The single barely dented the charts in the U.S., but became a smash in England and Europe and established Tina as a superstar there decades before she attained diva status here. The single's disappointing reception so embittered Spector that he stopped producing his own kind of music for a while (focusing on the Beatles' chaotic "Let It Be" tapes and, later, various solo Beatle projects) and was never again able fully to find his muse or the audience he'd once enjoyed. So enjoy this 'twilight of the gods' event; nothing remotely like it has come along since and likely ever will. Although Spector is credited as producer of the entire album, he appears to have been personally involved only in the production of about half the 12 tracks -- the ones with Tina performing with Spector's own orchestra, not Ike's group. You'll be to pick them out instantly. The A&M version of the LP was released in America about five years after the single was released and the British version of the LP (which has one different track). It was released in mono only in Britain, but the American version was in stereo. Mobile Fidelity put out the best-sounding CD of this I ever heard, but that disc has long been out of print (as MoFi is, sadly, itself these days). However, this is your best bet to catch this fabulous music in stereo. The versions of the songs from this album released on Spector's box set are in mono ... the way Spector seems to prefer everything. But mono just can't to full justice to the sweep and power of the stereo versions in my book.

Other reviews will tell you how excellent this album is. I just want everyone to realise that the tracks were produced by Ike Turner, EXCEPT 1, 3, 6, 8 and 10 (produced by Phil Spector). 'Hold On Baby' is a good bit of Turner-Spector frenzy, and has only ever been issued on this album.

To clear the record, this is the third CD reissue of the Spector produced Ike & Tina masterpiece, which was recorded in 1966 and released as A&M SP 4178 in 1969. This is essential to all fans of both the Turners and Spector. A&M reissued the album on vinyl and CD (#3179) prior to the Mobile Fidelity version. Since this title has been out of print for over 10 years, this moderately priced import's release is good news. Incidentally, some of the tunes, such as "Fool in Love," "It's Gonna Work Out Fine" and "I Idolize You," were hit singles in the early 60s and predate Spector's involvement. To balance the livelier numbers, there are some mellower tunes, such as "A Love Like Yours" and "Every Day I Have to Cry." Don't miss out on this one.

the first track is awsome. but there r other songs on the album, of very good quality. I'm thinking about "Save the last dance for me", especially, but also about "A love like urs"
Save the last dance it's full of emotion, of passion, of feelings. All this comes through due to Tina's ***** vocals.
I think this whole album is her best art creation so far.
If the title track is indeed most crafted song, possibly the best on the album, i'd like to stress "save the last dance" too, because it's a true song, it expresses pure feeling, nothing from the overwhelmed intensity of the heart is missed, everything is recreated with an almost perfect mastery.
listening to it one senses the hardwork, but it's all the more impressive, because it's trying to reach for the truth and get it out.
river deep mountain high is beyond fashion, while save the last dance for me is under its influence. but it's in a way reflected back, it's used to create the whole, and that's y i consider it one of tina's masterpieces.
maybe someone should re-release it. it has still a lot to say

This album is amazing. The vinyls are very rare nowaydays, some special ones sell for over 10,000 dollars!!!

However now you can get it on CD. Then one can truly get a feel for how awesome Tina Turner's voice really is. River Deep Mountain High is an amazing song, showcasing the vocal mastery of the greatest voice in history. Tina Turner roars through the song like a hurricane, finally and definitively putting into music the link between R&B and Rock.

Without undue preamble, the Phil Spector produced version of River Deep Mountain High is one of the most astounding songs you will ever hear. Not only is the production of this number a tour de force, to say that Tina emotes from from the bottom of her heart on the vocals is a horrific understatement. Nothing from her earlier days, when she tended to scream more than sing her songs, and from her post Ike days to the present (which is her best work) can compare with this masterwork. Listen to this song and remember that it was recorded nearly 35 years ago, and see if the hair on your arms doesn't stand up every time. The rest of the CD is typical Ike and Tina from the era. Its a fun listen, but don't kid yourself. Buy this for the first song. Its one of rock's alltime masterpieces. You won't be disappointed.

Length:: 0:47 Mins

River Deep, Mountain High ranks among the ten best rock singles ever produced. However, the album does sound like Spector put most of his efforts into that song and very little on the others. The others are fine, but they don't come anywhere close to the majesty of the title track.

(Also, the samples associated with this album are incorrect. They're from a different album.)