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A CHRISTMAS GIFT TO YOU from Phil Spector

Gabby Heafy

Local Dive Bar Favorite
  • Apr 5, 2020
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    thats great! thank you Jamie!
     
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    Edward John

    New Student
    Nov 11, 2019
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    End of the Century, Phil Spector produced, is the best The Ramones album.
     

    Brian Haner Sr.

    Papa
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    Fucking Legend
    Nov 11, 2019
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    The only argument for a better Christmas album might be an older album - like Bing Crosby or something like that. This is certainly (IMO) the best pop Christmas album ever made. It's Spector at his best. Every song has the famous "wall of sound" which was a combination of compression, echo and doubling instruments. Not the normal doubling of the same instrument for stereo effect, (this was all mono), but having (for example) guitar, piano and bells all play the exact same thing. By doing that, you can get 30 instruments on a track. If they all played something different, it would just be chaos.

    He recorded this album (and a lot of others) at Goldstar in Hollywood (a place I recorded at early in my career). It was famous for it's echo chamber. Literally a small room with concrete walls. A small speaker facing a wall and then a ribbon mic facing the other wall. Think of them as back to back - facing away from each other. You piped in the music, it would immediately hit the wall, then bounce off the other wall and into the ribbon mic. The room was much smaller than you might think. Like a pantry. (4x6 maybe?) You took that echo and mixed it back into the track. Primitive, but many (including myself) still believe it was the best echo ever created. Ironically, this giant sound came from Goldstar - which was a tiny room. Everybody sat shoulder to shoulder to record.
    But Spector always managed to make his stuff sound like it was recorded in a cathedral.

    I won't get into the song specifics on the album, because they are all good. The Ronettes, Darlene Love, Bob B Sox - all stellar.
    The album was released the day JFK was assassinated and it suffered because of that. I think it had one minor hit - but nobody in the US was in the mood to celebrate, so it just faded away. Years later it was re-released and is now considered a classic.

    Spector influenced countless musicians including The Beach Boys and The Beatles. (He actually produced their last album, Let It Be - and then a couple of John & George's solo albums).
    He was a game changer and this just might be his best album.
    Great pick, Syn!!!
    Merry Christmas!
    (or happy whatever you celebrate!)
    pg
     
    Last edited:

    tamagotchigraveyard

    Campfire Attention Holder
    Oct 26, 2020
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    My fav christmas instrumental right here, merry christmas to you and the Gates family! (winter solstice today too w000000, Yuletide is here!)

     
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