Ronnie Spector RIP

[johncorrigan]

I know Ronnie Spector died a couple of weeks ago at the age of 78. I suppose I always thought of her as the lead singer of the Ronettes who performed one of the truly great pop songs 'Be My Baby' and she also did one of my favourite Christmas records, both courtesy of her former husband, Phil. In the days since her death was announced, however, I keep hearing songs by her in the group and solo; and I keep finding myself thinking she was much greater than I had realised. It's not just that her own records were great, but so many women have quoted over the years what a great inspiration Ronnie was in their careers, especially that bad girl personna; artists such as Amy Winehouse, Shakespeares Sister, Salt-n-Pepa, the Bangles, among many others, said how important she was to them.

RIP Ronnie

[RichardB]

Not to mention the Ramones! You can certainly hear why the awful Phil thought she was the perfect vocalist for his production style. I spent a day listening to many of her recordings last week and had the same response as you.

[cloughie]

Not to mention the Ramones! You can certainly hear why the awful Phil thought she was the perfect vocalist for his production style. I spent a day listening to many of her recordings last week and had the same response as you.

Or indeed the Beach Boys and their covers of ‘Then I kissed her (him)’ and ‘I can hear music’ though probably Brian Wilson’s desire to create his own ‘wall of sound’ meant the influence was Phil (who made some great sounds but I don’t think that his butchery of the ‘Let it be’ album was his finest hour). Did Ronnie and Phil influence the sound of female Motown groups? Very probably!
Interesting parallel of Ronnie and Tina Turner escaping the ‘imprisonment’ by two dangerous controlling men (Phil and Ike).

RIP Ronnie

[cloughie]

I know Ronnie Spector died a couple of weeks ago at the age of 78. I suppose I always thought of her as the lead singer of the Ronettes who performed one of the truly great pop songs 'Be My Baby' and she also did one of my favourite Christmas records, both courtesy of her former husband, Phil. In the days since her death was announced, however, I keep hearing songs by her in the group and solo; and I keep finding myself thinking she was much greater than I had realised. It's not just that her own records were great, but so many women have quoted over the years what a great inspiration Ronnie was in their careers, especially that bad girl personna; artists such as Amy Winehouse, Shakespeares Sister, Salt-n-Pepa, the Bangles, among many others, said how important she was to them.

RIP Ronnie

Not to mention the Ramones! You can certainly hear why the awful Phil thought she was the perfect vocalist for his production style. I spent a day listening to many of her recordings last week and had the same response as you.[/QUOTE]

Or indeed the Beach Boys and their covers of ‘Then I kissed her (him)’ and ‘I can hear music’ though probably Brian Wilson’s desire to create his own ‘wall of sound’ meant the influence was Phil (who made some great sounds but I don’t think that his butchery of the ‘Let it be’ album was his finest hour). Did Ronnie and Phil influence the sound of female Motown groups? Very probably!

[johncorrigan]

Did Ronnie and Phil influence the sound of female Motown groups? Very probably!

Martha Reeves certainly saw her as a pathfinder, cloughie. There's a fine song that she did a great cover of, 'She Talks to Rainbows', which was originally done by the Ramones.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dakf_hePDss

She fits it like a glove.

[cloughie]

Martha Reeves certainly saw her as a pathfinder, cloughie. There's a fine song that she did a great cover of, 'She Talks to Rainbows', which was originally done by the Ramones.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dakf_hePDss

She fits it like a glove.

Martha and Vandellas have two Spector songs on their first album - one Ronettes the other Darlene Love.

[RichardB]

the Beach Boys and their covers of ‘Then I kissed her (him)’ and ‘I can hear music’ though probably Brian Wilson’s desire to create his own ‘wall of sound’ meant the influence was Phil (who made some great sounds but I don’t think that his butchery of the ‘Let it be’ album was his finest hour). Did Ronnie and Phil influence the sound of female Motown groups? Very probably!

That's funny, I always assumed that the BBs' "I can hear music" was the original... (hangs head in shame) - but surely both of them did influence all that Motown music as well, and through it very many other things. But the production of Let It Be isn't up to much, as you say. It would have been better if it had sounded like a Phil Spector production... and better still if it sounded like a George Martin production of course.

[Padraig]

It would have been better if it had sounded like a Phil Spector production...

When 'The Wall of Sound' was around in the 60s I heard it with half an ear - 4 young children can divert your attention - but hear it I did and came to recognise it every time a new group appeared on TV or radio. I found this clip on you tube which deals with some aspects of the Spector sound, and features a song with The Crystals which is the one I go to.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRmRBrnQq8o

[cloughie]

That's funny, I always assumed that the BBs' "I can hear music" was the original... (hangs head in shame) - but surely both of them did influence all that Motown music as well, and through it very many other things. But the production of Let It Be isn't up to much, as you say. It would have been better if it had sounded like a Phil Spector production... and better still if it sounded like a George Martin production of course.

Let it be was always a scrappy album tidying up the leftovers from recordings. I always felt the Let it be Naked - released in 2003 was much preferable to the Phi Spector messed up version. As for The Beach Boys ‘ I can hear music ‘ as a late 60s recording it was less likely than the Spector Wall of Sound to have influenced Motown of the early Martha era.

[RichardB]

As for The Beach Boys ‘ I can hear music ‘ as a late 60s recording it was less likely than the Spector Wall of Sound to have influenced Motown of the early Martha era.

I realise I might have been unclear there... by "both of them" I meant Ronnie and Phil, not the two versions of that song.