The
Phil Spector and Brian Wilson Connection
By
Harvey Kubernik © Copyright 2022
Over
the last few decades, Brian Wilson and his band have implemented songs made
famous by Phil Spector’s productions: “Then He Kissed Me” (“Then I Kissed Her”) and "Be My
Baby" on his current 2020 concert tour.
“The
man is my hero,” Brian Wilson told me in a published interview for the now
defunct Melody
Maker in 1977.
“He
gave rock ‘n’ roll just what it needed at the time and obviously influenced us
a lot. His productions … they’re so large and emotional … Powerful … the
Christmas album is still one of my favorites. We’ve (the Beach Boys) have done
a lot of Phil’s songs: ‘I Can Hear Music,’ ‘Just Once In My Life,’ ‘There’s No
Other Like My Baby,’ ‘Chapel Of Love’ … I used to go to his sessions at Gold
Star studio in Hollywood and watch him record. I learned a lot …
“We
couldn’t produce records like ‘Be My Baby’ with that big sound. We had good
engineers and good players. The Wrecking Crew. I had Phil Spector’s players.”
Brian
Wilson was a regular Gold Star visitor and customer for many years. In that
room he produced The Beach Boys’ “Be True to Your School,” “Do You Wanna
Dance,” “I Just Wasn't Made For These Times,” that featured the initial usage
of a Therimin on a pop recording,
“Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” and the original version of “Heroes & Villains” at
Gold Star. A version of “Cabin/Essence” earmarked for SMile was tracked.
Brian’s father Murry Wilson did his The Many Moods of Murry Wilson on
the premises. “Deirdre” and “Slip
On Through” heard on the Beach Boys’ Sunflower, were cut in the historic
setting.
“I
asked engineer Larry Levine who was at Gold Star what Phil Spector did with his
basses,” Brian explained in a 2007 lunch interview we had.
“Larry
said Phil uses a standup and a Fender both at the same time. And the Fender guy
used a pick. So, I tried it out at my session, and it worked great! You also
get a thicker sound putting the two basses together. I start with drums, bass,
guitar and keyboards. Then we overdub the horns and the background voices. Gold
Star had a good tack piano.”
“I’ve
always been flattered that Brian continues to say nice things about me and
keeps recording my songs,” acknowledged Phil Spector in a 1977 Melody Maker
interview I conducted with him inside his Beverly Hills mansion.
“Brian
is a very sweet guy and a nice human being. I’m glad he’s coming out of his
shell. I think he got caught in a trap with ‘Good Vibrations.’ I think he got
condemned more than condoned.
“He
became a prisoner instead of a poet. He had the plaudits, the accolades, and
touched the masses. I know music is a very important thing to him, besides a
vocation. It became cluttered the last few years. Your attitude is in the
grooves, and it’s a very personal thing. But Brian thrived on competition.
“I
remember when ‘Fun, Fun, Fun’ came out. He wasn’t interested in the money, but
a top ten record. He wanted to know how the song would do against the Beatles
and if (AM radio station) KFWB would play it. But I never saw Brian as a
competitor,” reinforced Spector.
Phil
and I in our 1977 interview discussed "Then He Kissed Me." "That
was an experimental record. John (Lennon) told me the Beatles got the idea to
use a 12-string guitar (Barney Kessel played) from that record. But I thought
it was too spaced out. I was against it coming out. I was gonna can it,” he
admitted.
“I’ve
used Barney Kessel all the time for the last ten years. Terry Gibbs on vibes … everybody.
The better the talent is around you, the better the people you have working
with you, the more concerned, the better you’re gonna come off as a producer,
like a teacher in a class.
“The
musicians I have never outdo me. I’m not in competition with them. I’m in
complete accord with them. You need the ability, so you hire the best. I have
the creativity. I know what I want.
“I
like to have all the musicians there at once,” explained Spector. “I get
everything on one track that I need. I put everything on 24 tracks just to see
if it’s plugged in. The finished track never ends up on more than one track. I
don’t wear a ‘Back To Mono’ button for no reason at all. I believe in it.
"When
you see a Kubrick movie, you tell me how many names you immediately remember in
the cast. One, two? It's the same with Fellini, and that's what I wanted to do
when I directed a recording. Singers are instruments. They are tools to be
worked with. Dion is a great singer. He’s a great talent. I rate him with John,
Paul, Elvis, Johnny Cash and Bobby Darin.
"I
always thought I knew what the kids wanted to hear," stressed Spector.
"They were frustrated, uptight," Phil continued, " I would say
no different from me when I was in school. I had a rebellious attitude. I was
for the underdog. I was concerned that they were as misunderstood as I
was."
Dave
Gold built the equipment and echo chamber at Gold Star. His partner Stan Ross
and staff engineer Larry Levine collaborated in developing the heralded Wall of
Sound that propelled Spector’s productions.
In
2002, I asked Stan Ross in an interview about the landmark studio.
“It
was all tube microphones. We kept tubes on longer than anyone else. Because we
understood that when a kick drum kicks into a tube it’s not going to distort. A
tube can expand. The microphones with tubes were better than the ones without
the tubes because if you don’t have a tube and you hit it heavy, suddenly it
breaks up. But when you have a tube it’s warm and emotional. It gets bigger and
it expands. It allows for impulse.”
Larry
Levine won a Grammy in 1965 for his work on Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass’
"A Taste of Honey.” Levine engineered albums for Eddie Cochran, The Beach
Boys, Sonny and Cher, the Carpenters, Dr. John, and reunited with Spector in
the late 70s working on albums by Leonard Cohen and The Ramones.
“I
used to have a theory,” Levine told me in a 2002 interview, “and I don’t know
if it’s right or wrong, but part of the reason we took so long in actually
recording the songs was that Phil needed to tire out the musicians, or they got
to the point where they were tired enough so they weren’t playing as
individuals. But they would meld into the sound more that Phil had in his
head.
“Good
musicians start out and play as individuals and strive to play what Phil wants.
As far as the room sound and the drum sound went, because the rooms were small,
with low ceilings, the drum sound, unlike other studios with isolation, your
drums sounded the way you wanted them to sound. They would change accordingly
to whatever leakage was involved.
“As
a matter of fact,” Levine continues, “Phil once said to me the bane of his
recording existence was the drum sound.
A lot of people attribute to echo to what Phil was doing. The echo
enhanced the melding of ‘the wall of sound,’ but it didn’t create it. Within
the room itself, all of this was happening and the echo was glue that kept it
together.”
During
2010, I asked “Wrecking Crew” veteran and keyboardist/arranger and author Don
Randi about working with Spector and Wilson at Gold Star.
“Well,
at Gold Star it was the echo chamber. Like, when someone talks about a guy
being a ‘natural baseball player.’ Gold Star was a natural studio. It just
blended and worked. When you went to Gold Star you just knew you were making a
hit record.
“The
recordings have durability because musically and lyrically and the composition
and note part were brilliant. There were always great songs. The songs always
told a story. The songs in themselves were films. And, especially in Phil’s
case, he knew how to write them and how to produce them. And in Brian Wilson’s
case, Brian always knew where he was going with it. He may have not known at
the beginning, but after a while he had an idea and he developed it. We were
there to help him develop it.
“Look,
we all like to hear how our music is being used after we cut it. ‘A Little Less
Conversation’ with Elvis [Presley]. I might have made initially $160.00. Local
47 Musician Union contract. Over the years, with all the scales changing, and
everything being re-done and re-mixed I’ve made close to ten grand in
residuals.
“Let
me tell you why. It’s a very simple reason and most people don’t have any clue.
There were a number of people. It started with Phil Spector, then Brian Wilson,
and caught on with everybody else, that when you hired us, there was a union
contract. So, there was a Local 47 on a contract. And if that contract is
there, they can trace it back to who was on the original track. And because of
that we get our residuals. Phil, Brian, Jack Nitzsche, Kim Fowley, and Billy
Goldenberg on our work with Elvis made it possible, Because, if they could
avoid it, they would. But these guys insisted on having these contracts.
“It’s
nice at my age to get paid and hear these things again. Kim Fowley calls it
‘mailbox money.’ It’s wonderful. There’s a guy that’s been logging everything
and getting everything in order for years, ‘cause it’s an unthankful job.
[Rights Activist] Russ Wapensky. You might never hear his name except from me
or Hal [Blaine] but Russ logged everything.”
Here’s a good article on Alice
Cooper in today’s AZ paper.
Follow the link below to view the
article.
An oral history of Alice Cooper’s
‘School’s Out’ album …
https://arizonarepublic-az.newsmemory.com/?publink=1feebd380_1348551
Robert Campbell
From
Chuck Buell …
And for
all the jocks on the list …
I think
you’ll be able to relate!
Once upon a time, at a Radio Station a long time
ago ~~~
I once worked for a know-it-all Program Director
who was pretty overbearing and annoying.
During an On-Air Staff Meeting once, he got off on
one of his rants about how he was hearing so many small mistakes on the air.
And in his over-dominate fashion, he said, “These things shouldn’t be
happening unless you’re really stupid. That's probably it! So, if you
think you are stupid, stand up!”
I waited a moment and I stood up.
He glared at me and said, “So, Buell, you think
you’re stupid?!
I said, “Not, not at all. I just hate to see
you standing up all by yourself.”
After Bob Sirott aired our “Seven Local Hits by Seven Local
Bands” on WGN Radio the other day, we got this from our buddy Ray Graffia, Jr.,
founding member of The New Colony Six …
Bob was
our presenter for the IL R&R HOF induction last month and, while chatting
with him before the ceremony began, he shared that his favorite song is one of
ours, one that, as you well know, I both co-wrote with Gerry and sang,
"Can't You See Me Cry!" Whether
what he said was actual fact or fiction, his sharing of this made the evening
mean even more to me than the actual honor of induction!
As for
the 1967 chart presented on his program, too bad it was the Tony Orlando song
on that chart, one of only two (I think ...) that we released but did not write
ourselves (Cadillac, methinks to be have been the other ...) but you are the
better one to have a recall of all the singles!
Blessings,
my dear friend,
Ray
Kent:
I
must say that I'm thrilled that Clark Besch included links in The Sunday
Comments (07-17-22) to archived vintage UK music newspapers. I was an avid
reader of those when stationed at Navcommunit, London, in the late Sixties / early
Seventies. By then, the so called British Invasion was fading in America. A lot
of great UK hit records and bands from that era never charted here. Even some
of the British Invasion groups that were still having hits worldwide were
ignored by stateside radio stations. I've always wished that there was some way
to access those unique publications again online. I realize some of your
readers don't have the associated memories like mine. To me it's a treasure
trove for trivia lovers.
Mike Gentry
Definitely some cool stuff there
… probably years and years of catching up you could do! Quite often I pick up copies of those British
magazines today that run original articles from NME and others from back in the
day … it’s a great way to gain an appreciation to what was going on musically
at the time. Plus, the stories haven’t
all been blown out of portion yet because they were reporting things at the
time, as they happened. (I’m reading The
Beach Boys one now … great stuff!) kk
Kent,
So this weekend on Me-TV-FM, The Eyes are
going to be having it.
I kind of doubt one pair of eyes will not be
represented. I'm thinking of Jerry Wallace's 1961 Challenge record EYES (DON'T
GIVE MY SECRET AWAY.)
I don't believe it charted nationally, but it
was a top 10 record here in OKC … barely!
Larry Neal
Ummmmm … no, you won’t be hearing that one. And I can’t find it charting nationally
anywhere … so that was most definitely a LOCAL Hit on your OKC charts! (kk)
Just before Me-TV-FM kicks off
their Eye Tunes Weekend (it all begins during the 7:00 hour on Friday Night),
here are a few Eye Tunes of our own choosing …
Some you'll hear ... and some you won't.
It's a special edition Sweet 16 … on
the 21st of July!!!
My Eyes Adored You - Frankie Valli
Did You See Her Eyes - Illusion
Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue - Crystal Gayle
Green-Eyed Lady - Sugarloaf
Hungry Eyes - Eric Carmen
Betcha thought Willie Nelson's "Blue Eyes Cryin' In The Rain" was gonna be next!!! (lol) Gotcha!
I Know A Heartache When I See
One - Jennifer Warnes
The Eyes Of A New York Woman - B.J. Thomas
Looking Through The Eyes Of Love - The Partridge Family
(This was a tough call - go with this one or Gene Pitney's original)
Look Away - Chicago (who we're going to see this weekend with Brian Wilson! TOTALLY diggin' their new album, by the way!)
Sad Eyes - Robert John
The More I See You - Chris Montez
The Story In Your Eyes - The Moody Blues
When Will I See You Again - The Three Degrees
Can’t You See That She’s Mine - The Dave Clark Five
You Won’t See Me - The Beatles (That other popular British Invasion band)
The Future’s So Bright I Gotta
Wear Shades - Timbuk 3
Be listening for these … and a
WHOLE lot more all weekend long on Me-TV-FM!
https://www.audacy.com/metvmusic/listen#schedule
More ME …
Good
Morning, Kent:
We
appreciate the major mention today. Thank you!
Also,
when you and I exchanged emails about our TV themes feature (which we’re
calling the “Little Screen Gems Weekend”), I neglected to mention that, in
addition to themes and theme songs, MeTVFM is also going to be highlighting
songs by TV stars. That means plenty of material by the likes of David
Cassidy and the Partridge Family, Bobby Sherman, David Soul, John Travolta,
Shaun Cassidy, Shelley Fabares, Vicki Lawrence and many others.
Rick
Oh man, now I’m REALLY
excited!!! I’ll be we could EASILY come
up with a good fifty acts that enjoyed fame on both the tv screen and the pop
charts!
This whole thing airs the weekend
of August 5th, 6th and 7th, capped off with a
very special edition of “The History Of Rock And Roll,” spotlighting The
Greatest TV Themes of All Time.” (you
can use that same Listen Live link above to tune in!) kk
And, of course, you’d have to
include The Monkees on that list …
From David Salidor: CoastLine: Micky Dolenz, the last surviving member of The
Monkees, on music and why he performs (oh - and quantum physics) | WHQR
Chuck Buell here … and I couldn’t
help but notice Kent’s recent update in Forgotten Hits pointing out that he
hasn’t been mentioned, featured, spotlighted, talked about, sought out or even
heard personally on radio as much as he has been, and will be, lately!
>>>All of a sudden, we’re all over
the place on the radio again!!! It IS pretty cool to have SO many
new features coming up! (kk)
But, as he's finding out, handling
all those Appearances does have its challenges!
Nevertheless, Congratulations
are in order here!
CB ( which stands for
“CelebrityWatching Boy!” )
Thanks ... I think (?!?!?)
