Phil Spector

Phil Spector was a murderer. But that's not all.  He was a truly horrible person for most of his 81 years. But he was also a misogynist who believed women were below him and treated them as if they were his property. And he was crazy.  There were very few RIP's after it was announced that he died.  And as the obituaries roll in, trying to balance the two sides to Spector's life, the musical and murderer, will be a delicate balancing act. It's the age old question of separating the art from the artist?

I want to tell you that anytime a Spector Produced record comes on the radio, the channel is immediately changed.  That I threw the Back to Mono box set out the day he was convicted of murder.  But that's not the case.  Spector was one of music's greatest Producers.  He invented the "Wall of Sound" from which some of the greatest Pop records were made.  There's no way to erase "Be My Baby", "He's A Rebel", "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)", "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'", "Instant Karma", "Da Doo Ron Ron", "To Know Him Is To Love Him", "A Fine, Fine Boy" and "River Deep Mountain High".  The "Wall of Sound" was a huge influence on Brian Wilson, Bruce Springsteen and the Ramones. I'm sorry, no matter how awful he was, those records won't be erased by a monster. Darlene Love, Ronnie Spector, Tina Turner gave some of their greatest performances on his records.  They will be forever associated with him.  Those women, and anyone else who recorded with him, will always be remembered for turning those Spector-produced records into classics. 

Both Darlene Love and Ronnie Spector put out statements after Spector died, basically saying forget the man but remember the music.  It's hard and I don't expect everyone will agree with my thoughts.  Trying to balance Spector's life with his musical legacy will forever be a balancing act.