Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
More On:
Phil Spector
-
Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Spector’ on Showtime, A Limited Series Look At Producer Phil Spector’s Murder Of Actress Lana Clarkson
-
‘Spector’ Examines the Troubling Legacy of Music Icon Phil Spector and Pays Tribute to Murder Victim Lana Clarkson
-
'McCartney 3, 2, 1' on Hulu Is Like A Low-Key TED Talk About How To Make Your Life Extraordinary
-
Phil Spector Dead At 81: Watch The Emmy-Nominated HBO Movie About His Trial For Lana Clarkson's Murder
Phil Spector, one of the pioneers of rock music production, has died at the age of 81. Spector utilized what he referred to as the “Wall of Sound” method that became widely popular across the industry. He was later was convicted of murdering actress Lana Clarkson in 2003 at his Los Angeles mansion and sentenced to 19 years to life.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, California state prison officials have said that he died on Saturday of natural causes at a hospital.
Clarkson, who was the star of Barbarian Queen and other B-movies, was found shot dead in the foyer of Spector’s mansion in the hills of L.A. overlooking the town of Alhambra. Spector had insisted that the actress’ death was an “accidental suicide.”
Decades before the incident, a self-conscious Spector had been celebrated as a visionary for merging inspiring vocal harmonies with extravagant orchestral arrangements to produce the “Wall of Sound” effect that propelled such pop songs as “Da Doo Ron Ron,” “Be My Baby” and “He’s a Rebel.”
Bruce Springsteen and Brian Wilson openly mirrored his zealous recording process and passion for sound, and John Lennon had even called him “the greatest record producer ever” at one point.
In 1969, Spector was recruited to rescue The Beatles‘ “Let It Be” album, a struggling “back to basics” attempt that was muddied by discord within the band. Although Lennon praised Spector’s work, later working with him again on “Imagine,” bandmate Paul McCartney was outraged at the producer’s contributions. McCartney oversaw a remaster of “Let it Be” years later that removed Spector’s contributions.
The producer was played by Al Pacino in a 2013 HBO biopic which also starred Helen Mirren as his defense attorney Linda Kenney Baden. The film centered on the dramatic relationship between Spector and Baden while the music business legend was on trial for murder.
Phil Spector is currently streaming on HBO Max.
Michael is a music and television junkie keen on most things that are not a complete and total bore. You can follow him on Twitter — @Tweetskoor
