Phil Spector's 5 greatest hits (not counting that girl he murdered)

Published Apr 13 2009, 11:36 PM by Carly Carioli

It's official: Phil Spector is guilty of second-degree murder. His victim, a 40-year-old House of Blues hostess who'd once held a bit role in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, was found shot in the face, in Spector's mansion, in February 2003. (If you have a hard time taking Phil Spector seriously because of his infamously goofy mugshots, we recommend you take a look at the crime scene photos.) It will be much less fun to tell stories about what a kook Spector was in the studio, since the tales of his terrorizing Ronnie Spector and waving a gun at the Ramones will now reverberate less as talismans of music-biz bravado than as symbols of the industry's complicity in sweeping its heroes' dirty laundry under the rug. Phil Spector's life was a tragedy long before he pulled the trigger. Now it's epic tragedy. And the soundtrack was written long ago. Here's the five most dripping-with-irony hits in Phil's long, storied career.

5. The Teddy Bears, "To Know Him Is To Love Him"

4. Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans, "Why Do Lovers Break Each Others' Hearts?"

3. Gene Pitney, "Every Breath I Take"

2. The Crystals, "He Hit Me (It Felt Like A Kiss)"

1. The Righteous Brothers, "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling"

Phil Spector

Harvey Phillip Spector (born December 26, 1940) is an American record producer of the 1960s and 1970s. Arguably one of the most distinctive producers in...

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2 Comments

JD said:

I have to disagree with your list.. despite being good songs, Phil also produced:

Imagine - John Lennon

Be My Baby - The Ronettes

Then He Kissed Me - The Crystals

My Sweet Lord - George Harrison

Rock N Roll High School - Ramones

Across the Universe - Beatles

River Deep/Mountain High - Ike & Tina Turner

April 15, 2009 6:51 PM
marko said:

this guy is a sick man. producer aside, millions aside don't equal the score. how we forgive the rich. i bet if were poor and unknown he's have been in jail already. we are just as ill.

April 22, 2009 11:39 PM