Phil Spector Tribute: Wall of Soundalikes

Terrific and exciting compilation of music inspired by mad genius Phil Spector ,famous for creating legendary "Wall of Sound".

Everything is here - from big hits,curiosities and one-offs to pure copies of Spector's work,ist of performers reads like "Who's who" of 1960s pop - Beach boys,Supremes,Jackie DeShannon,Walker brothers,Sonny & Cher... all of them recorded singles tat echoed Spector's megalomaniac vision,that particular brand of symphonic pop,grandeur that bursted out of transistor speakers.

As expected,it is not hits but lesser known gems that shines best - "On the spanish side" by The Corsairs,"It breaks my heart" by Ray Raymonds and "My baby looks but he don't touch" by Carol Conners - and almost any of these glorious oddities that sounds as good as big hits (if not even better). There is even a single "Please Phil Spector" that humorously shows how everybody expected Spector to have Mida's touch.

Personally, I worship Spector's 1960s work and always get totally swept away with his music .

Because his discography is after all,limited, compilations like this are welcome for Spector hungry fans and if they release one each year I would be the first one to buy them.

Little Richard: Southern child (1972)

Mildly interesting early 1970s album with Little Richard going country rock.

He still comes over like a Hurricane but it's far from manic frenzy of his classic early work,in fact he actually sounds much more interesting when he tones down ("If you pick her to hard") and transforms that famous scream into gentle purr.

"Ain't no tellin'","Southern child" and "In the name" are pure,unashamed,flat-footed & twangy country (apparently autographical) with lots of "lawd oh lawd" and "honey" - it;'s almost surreal to hear rock legend like Richard in such different surroundings but he pulls it off with passion and humor.

Most interesting track is old fashioned boogie woogie instrumental "Sneak the Freak" that rocks better than anything.

Not essential work but still interesting curiosity from highly original and eccentric artist who clearly refused following commercial trends.

Bobbie Gentry debut LP (1967)

Album built around brilliant single - "OTBJ" is still one of the most powerful & mysterious songs ever recorded,but the rest of the LP is basically variation on the same sound, repeated until the trick became painfully obvious. "Niky Hoeky" is great fun,but still,we ard it all before.

Gentle,acoustic ballads like "Sunday best" and "I saw an Angel die" hint at different direction in the future and thankfully,Gentry moved on very soon.

Interestingly enough,voice is bit rough around the edges and leaves impression that producers wanted it that way,in the future Gentry would sound softer and more effective - her husky sound did not need any mannerisms to make it sound more interesting.

Off the wall moment: full blown insect paranoia "Bugs" might be symbol for something else but it still baffles me,one way or another.

Blondie: "Autoamerican" (1980)

A classic case of artists moving to a new pastures and audience criticizing them for not staying the same.

Just listen to symphonic opening of "Europe" and you can imagine everybody looking around in surprise,because this wasn't disco pop like "Heart of Glass" or even one of their clever 1960s pastiches - but than,considering their genre hopping,what exactly was "Blondie" sound and can we ever pigeon hole them?

To their defence ,"Blondie" served audience with a two strong hits ("The tide is high" and Rapture") but it became obvious they were losing the steam or simply were not so interested in pursuing pop anymore. Debbie Harry sounds like a dream (as she always has) but overall the album sounds a bit pointless and uninspired. Once they reached the peak of pop charts,everything was downhill from there.

Most interesting: 1920s number "Here's looking at you"

Anna King: Back to Soul (1964)

Early R&B curiosity, 1964 one-off by the singer from James Brown show.

How does it sound? Well,like James Brown with gritty ,soulful and passionate voice that roars against recognizable horn-and-sax driven arrangements. Unfortunately music is quite generic and not very memorable (songs are all bluesy ballads with crescendo finale) so unless you are 1960s R&B fan,you won't find any treasures here.

Etta James and Tina Turner both recorded at the very same time and had much better luck with material,this recording sounds like Brown was simply experimenting to see what else he can do besides singing,composing and leading the band.

Very last song "Baby,baby,baby" (duet with Bobby Byrd) kicks with rhythm and sadly points at missed opportunity - the whole album could have been joyous like this but chance was wasted on agonizing ballads and embarrassing version of "Tennessee Waltz".

Good - but not above average in a decade rich with exceptional talents.

Alison Moyet: "Hoodoo"(1991)

Perhaps the best thing Moyet ever did,this album got somehow ignored by music industry & audience thirsty for simple pop jingles - it is excellent collection of serious pop with strong melancholic undertones and clever lyrics. Be it dramatic ballads or gospel finale,Moyet roars with that amazing,chocolate voice and simply has no competition far and away.

Excellent album.

Sweet Inspirations (1967)

If this isn't the best & strongest girl group of all times,well it's pretty close to the crown.

Cissy Houston and her girls were paying their dues way too long as backing singers for other people,so to hear them on solo album is a joy. And "joy" is a very significant and descriptive word here as these voices erupt in powerful burst of passion. Every note is perfect,every crack in the voice just where it has to be,every single song (be it blues or pop standard) joyous explosion of voices united. With exception of a famous single "Sweet inspiration" songs recorded here are all covers,but hardly by numbers - they turn everything into full-blown gospel,be it soulful take on "Knock on wood",old warhorse "Let it be me" or a song from Aretha Franklin songbook.

Highlight: pure musical abandon on Ike Turner's genuine nonsense masterpiece "I'm blue". This is singing for the pure pleasure of singing. And main vocal is so ragged and rusty that even Ike himself would have approve of it.

Scockwave by The Blossoms (1972)

Incredibly strong (and for some reason completely unknown and obscure) recording by girl-group "The Blossoms" led by superwoman Darlene Love who was one of the best voices in the business. Who knows why this album didn't work out - maybe because on its cover it didn't have three supermodels like Supremes or three weirdos in space outfits (LaBelle) but three middle aged ladies who look a little bit tired and sing like a dream. Today it would have been a bit difficult to market them but once you hear them,you know this is real thing.

Of course "The Blossoms" were around forever and recorded together as far back as 1958. but this is not old-fashioned cutesy sound,this is something very contemporary (for 1972. standards) and not so far removed from what LaBelle did around the same time. Be it upbeat numbers or gospel ballads ("Fire and Rain" got gospel makeover) ladies sang their hearts out and are in top form,it must have been exciting to hear them live!

All lead vocals are done by Darlene Love,except last song "Just remember". I don't have LP near at this moment but I would swear this is not Love,it's sung in much gentler manner and my guess is,it was one of the other ladies from the cover picture.

If you like LaBelle,Flirtations or Sweet Inspirations,this is something for you.

So much love: Darlene Love Anthology 1958-1998

A wonderful (and welcome) homage to one of all-time great vocalists,this CD combined with previously released "The Very Best of Darlene Love" (her classic 1960s work) gives more or the less clear story of Darlene Love music and career.

Gifted with a strong,booming and soulful voice that clearly shows gospel influence in everything she did,Love graced many of Phil Spector hit singles way back and she was one of the stars of his famous Christmas album recorded in 1964. That work has been compiled already so now we have "The Rest of Darlene Love" that shows singer working away from mad genius and it's interesting that best cuts here are ones that nod towards Spector sound.

Clearly,Love is in her element when music gears to girl group sound ("Gospel truth") or Christmas pop ("All Alone on Christmas") - her beautiful 1958. recording of "So much love" is earthshaking in gospel power,as opposite to Dusty Springfield later delicate and vulnerable version. Because this compilation is cherry-picked selection of rarities and because Love on her own did not have anything close to success of Spector hits,it will be mostly of interest to collectors and fans of 1960s pop. That is not to say music is not good,it has stunning vocals and period charm but it has great talent working away from the man who made her known. Lots of curiosities here,some demos and even TV ads,not to mention several cuts from excellent album "Shockwave" (1972). where she was lead vocalist of "The Blossoms"

To get real complete picture,it would have been nice to have some of her gospel recordings or perhaps her own take on "River Deep,Mountain High" (the only song she ever really wanted to sing and begged Spector to do it,but he had somebody else in mind) until than,this is the best presentation of her later discography.

Dream a little dream of me (Eddi Figel)

Oh well,how can we forget celebrity biographies - once I actually went back to my list of books that I've read in the past (real Virgo,always writing everything down) and to my biggest embarrassment I found out that apparently I read zillions of books about Hollywood movie stars,singers and such - no matter how I tried to explain this,basically its always the same answer - voyeurism and curiosity about other people lives.

So if you see me passing by bookshop,you can bet I will check out everything but at the end just have a peek at celebrity biographies,to check am I missing anything.Sure,now I know this is my weak spot so it's easy to control myself,however it's my guilty pleasure and sometimes I just indulge myself,like with this book - I was on vacation and just loved the fact that I was free from work and can do whatever I want,including reading book about Mama Cass. I even have photo taken of me relaxing and purring like a kitten in centre of Amsterdam, while reading this book.

Ah yes,the book.

More than just giving the story about Cass herself - who was more or less what we all knew and expected - the book describes San Francisco scene in late 1960s and what it meant to be there at that particular time. How everything changed overnight after Sharon Tate murders and uninvited visitors were not permitted anymore. How it was to have Jack Nicholson, Joni Mitchell or Cher around the house. Numerous stories about folk clubs where performers sang basically for peanuts (this is where Cass came from,though her real love were Broadway musicals) and of course some great backstage stories about "Mamas and Papas" and how it all really went. Tons of infos about music.

And by the way,there was never any sandwich,it was a heart attack although basically it shouldn't matter because the end is the same. But her daughter is very unhappy with the whole ham sandwich thing and I understand her,at that time doctor wanted to hide any suspicion about drugs so he went for something innocent and accidentally turned late Mama Cass into a joke.

God Delusion by Richard Dawkins

I forgot to mention this book which turned out to be far better than I expected.

Bought it on the international airpot in Frankfurt or some similar place and I remember thinking "God will punish me and crash the plane down" but it didn't happen. Than it took few months before I actually put my hands on the book and the beginning was not particularly impressive because Dawkins concentrates too much on his favorite subject - science and how everything developed naturally in some kind of progress (one way or another,to describe this in nutshell) instead of silly stories of divine presence creating the world. But second part of the book somehow really caught up with me and I ended up really enjoying it,specially when Dawkins goes into describing that religion is completely pointless (people can be good even without fear of God,you know something is bad without anybody throwing rules at you) and could - and was already - be used in very dangerous,controlling way.

Sure,it goes against majority of people but I never consider myself "ordinary person from the street" and always have eyes & ears open for any new,interesting discussion so this was really a welcome book and refreshing air to hear there are other people around who share my opinion.

Syreta (1972)

Debut album by Wonder than-wife who actually had very pleasant voice and was decent talent with or without him. Sure,without him there would not be so many doors opening for her but if you check composers behind these songs,you will find out that with all those heavy-weights (Stevie Wonder,John Lennon,Smokey Robinson) the best song is "Happiness" written completely by lady herself.

Sounds very much like Stevie Wonder's work of early 1970s and the second half of closing "To know you is to love you" turns into fiery instrumental that would not be out of the place on any of Wonder's own classic albums. The only thing this album lacks is some big hit - kind of meanders around without really going anywhere - but that would come soon.

Of great interests for Stevie Wonder fans.

Shadow of the Vampire (2001)

"Nosferatu" has always been one of my all-time favorites so I was very curious to see this movie where the story goes behind the making of "Nosferatu".

What (for example,theoretically) if Max Schreck was real vampire and not acting at all?

Some decent talents here - John Malkovich is playing legendary german director Murnau,while Willem Dafoe is vampire Max Schreck and he is actually brilliant. I am not talking only about mask,but about the demonic way he possesses the character,his way of clicking with fingernails and all those little details,damn excellent. Of supportive actors I need to mention british TV comedian Eddie Izzard who has very ungrateful role of "bad actor" - it is actually a difficult trick to play "bad actor" (in this case someone who is terrified of vampire's presence). But as interesting as this is,it is not a classic movie (it has a feel of TV drama) and it's just interesting variation of theme,makes you run back to real "Nosferatu".

Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)

Sometimes the old movie is just old movie.

For some strange reason,I thought I might enjoy this, movie adaptation of stage comedy classic - if I remember correctly,this even played in croatian theatre and my guess is,it was probably far better that way,where it belongs - on the stage.

Frank Capra directed this,really ridiculously over-acted and wrongly paced story where everybody runs around screaming and pretending - I did not laughed,or chuckled or even found it amusing - simply a case of old,silly movie.

Carry Grant is the main character here - he makes faces,runs up and down the stairs and basically fools around very loud & annoyingly. His fiancee (Priscila Lane) is completely unnecessary because Grant pushes her around and throws her out of house all the time,when he don't know what to do with her,he shuts her up with kisses. Two sweet aunties are very likable - and they have to be,because the whole story depends on this - and everything is fine as long as they are on the screen.But we have nutty relative who thinks he is Roosevelt,murderous brother with a face of Boris Karloff and (believe it or not) Peter Lorre somewhere in there. Add several other characters like silly policemen,doctors,cab drivers and so on... pure madness and not very entertaining either,just a lot of people yelling and screaming all the time.

The only good things were two sweet aunties - played by Josephine Hull and Jean Adair and I must say they did excellent job by creating such unforgettable characters,because the point is - the old ladies are actually mass murderers but somehow they pull it off with charm and cuteness so viewer actually don't mind. We don't want police to find them or anything bad to happen to them,so luckily the script has a perfect solution for them and it is a sort of happy ending.

"Diesel" T-shirts with Tito face!

There is a new collection of "Diesel" T-shirts that has man's profile re-designed in different variations (same face with punk hairstyle and so on).

One look and I thought "Hm,this looks very familiar" - and of course I knew immediately where this comes from,after all I was child of Tito's Yugoslavia and grew up with his pictures,I know this profile in my sleep. But it seemed little strange that fashion company would take Tito as a model for design so I wanted to check it out myself and did some internet research and sure I found the photo that was used for this,it was a famous WW2 photo of Tito from the profile (he had really heroic face and was very photogenic,truth must be told).

Well,now "Diesel" had re-designed Tito for fashion T-shirts and if you see them,check them out,it is Tito with different hairstyles (punk,rock and so on) I think its very bizzare.