Discoteca Imaginaria: the Complicated Legacy of Phil Spector
10.03.23
While the global pandemic may have put a damper on our adventures in clubbing, music still has the power to transport us to places unknown. For now, the greatest club on earth may exist in our imagination – Discoteca Imaginaria. Each episode takes listeners to the scenes, clubs, regions and technology that have shaped our sonic history.
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On April 13th 2009, a jury found Phil Spector guilty of murdering actress Lana Clarkson. This conviction marked the dramatic end of a tumultuous career that spawned an entirely new recording technique in pop music. Clarkson was unfortunately just one of many victims of Spector’s obsession with power and control over women. Girl groups like The Ronettes and The Crystals, who sang many of his iconic early hits, were exploited for his personal gain with unfavorable contracts and uncredited performances. His former wife Ronnie Spector was even held captive in his mansion, only escaping an abusive marriage by running away barefoot. But Phil Spector is just one of many examples of art originating from a sinister person, when we must separate art from the artist. Instead, we can celebrate the other people, often women of color, who played an equally important role in developing his wall of sound.
Tracklist:
Jack Nitsche – Do Doo Ron Ron
The Teddy Bears – To Know Him Is To Love Him
The Crystals – There’s No Other Like My Baby
The Paris Sisters – I Love How You Love Me
Interview with Phil Spector, October 1965
The Ronettes – I Want a Boy
Gene Pitney – Every Breath I Take
The Crystals – He Hit Me (It Felt Like a Kiss)
Interview with Ronnie Spector, 1985
The Ronettes – Be My Baby
The Treasures – Hold Me Tight
The Drifters – On Broadway
Da Doo Run Run Documentary, 1983
The Crystals – Do Doo Ron Ron
Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans – Zip-a-De-Doo-Dah
Dixie Cups – Chapel of Love
All You Need Is Love Ep 9 “Good Times: Rhythm and Blues”, iTV 1977
Ike & Tina Turner – River Deep – Mountain High
The Righteous Brothers – You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling
Sonny Charles And The Checkmates Ltd. – Black Pearl
Entertainment Tonight on Ronnie Spector, 1998
The Ronettes – Baby, I Love You
Beach Boys – I Can Hear Music (Track & Backing Vocals)
George Harrison – What Is Life
John Lennon – Remember
Dion – (He’s Got) The Whole World In His Hands
Interview with Leonard Cohen, 1985
Leonard Cohen – Paper Thin Hotel
Harry Nilsson – River Deep, Mountain High
Yoko Ono – Nobody Sees Me Like You Do
Interview with John Lennon, RKO Radio 1974
John Lennon – Be My Baby
Ronnie Spector – Try Some, Buy Some
Rachel Sweet – Then He Kissed Me/Be My Baby
Interview with The Ramones, 1982
Ramones – Baby, I Love You
Wavves – Mickey Mouse
Richard Swift – Would You?
Dirty Beaches – True Blue
Grizzly Bear – He Hit Me
Interview with Amy Winehouse, iTV 2007
Amy Winehouse – To Know Him Is To Love Him
Shannon & The Clams – Ozma
The Morning Benders – He’s a Rebel
Phil Spector’s arrest, NBC News, 2003
The Crystals – Then He Kissed Me
