Episode 10: Phil Spector and The Wall of Sound
What was supposed to be a ten-minute diversion into Phil Spector's influence on Brian Wilson has somehow become an entire episode. But given what was happening in American pop music in 1963, we reckon it's a detour worth taking.
This week, Harry and Andy step away from the Beach Boys for a little while to investigate the man behind some of the most remarkable records of the early sixties.
Beginning with Brian's fascination with Spector's Christmas recordings, we head back to the producer's teenage beginnings with The Teddy Bears, his apprenticeship with Leiber and Stoller, and the establishment of Philles Records. Along the way, we encounter the Crystals, the Ronettes, the Wrecking Crew, and the two men whose contributions to Spector's records deserve rather more recognition: arranger Jack Nitzsche and engineer Larry Levine.
Then, having worked our way up to Be My Baby, we attempt to answer a deceptively simple question: what actually was the Wall of Sound?
With the help of some original recordings, archival interviews, studio recollections and a few practical demonstrations, Harry breaks the sound down into three interlocking elements: orchestration, the performance itself, and the engineering that brought it all together.
There's instrumental doubling, microphone bleed, Gold Star's famous echo chambers, a rather elaborate analogy involving a three-legged milking stool, and plenty of Brian Wilson along the way.
It's a story about how records were made, the people who made them, and why the results had such a profound effect on our young hawthornians
Next time, we finally get around to Shut Down Volume 2!
Made in California: A Beach Boys Podcast
A chronological journey through the music, history and strange little corners of the Beach Boys story, with Harry Williams and Andy Wrintmore.
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