Phil & Ronnie Spector

In an age of interchangeable doo wop performers and cookie cutter rock and roll groups, a tour de force known as “The Wall of Sound” did not merely explode onto the scene-it was a nuclear detonation in a phone booth. An unconventional pairing of brass, woodwinds, strings, and large orchestral groups, the movement was captured in an echo chamber to create a full, rich and complex sound which emitted a natural reverberation on the AM dials.

Uber producer/Wall innovator Phil Spector created the new sound as a result of a neurotic aversion to stereo productions, believing the quality of the art suffered a breach in the process. He would describe the Wall as “A Wagnerian approach to rock and roll…little symphonies for the kids”. It was not uncommon for him to apply the dual use of electric and acoustic guitars in unison to capture a layered and dense vibe. The temperamental Spector would produce albums for John Lennon with The Wall’s employ, but the most dynamic application of the acoustical goldmine would come from Phil’s one time wife and her angelic trio, The Ronettes.

Helmed by the quavering vocals of Ronnie Spector and her sister and cousin, the songbirds from Spanish Harlem would become known as the “Bad girls of rock n roll”, due to their bee hive coifs, tight skirts, and heavy eyeliner. While contemporaries such as The Supremes were renowned for smooth harmonies, the perfect collision of The Wall and The Ronettes separated the ladies from the pack.

Possessing chops that were futuristic and otherworldly against the back drop of Phil Spector’s wizardry, a legend was conceived, the birth of a song that tugs at the heart to the point it becomes delightfully intolerable.

The emblematic model of the Wall of Sound that captured the attention of the world lives in The Ronette’s “Be my baby”. So influential was the arrangement, Beach Boys crooner Brian Wilson penned the smash “Don’t worry baby” as a tribute rebuttal to the Ronette’s imperative styling. When the girls would execute this soundtrack of pleading love, the listener would bear witness to a seductive larceny of their audio senses.

Ronnie’s gorgeous expression was not merely an oration of lyrics on a sheet; it was a soulful yearning that made all who listened FEEL her words as they flowed amidst the symphonic chaos of The Wall. As a writer prone to flowery adjectives and fawning reverence, I begrudgingly hold back the several page essay I easily could scribe regarding the evolutionary sexy sound and the emotion it evokes.

Pop life is cyclical by nature. For every Michael Buble, there was a Frank Sinatra, for every Lady Gaga, a Madonna, and every boy band, a Jackson 5. No exception to the rule, Phil Spector employed his genius sound of The Ronette’s with The Beatles and John Lennon, and The Wall of Sound heavily influenced the likes of Amy Winehouse, Billy Joel, The Beach Boys, Dusty Springfield and Bruce Springsteen.

It was a plethora of noise and confusion the ear was not apt to process, yet plowed through with sweet gusto. Like an overdose of Halloween chocolates, it was a pleasure that required indulgence, an auditory tornado unguarded by shelter.

Old souls and music aficionados alike shall forever adore the brilliance that was conceived in a diminutive enclave yet yielded a massive contribution to the annals of music. Such were the faculties of The Wall of Sound. Ronnie once sang “Oh since the day I saw you…I have been waiting for you”; Truth is Ms. Spector, it was you and the gals we had been waiting for. Thankfully you arrived, honored guests in our lives forever.

Ronnie Spector Tribute To Amy Winehouse