Thursday, April 24, 2014

Recommended Reading: Tearing Down The Wall of Sound


Phil Spector will probably go down in history as the greatest music producer of all time. Working with everyone from The Crystals to The Ronettes to The Beatles to The Ramones. Spector and his famous "Wall of Sound" have become synonymous with great music.  By 18, he had a No. 1 hit and a bright future, then over the years his antics and bizarre behavior began to outshine his fame until 2003, when he hit the tabloids as the man who killed an unknown actress in his home. Spector's life is the stuff of legends and the script that any award winning writer wishes they penned. In 2008, author Mick Brown beat everyone to the punch and released Tearing Down the Wall of Sound: The Rise and Fall of Phil Spector. 

Brown's book chronicles Spector's life as a young New York mastermind who found a way to capitalize on pop music and make a sound that he wanted to hear. From crafting his in demand sound and style, Spector changed pop music forever. Yet, with every genius comes a dark side and Brown explores that deeply in his book. If you are a fan of Spector's work or of music in general, this is a must read.