History Music / PhilSpector

** He repeatedly threatened to shoot Music/LeonardCohen point-blank in the face (according to Cohen, Spector was wielding ''a crossbow'' at one incident).

** Debbie Harry, the lead singer of ''Music/{{Blondie}}'', was once invited over to Spector's mansion in the late '70s to discuss a studio collaboration, as he hoped to make a comeback. When the discussion turned sour, Spector suddenly stuck a gun in one of Harry's boots and said "Bang!" Harry wisely took it as a sign to get the hell out of Dodge.

However, chances are you mostly know him for being totally, 100% batshit insane; there's a reason he's at the top of our "Producer from Hell" list after all. Aside from threatening Music/LeonardCohen with a loaded gun and stealing the tapes of Lennon's ''Rock 'n' Roll'' album at gunpoint, there's also the part where he showed his wife a coffin and threatened to kill her if she left, and also the part where he got convicted for murdering actress Lana Clarkson. As a result, Spector is now serving out a prison sentence of 19 years to life, and will first be eligible for parole in 2025. The last album he was credited on was ''Silence is Easy'' by post-{{Britpop}} band Starsailor, and even then, they almost immediately booted him off after he produced two tracks.

However, chances are you mostly know him for being totally, 100% batshit insane; there's a reason he's at the top of our "Producer from Hell" list after all. Aside from threatening Music/LeonardCohen with a loaded gun and stealing the tapes of Lennon's ''Rock 'n' Roll'' album at gunpoint, there's also the part where he showed his wife a coffin and threatened to kill her if she left, and also the part where he got convicted for murdering actress Lana Clarkson. The last album he was credited on was ''Silence is Easy'' by post-{{Britpop}} band Starsailor, and even then, they almost immediately booted him off after he produced two tracks.

He became famous in TheSixties for pioneering the "Wall of Sound", a production technique that relied on large groups of musicians playing heavily orchestrated parts to yield a dense, full sound, specifically optimized for the top 40 AM radio of the day. Because of how dense the end result of this technique always sounds, criticisms of overproduction aren't uncommon to hear when discussing his portfolio.

** Music/JohnLennon was several at the receiving end of Spector's bizarre and rather dangerous antics with guns at several times, when he was working on the album ''Rock 'n' Roll'' in 1973. During recording, Spector routinely showed up late, usually high as a kite, dressed in elaborate costumes, and always armed with a gun. At one time, Spector, while dressed a surgeon, allegedly as a prank, fired his gun in the control room, inches from the former Beatle's ear. An outraged Lennon responded with "Phil, if you're going to kill me, kill me. But don't fuck with my ears. I need 'em." Another time, Spector pulled his gun and chased Lennon through the hallways of the studio, while screaming threats. Matters with the album got even more complicated when Spector at one point stole the mastertapes from the studio at gunpoint, and then disappeared for several months.

* SignatureStyle: The "Wall of Sound", in which he used complicated mixing techniques and effects like reverb, alongside arrangements that utilized large numbers of musicians, to produce a dense style in which it's often hard to pick out any individual instruments (in fact, it's the drumming, usually by Hal Blaine, that often stands out in the mix).

* OneHitWonder: He was one as a performer, as a member of the trio The Teddy Bears ("To Know Him is to Love Him"), then worked with a bunch as a producer.

* ChristmasSongs: The 1963 album ''A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector'', regarded by many as his masterpiece, features rock arrangements of Yuletide favorites performed by such artists as The Ronettes, The Crystals, and Darlene Love.

* SignatureStyle: The "Wall of Sound".

* SignatureStyle: The "Wall of Sound"

* AxCrazy: Judging by the fact that he issued death threats to his wife and his clients, as well as his murder of Lana Clarkson, it's fair to say that he was a little... ''off''.

** He should have repeatedly threatened to shoot Music/LeonardCohen point-blank in the face (according to Cohen, Spector was wielding ''a crossbow'' at one incident).

** Debbie Harry, the lead singer of ''Music/{{Blondie}}'', was once invited over to Spector's mansion in the late '70s to discuss a studio collaboration, as he hoped to make a comeback. When the discussion turned sour, Spector suddenly stuck a gun in one of Harry's boots and said "Bang!" Harry wisely took it as a sign to get the hell out of dodge.
** And of course, there is the fact that Lana Clarkson, who's murder Spector was convicted for, was found dead from a gunshot to the mouth.

* PsychopathicManchild: Phil loved producing, and wasn't above death threats to get the musicians under his control. Of course, there's also the fact that he legitimately ''murdered'' a woman.

* ReclusiveArtist: He became this in the 1970's and didn't give any major interviews until 2007.

* DodgyToupee: He's fond of wearing these.

* HairTriggerTemper: As noted above, Phil is as famous for his anger problems as he is for his musical genius.

* TheNapoleon: He stands at 5'4 and his short fuse and abrasive personality are legendary.

* TheSociopath: Again, he's a convicted murderer with a history of using a loaded gun to control the musicians he worked with.

* ControlFreak: Disagreeing with him about any aspect of an album was a good way to send him into a rage.

He became famous in TheSixties for pioneering the "Wall of Sound", a production technique that relied on large groups of musicians playing heavily orchestrated parts to yield a dense, full sound, specifically optimized for the top 40 AM radio of the day. His credits include numerous {{Girl Group}}s (The Ronettes, The Crystals), Ike and Music/TinaTurner, The Righteous Brothers, Music/TheBeatles' ''Music/LetItBe'', Music/JohnLennon's first three solo albums, Music/GeorgeHarrison's ''Music/AllThingsMustPass'', Music/TheRamones' ''Music/EndOfTheCentury'' and Music/LeonardCohen's ''Death of a Ladies Man''. His production style has served as an important influence on several subgenres of AlternativeRock, such as [[BaroquePop Chamber Pop]] and {{Shoegazing}}.

However, chances are you mostly know him for being totally, 100% batshit insane. There's a reason he's at the top of our "Producer from Hell" list after all. Aside from threatening Music/LeonardCohen with a loaded gun and stealing the tapes of Lennon's ''Rock 'n' Roll'' album at gunpoint, there's also the part where he showed his wife a coffin and threatened to kill her if she left, and also the part where he got convicted for murdering actress Lana Clarkson. The last album he was credited on was ''Silence is Easy'' by post-{{Britpop}} band Starsailor, and even then, they almost immediately booted him off after he produced two tracks.

* MadArtist
* PsychopathicManchild: Phil loved producing, and wasn't above death threats to get the musicians under his control.

* SignatureStyle: The "Wall of Sound".
* TheSociopath
* TheTysonZone: The man is so crazy that some particularly outrageous stories about him are at least somewhat plausible.

** And of course, there is the fact that Lana Clarkson, who's murder Spector was convicted for, was found dead with a gunshot to the mouth.

* GunNut: Stories have been told about him ready to shoot Music/LeonardCohen point-blank in the face (according to Cohen, Spector was wielding ''a crossbow'' at this incident).

Harvey Phillip Spector, better known as '''Phil Spector''' (born December 26, 1939), is a RecordProducer, songwriter, [[BreadEggsMilkSquick and convicted murderer]].

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