We've all seen some of our Rock 'n' Roll heroes fall from grace over the decades; it used to be drugs back in the day, but latterly we've seen some dabbling with fascism, some have revealed dubious sexual predilections, some have even done dodgy TV adverts. But murder?
Phil Spector died in a prison-run medical facility in January of this year from COVID complications and its hard to eulogise a man who'd been found guilty of second-degree murder back in 2009 and who was serving a 19 year to life sentence.
Nevertheless, Phil Spector's unique vision of what a pop record could sound like revolutionised the '60s charts on both sides of the Atlantic. His production on tracks such as 'River Deep, Mountain High' for Ike & Tina Turner and 'You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling' for the Righteous Brothers were nothing short of astonishing. It was his album 'A Christmas Gift For You' though that was his meisterwerk. And it was HIS album; the artists that Spector used to record his vision were little more than an extension of his tools.
Released in 1963 on the same day that John F Kennedy was assassinated, the album failed to gain traction with a U.S public reeling from the death of their president. It fared better in the UK on radio plays but sales were still relatively low. The Beatles were huge fans though and when the Fabs renamed it as 'Phil Spector's Christmas Album' and re-released it on their Apple label in 1972 the status of the album changed completely. The re-titled LP reached its highest chart placing that year and its status hasn't diminished over the decades. It's now considered a classic and the general consensus is that if you only ever own one Christmas album then this is the one to have.
For me, I can't ever remember a Christmas when this wasn't playing and even if I live another 20 years (unlikely I know) I will play it at least once every December. It really is a phenomenal piece of work.
So, in the spirit of the season and with a nod to Dickens himself, I give an appreciative bow to the Ghost of Christmas Past and the man Phil Spector once was rather than the one he became.
Merry Christmas Everyone!
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