27. Presenting The Fabulous Ronettes - The Ronettes Featuring Veronica.
In the eighties, I recall hearing the "Be my little baby" in the Eddie Money hit "Take Me Home Tonight", and thinking that the singer's voice was remarkable. It was Ronnie Spector revisiting twenty or so years before when she was a member of an all girl group the Ronettes. This album features Ronnie as the predominant force, with the Ronettes providing backup vocals, and the Phil Spector Wall of Sound rounding out the mix. I have to say that it is a little dated, but a good listen nonetheless.
The album starts out with some thunder and then Ronnie starts to sing. "Walking in the Rain" sets the tone for the rest of the album. Her voice is angelic and the backups are strong as well. The music is intriguing, it is in your face, but each instrument can still be discerned. It is not a muddy mess, but rather a testament to the recording genius of Phil Spector. I watched a YouTube piece on the studio they used to capture the Wall of Sound. It seemed really small and cramped, but harnessed correctly, it made magic.
From what I have gleaned from the reading I have done, we can make a couple of assumptions. First, Ronnie Spector must have been a very sexy woman. Tabbed the original bad girl of rock and roll (look it up!), she allegedly had romances with members of the Beatles and the Stones, and then blew Phil Spector away with her voice (upon review, I am thrilled with the unintentional gun pun!), and became the object of his desire. Second, Phil Spector must be a far better producer than he is a husband. I make these assumptions based on the empirical; my assessment of his production on the albums I have heard, and the unproven; the allegations of thwarting Ronnie's commercial success at every turn, practically imprisoning her in their house, and of course the second degree murder charge that he is currently serving time for. That being said, he was a hell of a producer.
The album is twelve songs of sixties pop replete with horns that hasn't left the fifties rock and roll sound behind. "What'd I Say" rocks along superbly, and "Be My Baby" and "Baby I Love You" are similar sounding, yet are both solid songs in their own right. There is an obvious formula to the recordings, there are slight variations on the theme as each track passes by, like fields from a train window, but you never really get a sense of leaving the main idea behind. I feel similarly about AC DC. They are all pretty much the same song; but it's a good song, so it works.
The importance of the Ronettes is proven by the company they kept. The Rolling Stones opened for them on a concert tour of the UK, they partied with the Beatles in London, and then introduced them to other artists in the States once Beatlemania hit the streets. Ronnie later collaborated famously with Eddie Money and Joey Ramone. This interview with David Letterman gives insight into the goings on in the mid sixties; and towards the end Dave keeps steering her towards the elephant in the room, the Phil Spector situation. He does seem to respect her though, and resists what must have been the urge to go for the throat like he used to in the old days.
The album starts out with some thunder and then Ronnie starts to sing. "Walking in the Rain" sets the tone for the rest of the album. Her voice is angelic and the backups are strong as well. The music is intriguing, it is in your face, but each instrument can still be discerned. It is not a muddy mess, but rather a testament to the recording genius of Phil Spector. I watched a YouTube piece on the studio they used to capture the Wall of Sound. It seemed really small and cramped, but harnessed correctly, it made magic.
From what I have gleaned from the reading I have done, we can make a couple of assumptions. First, Ronnie Spector must have been a very sexy woman. Tabbed the original bad girl of rock and roll (look it up!), she allegedly had romances with members of the Beatles and the Stones, and then blew Phil Spector away with her voice (upon review, I am thrilled with the unintentional gun pun!), and became the object of his desire. Second, Phil Spector must be a far better producer than he is a husband. I make these assumptions based on the empirical; my assessment of his production on the albums I have heard, and the unproven; the allegations of thwarting Ronnie's commercial success at every turn, practically imprisoning her in their house, and of course the second degree murder charge that he is currently serving time for. That being said, he was a hell of a producer.
The album is twelve songs of sixties pop replete with horns that hasn't left the fifties rock and roll sound behind. "What'd I Say" rocks along superbly, and "Be My Baby" and "Baby I Love You" are similar sounding, yet are both solid songs in their own right. There is an obvious formula to the recordings, there are slight variations on the theme as each track passes by, like fields from a train window, but you never really get a sense of leaving the main idea behind. I feel similarly about AC DC. They are all pretty much the same song; but it's a good song, so it works.
The importance of the Ronettes is proven by the company they kept. The Rolling Stones opened for them on a concert tour of the UK, they partied with the Beatles in London, and then introduced them to other artists in the States once Beatlemania hit the streets. Ronnie later collaborated famously with Eddie Money and Joey Ramone. This interview with David Letterman gives insight into the goings on in the mid sixties; and towards the end Dave keeps steering her towards the elephant in the room, the Phil Spector situation. He does seem to respect her though, and resists what must have been the urge to go for the throat like he used to in the old days.
All in all it's a fine album, and an intriguing story. An interesting note is the appearance in the liner notes of Sonny Bono and Cher as backup singers. Rolling Stone included this album at number 427 of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
Buy it here.
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