Buddy Beaverhausen Remembers Ellie Greenwich

Ellie Greenwich was born October 23, 1940 and died in 2009 of a heart attack due to complications from pneumonia, six years ago today, August 26, 1999. She was born in Brooklyn (isn't elmost everybody?) but, at age 10, moved with her family to Levittown, Long Island.

I grew up listening to Ellie's songs (written with then songwrting partner and hubby, Jeff Barry) on the radio on on my turntable. I loved these songs though, at the time, had no idea who wrote them. She and Barry frequently wrote for Phil Spector. She also recorded lead vocals as The Raindrops and as a solo artist. She and Barry were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1991.

I wore out most of the records on which she'd written the songs -- singles like "Be My Baby," "Da Doo Ron Ron," "Maybe I Know," "Chapel of Love," "He's Got the Power" and "River Deep, Mountain High" to name but a few.



In 1983, Ellie wrote a hit single for Nona Hendryx, "Keep It Confidential." She followed that up with the song, "Right Track, Wrong Train." It was written specially for Cyndi Lauper, whose voice Ms Greenwich admired. It appeared on the B-side of the original "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" 45.

Shortly thereafter, Alan Pepper ~ my old boss at The Bottom Line, and all-around great guy ~ had a show created around Ellie's songs. Leader of the Pack was such a long-running hit at the club, it was brought to Broadway, featuring Darlene Love, Annie Golden and Ms Greenwich herself. I was lucky enough to see both versions.

RIP, Ellie (Eleanor) Greenwich. Your quintessential pop songs are forever in our hearts and on our "turntables," whatever media that is nowadays.

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The Ronnie Spector Experience

EMI has released The Very Best of Ronnie Spector as part of its Playlist series. I bought the cd at last week's merchandise table at NYC's City Winery after her concert. It is autographed.

I met Ronnie once, in the early part of the decade, at an Ellen DeGeneres performance at the Beacon Theatre in NYC. As the oblivious crowd walked to the street, I said hello. She was quietly seated with her husband. Jonathan Greenfield. She had just won her lawsuit for royalties from ex-hubby Phil Spector. I congratulated her on her victory. "You're happy? I'm very happy!" Ronnie exclaimed.

This album includes early Colpix recordings of The Ronettes, Ronettes classics with Phil Spector's Wall of Sound, and some of her later solo hits.

"Say Goodbye to Hollywood," written for Ronnie by Billy Joel (but a hit for him after Ronnie's deal for an album with Columbia collapsed) is on here in all its glory, recorded with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. So is the Eddie Money hit duet, "Love on a Rooftop," written & produced by Desmond Child. Johnny Thunder's "You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory" is included, an anthem, now cemented in her repertoire.

I especially love George Harrison's spacey "Try Some, Buy Some" and "All I Want," my favorite track from The Last of the Rock Stars album.

So try some and buy one. CD version includes liner notes and numerous photos.

I was sorry, however, that the album didn't include these favorite tracks:







And her one disco single that should have been a club hit:

The Rose of Spanish Harlem: Ronnie Spector at City Winery

My autographed photo ready for framing

I've seen Ronnie Spector on many occasions but never has she put on a show as fantastic as the one she did tonight at the City Winery NYC.  She now has the rights to sing the entire Ronettes songbook, which has not always been the case. Apparently, ex-husband Phil Spector struck a deal with her which, I assume, came with the stipulation that she stop bad-mouthing him on stage because, oddly, his name never came up once during this performance.

With an expert band of five and two back-up singers (who also played additional guitar and tambourine, man), Ronnie entered smiling and shaking her shelf; one that Bette Midler would envy. Ms S was otherwise trim, slim and still girlishly coquettish, working her peplum (over tight black slacks) like a skirt. Yesterday was her birthday. She is 72 and looks 25 years younger.

Her voice has lost none of its adolescent timbre as obvious on her first song, "Why Don't They Let Us Fall in Love?" She began her patter by telling us that she, her sister Estelle and cousin Nedra began as models doing the hula in the window of midtown's Hawaii Kai.

Ronnie and Matt at stage door.

Her set included the Carole King/ Gerry Goffin "Is This What I Get for Loving You, Baby?", "Do I Love You?", a sensational version of "Paradise", the Phil Spector arrangement for "Chapel of Love", "Walking in the Rain" and the wonderful "The Best Part of Breaking Up".

Rare clips and photos of The Ronettes were shared on the big-screen monitors to each side of the stage. The videos of her on Dick Clark's American Bandstand and Shindig were priceless.



She first finished off with The Rosettes' # 1 hit, "Be My Baby" after her version of Johnny Thunder's "You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory". She told us she had a residency in a NJ gay bar when Thunder saw her perform, introduced himself and later wrote wrote this song for her. By the way, I saw Ronnie turn straight men gay tonight as they broke out into fabulous hand gesturing any drag queen would envy, listening to their siren sing.

Ronnie mistily dedicated her closing number, "You Came, You Saw, You Conquered" to her late sister, Estelle. Ronnie tours the UK in November and returns to City Winery NYC to do her Christmas shows this year. Reserve your seats early. Guaranteed to sell out.

On the Town with Buddy Beaverhausen: Matt Beckoff Brings Sixties Girls to NYC's Metropolitan Room

Me & La La Brooks of the original Crystals

What an awesome afternoon delight this Saturday when three of the great girl-group divas of the 1960s appeared together at the Metropolitan Room. I met with La La Brooks in the lobby, ahead of her being onstage. I've interviewed La La and also reviewed her album from late last year. I was so happy she remembered Buddy Beaverhausen and showed such love! "Buddy Beaverhausen! I really enjoy your little sarcasms and that your blog has an edge to it," La La said to me. I can die happy now.

My friend Ron Giles and I went inside and were seated at one of the comfy booths at the back of the room. Matt Beckoff was a wonderful host to Ms Brooks (original lead singer of Phil Spector's The Crystals), Barbara Harris (of The Toys) and Margaret Ross Williams (lead singer of The Cookies). All were native New Yorkers. The Chantels' Arlene Smith was to be part of this but had to cancel over purported safety issues. Ms Smith uses a motorized wheelchair and thunderstorms were predicted (though failed to develop, gratefully, until much, much later) that could possibly spell danger. May-aybe.

with Barbara Harris and Margaret Ross Williams

What incredible true recollections were discussed by the ladies who lived through it all, however. Racism and segregation -- especially when touring in the South -- was a major focus, most of it harrowing and tragic, as well as the conditions under which the girls had to change and do their make-up and hair during that era.

Influences for this trio? Frankie Lyman and Brenda Lee were cited. Gospel music was a huge part of these women's early foundations and singing. Of course, the backstage stories were especially fabulous. The ladies talked about Phil Spector, Carole King, Neil Sedaka, Sam Cooke, Dick Clark, Little Eva, the Mob, Tony Orlando, Eydie Gorme among others.

Am I a pygmy? Is Matt a giant?

La La was, if nothing else, very outspoken. Our Ms Brooks is from Brooklyn, after all, and has the attitude and outspokenness to prove it. She referred to Darlene Love as a "sicko" (i.e., pathological liar and phony). In my Q&A with La La on this blog, I intentionally avoided asking her about Ms. Love. But Matt was fearless; he went there! "If she were here," the soft-spoken Books added tersely, "I'd tell her that to her face." Thankfully, the fellow Phil Spector alumnus wasn't present.

But La La really brought down the house when she gossiped about being on tour with Diana Ross (then of the Supremes) and how Miss Ross' diva attitude and prissiness pissed the young singer of The Crystals off. She also mentioned how today's divas, like Beyonce and Rihanna, don't know what girls in the Sixties went through, paving the way. "If it weren't for us, there wouldn't be them."

Matt, thank you so much for getting these ladies to talk. Brilliant work! We all loved hearing these amazing backstage stories. When the three women sang "Da Doo Ron Ron" at finale, it brought down the house. Can the Metropolitan Room take any more authentic girl-group power? We shall see.

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Ronnie Spector Redux

When it comes to survival tales in the entertainment industry, Ronnie Spector is surely an outstanding example.The ex-Ronette and ex-wife of Phil Spector has been to hell and back, especially regarding the vindictive bullying by Phil, even from his jail cell to this very day. The problem with breaking up with obsessive-compulsives, I tell you.

Lesley Gore's recent passing reminds us how few of the girl-group artists of the '60s are alive, well and actively performing today. I saw Ms Spector's annual Christmas show, back at BB King NYC, just two months ago. She is ageless, her voice still as girlish and vibrant as it was more than 50 years ago.

The recent issue of the Uk's Mojo magazine has an exclusive interview with Madonna inside and her picture on its semi-gloss cover. However, up in the upper right corner of the cover is the blurb: "RONNIE SPECTOR HAUNTED BY PHIL." I was hooked and had to have it.

The interview by David Mignis probably has no big revelations for Ronnie fans, focusing on her relationship with Phil. Everything she discusses, she's discussed before in other interviews, in her autobiography Be My Baby and in her multi-media stage show, "Beyond the Beehive," which I saw twice in New York at City Winery.

Perhaps the most revealing thing in Mr Mignis' well-written article is how, after Ronnie received her first check after recording with the Ronettes, the girl from the ghetto went out and splurged on a mink pants suit.

Mojo's artwork and layout for this article, with a related side column by Andrew Mali highlighting some of Ms Spector's iconic singles, is top-notch magazine eye candy.

I recommend this article to Ronnie fans on both sides of the Pond. You may want to add this to your collection. You'll learn little new but we never get tired of hearing this tale. Do we?

Ronnie Spector's Holiday Spirit 2014

The original "bad girl" of rock & roll, Ronnie Spector, returned to BB King's last night to spread Christmas cheer to a full and very appreciative crowd. At 71, she still has the voice of an adolescent; forever the lead singer of the '60s girl group, The Ronettes.

Amid some humorous patter as well as some bitter memories of ex-hubby Phil Spector, Ronnie's show mixed Christmas numbers with others from her long song book. Like Darlene Love (whom I will see on December 27), Ronnie's identified with the Christmas holiday as both artists were prominently featured on the 1963 Phil Spector Christmas album. That record was originally a failure because it was, unfortunately, released the day of the Kennedy assassination. However, re-released in the '70s, it gradually received its overdue recognition and its recordings have become a holiday staple.

In her concert this year, Ronnie sang "Frosty the Snowman" (sending wintry chills up our spines), "Sleigh Ride" and "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus," but also numbers from her Best Christmas Ever e.p. These included a cover of Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers' "It's Christmas Once Again" and the titular song.

Abetted by a dynamic band and back-up vocalists, the singer also served up classic Ronettes like "Baby, I Love You," "The Best Part of Breaking Up," "You Baby" and "Be My Baby." Oh, baby, baby, baby! She paid tribute to the late Amy Winehouse (a Ronnie fan) by singing "Back to Black," and delighted the house by covering The Carpenters' "Yesterday Once More" and John Lennon's "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)." She also did a few solo classics like "You Can't Wrap Your Arms Around a Memory."

My only criticism is that this show couldn't go on all night. It's a total holiday delight that Ronnie's been doing at BB King's since 1988, so don't miss her next year.

Oh, and by the way, Ronnie Bennett Spector Greenfield converted to Judaism decades ago.

Exclusive Q&A with LaLa Brooks of The Crystals

Delores "LaLa" Brooks possesses an amazing voice and the versatility of it is evident on her terrific new solo album on the independent Norton Records release, All or Nothing. I recently reviewed it on this blog: http://djbuddybeaverhausen.blogspot.com/2013/11/all-or-nothing-la-la-brooks-gets-her.html

When you're listening to Phil Spector's pop classics with The Crystals, like "Da Doo Ron Ron" and "Then He Kissed Me," you are listening to LaLa.

LaLa now resides in the East Village and still performs live. (She has a dynamic on-stage presence.) Time has only strengthened and brought new shading, richness and style to her voice.

Dj Buddy Beaverhausen:  LaLa, this is truly a pleasure and a privilege to interview you. You have been an  iconic voice since I was a kid growing up in Paterson, NJ (and you  weren't much older than me at the time, actually). Where did your amazing voice come from? I mean, was it raw talent or did you have any formal singing lessons?  
LaLa Brooks: No, it's just raw talent. No singing lessons.

DBB: You began your professional career with The Crystals. How did you come together as a group? 
LLB: Barbara Alston's cousin, Benny Wells started the group. The Crystals came from Patsy Wright's neice. Patsy was an original member. I was asked to join the group.

DBB: Let's discuss your new album, All or Nothing, on Norton Records, if you don't mind. I was blown away by it. Obviously a labor of love. How does it feel to have a new solo album released? 
LLB: It feels great having a solo album after all this time. The greatest reward is that everyone has accepted it so well.

DBB: You just got back from touring in Spain. What was that experience like? 
LLB: Spain was wonderful. They really cherish older music and appreciate the older artists.

DBB: Your mom was Native American, your dad African-American. Did you feel  "different" growing up in the 1950s and '60s? And did that affect you as a singer in any way? 
LLB: No, not really. My mom made it a point to raise us without any prejudice.

DBB: All or Nothing displays your range and your vocal diversity. How involved were you in the selection of songs?  
LLB: I wasn't involved in the selection of the songs. I was more involved in how they were recorded and how I wanted  my voice to sound on each of the songs.

DBB:  I'm very excited you're coming back to The Cutting Room in February.  Five years ago, I saw you at its old location and you were amazing. I hope you will be doing live versions of the songs from All or Nothing. And, by the way, we bumped into each other at the old Cutting Room when  I stepped out of the men's room & you came out from the dressing  room (or backstage) and I gushed. I was just so excited you were back on  the scene. How do you deal with fawning fans? 
LLB: I try to make the fans feel as relaxed as possible. The main thing is, I'm sort of overwhelmed that they accept me and so I try to be as humble as possible. And I'm so glad that they appreciate me. I want them to know that they're special to me.

DBB: You were in the original cast of Hair. We'd love to hair -- I mean, hear -- about what that experience was like for you.  
LLB: It was crazy in a good way. The story of Hair opened my eyes to not judge people by the way that they look. It also made me feel more comfortable in my skin because I always liked to dress different, not traditional. It taught me to be a free spirit.

DBB: You got married, lived in Germany and London, and basically left the music industry for a while. What were those years like? 
LLB: Actually it was England first and then Austria. My years in Europe were a learning experience and I was introduced to other cultures and languages. I learned that Europeans are not as uptight as some of the Americans are.

DBB:  Phil Spector. We all want to know what it was like working with him. And were you shocked or surprised when he ended up in prison? 
LLB: It was a pleasure to work with Phil. I was a child who introduced to great music and great musicians who played in the studio with me. Yes, I was shocked when he ended up in prison.

DBB: La La, you were stupendous at that girl group fest at Damrosch Park at  Lincoln Center a couple of summers ago. You really rocked "River Deep,  Mountain High." Have you ever considered recording it, because it was so  outstanding?  
LLB: No, I never thought about recording it. I was frightened to death about doing it. People don't know that Darlene Love was supposed to have been on that show. The producer was trying to have her, Ronnie Spector and me as the show's headliners. I was supposed to do my songs only. But when Darlene canceled, the producer called and asked if I would do "River Deep." I asked that if I were to mess the song up during rehearsals, would they eliminate it from the show. But when the rehearsal went well, and I had some encouragement from the band, I just went for it! I'm glad I got through it.

DBB: As the dance music Promoter at Queens Our City internet radio, it behooves me to ask you how is it that your fabulous diva vocals never fronted a disco or dance music number. Would you consider it if the right  producer were to ask you? 
LLB: I sure would!

DBB: La La, it is truly special to be doing this interview with you. Happy New Year to you and your family.  Any last shout outs to your fans? 
LLB: I shout out to all my fans, "I'm for real and love all of you. Have a blessed and Happy New Year."

A Kelly Clarkson Christmas

"Wrapped in Red," the opening track of Kelly Clarkson's new Christmas album of the same name, is a wonderful fusion of her powerful pipes in upper register and a Spectoresque production (album is produced by Greg Kurstin ) to ring in the holidays and her refreshing new Yuletide effort.

I may have taken the diva to task in what is still my most popular (and controversial, judging by the comments) blog post ever at a current 7,828 views. http://djbuddybeaverhausen.blogspot.com/2011/12/advising-kelly-clarkson.html  But I have also heralded the best of her recent dance anthems, as well, on same blog. This holiday album is aces and I never had issues with KC's talent. Her promo images for "Wrapped in Red" have Kelly looking quite glam, too.

Country Weekly wrote: [F]or her Christmas album Wrapped in Red, Kelly goes from full-on Darlene Love with Phil Spector in the original single “Underneath the Tree” and title track... to a spectacularly soulful cover of “Blue Christmas” and a more traditional take on “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.

Indeed, Spector's pop aesthetic influences a few of this album's more upbeat tracks. "Underneath the Tree" even includes a sax bridge and well-timed bells in the background.

"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," a melancholic holiday perennial, is solidly covered but not likely to make you forget Judy Garland's original version or even The Pretenders' cover featuring Chrissy Hynde. Likewise, "Blue Christmas" won't erase memories of Elvis (which it almost slavishly, at most time, emulates) or Cyndi Lauper's cover from last year. "Baby, It's Cold Outside" is a cute duet with Ronnie Dunn, but haven't all duets of this perennial been cuties? Still, it may warm your cold insides like a cup of hot cocoa. 

Kelly certainly makes "White Christmas" her own in a spare arrangement with piano. And she does a very nice version of the carol, "Silent Night," also with a soft hand on the production with back-up vocals effectively ending in dramatic acapella. "Run Run, Rudolph" rocks, a highlight of this album, certainly, allowing KC to put her own spin on the song popularized by Chuck Berry. "Please Come Home for Christmas" is beautifully soulful, and "My Favorite Things" (from The Sound of Music) is a wonderfully arranged swing/jazz interpretation showcasing the artist's vocal brilliance.

"4 Carats" is the dancefloor track from the "Stronger" songbird and producer. It distinctly owes a debt to "Santa Baby,"which isn't a bad thing. Imogen Heap's "Just for Now" is magnificently interpreted and put across. "Winter Dream" is a drop-dead gorgeous original. And you can't beat Kelly's bluesy powerhouse interpretation of the Billy Hayes & Jay Johnson number, "Every Christmas."

This is definitely a keeper to play for many holiday seasons to come. Recommended for your Christmas list.

Phil Spector Christmas Album: 50th Anniversary

Phil Spector's A Christmas Gift for You Christmas album was released on November 22, 1963, the same day as the assassination of JFK. Although now considered a holiday classic, it was a relative disappointment at the time as it peaked on Billboard at #13. (Ooo! That unlucky number.) Perhaps the national mood had something to do with it. (Another famous Jackie, Ms Susann, was upset that the President's death would affect sales of her first book, Every Night, Josephine by stealing the media spotlight at the time!)

The album was re-released on Apple Records in 1972 ~ with a picture of Spector dressed as Santa, wearing a "Back to Mono" button. It was retitled Phil Spector's Christmas Album. This version went to No. 6 on Billboard's Christmas Albums chart in December of that year.

The album features the major artists from Spector's Philles label including The Ronettes, Darlene Love, Bob B. Soxx and The Blue Jeans, and The Crystals. Ms. Love and Ronnie Spector have become so associated with the holidays because of this quintessential pop Christmas album, they tour every holiday season with a special Christmas show. (Both are returning in December to B.B. King's in NYC; I'll be reviewing both shows.)

Darlene Love's "Christmas, Baby Please Come Home" became a smash hit as a result of her annual appearances on Late Night with David Letterman. As Dave says, "It isn't Christmas until Darlene Love sings Christmas, Baby Please Come Home."

Audio Beaverhausen: "20 Feet from Stardom" Soundtrack CD

"And the colored girls go 'doo-da-doot-a-doot-doot-doo....'" So goes the famous chorus on Lou Reed's classic '70s glam rock song, "Walk on the Wild Side." It's the back-up singers who beautifully and artfully take over, ultimately delivering us to the hot sax fade-out. And so begins the soundtrack cd for the documentary, 20 Feet from Stardom, now in selected theaters.

None other than a woman who most certainly paid her dues in the music industry as an uncredited girl-group singer for Phil Spector and one of the hardest working back-up girls in the industry, Ms Darlene Love, has been at the forefront of promoting this great movie about the unsung -- if I may say -- story of the voices that really can make or break a single.

Love has been on the tv talk-show circuit tirelessly to discuss 20 Feet, culminating with her moment on the couch with David Letterman. She has been all over the press, notably in a recent Rolling Stone interview and talking with The New York Times. The latest New Yorker article about Love on Letterman really serves as a great primer on her career if you need to know more. (He stole my "unsung" joke, I swear! I had it all prepared.)
(http://www.newyorker.com/talk/2013/07/01/130701ta_talk_friend

Darlene Love was recently, and long-deservedly, inducted into the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame. One of the best tracks on the album is the rare version of her recording of "Fine, Fine Boy," produced by Phil Spector, who surprisingly gave his permission for two Love tracks to be used in the film and on the soundtrack.  (The other is the girl-group classic, "He's a Rebel," which Spector released under the name, The Crystals.) The album track of "Fine, Fine Boy" differs from the one used in the film (showcasing Spector's obsessive perfectionism), as is the divine Merry Clayton's "Gimme Shelter," and these rare tracks are worth the price of the cd alone.

It is, indeed, when the back-up singers step into the spotlight, fronting songs, that the album's best, rarest and most valued tracks are found. Ms Clayton's soulful "Nobody's Fault But Mine" with back-ups by Oren Waters, Judith Hill, Tata Vega and ex-Harlette Charlotte Crosley is an amazing aural experience. But even better is her powerful rendition of "Southern Man."

Lisa Fischer's "Sure on this Shining Night" with its traditional church-choir back-ups highlights this always amazing singer's ability to carry a brief but classic hymn. Tata Vega and Judith Hill's "Let's Make a Better World" is a brightly buoyant pop-gospel number while Judith Hill's solo power ballad (with simple piano accompaniment), "Desperation," impresses as well. Not a single bum track on this album, people.

Back-up girls strongly carrying the iconic Bowie tune, "Young Americans," Talking Heads' "Slippery People" and Joe Cocker's "Space Captain" are also featured. Some of the star performers may have even felt the need to snarl, like Bette Midler to her Harlettes, "Ok, back-up girls! Back up!"

The album concludes with a sterling rendition by Darlene Love covering "Lean on Me," showcasing the range and power of her voice. She is a national treasure at this time.

Must-see movie (now in selected theaters) and must-have album. Each very highly recommended. Terrific remastering work; album produced by Morgan Neville. Available @ Amazon.com.

P.s.: You might best know Tata Vega from her 1979 disco smash posted below:

Video Beaverhausen: Phil Spector According to HBO

When I discuss the Phil Spector murder case, as when I discuss Mommie Dearest, let me say I am most distinctly neither a defender or apologist for either the abuse of women or child abuse. But, as I have reasonable doubt about the Christina Crawford book (and the cult film based upon it),  I have the same regarding music producer Spector's guilt regarding the death of Linda Clarkson that has sentenced him to jail for life. (Ironically, Ms Clarkson had a role in Pacino's Scarface.)

The David Mamet-directed and -written HBO telefilm, Phil Spector, ends with Helen Mirren, as defense attorney Linda Kenney Baden, saying, "I believe Phil Spector is not guilty." To which "Are you sure?" is the response. Mirren offers the last line in the film with the reply: "No. But I have reasonable doubt."

And so I felt precisely that way after watching the British documentary, The Agony and the Ecstasy of Phil Spector, to which this dramatization makes a great companion piece. I'm not confident in Spector's innocence but feel he was convicted with very reasonable doubt outstanding.

Ms Mirren stepped into the role of Spector's attorney at the last minute after original cast member Bette Midler suffered a back injury “and had to be carried off the set," according to the real Ms Baden (who, like moi, is a Jersey Girl). That might explain why the ubiquitous Ms Mirren, emotionally real in the part, slips back and forth from a British to a neutral American accent but never nails the Jersey nasality. (I was roundly lampooned when I went to University of Colorado amongst the Northwesterners with their contrasting open vowels.)

Phil Spector opens with the disclaimer: "This is a work of fiction. It's not 'based on a true story.' It is a drama inspired by actual persons in a trial, but it is neither an attempt to depict the actual persons, nor to comment upon on the trial or its outcome." I.e., "Don't sue!" ("Not based on a true story"??!!)

Al Pacino's Phil Spector is a brilliant performance, wigs, prosthetic teeth and all! He speaks like Phil,  gestures like him, and even has something of the unfortunate watery mouth on display (as seen in The Agony)! I thought Spector's famous though tragic "Jewfro" was meant to make him look like Beethoven, but it turns out he was going for Jimi Hendryx. Go figure.

Yet Pacino humanizes the hermetic eccentric especially in his bravura explosion during an arranged rehearsal of the trial meant to prepare him for his court appearance.

He flies into a rage at the video testimony of Ronnie Spector  (shabbily portrayed by Linda Miller), calling her a "psychotic bitch." This scene is classic Pacino and absolutely riveting. (Of course, the real-life Ronnie has her own version of all this.)

Early on, Mirren enters the Spector mansion, a recluse's scary Gothic air-conditioned labyrith within a guarded compound, where even some of the doorways aren't real. The film's focus is on the two characters' growing sense of trust and affection. Though moments of this movie have a very Law & Order feel, there are certainly flashes of brilliance that set it apart.

Obviously, Spector permitted HBO to use his songs "Be My Baby," "He's a Rebel" and "When I Saw You" in the context of this film. Below, HBO's trailer:

 

What Ever Happened to La La Brooks?

http://djbuddybeaverhausen.blogspot.com/2012/07/la-la-brooks-vs-darlene-love.html

When the above post was created, I decided that would be the end of story, at least on my blog, no matter what drama continued. But, as things stand, I find that's so very hard to do.

Let me just add that I love Love and Brooks. I adore their voices. I enjoy seeing them perform. But La La has decided to sink her teeth into Darlene and it's becoming not only a public embarrassment on our Ms Brooks' Facebook page but a question of possible litigation. In her one rebuttal, Darlene Love, recently recovered from surgery for her heart attack, described La La's attacks as slanderous, and I for one smell litigation in the making.

When does one's free expression of thought become an issue of public harassment and/ or slander? La La is currently testing the parameters, having gone so far beyond the pall that I am beginning to lose respect for her, to be frank. Shouldn't La La be placing her energy in reviving her own career and not obsessively picking at the scabs of who was a real Crystal, and who sang "Da Doo Ron Ron" initially? Let go, baby, it's in the girl-group, Phil Spector past. So many psychic scars from those days. Ronnie knows and built a new show around it. As Ronnie warns in a song, "You can't put your arms around a memory/Don't try, don't try...."

In her single reply to your ranting, Ms Love said she related to you as a survivor of those Spector days and was hurt by your remarks. You ignored the olive branch and went on.

Who is pumping you up to keep tearing away at Ms Love on Facebook? This is not approprate discussion on such a public forum. As a friend of mine asked me privately, where the fuck is your manager? What is he getting paid for? Why doesn't he step in as you are out of bounds?

You have become a joke. Ms Blah Blah Babbling Brooks. Bette Davis never ripped into Joan Crawford with this much vitriol.

I enjoy your many recollections about "the old days" and working with Phil. But I am turned off by your unrelenting attacks on Ms Love. Kindly stop and proceed in a positive, productive kind of a way.

Ginger Casey made an attempt to smooth things over on your Facebook, yet you attacked her, her husband and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Honey, you don't need Phil to petition against The Crystals induction now!

Are you high, are you going insane? These are things I wonder as I read your cruel, paranoid hissy fits. I can't believe you've gone this far and it makes me sad. Even a frequent-posting Facebook friend suggested you get to bed after a full night of frothing at the mouth.

Last weekend, at the Laura Nyro tribute in Damrosch Park, I was speaking to a young woman, bringing up the gala Ponderosa Stomp Girl Group concert from last year. She asked if I knew La La Brooks. I said I didn't know you personally but you were nothing short of fabulous doing "River Deep, Mountain High" at that show's finale. She told me she met you in the neighborhood in the Village and thought you were very sweet.

That was encouraging. Please concentrate on your career, not on Darlene. It's uncomely for you to air dirty laundry in public.

Ta ta, La La! I'm hoping you get a grip. I'm sure you are nice to know. Let us know that sweetness again and let's hear more of your great talent, less of your bitter bile.

Beyond the Beehive with Ronnie Spector

The stretch of Varick Street in Soho that leads to the entranceway to the Holland Tunnel is highly trafficked yet dreary. Yet it is here that City Winery is located, like an expansive suburban New Jersey supper club come to Manhattan. Any new venue for quality music in the city is welcome, however, and City Winery's staff was attentive and their pino grigio flavorful.

Baby boomers filled said space last Friday night, and denhim vests and crimped hair ruled once more. It was the fourth time that rock'n'roll icon Ronnie Spector took to the stage to present her new act, Beyond the Beehive and it was very warmly received by a houseful of fans. It will return to City Winery Saturday, August 18 and Saturday, September 15.

The year was 2003 and I was leaving the Beacon Theater after an Ellen Degeneres show. Spotting Ronnie seated beside husband, Jonathan Greenfield, I went over to say hello, tell her how much I enjoyed her performances and congratulate her on her having, just that week, won the protracted lawsuit against Phil Spector over royalties owed. I told her the news made me happy.

"You're happy?" Ronnie squealed in her best baby-doll, New Yawk voice. "I'm very happy!" I left the theater smiling, thinking Ronnie deserved all the happiness she could gather.

For the large part, Beyond the Beehive is the saga of two Spectors: both Ronnie and her ex, Phil, bound by love (or was it merely lust and mutual ambition?), then contempt. And by a bizarre sado-masochism spanning decades after their marriage, with Phil determined to squash any attempt Ronnie made to revive her career, and by his mad desire to delete her pop music legacy.

This is an oft told tale, largely told by Ronnie herself, as if hoping, understandably, to one day exorcise part of her past. Large parts of BtB echo moments from her 1989 autobio,  Be My Baby: How I Survived Mascara, Miniskirts and Madness. However, Phil Spector rose once again, not from a grave but from behind bars, to place an injunction against his ex-wife from being able to sing two of her most famous songs in the show: "Be My Baby" and "Baby, I Love You."

"Phil Spector is a bitter, spiteful man," Ronnie said as the following image showed up on the large screens to either side of the stage:



Many in the audience, including myself, came to this show in the name of diva worship, and the Bad Girl of Rock & Roll is nothing if not a diva. "It feels so good to let everything out in front of everybody, it's like therapy" she gushed at one point of the show. Of Mr Spector, she quipped "I should have shot him! I just didn't know where the guns were."

The 90-minute psychodrama told in monologues and songs features a live band, and two screens to either side of the stage that display projected stills and videos from the singer's private collection. These lovingly and vividly annotate her life story.

Ronnie's scripted schpiel is both hilarious and harrowing, though her line readings are awkward at times and lack polish at this point in the show's development. I don't expect she'll be asked to perform "The Vagina Monologues" any time soon. However, Ronnie is not simply acting a part when she cries, coos and laughs. She is reliving it all, the pain and the glory of her life, in a very heartfelt and moving manner. The Agony & the Ecstasy of Ronnie Spector! So, script be damned! Everybody loves a survivor story, and everybody loves Ms Spector.

Projected photos of Ronnie with her friends -- the Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, the Rolling Stones, Cher, Joey Ramone -- are a time capsule of a rock & roll Camelot; a time that's gone forever.

At one point, Ronnie said that '60s producers wanted their girl groups to be "little Stepford singers."  But now she's Beyond the Beehive and she's here to prove it.

The rock & roll icon does a number of Spector songs ("The Best Part of Breaking Up," "Walking in the Rain"); covers her ealier Colpix years ("He Did It," written by Jackie DeShannon); does an electrifying cover of "Time Is on My Side;" a superb job singing "Try Some, Buy Some," written for her by George Harrison and released as a 45 on Apple records. "Say Goodbye to Hollywood," written for her by Billy Joel, was for an uncompleted album for Columbia. And her newest efforts have a sharp, modern edge to them; specifically, "She Talks to Rainbows" by Joey Ramone and " You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory" by Johnny Thunder, though both songs offer plenty of the siren's familiar "whoa-oh-ohs." Our Bad Girl is not a nostalgia act, she'll let you know.

On the heels of Phil Spector's sentencing for the murder of Lana Clarkson, The Ronettes were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Ironically, Phil petitioned the Hall of Fame for many years against the Ronettes being inducted. "The only artists petitioned by their own label and producer," Ronnie points out, bitterly.

Ronnie proudly mentions being invited to the White House by President Clinton to talk about the need to protect recording artists regarding royalties.

"Ronnie has the quintessential 'girl' voice," Cher says in one of the show's video moments. True and, although she may be a Stepford Girl no more, don't count on her having put that Aqua Net and those whoa-oh-ohs away... at least, not just yet. Hopefully, Ronnie can honestly say, "I'm very happy" today.

Darlene Love at Joe's Pub

It was the summer of love. At least it felt like summer and Darlene Love was putting on a show. This is a performer who never disappoints and her current show was as easy, breezy and as warm as today's weather.

Joe's Pub is under construction but, beyond taking the bar out of the cabaret room, and placing it in the kitchen to add more seats, I don't see what's all that new. Anyhow, Joe's is an intimate venue in the East Village (part of the Public Theater, in fact), so different from seeing Miss Love at B.B. King's in Times Square. "Here, I don't have to be the Christmas Queen," she quipped, in reference to her annual Christmas shows at B.B. King's. (Nonetheless, she'll be returning this December.)

Darlene Love announced she will be 71 years young later in the year, and she rocks with the energy of a 25-year-old.  She is a 2011 inductee into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Asked recently if Phil Spector, famously the producer of the '60s records that introduced her as a solo artist, congratulated her on that, Miss Love laughed, "He's in jail, child!" What about Ronnie Spector? "No," she remarked, "And everybody says that's weird!"

But other divas have congratulated her and sung her praises, namely Dionne Warwick, Cher, Gladys Knight and Nancy Sinatra. "I was also truly thrilled (and a little bit jealous!) to see her get into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame," said Nancy. Maybe more than a little bit? But, basically, an honest account, no doubt.

Darlene Love is a diva's diva and I have been a life-long fan. Tonight's show was a relaxed workshop of sorts with off-the-cuff patter (including a mention of Donna Summer, whose voice Darlene acknowledged as phenomenal); fleeting, last-minute huddling with her musical director on-stage; and careful movements across the small, cramped stage. Choreography of any sort would be out of the question.

Darlene sparkled in a glittery black jacket with chiffon sleeves and glittery shoes as well. Her back-up singers also sparkled (although Darlene eschews the word "back-up," having been one of the hardest working back-ups in the business herself). They included Ula Hedwig (one of the original Harlettes with Bette Midler).

Said Ula: "I have been singing background vocals for Darlene Love for 30 years.... It's great fun to be on the stage with her because we are not just 'the back-up singers,' we are right there with her and a part of the show."  The two other backing singers were Elaine Caswell and Milton Vance who impressed during the duets with Darlene.

The set began with the new "If You Believe in Me," those background singers a heavenly chorus for certain. It was followed up with a medley of "Wait till My Bobby Gets Home"/"Da-doo-ron-ron;" included a loving and lengthy Marvin Gaye tribute. Darlene's other Phil Spector-produced classics, "Today I Met the Boy I'm Gonna Marry" and "He's a Rebel," were included, as was "A Change Is Gonna Come," from her Broadway role as Motormouth Mabel in Hairspray, before she ended the show with "River Deep, Mountain High," the song in which Spector replaced her, as lead vocalist, with Tina Turner. Darlene always reclaims this as her own.

A couple of Joe's Pub's killer cosmos, a nice perch at the back of the room (table for two), good company, great show, let out into the warm, clear night on a high from such a perfect performance. Indeed, my Summer of Love has begun!

Darlene Love

Darlene Love Tweeted tonight: And here's my interview with Anthony Mason on CBS Sunday Morning that aired earlier today - Yes I'm still on cloud....

And here's the link. Both very informative and simply beautiful!

The Answer & La La

Oh my God! Not many people took my last poll but I forgot to publish the answer it required, so here it is: "White Christmas," indeed, is the best-selling Christmas song of all time.

By the way, La La Brooks (pictured above with Cousin Brucie and Darlene Love) sent this message out on Facebook tonight (Christmas night 2011):

Dear Facebook Family,

On this Christmas Day, I'd like to wish everyone a most joyous Holiday Season! I hope you are enjoying yourselves, spending time with friends and family, and looking forward to the coming new year.
At this time, I'd like to share a Chrismas card message which Phil Spector sent out one year in the sixties (my manager, Art, collector that he is, shared it with me):

Be Creative This Christmas

BUILD A SNOWMAN!
Snow Head

Snow Face

Snow Arms

Snow Legs

Be Extra Creative & Make Some

Snow Balls....

HAPPY HOLIDAYS
from
PHIL SPECTOR

HAVE A BALL,

LOVE, LA LA

Below, Lady La La at the Damrosch Park girl-group revival this past June. See my archived post, "Alpha Girls," and read all about it.

Amazing Love

Darlene Love has an amazing voice and, come December, she has been amazing us each year in NYC, recently at BB King's. Yet, each show I go to, I find myself electrified and amazed all over again by her voice. Powerful, yet seemingly effortless, she is the Energizer Bunny of vocalists, spanning generations with a voice that not only keeps going and going and going, but actually seems to get better with time.

At tonight's show, Ms Love had a very special surprise. She generously shared the stage with her sister, Edna Wright.

Edna may best be known as the lead vocalist for the girl group, Honey Cone, from the early 1970s. Their hits included "Stick Up," "One Monkey Don't Stop No Show" and "Want Ads." Honey Cone recorded these hits in 1971, at a time when soul and girl group sounds were fusing into what was the nascent disco sound, which they certainly helped spearhead.

Darlene and sister Edna did a potent duet, covering "Hold On, I'm Coming," originally done by Sam & Dave. Eds was then left to her own devices as her big sister went offstage. She did "One Monkey" and "Want Ads," sandwiching a soulful version of "The Christmas Song" ("Chestnuts roasting...") betwixt those numbers.

Ms Love also amazed by looking trim and fit in black with sparkles, unbelievable for a woman around 70! She attributed her new figure to kickboxing classes. Sign me up! Her eyes brought back the "raccoon" look dramatically, and could help mascara sales immensely if they trend.

Love went through her Phil Spector hits, the "golden moldies" as she called them, knowing her fans insisted. But she belted out each number with total conviction and harnessed energy.

"He's a Rebel," "He's Sure the Boy I Love' and other 1960s numbers were put across in ways that may not have been fresh, but that recreated that Wall of Sound quality in a way her fans expect and associate her with. She had a few funny but not particularly kind asides about Spector, too. Of course, for the season, she included "Marshmallow World" and "Winter Wonderland," keeping the arrangements from the now-classic Wall of Sound album, Phil Spector's A Christmas Gift for You, in which she played a major part.

Love discussed how Spector had her lay down tracks for "River Deep, Mountain High." One day, she looked up into his recording booth and saw Tina Turner next to him. The rest of this story is history. Nonetheless, Ms Love's rendition is astounding. Below, see her performance of this on The David Letterman Show in 2007, to give you an idea.

For her cover of her friend, Dionne Warwick's, "Don't Make Me Over," the 2011 inductee into the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame steps up to the plate and makes it her own in a way few would be able to do. Finally, for her encore, Darlene does her Christmas perennial, "Christmas, Baby Please Come Home," from the Phil Spector Christmas album. It is a song she has been doing for 25 years on David Letterman. She has been in show biz twice that long.

Ms Darlene Love will appear on Letterman December 23rd.

All Alone on Christmas with Darlene Love

Nobody wants to be all alone on Christmas. So says Darlene Love in the song from the movie "Home Alone 2." The song was written and arranged by Steve Van Zandt, and is obviously influenced by Phil Spector's Wall of Sound productions, especially the Spector-produced Love song "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)". It was also released as a vinyl single which included an instrumental version.

Here's a non-commercial extended version from Youtube for fans of Miss Love who can't get enough and want to rock around that Christmas tree. Made purely for your entertainment only, this expert fan's remix uses the instrumental and vocal versions off the 45 rpm to create a whole new experience of this song. Because you can never have too much Love... especially during the holidays.

Sleigh Ride with The Ronettes

From Phil Spector's famed Christmas album, originally entitled "A Christmas Gift for You," comes the classic Wall of Sound production of "Sleigh Ride" featuring The Ronettes. Ronnie Spector's lead vocals are phenomenal, and its obvious why her distinctive vocals made her a rock icon through the ages.

I first heard The Ronettes when I was coming back from Palisades Amusement Park, in NJ. My grandfather was driving, Grandma was next to him, and I was in the back with my Mom. (My brother wasn't born yet.)

"Be My Baby" came over the car radio, and my grandmother reached for the dial. "Oh, this garbage!" she despaired. "Grandma! No," I yelled, and she shrugged and let it play. I was bouncing around on the backseat to the beat, the sound, something new and liberating to me.

Later, when I saw The Ronettes on tv with their beehives that must have required a full can of Aquanet each, and their tight dresses slit up the sides, not to mention all that extreme mascara, I couldn't believe how trashy they were! I knew, right then and there, I wanted to be just like them when I grew up.

So, it's time to hop on the sleigh with The Ronettes cuz, you know, they can really take you places.