Fallen Idols: The music of Phil Spector, Jack Nitzsche, Joe Meek & Andrew Loog Oldham

Curated by Michael Neault.

Monday, June 30th, 8 p.m. @ Bug Jar — FREE

Phil Spector was the first producer to take pop music seriously when everyone else denounced it as an annoying fad. In the face of adversity, he was a consummate artist and a certified maniac. And it made him unbelievably rich. People often use the word “genius” when describing Phil Spector. He might be more accurately described as someone who is very very smart, but who has done some very very dumb things. Spector waxed an unparalleled set of hits in the early to mid-60s for The Crystals, The Ronettes and The Righteous Brothers, but after dropping an egg with “River Deep, Mountain High” for Ike & Tina Turner, he went on an indefinite hiatus. He made sporadic records for George Harrison, John Lennon, The Ramones, Leonard Cohen and an unreleased album by Celine Dion (pre-Titanic), but by most accounts has spent a good deal of time spinning his wheels, reliving past glories, and indulging in all manners of decadence, depravity and all-around bad behavior. Phil Spector was an enormous influence on Andrew Loog Oldham (the original manager and producer of The Rolling Stones), who idolized the man and spent time with him in London. A few notable copycat moves by Oldham: keeping an intense bodyguard in close proximity at all times; insistence on ownership of master tapes by artists he produced; and spending a butt-load of money of clothing. Oldham is probably best remembered as an incomparable purveyor of taste, and his roster of artists define mod style: The Rolling Stones, Vashti Bunyan, The Small Faces, The Nice and P.P. Arnold.

Joe Meek was a brilliant bug-eyed nutter. He had a signature producing style characterized by warm, jaunty pop sounds and big beats. Meek was active in London at the same time as Oldham, but his career started to fizzle, just as Oldham’s began to sparkle. Meek produced The Honeycombs, The Tornados, Petula Clark, Gene Vincent and a host of artists that are less recognizable, but just as worthy.

Jack Nitzsche was an arranger, producer, soundtrack composer and also a solo artist and occasional session musician. Nitzsche melded a classical intellect with 60s pop music. His signature style is defined by graceful, melancholic strings that sound like something out of a poetic neo-Western. His music is distinctively post-war Americana, that is to say, it reminds one of broad vistas, strong ideals and broken dreams. Neil Young’s first album from 1970, or Buffalo Springfield’s “Expecting to Fly,” showcase Nitzsche’s talent at their chamber-psychedelic best. Nitzsche worked with Phil Spector on the majority of his productions, and was one of the few arrangers savvy (and patient) enough to translate Spector’s thoughts for the studio.

These four artists hold a personal intrigue for me. It began by inspecting liner notes and record covers and trying to trace the genius of the recordings I love. The producers were often far more interesting than the artists themselves. They were smarter, crazier and their careers often outlived their faddish bands. Phil Spector, Jack Nitzsche, Joe Meek & Andrew Loog Oldham were essentially pop producers who made happy music that thrilled a gazillion teenagers all over the world. But beneath the sunny pop records, there is something darker and much more sad than what’s on the surface. Unlike the songwriters, they couldn’t express their feelings in the lyrics. But something very personal still remains encrypted in their methods and sounds.

In 1979, Jack Nitzsche was arrested for violent assault on his girlfriend. He once appealed for help from his friend Phil Spector, but Spector was so frightened by his erratic behavior that he wouldn’t even open the door to speak with him. At a very low ebb in the 90s, Nitzsche found himself involved in an altercation with the police that was captured on the television show, Cops. Joe Meek suffered from crippling paranoia, which often hindered his personal and working relationships. Meek died in 1967. After shooting his landlady with a shotgun, he turned the gun on himself. On February 3, 2003, Phil Spector was arrested on suspicion of murder. He was accused of shooting a 40-year old nightclub hostess. The trial is still ongoing. Andrew Loog Oldham is still alive, but suffered a fate perhaps worse than the other three. Years of substance abuse and shady financial management of his Immediate records led to self-exile in Colombia, where Oldham reportedly kicked his drug habit, quit producing records and turned to the church of scientology.

The evening will feature a sampling of music associated with these four artists, along with a selection of related movies, clips and performances.

Here’s the playlist from the evening…

Every Mother’s Son - Humble Pie
Let’s Burn Down The Cornfield - Randy Newman
String Quartet From Whiskey Boot Hill - Neil Young
Prelude #15 In D Flat, OP 28 (Raindrop) Jack Nitzsche
Expecting To Fly (LP Version) Buffalo Springfield
Train Song (Columbia single, 1966) Vashti Bunyan
Da Doo Ron Ron (LP Version) Jack Nitzsche
Hold On John Lennon
The Emperor Of Wyoming (LP Version) Neil Young
If I Could Have Her Tonight (LP Version) Neil Young
Play The Game Jack Nitzsche
Pain In My Heart The Rolling Stones
Spanish Harlem Ben E. King
As Tears Go By Marianne Faithfull
Coldest Night Of The Year - Vashti Bunyan
Sittin’ On a Fence Twice As Much
I am waiting Rolling Stones
Elusive Butterfly Bob Lind
My Johnny Doesn’t Come Around Anymore Flip & The Dateliners
Strange Love Darlene Love
Baby, I Love You The Ronettes
The First Cut Is The Deepest P.P. Arnold
True Loves Leaves No Traces (Album Version) Leonard Cohen
The Last Time Andrew Loog Oldham Orchestra
Baby, I Love You The Ramones
Out Of Time The Rolling Stones
It Happens Every Time Tim Buckley
for you blue The Beatles
Corrine, Corrina Ray Peterson
He Didn’t Fool Me Valerie Masters
Sha-La-La-La-Lee The Small Faces
Bonnie K The Nice
Questions I Can’t Answer Heinz
Singing The Blues Jason Eddy & The Centremen
Memo From Turner The Rolling Stones
Looking for Somebody Fleetwood Mac
not the lovin’ kind Dino, Desi & Billy
Black Pearl Sonny Charles & The Checkmates, Ltd
Be Mine Lance Fortune
As Long As You’re Here Zalman Yanovsky
I Take It That We’re Through The Riot Squad
You Just Gotta Know My Mind Karen Verros
Just Like That The Robins
She’d rather be with me The Turtles
Gotta Get Away The Rolling Stones
(The Best Part Of) Breakin’ Up The Ronettes
Don’t You Think It’s Time Mike Berry & The Outlaws
Needles And Pins Jackie DeShannon
Can You Hear The Beat Of A Broken Heart Iain Gregory
Crippled Inside - John Lennon
You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ The Righteous Brothers
My Sweet Lord - George Harrison
Get off my cloud Rolling Stones
Fine, Fine Boy, A Darlene Love
Have I The Right The Honeycombs
Baby That’s Me The Cake
Sorry She’s Mine Small Faces
Da Doo Ron Ron The Andrew Oldham Orchestra
Da Doo Ron Ron The Crystals
Puddin’ N’ Tain The Alley Cats
Pretty Little Angel Eyes Curtis Lee
Everything’s Gonna Be Alright P.P. Arnold
Be My Baby The Ronettes
I’ll Bet She Knew It - Jack Nitzsche
Kick That Little Foot Sally Ann Round Robin
He’s A Rebel The Crystals
Oh Yoko John Lennon
Then He Kissed Me The Crystals
Let’s Spend The Night Together The Rolling Stones
Chick A’Roo Ricky Wayne & The Flee-Rakkers
Just Like Eddie Heinz
Diggin’ For Gold David John & The Mood
Question Mark Billy Nicholls
Not Too Young To Get Married Bobb B. Soxx And The Blue Jeans
No Matter What You Do Lesley Gore
You Got What I Like Cliff Bennet & The Rebel Rousers