60 years ago, Billboard #8 for the week of Nov. 19, 1962: He's A Rebel - The Crystals https://youtu.be/aF7V2dSvxpo
This song is important in musical history. From listening to it, can you guess why?
It was produced by Phil Spector. It wasn't his first number 1 hit--that was "To Know Him is to Love Him" in 1958. (Yes, that's Spector on the guitar.) https://youtu.be/sV718cKqJLw
However, though it lacks strings, "He's a Rebel" was the first number 1 hit to have that distinctive Spector trademark--the "wall of sound."
One odd quirk about "He's a Rebel" is that it wasn't recorded by the Crystals--it was recorded by another group called the Blossoms. Spector had the Crystals under contract, but heard that Vicki Carr was going to record the song and wanted to beat her to the market.
However, the Crystals were on tour and unavailable for the recording, so Spector hired the Blossoms to perform the song in the studio and then credited it to the Crystals.
If all this sounds iffy--it was. Spector has always been cray-cray. A musical genius, yet. But also a stark raving loon.
(I had somehow forgotten that Spector had died while incarcerated in 2021, possibly of covid.)
@John_Scotus it’s my favorite of all the wall of sound songs and I didn’t know it wasn’t the crystals. Thanks for the info
@John_Scotus
That is a perfect piece of trivia! Ty
@SBP @John_Scotus Is that the same Phil Spector who was accused of murdering an employee 20 yrs ago?
@John_Scotus @SBP Wow!
I moved overseas mid-trial for a few years so didn't know the ending till now. Thanks for catching me up.
The lead singer for the Blossoms--the voice you hear on the recording--is Darlene Love. Over the years, she has been one of the most sought-after background singers in the business. She also played Murtaugh's wife in Lethal Weapon.