Tag Archives: music production

RIP Phil Spector (1939 – 2021)

This is the excerpt of Phil Spector: He’s a Rebel where Albert Goldman completely destroys the Wall of Sound production of Spector

Phil Spector was an American musician and record producer known for his Wall of Sound sound production.

The Wall of Sound was a very dense sound with little room for details of individual instruments, exemplified in recordings such as “Da Doo Ron Ron” “Be My Baby” or “Baby, I Love You”, all released in 1963.

There is, Phil Spector: He’s a Rebel, a documentary from 1982 on Phil Spector, without his cooperation , in which Albert Goldman is recorded as saying:

“Rock ‘n’ roll is basically institutionalized adolescence. And the bottom line of rock ‘n’ roll is that it’s a baby food industry and Phil found a new formula for baby food.”

I thought that was quite funny.

RIP Hal Willner (1956 – 2020)

Hal Willner was an American music producer and facilitator.

In my book Willner is primarily noted for his album Dead City Radio (1990), a spoken word album of William S. Burroughs recitations.

 Words of Advice: William S. Burroughs on the Road (2007) the interview with Willner on the making of Dead City Radio is at 1:07:40 and the recording of of a “Thanksgiving Prayer” is at 1:11:23.

I cannot remember if it was Gus Van Sant’s video “A Thanksgiving Prayer” (1991) or his film Drugstore Cowboy (1989) which visually introduced me to Burroughs.

Today, I learn that “A Thanksgiving Prayer” was a promotional video to Dead City Radio.

In the documentary Words of Advice: William S. Burroughs on the Road (2007) there is an interview with Willner on the making of Dead City Radio at 1:07:40 and the recording of of a “Thanksgiving Prayer” is at 1:11:23, sadly without the Gus Van Sant footage.