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Ronettes
Phil Spector is probably the only man in the world who would claim that the castanets are an integral instrument to rock-and-roll production. They are a ubiquitous part of his production technique, along with string arrangements, horn arrangements and more echo than the Grand Canyon is capable of. Speaking of echo, listen to the opening drum beat of "Be My Baby", played by Hal Blaine. Can that possibly be an ordinary drum kit, or did Phil Spector bring in various explosive devices and set them to detonate in a rhythmic pattern? Regarding his production techniques, Spector once said, "I imagined a sound- a sound so strong that if the material wasn't the greatest, the sound would carry the record." Can you imagine hearing this bombast in your head? No wonder he seemed to go off from time to time.
The production technique Phil Spector used was dubbed "the wall of sound", but that suggests an impenetrable, flat sonority. To my ears, it is more like a gigantic room, an Astrodome of sound. Of course, that doesn't sound very poetic and the Astrodome didn't open until 1965, so "wall of sound" had to suffice. Spector called his constructions "little symphonies for the kids," which is also a catchy phrase but again not necessarily appropriate. What symphony ever featured a dense, monotonous echo as its mainstay? That isn't to say that Spector didn't utilize a contingent of musicians large enough to give any symphony orchestra (and corresponding chorale) a sizable run for its money. Spector’s real genius lay in the practical matter of logistics. How could anybody record so many conflicting sounds, all vying for aural space, with only a three- or four-track recorder? Lesser mortals would invariably end up with mud. But Spector worked out a formula that allowed him to dump the entire rhythm section on to one track, using the remainder for strings, horns and vocals. He avoided muddying the final product through an intricate alteration of the echo, and through an innate understanding of overdubbing methods.
"Be My Baby" was, in many ways, Spector's baby. Ever since he first saw the Ronettes, and Veronica in particular, he was determined to have a hit record with them. The group consisted of sisters Veronica and Estelle Bennett and their cousin, Nedra Talley. He originally offered Veronica a solo deal, but her mother – his future mother-in-law - intervened. Spector convinced Mrs. Bennett that he would give her daughter a #1 hit, and she, in turn, convinced him to sign the entire group.
Veronica, or Ronnie, had a voice that was far from classic, but it was instantly identifiable. She had a reedy sound and a unique timbre, which allowed her to project her voice above the din, a necessary feature for a Phil Spector production. It's funny how things turn out, because the Ronettes’ lasting popularity has since made Ronnie Spector's voice classic by definition. Phil Spector missed out on his promise when "Be My Baby" stopped at #2, but like horseshoes and hand grenades, close counts. The Ronettes became stars, but Phil Spector's growing obsession with Ronnie soon caused him to make certain that their chart history would be short-lived.
 
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