Ronnie Spector "Siren" 1980***

I was recently reading Phil Spector's obituary on MOJO. It was an interesting one, because it was the only one I've ever read that tried to minimize the departed's achievements and give all the credit to the singers and musicians whom he collaborated with. You see, gradually Spector's status as a legendary producer and creator of the famous "Wall Of Sound" was eroded by his huge personality flaws: the tyrannical behaviour towards his associates, the gun threats, the terror he inspired and abuse he inflicted on his wife and (step)children. He died from COVID-related complications in prison, where he inevitably ended up, serving a 19-year sentence for the murder of actress Lana Clarkson. One may argue that trying to erase someone's artistic achievements is justified if he was such a big asshole in his private life - why allow him the "satisfaction" of posthumous glory? I myself am not convinced that it's either useful or honest. It certainly is a sign of the times that no-one is willing to "give the devil his due" any more. Not only in Hollywood but also in my own homeland Greece where the belated coming of the #metoo movement is the big news of the last months, sweeping away established actors, directors, and sports magnates, even threatening the political establishment. But in any case I didn't feel like writing something about Phil Spector anyway. No, this article reminded me that I have a record by his former wife Ronnie which I've hardly listened at all and so I took it out to give it a few spins.

Ronnie (real name Veronica Bennett) was a mixed race girl (Irish, African and Cherokee Indian) from Spanish Harlem whose band The Ronettes was picked up in '63 by Spector who produced a number of big hits for them. Unfortunately he also turned out to be a tyrannical control freak, especially to Ronnie with whom he was romantically involved. He became even worse after their 1968 marriage, when he imprisoned her in his mansion and forbade her to perform any more. She managed to make her escape in 1972 and got a divorce a couple of years later. In the divorce settlement she gave away all her earnings (past and future) from her recordings, as well as custody of their stepchildren - succumbing, as she later admitted, to Phil's death threats. A few wasted years of alcohol and drug addiction followed until she released her first solo record Siren in 1980, almost 2 decades after forming the Ronettes. By then, the advent of punk had changed everything. While the 70's had seen Phil Spector struggling to regain his mojo by producing flops for the likes of Leonard Cohen, by the end of the decade he was back in fashion as punk rockers re-discovered the "simpler" virtues of rock'n'roll (although Phil's productions were anything but simple) and the world was hit with a nostalgia wave as movies set in the 60's like American Graffiti and Grease became box office smashes. This worked well for Ronnie too, with punk and new wave musicians lining up to help her in her comeback album - including members of Johnny Thunders' Heartbreakers, the Dead Boys, Mink DeVille and the Cherry Vanilla Band. The album was conceived and produced by Genya Ravan a.k.a. Goldie, a female singer from the 60's like her who had turned her hand to production and was well respected by the new generation. It was certainly Genya that chose to open the LP with a Ramones cover that fit Ronnie's voice perfectly, "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow". The Ramones (especially Joey) were big Ronettes fans, and were around the same time having a horrible time working with Phil who was producing their End Of The Century LP. In order to get his famous Wall Of Sound treatment, they had to be subjected to his usual insanity, gun toting and mad perfectionism, being made to repeat their parts endlessly until they got them exactly right, a crazy thing to make a punk band do. Siren was the sonic opposite of that: a straight production with all the musicians clearly audible and Ronnie's ageless voice in the forefront - although the "ageless" epithet is hardly necessary: despite being a pop music veteran, she was still only 37 years old. "Here Today..." was the highlight - one could swear that Joey had written it expressly for her - but she sounds just as good in punky rockers "Settin' the Woods on Fire" and "Tonight", gutsy rockabilly "Dynamite" and reggae "Let Your Feelings Show". There's also some Blondie-like new wave ("Hell Of A Nerve", the disco-ish "Boys Will Be Boys") as well as throwbacks to her original early 60's pop sound, including "Darlin'", and ballad "Happy Birthday Rock'N' Roll". In the end, the album is something of an interesting flop, its attempt to modernize 60's girl pop by marrying it to new wave somewhat marred by the sparse production and indecisiveness as to which style to follow. The Go Go's would get that combination right next year with their Beauty And The Beat LP, which we'll review on another occasion. Ronnie's voice is not too well served by being so much in the foreground - it always sounded best when framed by her sister's and cousin's in The Ronettes. Moreover, there's no chemistry among her and the musicians, which didn't matter when she had the Wall Of Sound behind her but is important when one is singing with a rock band. Thirdly, not all the material here is first class. Nevertheless, her expressiveness and unique tone won't fail to warm the hearts of those nostalgic for the "innocent" early days of rock'n'roll.

**** for Here Today Gone Tomorrow, Any Way That You Want Me, Settin' The Woods On Fire

*** for Tonight, Let Your Feelings Show, Hell Of A Nerve, Dynamite, Happy Birthday Rock'N' Roll

** for Boys Will Be Boys