Sold Date: February 8, 2021
Start Date: December 28, 2020
Final Price: $18.00 (USD)
Seller Feedback: 290
Buyer Feedback: 47

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IKE & TINA TURNER  -  RIVER DEEP - MOUNTAIN HIGH  -  A&M SP 4178 (1969 re-issue of 1966 LP)
TRACK LISTING: River Deep - Mountain High I Idolize You A Love Like Yours (Don't Come Knocking Everyday) A Fool In Love Make 'Em Wait Hold On Baby Save The Last Dance For Me Oh Baby! (Things Ain't What They Used To Be) Everyday I Have To Cry Such A Fool For You It's Gonna Work Out Fine

In 1966, the Turners worked with legendary producer Phil Spector, who was seeking a way to restore his artistic and commercial standing at the forefront of pop music in the wake of advances by the Beach Boys and Beatles. The powerful instrument that was Tina's voice appealed to Spector's sense of grandeur, and he conceived of a massive-scale production framing that voice that would rank as his greatest masterpiece. Ike already had a reputation for demanding control, and Spector struck his deal accordingly: although the records would be fully credited to Ike & Tina Turner, Ike would not be allowed to enter the studio or alter the finished recordings (in effect, Spector was paying him not to meddle). The centerpiece of Spector's collaboration with Tina was "River Deep - Mountain High", a monumental pop symphony that cost over $22,000 to produce (in 1966, this was a whopping sum for an album, let alone a single). The single represented Spector's so-called Wall of Sound style at its most gloriously excessive, and Tina's was one of the few voices in popular music strong enough to cut through the monolithic orchestral backing. With the high cost and his own slipping stature, Spector was betting the farm on "River Deep - Mountain High," and although it rocketed into the British Top Five and made Tina a star in the U.K., it flopped in America, where its mixture of black and white musical aesthetics was still slightly ahead of its time. A crushed Spector retreated from the music business not long after, and his Philles label yanked the accompanying album of the same name from American release (Spector wound up producing only five of the 12 cuts).  Although some critics dismiss "River Deep - Mountain High" as overproduced bombast, many still consider it one of rock's greatest singles; George Harrison famously described it as "a perfect record from start to finish".