#489: Back to Mono (1958-1969) (1991)

Be my Baby by the Ronettes is such a good song that it appears twice on this list. This time it’s on hopefully the longest album, which clocks in at 4 hours. Back to Mono is difficult to review, given its length and because lyricism and singing ability matter less than on other albums. It is a compilation designed to show off Spector's Wall of Sound technique, which was based on using a whole orchestra to create rich, deep layers of sound. But Spector didn't just create noise. He understood the value of silence, as in the famous drum intro to Be my Baby. Unfortunately, this four hour boxset can't help but feature a lot of filler, most of which sound like failed attempts to capture the catchiness of Da Do Ron Ron or the majesty of River Deep - Mountain High. The final quarter of this box set is a second album, namely A Christmas Gift for You by Phil Spector, which I considered skipping given that it is summer, but the songs are still broadly appealing and well made. Overall, the production on this album is generally great, but by its design is long and repetitive. 2.7/5.