Album: Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes
Artist: The Ronettes
Release Date: November 1964
Genre: R&B/Pop
Length: 0:36:34
Label: Philles Records
Producer: Phil Spector
Rolling Stone Top 500 (2012): #422
Rolling Stone Top 500 (2020): #494
Phil Spector "murdered" the instrument sounds across the record.
The first and only album released by the girl group, The Ronettes, peaked at #96 on the Billboard 200 in 1964. The album contained five Top 40 singles, one of which is "Be My Baby" which peaked at #2 and is considered to be #22 Greatest Songs of All Time according to Rolling Stone's list.
The first song on the record, "Walking in the Rain" features a thunderstorm sound effect, innovative enough to get the engineer, Larry Levine, nominated for a Grammy. The song showcases a consistent tambourine percussive sound throughout and carries the classic 50s and 60s female group harmonies throughout. The simplicity of the entire track allows the listener to really tune their ears into Veronica Bennett's vocal style.
The second track heavily shows the date on the album, but the vintage feel gives it the vibe it deserves. The static present throughout makes the record feel dated but the way The Ronettes perform allows them to overthrow the dated ideas and forces the listener to focus on the sound of the group rather than the vintage quality.
Phil Spector may be in jail for convicted murder, but the talents he brought to music, and more specifically Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes, puts him in a god-tier status. Spector's patented "Wall of Sound" brought every instrument to the forefront of the record versus just the vocalist, which was the norm for the times. This is prevalent in the track "So Young" with the pounding drums, sentimental strings and notorious vocal performance.
While her voice is stunning in some tracks, and the vintage quality of the production could be an affect, Bennett's tone sounds annoying in some tracks. The song this is most prevalent is "I Wonder". Up until the background vocals come in, her voice sounds strained and forced but eventually warms up. This makes this song hard to listen to and makes some songs on the album difficult to want to hear again, especially when the lyrics aren't personal to The Ronettes.
Every song on the record is created and written by someone other than The Ronettes. Either written by Spector himself, the legendary duo of Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann or even Ray Charles, the songs don't seem to be anything the group could truly get behind since they weren't personal to them. This is heavily showcased in the song "What'd I Say". Even though the song is a fast-paced jam, with handclaps, riding cymbal drum set beats, piano spontaneity, and a seductive lead part, the entire song just seems to be something the group was forced to do.
The biggest hit by the group, "Be My Baby" opens up with pounding drums, castanets, consistent piano chords and a catchy chorus. The song showcases Spector's "Wall of Sound" perfectly, especially during the time this record was released. With so many layers, instruments and different sounds across the entirety of the song, this song alone furthered music into a direction that wasn't normal for the times.
While The Ronettes are talented, the vintage aspect of the record hurts the quality of their vocal performance, even in their top songs. The instrumentation of the tracks is fantastic, but sometimes Bennett's voice is held back by the technology of the time, especially during "Baby, I Love You".
I would love to listen to some tracks from this album again, but I would need it to be during a phase of mass vintage listening. The sounds throughout, the instrumentation and the arrangement of the songs is impressive, but sadly the technology is its downfall. I would recommend listening to the big songs on the album, and if you enjoy those, listen to the entire record...
Favorite Songs: "Be My Baby", "Baby, I Love You", "Do I Love You?"
Least Favorite Songs: "When I Saw You", "How Does It Feel"
Production Quality:
Mix = 7/10
Innovation = 8/10 ("Wall of Sound")
Songwriting Quality:
Arrangement = 4.5/10 (Not super catchy songs besides "Be My Baby")
Lyricism = 3/10 (All written by songwriters)
Instrumentation Quality:
Vocal Timbre = 7.5/10
Instrumental Timbre = 8/10
Group Chemistry = 7/10
Overall Likability:
My Personal Rating = 7.5/10
Overall Rating: 6.7/10
Any confusion on how the rating is weighted/calculated, please look at my "About" page.
Remember this is all my opinion! Let me know if you agree, disagree or have any comments!