Brown - Tearing Down The Wall of Sound: the Rise And Fall of Phil Spector

Riveting the tale Brown tells is so extraordinary, its subject so bizarre, that it grips from start to finish a remarkable book about, among other things, fame, obsession, genius, money and madness. It paints the fullest picture yet of a man who, whether creating some of the greatest pop music of all time, or destroying the lives of those closest to him, seems to have existed in a continuous state of mental agitation This is the definitive study of the man, and the myth that engulfed him ***** Observer Music Monthly

Now, thanks to Mick Browns whopping biography, all those years of thoughtless enjoyment and dark rumour have been illuminated. Here is the story in full Beyond the lurid tales of mayhem and excess lies the story of a genius and, to his credit, that is the central story that Mick Brown has told here Evening Standard

Certainly the music book of the year Its beautifully researched and has numerous interviewees, including the reclusive Spector himself. Its an irresistible tale Metro

A measured biography that draws the reader into Spectors inner darkness, and evokes the rush of his famous Wall of Sound Brown gives a more even portrait of Spector - his charm, his repartee, his sometimes staggering generosity; as well as the insecurities, his serial duplicity in love and business and the attacks on those closest to him It is a tribute to Browns skill a beautifully balanced account of Phil Spectors unhinged life Daily Telegraph

A shamingly addictive read Sunday Telegraph

The explosive life and times of a pop autocrat Bang! Like any good thriller, this book begins with gunfire in the darkness The fascinating implication of Browns research is that Spectors personal disaster stems from the same source as his musical brilliance. That is, theyre both the result of a deeply disturbed personality Amid the tantrums and toupees, the drunken lunges and the sinister interest in firearms, a fleetingly endearing human being emerges Word

Brown, a good sleuth, has added to the Spector library by building a scary portrait of a psychopath, based on extensive interviews with fellow workers and civilians Timely and well-researched Literary Review

Browns interview would have stood as a classic of the genre even without this amazing plot twist, but his new book on Spector gives this strange story the space it deserves. Its a triumph - beautifully written, utterly involving, scrupulously even-handed and positions Brown shoulder to shoulder with the very best showbiz biographers GQ

Its wonderful a magnificent thing an excellent book Danny Baker

Very, very beautifully written Marianne Faithfull

A definitive account of the teenage tycoon who changed the course of music and then descended into his own hell Jon Savage, Observer Best Books of 2007

Essential reading. Spectors story is fraught with high emotion and excess, and it needs a sane, accomplished voice such as Browns to tell it. Where the story reaches a critical peak or trough, Brown employs a detached journalese that serves the facts and lends an added layer of poignancy It treats the man and his career with care and attention, which is no mean feat given the circus that has built up around Spectors trial Spectator

Mick Browns impeccably written, vitally engrossing Tearing Down the Wall of Sound tells us, brilliantly, how it all came to this Its a story of massive dysfunction that rightly emphasises Spectors genius, while just as correctly is wholly unsparing about his relentless unpleasantness Uncut

Brown had a rare opportunity to interview Spector shortly before his arrest for murder in 2003. [He] has built this biography around that wide-ranging encounter Independent Ten Best Rock Books

A timely and definitive account of the producers extraordinary accomplishments as well as an unnerving insight into his deviant thought processes Pop biographies dont come much more resonant than this Guardian

As well as being the most current account of an extraordinary, trouble life, Browns book is also the most sympathetic and balanced Sunday Times Pop Book of the Year

Phil Spector: the Tycoon of Teen, c. 1964

The Spector family: Harvey Phillip, Benjamin, Bertha and Shirley. A celebratory dinner, c. 1947

The Teddy Bears, 1958. l to r Phil Spector, Annette Kleinbard and Marshall Lieb

You take the money to the bank. With Bobby Hatfi eld of the Righteous Brothers, Gold Star Studios, 1965

With Jack Nitzsche and Darlene Love, Gold Star Studios, 1963

Larry Levine, Phil Spector and Nino Tempo, Gold Star Studios, 1963

Mother knows best. With Bertha Spector, Gold Star Studios, 1963

With Larry Levine and Annette Spector, Gold Star Studios, 1963

Ronnie Spector in the grounds of the La Collina mansion, c. 1967

Phil Spector and Tina Turner, Gold Star Studios, 1966

Phil Spector and George Harrison with promotions man Pete Bennett

Phil Spector and George Brand guarding the La Collina mansion, 1975

Janis Zavala in her offi ce at Screen Gems-Columbia Music, 1977

Phillip Jnr. and Nicole Spector, at home in Pasadena, Christmas 1986

With friend and mentor Ahmet Ertegun at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Los Angeles, 1993