# Back to Mono (1958–1969)

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Back to Mono (1958–1969) is a box set that compiles tracks produced by the American record producer Phil Spector between 1958 and 1969. It was released in 1991 by ABKCO. Initially a vinyl album-sized package, the box contained a booklet with photographs, complete song lyrics, discographical information, and a reproduction of the essay on Spector by Tom Wolfe, "The First Tycoon of Teen." The package also contained a small, round, red "Back to Mono" pin. In 2003, it was ranked number 64 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

## Content

Back to Mono surveys recordings leading up to and featuring the Wall of Sound, Spector's famed production trademark. Starting with "He's A Rebel" on disc one, through "I'll Never Need More Than This" and including disc four, all of the musical arrangements are by Jack Nitzsche. The list of musicians contributing to the tracks number in the hundreds, but prominent among them are Brian Wilson, Hal Blaine, Sonny Bono, Red Callender, Glen Campbell, Al DeLory, Steve Douglas, Jim Gordon, Jim Horn, Carol Kaye, Barney Kessel, Larry Knechtel, Jay Migliori, Ray Pohlman, Don Randi, Lyle Ritz, Billy Strange, Tommy Tedesco, Bill Pitman, and Nino Tempo.
The set collects every single produced by Spector and issued on the Philles label, with the exception of Philles 132, "White Cliffs of Dover" by The Righteous Brothers, which did not chart. Of the catalogue items Philles 100 through 136, the set omits: Philles 101, 103, and 104, produced by Spector's early business partner and label namesake, Lester Sill; Philles 133, produced by Jeff Barry, although its B-side produced by Spector, "When I Saw You," does appear; and Philles 134, produced by Bob Crewe. Philles 105, withdrawn initially in 1962 owing to its controversial subject matter, has also been included. Both "Walking in the Rain" by The Ronettes and "Stumble and Fall" by Darlene Love are listed in most discographies, including the box booklet, as Philles 123. The single "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)," initially released in 1963 as Philles 119, was re-released the following year as Philles 125 with a different B-side, and did not chart either year. Philles 134 through 136 were not released in the United States; however, there are DJ promo pressings of 136.
In addition to the Philles singles catalogue, the first three discs present Spector productions for other labels, various unreleased material, and two album tracks from Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes featuring Veronica, Philles 4006, and one from River Deep - Mountain High, London HAU 8298 (unreleased Philles 4011). Spector created additional imprints for specific projects, such as the Phil Spector label to promote the solo career of Veronica "Ronnie" Bennett of the Ronettes, the future Mrs. Spector. Some of those items also appear on these discs.
The fourth disc contains the entirety of the Christmas album released on the same day as the JFK assassination, A Christmas Gift for You, purportedly the only long-playing album from his Philles heyday that Spector worked on with the same intensity that he generally lavished on the singles. It peaked at No. 13 on the Christmas Albums chart in 1963, although a reissue in 1972 went to No. 6.
In 2003, the album was ranked No. 64 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time (No. 65 on the revised 2012 list and No. 489 on the revised 2023 list). With the exception of an anthology of his productions for the girl group the Paris Sisters, Back to Mono represents the totality of Spector's singles from this period in print, as of Spring, 2007.

## Track listing

All selections were produced by Phil Spector, except for "Spanish Harlem", which was produced by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.

### Disc One

| Track | Song title | Artist | Time | Writer(s) | Release date | Chart peak | Catalogue |
| 1. | "To Know Him Is to Love Him" | The Teddy Bears | 2:23 | Phil Spector | December 1958 | No. 1 | Dore 503 |
| 2. | "Corrine, Corrina" | Ray Peterson | 2:40 | Mitchell Parish, Bo Chatman, J. Mayo Williams | January 1961 | No. 9 | Dunes 2002 |
| 3. | "Spanish Harlem" | Ben E. King | 2:51 | Jerry Leiber and Phil Spector | 1961 | No. 10 | Atco 6185 |
| 4. | "Pretty Little Angel Eyes" | Curtis Lee | 2:45 | Tommy Boyce and Curtis Lee | August 1961 | No. 7 | Dunes 2007 |
| 5. | "Every Breath I Take" | Gene Pitney | 2:43 | Gerry Goffin and Carole King | September 1961 | No. 42 | Musicor 1011 |
| 6. | "I Love How You Love Me" | The Paris Sisters | 2:06 | Barry Mann and Larry Kolber | October 1961 | No. 5 | Gregmark 6 |
| 7. | "Under the Moon of Love" | Curtis Lee | 2:50 | Tommy Boyce and Curtis Lee | November 1961 | No. 46 | Dunes 2008 |
| 8. | "There's No Other (Like My Baby)" | The Crystals | 2:31 | Phil Spector and Leroy Bates | January 1962 | No. 20 | Philles 100 |
| 9. | "Uptown" | The Crystals | 2:19 | Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann | May 1962 | No. 13 | Philles 102 |
| 10. | "He Hit Me (It Felt Like a Kiss)" | The Crystals | 2:32 | Gerry Goffin and Carole King | withdrawn | | Philles 105 |
| 11. | "He's a Rebel" | The Crystals | 2:25 | Gene Pitney | August 1962 | No. 1 | Philles 106 |
| 12. | "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" | Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans | 2:49 | Ray Gilbert and Allie Wrubel | January 1963 | No. 8 | Philles 107 |
| 13. | "Puddin' n' Tain" | The Alley Cats | 2:48 | Gary Pipkin, Alonzo Willis, Brice Coefield | February 1963 | No. 43 | Philles 108 |
| 14. | "He's Sure the Boy I Love" | The Crystals | 2:44 | Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil | February 1963 | No. 11 | Philles 109 |
| 15. | "Why Do Lovers Break Each Others Hearts" | Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans | 2:48 | Ellie Greenwich, Tony Powers, Phil Spector | March 1963 | No. 38 | Philles 110 |
| 16. | "(Today I Met) The Boy I'm Gonna Marry" | Darlene Love | 2:48 | Greenwich, Powers, Spector | May 1963 | No. 39 | Philles 111 |
| 17. | "Da Doo Ron Ron" | The Crystals | 2:17 | Ellie Greenwich, Jeff Barry, Phil Spector | June 1963 | No. 3 | Philles 112 |
| 18. | "Heartbreaker" | The Crystals | 2:34 | Greenwich, Barry, Spector | | | unreleased |
| 19. | "Why Don't They Let Us Fall in Love" | Veronica | 2:39 | Greenwich, Barry, Spector | | | Phil Spector 2 |
| 20. | "Chapel of Love" | Darlene Love | 2:24 | Greenwich, Barry, Spector | | | unreleased |
| 21. | "Not Too Young to Get Married" | Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans | 2:27 | Greenwich, Barry, Spector | July 1963 | No. 63 | Philles 113 |
| 22. | "Wait ‘til My Bobby Gets Home" | Darlene Love | 2:23 | Greenwich, Barry, Spector | September 1963 | No. 26 | Philles 114 |
| 23. | "All Grown Up" | The Crystals | 2:49 | Greenwich, Barry, Spector | August 1964 | No. 98 | Philles 122 |

### Disc Two

| Track | Song title | Artist | Time | Writer(s) | Release date | Chart peak | Catalogue |
| 1. | "Be My Baby" | The Ronettes | 2:40 | Greenwich, Barry, Spector | October 1963 | No. 2 | Philles 116 |
| 2. | "Then He Kissed Me" | The Crystals | 2:37 | Greenwich, Barry, Spector | September 1963 | No. 6 | Philles 115 |
| 3. | "A Fine Fine Boy" | Darlene Love | 2:46 | Greenwich, Barry, Spector | November 1963 | No. 53 | Philles 117 |
| 4. | "Baby, I Love You" | The Ronettes | 2:50 | Greenwich, Barry, Spector | February 1964 | No. 24 | Philles 118 |
| 5. | "I Wonder" | The Ronettes | 2:51 | Greenwich, Barry, Spector | 1964 | No. 96 | Philles LP 4006 |
| 6. | "Girls Can Tell" | The Crystals | 2:36 | Greenwich, Barry, Spector | | | unreleased |
| 7. | "Little Boy" | The Crystals | 2:59 | Greenwich, Barry, Spector | February 1964 | No. 92 | Philles 119x |
| 8. | "Hold Me Tight" | The Treasures | 2:53 | John Lennon and Paul McCartney | | | Shirley 500 |
| 9. | "The Best Part of Breakin' Up" | The Ronettes | 3:02 | Vini Poncia, Pete Andreoli, Phil Spector | May 1964 | No. 39 | Philles 120 |
| 10. | "Soldier Baby Of Mine" | The Ronettes | 2:52 | Poncia, Andreoli, Spector | | | unreleased |
| 11. | "Strange Love" | Darlene Love | 3:00 | Poncia, Andreoli, Spector | | | Philles 131 |
| 12. | "Stumble And Fall" | Darlene Love | 2:22 | Poncia, Andreoli, Spector | 1964 | | Philles 123 |
| 13. | "When I Saw You" | The Ronettes | 2:43 | Spector | 1966 | | Philles 133b |
| 14. | "So Young" | Veronica | 2:36 | William Tyus | | | Phil Spector 1 |
| 15. | "Do I Love You?" | The Ronettes | 2:50 | Poncia, Andreoli, Spector | August 1964 | No. 34 | Philles 121 |
| 16. | "Keep On Dancing" | The Ronettes | 2:32 | Greenwich, Barry, Spector | | | unreleased |
| 17. | "You, Baby" | The Ronettes | 2:56 | Cynthia Weil, Barry Mann, Phil Spector | 1964 | No. 96 | Philles LP 4006 |
| 18. | "Woman in Love" | The Ronettes | 2:56 | Weil, Mann, Spector | | | unreleased |
| 19. | "Walking in the Rain" | The Ronettes | 3:16 | Weil, Mann, Spector | December 1964 | No. 23 | Philles 123 |

### Disc Three

| Track | Song title | Artist | Time | Writer(s) | Release date | Chart peak | Catalogue |
| 1. | "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" | The Righteous Brothers | 3:46 | Weil, Mann, Spector | December 1964 | No. 1 | Philles 124 |
| 2. | "Born to Be Together" | The Ronettes | 2:57 | Weil, Mann, Spector | March 1965 | No. 52 | Philles 126 |
| 3. | "Just Once in My Life" | The Righteous Brothers | 3:56 | Goffin, King, Spector | May 1965 | No. 9 | Philles 127 |
| 4. | "Unchained Melody" | The Righteous Brothers | 3:37 | Hy Zaret and Alex North | July 1965 | No. 4 | Philles 129b |
| 5. | "Is This What I Get for Loving You?" | The Ronettes | 3:21 | Goffin, King, Spector | June 1965 | No. 75 | Philles 128 |
| 6. | "Long Way to Be Happy" | Darlene Love | 2:48 | Gerry Goffin and Carole King | | | unreleased |
| 7. | "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons" | The Righteous Brothers | 2:47 | Deek Watson and William Best | January 1966 | | Philles 130b |
| 8. | "Ebb Tide" | The Righteous Brothers | 2:48 | Carl Sigman and Robert Maxwell | January 1966 | No. 5 | Philles 130 |
| 9. | "This Could Be the Night" | The Modern Folk Quartet | 2:39 | Harry Nilsson and Phil Spector | | | unreleased |
| 10. | "Paradise" | The Ronettes | 3:37 | Perry Botkin Jr., Gil Garfield, Nilsson, Spector | | | unreleased |
| 11. | "River Deep - Mountain High" | Ike & Tina Turner | 3:35 | Greenwich, Barry, Spector | June 1966 | No. 88 | Philles 131 |
| 12. | "I'll Never Need More Than This" | Ike & Tina Turner | 3:27 | Greenwich, Barry, Spector | February 1967 | No. 114 | Philles 135 |
| 13. | "A Love Like Yours (Don't Come Knockin' Everyday)" | Ike & Tina Turner | 2:57 | Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland | June 1967 | No. 16 (UK) | Philles 136 |
| 14. | "Save the Last Dance for Me" | Ike & Tina Turner | 2:47 | Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman | September 1966 | No. 27 (UK) | Philles LP 4011 (unreleased) London HAU 8298 |
| 15. | "I Wish I Never Saw the Sunshine" | The Ronettes | 3:49 | Greenwich, Barry, Spector | | | unreleased |
| 16. | "You Came, You Saw, You Conquered" | The Ronettes | 2:49 | Toni Wine, Irwin Levine, Spector | | | A&M 1040 |
| 17. | "Black Pearl" | Sonny Charles and the Checkmates, Ltd. | 3:19 | Wine, Levine, Spector | July 1969 | No. 13 | A&M 1053 |
| 18. | "Love Is All I Have to Give" | The Checkmates, Ltd. | 4:09 | Bobby Stephens and Phil Spector | May 1969 | No. 65 | A&M 1039 |

### Disc Four: A Christmas Gift for You

Initially released as Philles 4005, November 22, 1963
| Track | Song title | Artist | Writer(s) | Time |
| 1. | "White Christmas" | Darlene Love | Irving Berlin | 2:52 |
| 2. | "Frosty the Snowman" | The Ronettes | Steve Nelson and Walter Rollins | 2:16 |
| 3. | "The Bells of St. Mary" | Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans | A. Emmett Adams and Douglas Furber | 2:54 |
| 4. | "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" | The Crystals | J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie | 3:24 |
| 5. | "Sleigh Ride" | The Ronettes | Leroy Anderson and Mitchell Parish | 3:00 |
| 6. | "Marshmallow World" | Darlene Love | Carl Sigman and Peter DeRose | 2:23 |
| 7. | "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" | The Ronettes | Tommie Connor | 2:37 |
| 8. | "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" | The Crystals | Johnny Marks | 2:30 |
| 9. | "Winter Wonderland" | Darlene Love | Felix Bernard and Dick Smith | 2:25 |
| 10. | "Parade of the Wooden Soldiers" | The Crystals | Leon Jessel | 2:55 |
| 11. | "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" | Darlene Love | Ellie Greenwich, Jeff Barry and Phil Spector | 2:45 |
| 12. | "Here Comes Santa Claus" | Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans | Gene Autry and Oakley Haldeman | 2:03 |
| 13. | "Silent Night" | Phil Spector and Artists | Josef Mohr and Franz X. Gruber | 2:08 |

## Certifications

| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
| United States (RIAA) | Gold | 500,000$^^$ |
| $^^$ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |||