(2007) Tearing Down the Wall of Sound: The Rise and Fall of Phil Spector. By Mick Brown. (ISBN: 1400042194 / 1-4000-4219-4)

Book Description: Alfred A. Knopf, New York, New York, U.S.A., 2007. First American Edition Thus, number line on copyright page reads: Not Stated. Light Gray Hard Cover Boards, Dark Gray Cloth Spine with Silver lettering. 552 pages + credits, glossy B&W photos, 6.5" x 9.5" tall, 1.375" thick. No underlining, No highlighting, No owner names, No remainder marks, this is a Brand New book. New copy - Never read - Not price clipped. Beautiful gift quality copy of book and dust jacket. COLLECTOR'S COPY.

Book Condition: Brand New.

Dust Jacket Condition: Brand New. NON price-clipped DJ [$26.95 US].

About This Book: This work is the biography of Phil Spector, known as "The First Tycoon of Teen," and the owner of pop culture. He had a number-one hit at age eighteen and was a millionaire with his own label by age twenty-two. The book contains notes, illustrations, list of interviewees, and bibliography.

Synopsis: "In December 2002 Phil Spector - legendary record producer, legendary control freak, legendary recluse - sat down on a sofa in his Los Angeles castle and gave his first major interview for twenty-five years. The journalist he talked to was Mick Brown. Shortly afterwards, Phil Spector was arrested for murder." "Over the course of that day, Spector spoke with extraordinary candour about his life and career; his mercurial rise to become the most successful record producer of the sixties; the genius that had been both a blessing and a curse; his creation of a sound never before heard in music, his trademark 'Wall of Sound'; his fragile mental state and his years on the brink of insanity. 'I've been a very tortured soul,' said Spector. 'I have not been happy. I have devils inside that fight me.'" "The interview with Spector (described by MOJO as 'one of the most famous interviews in rock journalism') appeared as a cover story in the Daily Telegraph magazine on 1 February 2003. Twenty-four hours later, a Hollywood actress named Lana Clarkson was shot dead in Spector's castle. Phil Spector was immediately arrested, and later released on $1 million bail to await trial." "Tearing Down the Wall of Sound is Mick Brown's personal odyssey into the strange life and times of Phil Spector. Beginning with that fateful meeting in Spector's home, and recounting the story of his colourful life and career, including the unfolding of the Clarkson case, this is one of the most bizarre and compelling stories in the annals of pop music." --BOOK JACKET.

About The Author: Mick Brown (born 1950 in London) is a journalist who has written for several British newspapers, including The Guardian and The Sunday Times and for international publications. For many years he has contributed regularly to The Telegraph. He is also a broadcaster and the author of several books.

Brown has written many articles about rock music and in 2007 wrote Tearing Down the Wall of Sound, a biography of record producer Phil Spector.

Mick Brown's previous book, The Dance of 17 Lives, told the story of the 17th Karmapa, one of the most important figures in Tibetan Buddhism. This book covers the life of Urgyen Trinley Dorje and clarifies the politics surrounding his recognition.

Brown has also written a biography of entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson, which has been revised to take into account Branson's latest business interests, including the Virgin rail service and his failed bid to run the National Lottery.

His book The Spiritual Tourist, cataloged contemporary spiritual quests around the globe, particularly in India. Brown also compiled a companion album to the book, Music for the Spiritual Tourist.

Bibliography: Books by Mick Brown

• American Heartbeat: Travels from Woodstock to San Jose by Song Title. London: Penguin. 1994. ISBN 0140171657. 
• Richard Branson: The Inside Story. London: Headline. 1998. ISBN 0747232164. 
• The Spiritual Tourist: A Personal Odyssey through the Outer Reaches of Belief. London: Bloomsbury. 1999. ISBN 0747542821. 
• The Dance of 17 Lives: The Incredible True Story of Tibet's 17th Karmapa. London: Bloomsbury. 2004. ISBN 0747571619. 
• Mick Brown on Performance (Bloomsbury Movie Guide). London: Bloomsbury. ISBN 1582340439. 
• Tearing Down the Wall of Sound: The Rise and Fall of Phil Spector. London: Bloomsbury. 2007. ISBN 1582340439.