Phil Spector, Rock Music Legend, Convicted Killer, Still Behind the Music with Wife's CD
ALHAMBRA, Calif. (CBS/AP) Is it a crime for a convicted killer to release an album while he's still behind bars?
Most critics seem to think that in the case of Phil Spector, it is at least an artistic failure.
The 70-year-old Spector is a rock music- producing legend imprisoned for the murder of an actress.
His wife, Rachelle, an aspiring singer who just turned 30, is dividing her time between prison visits and promoting her new album, for which Spector is listed as the producer.
For Rachelle, there has been a whirl of clubs, red carpet openings, travel, interviews and recording sessions, all happily reported on her Facebook page. For Phil, there is life in a tiny cell at a prison in Corcoran, Calif., where he lives on hope that his appeal will be granted and he will get a new trial. He was sentenced to 19 years to life behind bars.
Spector and Rachelle were married in 2006, three years after he was arrested in the shooting death of actress Lana Clarkson at his Alhambra, Calif. mansion.
With Rachelle's album, "Out of My Chelle," Spector has a chance to jump back into the music world, where he built his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame credentials by producing such acts as the Beatles, Ike and Tina Turner, Cher, the Ramones, the Ronettes, and many others.
"I was as excited about this album as when I met Elvis or the Stones. It's a gift from me to her," he said in a recent interview from prison.
The album, which was released last month, is billed as the first "Phil Spector Production" in 30 years.
Some have cast doubt on whether he actually produced "Out of My Chelle." It has none of the hallmarks of Spector's famed "Wall of Sound" recording technique, and the songs are lightweight pop and dance numbers without the elaborate arrangements for which he was known.
But Spector insists he produced the record during the three years before he went to trial for the shooting death of Lana Clarkson.
"I was there for recording of all the tracks," he said. "Making that record with Rachelle was one of the greatest experiences of my life."
Although Spector is now a convicted murderer, his reputation as a music icon has not diminished, and gives the album any lustre that it has. The back cover of the album says: "Executive Producer: Legendary Genius PHIL SPECTOR." It is credited to Rachelle's record label called, "Genius 4Ever Records."
Still, the album has not generated much serious attention. It has been trashed by most critics as an insult to Spector's vaunted reputation.