Larry Levine, Phil Spector's longtime engineer, died on his 80th birthday Thursday, according to a statement released by his family. Levine's first collaboration with Spector was on the Crystals' "She's A Rebel," and the two worked together on hits by the Righteous Brothers, Darlene Love, and Ike & Tina Turner. (He was there for those Leonard Cohen and Ramones albums, too.) Outside of Phil's reach, Levine won a Grammy for his work with Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass, and he had his fingers in several Eddie Cochran hits and the Beach Boys'
Pet Sounds as well. Levine's primary responsibility with Spector was to indulge the producer's need for size and grandeur without letting the track collapse. Needless to say, he pulled it off more than a couple times.
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Idolator
Live reviews of music tend to incite unnecessary fury from artists' fans when they feel that their heroes have been slighted. Los Angeles Times critic Ann Powers opened up her mailbox and showed us some of the letters she received in response to a not-completely-glowing review of a recent Tina Turner performance at LA's Staples Center. Here's one of the nicer notes Powers got: "This woman is an inspiration to us all... For you to criticize her in any way is a lack of respect for her talent and professionalism. Wait until you turn 68 (almost 69) and see if you can get out and do half of what she does. Shame on you." Not all of them were that polite, however.
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Mathew Knowles has 
