Ike & Tina Turner - River Deep Mountain High - Album

River Deep - Mountain High

Album / Singles (1966)

River Deep - Mountain High is the legendary album from Ike & Tina with six tracks produced by Phil Spector. The title track was the first of six singles and a massive hit in Europe. Ike Turner produced the remaining tracks which are essentially superior re-recordings of some of Ike & Tina's earlier hits. The album was first released in Europe and Australia in mono and stereo configurations and was supposed to be released in the U.S. as Philles PHLP 4011, but was cancelled after the single did not so well in America. The stereo masters were sold to A&M Records and reissued in 1969 worldwide and for the first time in America, but the original monaural mix by Phil Spector is unique to the 1966 version and not available on compact disc.

The reissue from 1969 substitutes the track „You’re So Fine“ with Spector’s 1967 production of „I’ll Never Need More Than This“. Also the picture on the back cover is different and the liner notes were slightly updated.

Producer: Phil Spector, Ike Turner
Recorded: Gold Star and United Studios, Los Angeles (March 1966)
Photographer: Dennis Hopper
Release: September 1966 / August 1969
Label: London (1966) / A&M (1969) / Various (Reissue)
Format: Vinyl / Cartridge / Cassette / CD / Digital
Charts 1966: UK: #27 / 1969: UK: #33 / USA: #28 (R&B)

Tracks

  1. River Deep, Mountain High 3:38
    2. Written by Phil Spector, Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich
  2. I Idolize You 3:46
    3. Written by Ike Turner
  3. A Love Like Yours (I Come Knocking Every Day) 3:06
    4. Written by Holland, Dozier, Holland
  4. A Fool In Love 3:13
    5. Written by Ike Turner
  5. Make 'Em Wait 2:22
    6. Written by Ike Turner
  6. Hold On Baby 2:59
    7. Written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich
  7. I’ll Never Need More Than This 3:30
    8. Written by Phil Spector, Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich / Only on 1969 release
  8. Save The Last Dance For Me 3:02
    9. Written by Doc Pomus, Mort Shuman
  9. Oh Baby! (Things Ain’t What They Used To Be) 2:46
    10. Written by Kent Harris
  10. Every Day I Have To Cry 2:40
    11. Written by Arthur Alexander
  11. Such A Fool For You 2:48
    12. Written by Ike Turner
  12. It’s Gonna Work Out Fine 3:14
    13. Written by Sylvia McMinney, Rose Marie McCoy
  13. You’re So Fine 2:20
    14. Written by Finney, West, Shofield / Only on 1966 release

"River Deep, Mountain High" is a perfect record from start to finish — you couldn’t improve on it. (George Harrison)

River Deep, Mountain High

was the first single, written and produced by Phil Spector. Ike was paid $20,000 to stay away from the studio. The song was recorded using Spector's 'Wall of Sound' production technique with 42 session musicians and background vocalists. It was very successful in Europe, but not in the USA. Spector was so disillusioned about it, that he totally stopped working for two years and released the album not before 1969 in America. Ike & Tina promoted the song at several TV-Shows and performed it live in their concerts, but in a very different version, available on the album The World of Ike & Tina from 1973.

The song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and the Rolling Stone magazine put it at #33 on it's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time. It was reissued variously with different b-side tracks over the years. A very strange version with lead vocals from Ike Turner was released as a promo in 1971 and in Europe, an Ike Turner produced version was released as a single in 1974.

Writer: Phil Spector, Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich
Producer: Phil Spector
Release: May 1966 / January 1969 (UK) / September 1969 (USA) / Various
Format: 7“ Vinyl
Charts: UK: #3 / USA: #88 (Pop) 
Grammy: Hall of Fame (1999)

Tracks
  1. River Deep, Mountain High 3:39
    Additional tracks:
  1. I’ll Keep You Happy 2:00
    2. From the 1966 release / Previously Unreleased / Written by Phil Spector
  2. A Love Like Yours 3:06
    3. From the 1968 release
  3. Save The Last Dance For Me 3:03
    4. From the 1969 European release
  4. It's Gonna Work Out Fine 2:32
    5. From the 1970 release
  5. Oh Baby! 2:46
    6. From the 1971 release
  6. I'll Never Need More Than This 3:15
    7. From the 1981 release

A Love Like Yours

is a cover version of a Martha & The Vandellas song from 1963, released with different b-side tracks, depending on the country. Ike & Tina performed it live in their concerts, available on the album Live In Paris from and the home video Live In '71. In France, it was released as an extended play single and in America it was reissued with a different b-side track in 1970, after the album was first released in the US one year earlier.

Writer: Holland, Dozier, Holland
Producer: Phil Spector
Release: October 1966 / February 1970 / (Reissue)
Format: 7“ Vinyl
Charts: UK: #16

Tracks
  1. A Love Like Yours (Don’t Come Knocking Every Day) 3:06
    Additional tracks:
  1. Hold On Baby 2:59
    2. From the 1966 European release
  2. I Idolize You 3:46
    3. From the 1966 American release
  3. Save The Last Dance For Me 3:03
    4. From the 1970 American release
    French EP
  1. A Love Like Yours 3:06
  2. Hold On Baby 2:59
  3. Oh Baby! 2:46
  4. Such A Fool For You 2:48
Ike & Tina Turner - Oh Baby! - Single

Oh Baby!

was released as a single only in Belgium, featuring two songs from the album. It comes with a nice picture cover.

  1. Oh Baby! (Things Ain’t What They Used To Be) 2:46
  2. Such A Fool For You 2:48

Writer: Kent Harris
Producer: Ike Turner
Release: 1966
Format: 7“ Vinyl

I’ll Never Need More Than This

substituted the track „You’re So Fine“ on the A&M release of the album in 1969. The single version is slightly different than on the album, because it has a shorter intro. The b-side from the American single contains a previously unreleased Phil Spector instrumental, not available anywhere else. Tina promoted the song at the TV-Show American Bandstand in 1967. The single was reissued with a different b-side track in Europe, after the album was also reissued in 1969.

  1. I’ll Never Need More Than This (Edit) 3:21
    Additional tracks:
  1. Save The Last Dance For Me 3:03
    2. From the 1967 European release
  2. The Cash Box Blues (Instrumental) 1:53
    3. From the 1967 American release / Previously Unreleased / Written by Phil Spector
  3. A Love Like Yours 3:06
    4. From the 1969 European release

Writer: Phil Spector, Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich
Producer: Phil Spector
Release: February 1967 (USA) / September 1967 (Europe) / May 1969 (Reissue)
Format: 7“ Vinyl
Charts: UK: #64

Ike & Tina Turner - Make 'Em Wait - Single

Make 'Em Wait

was only released in England. The song was already a single in 1968, but with lead vocals from The Ikettes. The song was written by Ike Turner but produced from Phil Spector.

  1. Make 'Em Wait 2:22
  2. Every Day I Have To Cry 2:41

Writer: Ike Turner
Producer: Phil Spector
Release: March 1970
Format: 7“ Vinyl

Ike & Tina Turner - River Deep Mountain High - Album

The Ultimate Truth - Ike & Tina Turner - River Deep-Mountain High - Produced by Phil Spector - The First U.S. Release Of England’s Classic Best-Seller

Billboard - September 06, 1969

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