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
- River Deep, Mountain High 3:38
- I Idolize You 3:46
- A Love Like Yours (I Come Knocking Every Day) 3:06
- A Fool In Love 3:13
- Make 'Em Wait 2:22
- Hold On Baby 2:59
- I’ll Never Need More Than This 3:30
- Save The Last Dance For Me 3:02
- Oh Baby! (Things Ain’t What They Used To Be) 2:46
- Every Day I Have To Cry 2:40
- Such A Fool For You 2:48
- It’s Gonna Work Out Fine 3:14
- You’re So Fine 2:20
"River Deep, Mountain High" is a perfect record from start to finish — you couldn’t improve on it. (George Harrison)
Singles
The title track 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 USA. Spector was so disillusioned about it, that he totally stopped working for two years and released the album not before 1969 in America. The b-side track „I’ll Keep You Happy“ was also written by Phil Spector and is only available on this single. Ike & Tina promoted the song at several TV-Shows and performed it live in their concerts, but in a very different version. A live version is 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. For Tina’s greatest hits album Simply The Best, Phil Spector remastered the original version at Tina’s request.
River Deep Mountain High: May 1966 / 1968 / January 1969 (UK) / September 1969 (USA) / 1971 / UK (1966): #3 / UK (1969): #33 / USA: #88 (Pop) / Grammy Hall of Fame (1999)
In addition, four further singles were released: 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. The duo performed it live in their concerts, available on the album Live In Paris from 1971. In France, it was released as an extended play single the same year and in America it was reissued with a different b-side track in 1970. The track Oh Baby! was issued only in Belgium, featuring two songs from the album. I’ll Never Need More Than This substituted the track „You’re So Fine“ on the A&M 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 last single was Make 'Em Wait, 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.
A Love Like Yours: October 1966 / February 1970 (Reissue) / UK: #16
I’ll Never Need More Than This: February 1967 (USA) / September 1967 (Europe) / May 1969 (Reissue) / UK: #64
Oh Baby!: 1966
Make 'Em Wait: March 1970
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