Is symphonic music kind of like Phil Spector got hold of chamber music?

In response to the above post by @twoleftears, let me say that Spector didn’t have a deep enough education in music theory and composition to have alone created his 1960’s recordings, with their relatively-sophisticated horn and string arrangements. It was Jack Nitzsche who wrote and arranged all those parts for Phil.

Jack Nitzsche later did the same for Buffalo Springfield, Neil Young (he’s the pianist on Neil’s Harvest album), The Stones, Randy Newman, The Tubes, Tim Buckley, and produced albums for Crazy Horse (their fantastic debut album), Mink DeVille, and Graham Parker. He also did some fine film soundtracks (One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, Performance, The Exorcist), and in 1972 did a very interesting album entitled St. Giles Cripplegate, a modern Classical composition that was performed by The London Symphony Orchestra conducted by David Measham. The album was issued on LP by The Initial Recording Company (catalog no. IRC 006) in England, and by Reprise Records in the U.S.A. (MS 2092).

@edcyn: Did you ever hear The Ramones talk about their time recording with Spector? Hilarious! He pulled a gun on them in the studio, took them to his castle, locked them in, and wouldn’t let them out for quite a while (more than a few days). Oh that Phil.

The Ramones were a "play it once" kind of Punk band, Spector a "if it takes a hundred takes to get what I want, so be it" kind of producer. Oil and vinegar.

When I saw them live at The Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, the sounded kinda like a Spector production. They were EXTREMELY loud (the loudest band I ever heard, far louder than The Who and AC/DC), and as you may know the SMCA a very "live" room, basically a huge cement bunker. It was hard to make out what was being played and sung. 

In the 1960's Spector was referred to as the Wagner of Pop music. He was great with Girl Groups and other singers/performers, but when he tried to regain relevance in the 70's and beyond, it became anachronistic. The Ramones produced by Phil Spector?!