1) The Crystals were one of the most… Read Full Bio ↴Two artists exist by this name:
1) The Crystals were one of the most successful girl groups of the early 60s, Known for their association with producer Phil Spector, they had several well-remembered hit singles such as "He's A Rebel", "Da Doo Ron Ron", and "Then He Kissed Me". They were also trailblazers for many later African-American pop artists.
2) The Crystals was also the name of an obscure doo-wop group organised by the enigmatic Sun Ra in the mid-50s. Little is known about them. However, their tune "Honey In The Bee Box" was featured in the compilation album 'Interplanetary Melodies' on Norton Records, an album which has received critical acclaim.
3). If you are here for the Italian progressive rock band Crystals, they are not "The Crystals". Refer to the Crystals band page for more information and please fix your tags.
-------
In the late 50s, Barbara Alston, Mary Thomas, Delores "Dee Dee" Kennibrew, Merna Girard and Patricia "Patsy" Wright formed a singing project called "The Crystals" in high school. Under the leadership of Alston's uncle, Benny Wells, they wanted to aim for the big time. Soon, the quintet signed with Phil Spector's label Philles Records. Spector then chose Alston to be the group's lead singer, which made her very uncomfortable since she had a fear of singing in front of audiences.
Their first hit was 1961's "There's No Other Like My Baby". This song's B-side "Oh Yeah, Maybe Baby" (featuring Wright on lead) and the following single "Uptown" were topical and socially-aware pieces about growing up in the ghetto. After the success of "Uptown", a pregnant Girard was replaced by Dolores "LaLa" Brooks. The next single was 1962's "He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss)", still widely remembered though only rarely played on the radio due to the touchy subject matter of spousal abuse. Sales were sluggish.
Soon after "He Hit Me" flopped, Phil Spector began recording singer Darlene Love and her backing group The Blossoms under the name "The Crystals". Legend has it that the real Crystals were not able to travel from New York to Los Angeles fast enough to suit the LA-based Spector, who wanted to quickly record and release "He's a Rebel" (written by Gene Pitney) before anyone else had a chance to cover it and have a hit with it. The Crystals were unavailable, but Love and the Blossoms were also based in LA, so Spector recorded them and put the record out under The Crystals' banner.
"He's A Rebel" is perhaps the Crystals' most well-remembered and beloved songs, and one of the most enduring of the girl group genre. It was also their only US #1 hit. The follow-up Crystals single, "He's Sure the Boy I Love", in actuality also featured Love and The Blossoms.
The next single credited to The Crystals is one of the rarest -- and also possibly the strangest -- in rock music history. Reports vary as to the actual motivation behind the recording, but most agree that Phil Spector was looking for a way to annoy former business partner Lester Sill. What he came up with was a nearly six-minute song called "Let's Dance The Screw - Part I", which would be unplayable on 1963 radio. The record featured simple instrumentation (very much unlike Spector's famous Wall of Sound production style), repetitive lyrics, and Spector himself intoning the lyric "Dance The Screw" numerous times in a deadpan monotone. (The B-side, Part II, was more of the same.) The Crystals sang the song's repetitive verses, though it is unclear if these singers were the 'real' Crystals or The Blossoms.
The single was never commercially released, and only a few copies are known to exist (all marked D.J. COPY - NOT FOR SALE). The record was apparently only created to be a bizarre sort of joke at Sill's expense, as a single copy was specially delivered to him in early 1963.
Though it's unclear as to the level of their participation in "Let's Dance The Screw", the 'real' Crystals definitely began recording again under their own name in 1963. However, Thomas had departed to get married which reduced them to a quartet, and Alston stepped down from the lead spot giving it to Brooks.
After "Let's Dance The Screw", the group's next release was the classic "Da Doo Ron Ron." According to Darlene Love, the track was originally recorded by The Blossoms, with Love on lead vocal. Prior to release, Spector erased Love's lead vocal and replaced it with a vocal by LaLa Brooks, although he kept the Blossoms' backing vocals in place. The song was a top 10 hit in both the US and the UK, as was the follow-up single "Then He Kissed Me" — the first Crystals single since "He Hit Me" to feature all members of the Crystals as a definite group.
Both "Da Doo Ron Ron" and "Then He Kissed Me" were penned by Spector with Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich.
Despite the steady flow of hit singles, tensions between Spector and the Crystals mounted. Already unhappy with having been replaced by Love and company on two singles, The Crystals were even more upset when in 1964, Spector began focusing much of his time on rival girl group The Ronettes. Two failed Crystals singles followed, before the band left Spector's Philles Records for Imperial Records later in 1964. 1964 also saw the departure of Wright who was replaced by Frances Collins; toward the end of that year Alston departed leaving the group a trio. They disbanded in 1966. They reunited in 1971 and toured widely in varying incarnations on the oldies circuit; they still occasionally perform today. Kennibrew is the only original Crystal who remained active throughout their touring from the seventies to the present.
Lead singer Barbara Alston (September 28, 1943 – February 16, 2018) died at a Charlotte hospital in 2018.
He's a Rebel
The Crystals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Watch the way he shuffles his feet
My, he holds his head up high
When he goes walking by, he's my guy
When he holds my hand, I'm so proud
'Cause he's not just one of the crowd
My baby's always the one to try the things they've never done
He's a rebel and he'll never ever be any good
He's a rebel 'cause he never ever does what he should
Just because he doesn't do what everybody else does
That's no reason why I can't give him all my love
He's always good to me, always treats me tenderly
'Cause he's not a rebel, no, no, no
He's not a rebel, no, no, no, to me
If they don't like him that way
They won't like me after today
I'll be standing right by his side when they say
He's a rebel and he'll never ever be any good
He's a rebel 'cause he never ever does what he should
Just because he doesn't do what everybody else does
That's no reason why we can't share a love
He's always good to me, good to him, I try to be
'Cause he's not a rebel, no, no, no
He's not a rebel, no, no, no, to me
He's not a rebel, no, no, no (no, no, no)
He's not a rebel, no, no, no (no, no, no)
He's not a rebel, no, no, no (no, no, no)
He's not a rebel, no, no, no (no, no, no)
He's not a rebel, no, no, no
He's not a rebel, no, no, no
He's not a rebel, no, no, no
The Crystals' "He's a Rebel" is a song about a rebel, but not in the traditional sense of the word. The lyrics describe a man who does not conform to society's expectations and chooses to go against the norm. The singer is proud of her partner's individuality and the fact that he is always willing to try new things, even if it means being labeled a rebel. The society, on the other hand, sees him as a troublemaker who will never amount to anything.
The song's chorus suggests that his behavior is unwelcome and that he will never be accepted by society. However, the singer disagrees and refuses to give up her relationship with him. She sees beyond his rebellious spirit and recognizes the positive qualities that make him unique. In her eyes, he may be a rebel, but he is also caring, romantic, and treats her with tenderness.
The song's message is about acceptance, the need to embrace individuality rather than conform, and not judging people based on societal norms. It's a reminder to look beyond what society deems acceptable and embrace the unique qualities that make people who they are.
Line by Line Meaning
See the way he walks down the street
Observing how he strides down the street
Watch the way he shuffles his feet
Paying close attention to how he moves his feet
My, he holds his head up high
He carries himself with confidence and pride
When he goes walking by, he's my guy
When he passes by, he's the guy I'm with
When he holds my hand, I'm so proud
I feel honored when he holds my hand
'Cause he's not just one of the crowd
Because he stands out from the rest
My baby's always the one to try the things they've never done
My sweetheart is always willing to try new things
Just because of that, they say
For that reason, people label him
He's a rebel and he'll never ever be any good
He's considered a troublemaker and will never turn out right in their eyes
He's a rebel 'cause he never ever does what he should
He doesn't conform to their expectations and norms
Just because he doesn't do what everybody else does
Simply because he chooses his own path
That's no reason why I can't give him all my love
But that doesn't stop me from loving him deeply
He's always good to me, always treats me tenderly
He is always caring and gentle with me
'Cause he's not a rebel, no, no, no
Because I know who he really is
If they don't like him that way
If they can't accept him for who he is
They won't like me after today
They won't like me once they see my loyalty and devotion to him
I'll be standing right by his side when they say
I'll stick by him when they criticize him
That's no reason why we can't share a love
That doesn't mean we can't have love together
Good to him, I try to be
I strive to be as kind to him as he is to me
He's not a rebel, no, no, no
He's not who they say he is
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Gene Pitney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
THE MUSIC ENHANCEMENT CHANNEL
I use a Yamaha 1602 (16) track mixing console given to me by a friend. I bought a Sterling Pro Studio Microphone. The process goes something like this.(1)I start out with a clean digital audio file from a CD and do a RESTORATION from that MAGIX AUDIO CLEANING LAB (adjusting the 3 band compression/dynamics, EQ & brightness settings.
(2). Then I move that file over the MAGIX AUDIO STUDIO 7 (multitrack program) on my HP computer and place it as track 1 or the MAINFRAME TRACK. The microphone is plugged into the sound mixer and fed into the back of the computer by aux in audio channel so it can be picked up by the multitrack program. Electric guitars and Keyboard are plugged directing into the sound board.
(3) Then comes the critical task of deciding what instruments, percussion, vocals and keyboard might be needed to enhance the original. This is most critical job of all. There is no manual on doing this. You either know what you are doing or you do not. The TECHNIQUES change from song to song/artist to artist which is a real challenge. It helps first if you are a musician of some sort and have a working knowledge of the genre of music you are working on. I do best with the songs of the era I grew up with 60's 70's era.
So to answer your question directly--the addition of any instrument, percussion or vocals you hear that were not in the original were added by me by strategically placing audio tracks on top of the original on both channels and mixing them down to make a better stereo version. Every song must be approached differently with a different set of rules. Enhancements are best recognized and appreciated on songs that were only recorded in mono or poorly recorded in stereo. Mixing of final audio tracks has to be critical as well. Some need volume adjustment and others tweaking using the "trimmers" .
It is paramount that you understand the MINDSET of the artist so as not to destroy the original. Not everyone agrees on this. Some people don't want anyone messing with the originals and others love it when I do it .More like it than don't. Hope this helps. Kenn
usmale 49
I love this and ALL VOCALS are performed by Darlene Love! The Crystals were touring when this song came on the airwaves. They were surprised to learn they had another hit so soon. A hit record that they never recorded! True story! Thank you for the upload and sharing!! 😊
James Monroe
The Wall of Sound just got enlarged! This is not just a remix-it’s a rejuvenation! Thanks,Kenn!👍👍👌
dlphc oracl
Magnifico! The growl of the saxophone has never sounded better.
John Carrara
Oh man, all of a sudden I'm back in high school 60 years ago! It's amazing how great music holds up all these years later and now in stereo.
Shadow
Magic is what you have performed here. One of my all time favorites transformed into what it could have always been. I always love that you push forward the backing vocals.
Mark Reimer
Hard to do in a hot and humid New Orleans summer; but this song is giving me repeated shivers/goose bumps/"chicken skin" from head to toe.
Mark Reimer
One of the many great things about listening to Kenn's enhancements thru my headsets is: I "catch" more improvements/augmentations/additions that I would thru speakers, I can play it as loud as I want with no repercussions from the non-musical people around me, I can play the same song as many times in a row as I want to, I just seem to "hear more" this way. If only I didn't spontaneously start trying to harmonize with the back u singers!
ctranger
One of my favorites from the early 1960s.
Blackscorpion1963
Oh wow the audio of these are SO GOOOOOOD! Thank you Kenn 👍👍👍👍
Always Good
Kenn, this is one of the VERY BEST songs that you have enhanced!!!! You have IMPROVED HUNDREDS OF IMPORTANT SONGS and the HITS keep on COMING!!!! Kenn, YOU ARE SO APPRECIATED BY SO MANY LUCKY LISTENERS that know about you!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!