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Rolling Stones unreleased:Mr. Spector and Mr. Pitney Came Too
The Rolling Stones were barely getting started in 1964, yet their recording sessions were already attracting enough famous visitors to make a normal night in the studio seem almost suspicious. Phil Spector showed up, Gene Pitney arrived with duty-free cognac, members of The Hollies joined the fun, and somehow the Stones ended up recording a wonderfully chaotic unreleased track called Mr. Spector and Mr. Pitney Came Too. It wasn’t exactly the sort of polished studio production destined for the charts—and that’s precisely what makes it fascinating. Behind the jokes, noise and questionable behavior was a young band discovering just how much trouble could sound like fun.
Written by: Phelge/Spector Recorded: IBC Studios, London, England, Feb. 4 1964 (England’s Newest Hit Makers sessions) Guest musicians: Phil Spector, Gene Pitney, Allan Clarke, Graham Nash
*From Martin Elliott’s book The Rolling Stones Complete Recording Sessions 1962-2012: This track perfectly encapsulates the uniqueness of the session. Laughter at the beginning and someone shouts (possibly Ronnie Ronette), “I’ve never recorded before'” A false piano intro was laughed at before Phil Spector takes control and starts it off with a 1-2, a 1-2-3-4. The band charge in with an infectious assault of R’n’B. Harmonica, boogie piano and lead guitars and that bottle chiming in the background provide an alternate take to Now I’ve Got A Witness.
Spector and Pitney and The Stones
On February 4 1964,The Rolling Stones arrived at Regent Sound Studios in London expecting to do what young bands were supposed to do: record songs and get on with building a career. Instead, the evening gradually turned into one of those legendary studio sessions where the guest list gets stranger, the drinks get stronger and the original plan quietly disappears. Phil Spector was there, along with Graham Nash and Allan Clarke of The Hollies, while Gene Pitney eventually arrived straight from the airport carrying duty-free cognac. Not exactly a bad lineup for a Tuesday night. The Stones recorded several songs, including Little by Little,Can I Get a Witness and Now I’ve Got a Witness, but the real chaos came afterward. What followed produced Andrew’s Blues and Mr. Spector and Mr. Pitney Came Too, two wonderfully unruly recordings that showed just how mischievous the young Stones could be.
A room full of musical characters
By early 1964 Regent Sound Studios had become an important creative base for The Rolling Stones. The band had already released several singles and was rapidly developing the reputation that would soon make them impossible to ignore.
This particular session became memorable because of the musicians who wandered through the door. Phil Spector, already one of the most influential producers in popular music, had become friendly with the Stones after a Decca party held in his honor. Graham Nash and Allan Clarke were also on hand, bringing members of The Hollies into the increasingly crowded studio.
Then came Gene Pitney, arriving directly from the airport. It happened to be his birthday, and he brought duty-free cognac with him. His family’s tradition apparently required everyone to drink a whole glass. Because nothing says “productive recording session” quite like that.
When the Stones stopped taking it seriously
Bill Wyman later captured the atmosphere in his book Stone Alone: The Story of a Rock ’n’ Roll Band, providing one of the most entertaining accounts of the night. Pitney played piano, while Spector and the two members of The Hollies played tambourine and maracas. Empty bottles even became percussion instruments, with coins being banged against them.
The musicians recorded Little by Little and Can I Get a Witness, before creating Now I’ve Got a Witness on the spot. It was already an unusually spontaneous session, but things were about to become considerably less disciplined. Eventually, according to Wyman, the recording session “degenerated into silliness.” Fortunately, everyone was having a great time.
Andrew’s Blues gets personal
The silliness produced two particularly curious recordings: Andrew’s Blues and Mr. Spector and Mr. Pitney Came Too. The first was a cheeky musical tribute—or perhaps insult—to Andrew Loog Oldham, the flamboyant manager who was helping shape the Stones’ public image.
Andrew’s Blues pushed the band’s sense of humor into deliberately risqué territory, while Mr. Spector and Mr. Pitney Came Too continued the joke. Wyman later described both tracks as “very rude,” which sounds almost understated considering the Stones’ reputation for mischief.
The February 4 session therefore offers much more than another date in The Rolling Stones’ early chronology. It captures a young band surrounded by talented friends, famous guests, alcohol, improvised instruments and very little concern for behaving properly. Long before they perfected the art of rock ’n’ roll excess, the Stones were already learning that sometimes the best studio stories begin when nobody sticks to the script.
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