River Deep – Mountain High (album)

After watching Ike & Tina Turner perform in a club on the Sunset Strip, producer Phil Spector invited them to perform on The Big T.N.T Show in 1965.[2] Spector wanted to produce for Tina Turner and sign the duo to his Philles label.[3] He negotiated a deal with Ike Turner for creative control over his sessions with Tina Turner, but Ike & Tina Turner were still signed to Loma Records, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Records. Spector negotiated a deal with their manager Bob Krasnow, also head of Loma, offering $20,000 to have them released from their contract.[3] Spector signed Ike & Tina Turner and the Ikettes to his label in April 1966.[4][5]

By the time Ike & Tina Turner signed to Philles, the album had already been recorded at Gold Star Studios in March 1966. Phil Spector produced six songs using his wall of sound technique, including the title track, which was the first of three singles. Ike Turner produced the remaining tracks which are mostly re-recordings of Ike & Tina Turner's earlier hits. The Ikettes, which included P.P. Arnold, provided backing vocals on the Turner produced side of the album.[6]

The first single "River Deep – Mountain High" was released in May 1966 and peaked at No. 88 on Billboard Hot 100.[7] The single was a hit in Europe, reaching No. 3 in the UK and No. 1 in Spain.[8][9] The second single, "I'll Never Need More Than This", was not included on the original album. It missed the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 115 on Bubbling Under the Hot 100.[10] It reached No. 64 in the UK.[9] Tina Turner promoted the single on American Bandstand in 1967. The third single, "A Love Like Yours (Don't Come Knocking Everyday)", reached No. 16 in the UK.[9]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[15]
Rolling Stone	neutral[16]
Tom Hull – on the Web	A−[17]
The Village Voice	A−[18]

Billboard (September 13, 1969):

"River Deep-Mountain High" is one of Phil Spector's best compositions, and Ike & Tina Turner sing the original 1966 version, since revived by Eric Burdon, Deep Purple and others. A hit album in England, A&M and Phil Spector add this 'historic recording' to the Ike & Tina Turner sweepstakes. With the hits "A Fool in Love," "I Idolize You" and "It's Gonna Work Out Fine," this one looks like a big winner.[19]

The album was reissued on CD by A&M in 1987. It has since been reissued on CD by various labels, most recently Universal Music in 2018.[20]

Credits adapted from liner notes.

• Tina Turner – vocals
• Barney Kessel, Don Peake, John Ewing, Robert Gerstlauer – guitar
• Jimmy Bond – string bass
• Carol Kaye, Ray Pohlman, Lyle Ritz – Fender bass
• Harold Battiste, Larry Knechtel, Ike Turner, Michael Rubini – piano
• Jim Gordon, Earl Palmer – drums
• Frank Capp, Gene Estes – percussion
• Roy Caton, Oliver Mitchell – trumpet
• John Ewing, Lew McCreary – trombone
• Plas Johnson, Jim Horn, Jim Migliori – tenor sax
• Robert Gerstlauer, Jim Horn – baritone sax
• The Ikettes, Ike Turner – backing vocals
• Phil Spector – producer, tracks 1,3,6,7,8, and 10 (reissue version)
• Ike Turner – producer, tracks 2,4,5,9,11, and 12 (reissue version)
• Jack Nitzsche, Gene Page, Perry Botkin Jr. – arrangers
• Larry Levine – engineer
• Dennis Hopper – photography

• River Deep – Mountain High at Discogs (list of releases)