TINA TURNER ESSENTIAL 100 SONGS. This post concludes the countdown.

Caffè Lattè presents…  THE 100 ESSENTIAL SONGS BY TINA TURNER   Born Anna Mae Bullock in Tennessee in 1939, she impressed Ike Turner when she sang at one of his gigs. He asked her to join his group The Kings Of Rhythm. In time, she adopted the stage name Tina Turner and married Ike. After years in a stormy marriage, she decided to leave him. Tina rebuilt her career and enjoyed a revival as a soloist, beginning with her international hit “What’s Love Got To Do With It” and the album ‘Private Dancer’. All over the world, fans mourned her loss in May 2023. Tina leaves behind an unmatched legacy of funk, rock, pop and R&B tracks, celebrated here with this countdown of her 100 most essential recordings.

1 RIVER DEEP – MOUNTAIN HIGH (credited to Ike & Tina Turner) 1966 Today, Phil Spector is remembered as a weird murderer, but in the 1960s, he was an acclaimed producer. He created the Wall Of Sound which spawned hits such as “Be My Baby”, “He’s A Rebel”, “Then He Kissed Me”, “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’”, Da Doo Ron Ron” and “Unchained Melody”. He later produced The Beatles’ ‘Let It Be’ album as well as some of the solo releases from John Lennon and George Harrison, including: “Imagine”, “My Sweet Lord”, “Happy X’mas (War Is Over)” and ‘The Concert For Bangladesh’ charity album. Spector was a hard taskmaster, demanding countless takes from Tina as she recorded “River Deep – Mountain High”. The song was written by him with Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich. Spector banned Ike from the session, even though he is credited on the single. The end result was one of rock music’s most thrilling recordings. Tina’s vocal is in full force as it soars above the music and background vocals. Others have tried to imitate Turner’s performance, but no one has ever matched its unbridled energy.  It's inexplicable that the single only reached #88 on the American chart, a fact that so upset Spector that he ceased working for some years. The song did peak at #3 in Britain and charted well in Europe and Australia. Since 1966, the recording has been recognized as one of the best rock songs.

Hear the songs on the Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7t8hSz8qeo1WcPtNfSJ2JH?si=83923253e8704042&pt=b40cdf551bb132fe060907e4afd00579