It’s still difficult to reconcile the harrowing portraits of Phil Spector presented by Mark Ribowsky and Mick Brown with the heart-tugging legacy of the Wall of Sound. The awe-inspiring images of the teen tycoon depicted by Tom Wolfe and Richard Williams now seem whitewashed, but they make lovely companions to the heart and soul still heard in Spector’s records.

Spector apparently loved the celebration of Christmas so much that he claimed to have been born on December 25th, but most reliable records now date his birth to December 26, 1940, making today his 70th birthday. Happy Birthday, Mr. Spector.