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Always Magic in the Air : The Bomp and Brilliance of the Brill Building Era
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Binding: Hardcover
Format: Bargain Price
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 320
Publication Date: October 20, 2005
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Editorial Review:
During the late 1950s and early 1960s, after the shock of Elvis Presley and before the Beatles spearheaded the British Invasion, fourteen gifted young songwriters huddled in midtown Manhattan’s legendary Brill Building and a warren of offices a bit farther uptown and composed some of the most beguiling and enduring entries in the Great American Songbook. Always Magic in the Air is the first thorough history of these renowned songwriters—tunesmiths who melded black, white, and Latino sounds, integrated audiences before America desegregated its schools, and brought a new social consciousness to pop music.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - +1/2 -- Detailed but unsatisfying chronicle of '60s pop songwriters
Ken Emerson's detailed history of seven pairs of writers (Leiber & Stoller, Bacharach & David, Sedaka & Greenfield, Mann & Weil, Goffin & King, Pomus & Shuman, and Barry & Greenwich) is a detailed chronicle of the Brill Building's seminal place in the history of pop music writing. Unfortunately, Emerson's pedantic writing style and his inability to find narratives makes this a less than lyrical read. His collection of vignettes fails to lift the writers off the page or ... Read More
Rating:  - Very detailed account of early rock music
The amount of detail in this book is amazing. Not for the casual music listener, but great for those of us who grew up in the golden age of rock and roll. This book fills in many of the blanks for us hard core music fans who want to know the stories behind the songs.
Rating: - Good Book About The Era
Just a couple of things to add to the other comments here:
Writer must have a grudge against Steve Lawrence/Eydie Gorme as he insults them every 10 pages.
Very little is said about the actual musicians in the book, only the songwriters.
But a couple of incredible nuggets, that several Bacharach-David tunes had drummers using one stick and one brush. And that "A House Is Not A Home" refers to a bordello.
In the coda, book makes a brief note about ... Read More
Rating: - Back in the Day
This "just the facts ma'am" book chronicles a fascinating time when songwriting made the leap from tin pan alley sentimentality to sophisticated pop (hard to believe they called it rock and roll!) with many fascinating personalities and future pop stars. If early rock and roll history is your bag, dude, then this is fun, well researched book.
Rating:  - Briefly, a hit
The other reviews are so long, I thought I'd sum them up. They're right.
If you think you'd like this, you will. You're guaranteed to pick up some interesting new details, while getting a context for the creation of many of rock n' roll's most enduring songs.
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