Always Magic in the Air: The Bomp and Brilliance of the Brill Building Era

For those of us who have wondered about how these dashing songs of the late fifties and early sixties got made, this book is a godsend. Mr. Emerson covers aspects from the loves and habits of these deeply engaged songwriters and composers to their favorite working times and styles. I was thrilled to see that they were mostly from Brooklyn and networked out to include their relatives and friends. Those who sang and performed these songs don't get short shrift, either. (And I knew that the Chiffons had Bronx accents, I just knew it!) It was also fascinating to read about the shadier side of the pop music biz during this time, especially that represented by Morris Levy, who would put his name to copyrights so he could swindle songwriters. Always Magic in the Air is.. magical. (Don't be surprised to hear yourself singing the songs mentioned as Emerson's magical tour unfolds.)

I'll just echo what many other reviewers have said. If, like me, you lived through the late 1950s and all of the 1960s with your ear glued to your transistor radio, this will probably be one of the most interesting books you have read about the era. Written to be very readable, and jammed with anecdotes and "insider"insights into the music we have loved for decades. Highly recommended!

Great book about a great time!Do doo Ron Ron.

'Always Magic in the Air: The Bomp and Brilliance of the Brill Building Era' is an entertaining, comprehensive, and riveting study of seven legendary songwriting teams - Doc Pomus/Mort Shuman; Jerry Leiber/Mike Stoller; Burt Bacharach/Hal David; Neil Sedaka/Howard Greenfield; Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil; Gerry Goffin/Carole King; and Jeff Barry/Ellie Greenwich. The time was the 1950's and 1960's - the Golden Era of rock and roll - and the place was New York City. The players were young, talented, and Jewish. They came from varying social and economic backgrounds. They brought with them their energy, enthusiasm, and artistry, and they left their collective footprints in musical history - and in our minds and hearts. More than just a biography of fourteen people, however, 'Always Magic...' is an all-inclusive study of the sounds born in two relatively unimposing buildings in Manhattan - the Brill Building, located at 1619 Broadway, and its near neighbor at 1650 Broadway. The roots of rock and roll in general are discussed, as are the Latin influences behind some of the songs brought forth by these talented scribes (one example is the *baion* drumbeat intro to "Be My Baby"); and the individual and collective backgrounds and lives of the principals, several of whom were interviewed for this book, are covered in depth. Their personal histories are fascinating to read about. In the case of the composers no longer with us - Doc Pomus, Mort Shuman, and Howard Greenfield - author Ken Emerson drew on a wealth of biographical and historical information as well as contributions from friends, relatives, and other reliable sources. Emerson also utilized material from previously published and/or broadcast articles, interviews and documentaries in all cases. The result is a thorough and generously annotated book, well researched with a comprehensive bibliography, a must-have for rock historians who will want to add this delightful and informative book to their collections, and for those who are simply fans of what has become known as the Brill Building sound.'Always Magic...' is an absolute pleasure to read - fun and interesting, a study of people as well as music (and of music as well as people), it never lets up. From "Hound Dog" to "Save the Last Dance For Me," from "Breaking Up is Hard to Do" to "What the World Needs Now," from "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" to "Chapel of Love" to "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling," the sounds of the Brill Building era are as much a part of our lives as the air that we breathe, and Ken Emerson's rockumentary is a breath of fresh air - always magical, from start to finish.

Very informative novel a great read.

"Always Magic in the Air" by Ken Emerson is the most entertaining and informative book I've ever read on how the very best of thetop hit records of the late '50s to mid-'60s were created in cubicles in New York City's Brill Building and the building at 1650 Broadway by six songwriting teams. It's really astoundingthat so many hits from that period came from the collaboration between the twelve songwriters profiled in this book. I became a devoted fan of rock 'n' roll when I was given a Silvertone transistor radio on my tenth birthday in 1958. I remember virtually all of the songs referred to in this book, and it was very enlightening to me to find out what went on behind the scenes during the creation of this music. As I read the book, I was logged on to YouTube so that I could listen to a particular record as I read about it. This added a dynamic dimension to the reading experience. When Mr. Emerson mentioned a five-bar phrase or how the underside of the drum was scraped for a specific percussion effect, I could hear what he meant. This book is a 'must' for pop music fans.

This book captured the atmosphere and details of what it was like to work in The Brill Building and the related building where all the best hit writers composed the biggest hits of the 50s and 60s. Leiber and Stoller, Mann and Weil, King and Goffin, and the other top composers. They are all here in living color. Highly recommended for anyone who loves the songs that these rock n roll geniuses composed and brought into our world and hearts.

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 Carole King's Tapestry, which is still one of the biggest selling records of all time. Carol, more than anyone besides Sedaka, bridged gap between songwriter and performer.

This is a fabulous book about some of the best pop songwriters ever. It also shows how they also interacted and worked with each other and influenced and shaped late 50's and early to mid 60's [and beyond] pop culture, even surviving the 'British Invasion'. Best book I've read about this era.

Very happy with the item and delivery. Will be using this service again.

The book does 'do what it says on the tin'.The 7 couples of songwriters are discussed in some detail with specific recording sessions highlighted in some detail. It's a must for the compulsive record fan.

There has been a gap in the market for a book focusing on the Brill Building songwriters and the good news is that Ken Emerson's account, while clearsighted in charting later artistic and commercial decline, is as detailed and loving as one could possibly hope for - a joy to read from beginning to end and a fitting tribute to the music that even some of the writers didn't expect to last (Barry Mann rushes off in a panic to compose more songs at the news that a current hit is drifting down the charts).Early chapters concentrate on individual teams but as the book progresses their fates and business interests become intertwined, the slightly older Leiber and Stoller emerging as major players, producing or "editing", as they modestly call it, the contributions of younger writers as their own interest in appealing to a younger demographic wanes. There's a general promiscuity, too (creatively speaking), with writing partners sneaking in a quick collaboration on a morning when the regular soulmate is busy.Some unsung heroes emerge: publisher Don Kirshner's role in creating the circumstances which allowed, for a few Eden-like years, his writers to flourish, and the visceral excitement of George Goldner when he hears a palpable hit. Someone ascribes the emotions of a twelve year old girl to him, hearing magic in the likes of Chapel of Love when no one else can.But what gives this tale of connected personal, creative and business lives an especial poignancy is that the Brill Building story is also that universal tale of time passing: partners falling out; writers approaching thirty who can no longer empathise with a younger audience; the emergence of the self-supporting artists like the Beatles and Dylan causing writers like Gerry Goffin to question their purpose (he says that he now tries simply to be an "adequate" writer; one longs to tell him that the best of what he created with Carole King will never need apology).A general exodus from New York in the late sixties, linked to the expansion of Don Kirshner's business interests which made him less hands-on with his writers, were factors in the decline of these crafted pop songs - the New York musical mix, particularly the passion for Afro-Cuban rhythms, permeated the best Brill Building recordings - and Emerson (rightly, in my view) cites Bacharach's decreasing involvement with African-American artists like Lou Johnson and Chuck Jackson as contributing to blander work in the 70s.These writers were, in one sense, hacks, and Emerson doesn't flinch (any more than the writers themselves) from distinguishing between the trash and the gems, but what comes through more than anything in this warm and compelling account is that - not only in Bacharach's case - the best artists always brought out the best in the writers, who took enormous pride in their achievements. And Emerson has a knack for selecting the moments that matter, none more so than when, around 1960, amid fears that this music has had its day, the Drifters' Charlie Thomas finds Doc Pomus chanting: "Rock'n'roll will never die." When Thomas retorts that it's "just a song," Pomus replies: "No, it's not a song, Charlie. It's a place in your heart." This music may or may not live forever, but as Emerson says "it still resounds half a century later," and I can't imagine a better chronicler of those who shared their creative lives with us. This book will send you back, with a fresh delight, to the records.

excellent read,book was in good condition,arrived quickly.there wll never be any other era to match this one.many singers careers were made then.