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BRILL BUILDING POP |
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An Introduction to the Brill Building "The influence of mainstream American popular songwriting, embodied by the conglomerate of professional composers and publishers dubbed Tin Pan Alley, on rock's early development is sometimes overlooked. While rock & roll was to a significant degree a reaction against the overly professional, sentimental, and sterile conventions of pre-rock American pop, the best of Tin Pan Alley's melodic and lyrical hallmarks were incorporated into rock & roll to raise the music to new levels of sophistication..." >>>presented by All Music Guide |
Colpix/Colgems Album Discography "Colpix Records was established in 1958, headquartered in New York City. Colpix was a division of Columbia Pictures Corporation and much of their output consisted of soundtracks from Columbia Pictures movies and television shows..." >>> presented by Both Sides Now |
Al Nivens and Don Kirshner at Aldon Music "Don Kirshner, son of a Bronx tailor, masterminded the takeover of rock by the songwriters. Don Kirshner was a young man looking for a niche in life when he started Aldon Music with Al Nevins. Twenty years older than Kirschner, Nevins had been a guitarist in the Three Suns, a fairly successful vocal pop group and thus brought some musical expertise to the enterprise. However, Kirshner had some expertise, too having written a few songs..." >>>presented by History of Rock |
Carole King and Gerry Goffin When Carole King was merely a 16 year old Brooklyn teenager, she rode the subway to Manhattan to knock on music publisher and record company doors. Her efforts paid off - Little did she know she was about to set off on a course that would become rock and roll history. With partner/husband Gerry Goffin, she formed one of the most successful songwriting teams of all-time, and their works defined the "girl group" sound. The Carole King and Gerry Goffin page at Spectropop takes a look at Goffin/King, the great favorites of 60s pop, Brill Building and Girl Group enthusiasts everywhere. >>> Spectropop's Goffin/King Page |
Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry Spectropop presents one of the most beloved songwriting duos of the Brill Building, the husband/wife team of Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich. Together, they wrote and/or produced hits for Phil Spector (Philles), Jerry Leiber/Mike Stoller (Red Bird) and many others. Their hits include "Why Do Lovers Break Each Other's Hearts, "Da Doo Ron Ron," "Then He Kissed Me," "Be My Baby," "Baby I Love You, "The Kind of Boy You Can't Forget," "I Have a Boyfriend," "Do Wah Diddy Diddy," "Chapel of Love," "River Deep, Mountain High" and "I Can Hear Music." >>>Spectropop's Barry/Greenwich Page |
Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil It would be difficult to imagine what pop music would be like without the songs of Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. Arguably the most successful songwriting team in the history of pop music, husband and wife Mann and Weil created a body of work containing essential Brill Building classics, including You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling, On Broadway, Soul and Inspiration and We Gotta Get Out of This Place. Spectropop presents a website dedicated to the classic songs of composer Barry Mann and lyricist Cynthia Weil; in the history of the Brill Building, the story of Mann and Weil is an essential chapter. >>>Spectropop's Mann/Weil Page |
Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield "In 1958, the duo became the first songwriters signed by Aldon Music. Soon after, their first song "Passing Time" was recorded by the Cookies on Atlantic. A few months later Sedaka and Greenfield had their first hit "Stupid Cupid," by Connie Francis which reached #14 on Billboard's Hot 100..." >>>presented by History of Rock |
Mort Shuman and Doc Pomus "One of the most important rock and roll writing teams of the late-50s and early-60s, second only to Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman composed more than 500 songs between 1958 and 1965. with Shuman composing the music and Pomus writing the lyrics, they achieved their greatest success writing for the Drifters and Elvis Presley, who recorded more than 20 of their songs..." >>>Presented by History of Rock |
Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller teamed up to write and produce some of rock and roll's most beloved records. Jerry would write the lyrics, Stoller the music. The pair wrote throughout the early '50s, trying to remain as authentic to the blues and southern R&B as possible. Through a meeting with Lester Sill, they were able to get several of their songs recorded. >>>Spectropop's Leiber and Stoller Page |
Burt Bacharach and Hal David Spectropop salutes Burt Bacharach and Hal David, undoubtedly one of the most important songwriting teams in contemporary pop music. Bacharach/David had their first top 20 hit in 1958 with "Story Of My Life"(Marty Robbins). More success followed with Perry Como's chart topping "Magic Moments." After a brief hiatus,the early 60s saw a rekindled Bacharach/David team begin their long string of successes, including Gene Pitney's "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence" and "Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa," as well as Jack Jones' classic "Wives And Lovers." But it was with songstress Dionne Warwick that the team created their most memorable songs/recordings: "Don't Make Me Over," "Anyone Who Had a Heart," "Walk On By," "You'll Never Get To Heaven," "Reach Out For Me," "Message To Michael," "Trains And Boats And Planes"... The titles alone are breathtaking. >>>Presented by Spectropop! |
Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart "Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart were successful rock-and-roll performers and prolific songwriters in the 60's. According to Rolling Stone Magazine, they wrote more than 300 songs and sold more than 42 million records..." >>>presented by Tom Simon |
Interview With Producer George "Shadow" Morton "Morton's fame dates from the mid-sixties when he produced and wrote the great hits of the Shangri-Las, most notably "Leader Of The Pack" and "Remember (Walking In The Sand)." As a producer, he is known for Janis Ian's remarkable debut, "Society's Child", and for the psychedelic hits of the Vanilla Fudge..." >>>presented by Goldmine |
Bert Berns "Bert Berns was one of the great rock and soul songwriters of the 1960s, as well as being a producer of note. He worked in the studio with the Drifters, Ben E. King, the Isley Brothers, Solomon Burke. He wrote or co-wrote a raft of classics, including "Twist and Shout" and "Hang on Sloopy." By the mid-1960s he was proving adaptable to changing trends in White rock too, successfully collaborating with Lulu, Them, and Neil Diamond. With executives of Atlantic Records, he founded the Bang! label, which had hits with the McCoys, the Strangeloves, Diamond, and Van Morrison before Berns' death at the end of 1967..." >>>presented by AMG |