Always Magic in the Air

I've been away from the blog for a while (more on that later - maybe); I spent some of that time reading Always Magic in the Air, Ken Emerson's history of Brill Building-era songwriters. Reading the acknowledgments section, I get the impression this is the first book-length treatment of their collective story. The book reads as a pretty straight narrative of the careers the 7 or so songwriting teams Emerson chooses to focus on (Leiber/Stoller, Pomus/Schuman, Goffin/King, Bacharach/David, Sedaka/Greenfield, Mann/Weil, and Greenwich/Barry, if I remember correctly); my major disappointment is that he doesn't really do anything to challenge or question the orthodox view of that era of rock 'n' roll/pop music, or that group's role within it. It hews a little too closely to the general stereotypes of the era that permeate its depiction in popular film and television as well. In Emerson's defense, this could have more to do with the songs than with his writing, as the lyrical themes of these hits probably have a lot to do with the formation of these stereotypes in the first place. However, as it was largely a work of original scholarship, it makes a good foundational resource for others who may want to explore the topic in a more critical manner. At the very least, it led me to check out and appreciate some music that I probably wouldn't have otherwise. Check out a few tracks below (all links are zSHARE).

Ray Charles - "Lonely Avenue" (by Doc Pomus)
The Coasters - "Searchin'" (Leiber/Stoller) (original vinyl single from Boogie Woogie Flu, a blog featuring a lot of vintage vinyl rips)
The Drifters - "There Goes my Baby" (Leiber/Stoller)
Wilbert Harrison - "Kansas City" (Leiber/Stoller) (vinyl rip, also from Boogie Woogie Flu)
The Monkees - "Porpoise Song (Theme from Head)" (Goffin/King)

This find, from Moistworks, offers a great gimpse into the demo creation process discussed in Always Magic...
Doc Pomus & Mort Shuman - "Great to be Young and in Love" (Demo)