The Brill Building: Rock and Roll's Tin Pan Alley

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The Brill Building: Rock and Roll’s Tin Pan Alley “Payola scandal” — not illegal, but had a key impact on Rock and Roll: return to professionalism in songwriting and recording - 1960-1963: a new generation of professional songwriters, including the “Brill Building” in Midtown Manhattan - Masterminded by Don Kirshner and “Aldon” Publishing, key early-60s song publisher 1 The Brill Building: Rock and Roll’s Tin Pan Alley Kirshner favored young songwriting teams - Gerry Goffin and Carole King - “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” “Up on the Roof,” , “One Fine Day” - King wrote Aretha Franklin hit “Natural Woman” - pioneer singer-songwriter with “‘Tapestry” (1971) - Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich - produced a steady stream of with producer Phil Spector - “Be My Baby,” “Da Doo Ron Ron,” “Chapel of Love,” “Leader of the Pack” 2 1960s Black “girl groups” • Tamla Records: Marvelettes’ hit “Mr. Postman” - Gladys Horton’s voice = approachable, emotionally potent - Complex accompaniment with Tamla Records’ Marvin Gaye (drums) and James Jamerson (bass) • Brill-building songwriters recruited the Crystals, and the Ronnettes (right) - relatively anonymous, interchangeable performers - how does anonymity work with blue notes? call-and-response? 3 The Brill Building: Rock and Roll’s Tin Pan Alley • Phil Spector (b. 1940) - “the first tycoon of teen” - Establishes the role of the record producer as creative artist - Assisted the songwriting/producing team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller; co-produced “Stand by Me” by Ben E. King (1961) - At age twenty-one, started independent label and demanded total control over record production from start to finish - Pioneered a new approach that would become known as the “wall of sound” 4 Phil Spector with The Crystals’ Lala Brooks The Brill Building: Rock and Roll’s Tin Pan Alley • Phil Spector’s “Wall of Sound” - multiple instruments “doubling” each part in the arrangement - recorded together in one large room - further magnified through careful use of additional amplification and delay, sometimes adding string orchestra - heroic and monumental sound - Spector: “a Wagnerian approach to rock-and-roll; little symphonies for kids” 6 Phil Spector on trial for the 2003 murder of cult actor Lana Clarkson (convicted in a second trial in 2009) The Brill Building: Rock and Roll’s Tin Pan Alley • The Brill Building’s Legacy - Uniquely integrated in terms of race and gender - A study in opposites: - blatantly commercial, cashes in on “wholesome” teen culture - artistically ambitious approach to recording, many sophisticated and original songs defy formula Crucially: The recording itself increasingly becomes the definitive “text”—supersedes both “composition” and live performance 8.

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