:: Brill Building

The Brill Building (built 1930) is located at 1619 Broadway in New York City, just north of Times Square. By 1962 it contained 165 music businesses. A musician could find a publisher and printer, cut a demo, promote the record, and cut a deal with radio promoters, all within this one building. Its creative culture defined the influential "Brill Building Sound" and style of popular music songwriting and recording.

Carole King described the atmosphere at the Brill Building:

"Every day we squeezed into our respective cubby holes with just enough room for a piano, a bench, and maybe a chair for the lyricist if you were lucky. You'd sit there and write and you could hear someone in the next cubby hole composing a song exactly like yours. The pressure in the Brill Building was really terrific - because Donny (Kirshner) would play one songwriter against another. He'd say: 'We need a new smash hit' - and we'd all go back and write a song and the next day we'd each audition for Bobby Vee's producer."

In dat muzikale gebouw - dat op mijn lijst staat van te bezichtigen gebouwen als ik in New York ben werkten o.a. Jerry Leiber,Mike Stoller,Carole King,Gerry Goffin,Barry Mann,Cynthia Weil,Jeff Barry,Ellie Greenwich,Doc Pomus,Mort Shuman,Hal David,Burt Bacharach,Tommy Boyce,Bobby Hart,Paul Anka,Jim Croce,Bobby Darin,Hal David,John Denver,Neil Diamond,Howard Greenfield,Billy Joel,Kris Kristofferson,Joni Mitchell,Neil Sedaka,Carly Simon,Paul Simon,James Taylor,Gene Pitney,Artie Kornfeld

Verleden week heb ik het verzameld werk van de Brill Building Sound ontvangen. Op cassette. Er bestaat ook een cd-versie maar die is zeer zeldzaam en zeer kostbaar. ER staat nu weer een exemplaar te koop op ebay. Startprijs was rond de 35 euro. De teller staat nu rond de negentig. Het zal me niets verbazen als ie ergens ver boven de honderd uitkomt.
Afijn, ik geniet wel van mijn cassettes!