New York Graffiti: 1619-1750 Broadway - An Independent American Pop Story 1958-1968 (Boxset)

Edward Kassner is not a familiar name to the average music fan, but theyre aware of his work if they know it or not. Kassner had a long and successful career in the music business: he was active in songwriting and music publishing as well as starting a number of independent record labels, and he was associated in various ways with a number of classic tunes. Kassner wrote How Lucky You Are for Vera Lynn, owned the publishing to Bill Haleys Rock Around the Clock, obtained the rights to standards like Take Me Out to the Ball Game and You Made Me Love You, was an early manager and publisher for the Kinks, and released 60s rock and pop hits like Marcie Blanes Bobbys Girl and Ernie Marescas Shout! Shout! (Knock Yourself Out). While Kassner was more successful than most, he was typical of a certain type of music biz player of the 50s and 60s who set up shop in New York Citys Brill Building and was always on the lookout for the next trend and the next big single, conjuring his releases from the songwriting upwards. New York Graffiti 1619-1750 Broadway: An Independent American Pop Story 1958-1968 is a four-disc set that covers ten years in the career of Edward Kassner, encompassing the songs he wrote and/or published and the various small labels (most notably President Records) that brought the music into the marketplace. His empire was willing to dabble in a bit of everything, and the set is a dizzying ride through doo wop, girl group sounds, rhythm & blues, early rock, soul, commercial folk, garage rock, and even a bit of soft psychedelia. There are a lot more obscurities and bubbling under tracks here than familiar hits, but given the scattergun approach of many small labels of the era, where the philosophy seemed to be throw it at the wall and see what sticks, this is certainly fitting. A large part of what makes this box so enjoyable is its celebration of the craft of record-making in the Brill Building era. This was a time when hit singles were put together from various component parts like cars, and most of whats featured here are the Cadillacs of the field, bold and flashy and with the right amount of polish. The late 60s would bring a greater autonomy to artists, but in the first rock & roll era, record men (and women) were honing an art form all their own. This set is a tribute to both the process and the result, and its a whole lot of fun, too. ~ Mark Deming