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Article: LEIBER & STOLLER; Yakety-yakking with the songwriting tandem who helped pioneer rock and brought it to Broadway.(ENTERTAINMENT)
- Article from:
- Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN)
- Article date:
- March 11, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 Star Tribune Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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"A record is such a precisely engineered piece of work," legendary rock 'n' roll songwriter Jerry Leiber contended, "that nobody - not even with the greatest cutting-edge [tools] of the theater - can duplicate the refinements we make when we make records. It can be good, very good, excellent - but it can't be superlative."
"Well, I disagree with you," interjected Mike Stoller, Leiber's writing partner since 1950. "Because there's another element there."
In person, Leiber and Stoller - one of the greatest songwriting teams ever - come off as a cross between two of Neil Simon's best-known duos - the cranky Sunshine Boys and the charming Odd Couple.
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