Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating, May 21, 2006
This book is addictive. The seemingly insignificant, minute details of the Beatles' day-by-day recording sessions are actually very interesting. The book goes into detail about the technology used, the recording and creative process, and the background knowledge of an insider. Armed with exclusive access into the vaults at Abbey Road, Lewisohn has produced a gem. Beatles Recording Sessions is surprising, entertaining, and always intriguing.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A detailed day-by-day look at what the Beatles did in their recording sessions, May 26, 2006
"The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions: The Official Story of the Abbey Road Years 1962-1970," is EMI Records' official diary-format history of every Beatles recording session. Mark Lewisohn researched hundreds of unreleased Abbey Road archive tapes and the result features literally thousands of previously unpublished studio documents and interviews with many of the key recording personnel. The goal is to put together a definitive reference book for Beatles fans, and in light of what we say on the Beatles "Anthology" CDs, where there were alternative takes of various songs, even casual fans will have an appreciation for what Lewisohn is detailing in this 204-page oversized volume.
Following a preface and an interview with Paul McCartney, which includes the revelation that "You Know My Name (Look Up My Number)" is probably his favorite Beatles track, we get to the recording sessions. These are arranged chronologically by dates, and you need to go to either the Contents (3) to find out when each year begins, or to the Index (202-03) to track down specific songs. Once you get your bearings you will find that on the top of each two-page spread the month appears on the left hand page and the year on the right. Each entry has the day of week and date, which studios were used, starting and stopping times, what was done (recording, mixing, etc.), and who the producer, engineer, and second engineer were. Lewisohn then provides details on who was doing what, and quotations from some of the people involved, both behind the controls and in from of the microphones.
For example, if you are interested in "A Day in the Life," you will find a photograph of Paul and John with the alarm clock from the recording in the foreground, and the "Daily Mail" item that inspired the 4,000 holes in Blackburn, Lancashire line. After recording and mixing "Penny Lane," the first four takes of "In the Life Of..." (the working title for the song), were done on Thursday, 19 January. The following day saw tape reduction take 4 into takes 5-7 (where Lennon's song with a beginning and end but no middle was merged with McCartney's song that had a middle but no beginning or end). Ten days later the mono mixing for the song was done without the Beatles in attendance, with more overdubs being recorded on 3 February, and then on 10 February the 40 orchestra musicians showed up to record the orchestral build-up. Mono-mixing and overdubs continued on 13 and 22 February, with the stereo master completed on 23 February, with a final unused piano overdub on 1 March. So you can see how the major parts of the song came together as well as what else the Beatles were working on for their "Sgt. Pepper" album during this same period. Hopefully this brief description is enough to tell you if this is the sort of minutia that you love to pour over in your copious free time.
Of course this book also allows you to see how the way the Beatles recorded music changed over the years from the early days, such as Monday 11 February, 1963 when they went into the studio and in 585 minutes recorded all ten new songs for their first album, which went with the four sides of their first two singles for a 14-song album. There are also 350 color and black & white photographs and illustration, including rare photos taken by Linda McCartney, so it is not just all production notes. You will also find the first facsimile reproductions of Abbey Road recording sheets, tape boxes, album sleeve roughs, memos, contracts, press releases and the proverbial much, much more. The Index in the back of the book is sandwiched between a Discography of all Beatles records issued in the UK and USA between 1962 and 1970, showing original release dates and catalogue numbers, and a Glossary of vocabulary unique to recording, from "Acetate" to "White noise generator." There is also a note from Ken Townsend, General Manger of Abbey Road Studios, on the Recording Technology employed during that time. This reference book might not be for the casual Beatles fan, but along with "A Hard Day's Write" by Steve Turner, that tells the stories behind the Beatles songs, you can find out most of what this is to know about everything the Beatles ever recorded.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
How the greatest records ever made were made, March 10, 2009
There's an old saying that it's better to lucky than good, but if you're both, that's when greatness can result. Consider the talent and creativity of the Beatles, but also a patient producer willing to take risks, and a team of engineers that came up with consistently brilliant solutions to problems despite working in an outdated, sometimes poorly-equipped studio. Put them all together, and you have that greatness.
Although heavy on the details so many fans desired for so long, the real story here is how a raw club band became the first recording act to use the studio as an instrument in its own right. They created music intended to exist solely on record and never be played live. Nobody had done that before. They did it so well that even their own engineers today admit it would be impossible to duplicate what they did with today's technology.
Mark Lewisohn takes the dry details and weaves them into his unequaled knowledge of Beatles history to produce a very readable account of how the Beatles made their records. His work in compiling all this information so well is exceeded only by the Beatles' efforts in creating it.
Sit down, put on a Beatles song, then read Lewisohn's account of how it was made. You'll never hear the Beatles the same way again, and you'll be shocked at how many hours they would spend to make a three-minute song just the way they wanted it.
Even better, do this with Andy Babiuk's "Beatles Gear" book alongside. These two books plus the actual music are just about all you need to know about the Beatles.
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by Andy Babiuk
by Mark Lewisohn
