''Recording The Beatles'' is a book by Kevin Ryan and
Brian Kehew
Brian Kehew (born September 22, 1964) is an American, Los Angeles-based, musician and record producer. He is a member of The Moog Cookbook and co-author of the ''Recording The Beatles'' book, an in-depth look at the Beatles' studio approach.
L ...
, published by Curvebender Publishing in September 2006. Written over the course of a decade, the book addresses the technical side of
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...
' sessions and was written with the assistance of many of the group's former engineers and technicians,
chief among them ''Peter K. Burkowitz'', designer of the
REDD
Redd is a Turkish rock band established in 1996 by tenor opera singer Doğan Duru and guitarist Berke Hatipoğlu under the name ''Ten''. They used to play at bars until they set up their own studio in 2004. Their first album, titled ''"50/50" ...
mixing console.
The book's full title is ''Recording The Beatles: The Studio Equipment and Techniques Used To Create Their Classic Albums''. It examines every piece of recording equipment used at
Abbey Road Studios during the Beatles' sessions, including all microphones,
outboard gear, mixing consoles, speakers, and tape machines. Each piece is examined in great detail, and the book is illustrated with hundreds of full color photographs, charts, drawings and illustrations. How the equipment was implemented during the group's sessions is also covered. The effects used on the Beatles' records are addressed in great detail, with full explanations of concepts such as ADT and flanging. The ''Production'' section of the book looks at the group's recording processes chronologically, starting with their "artist test" in 1962 and progressing through to their final session in 1970. The book contains several rare and unseen photos of the Beatles in the studio. The studio personnel and the studio itself is examined.
Release and reception
The book has been critically praised by recognized Beatles authority
Mark Lewisohn
Mark Lewisohn (born 16 June 1958) is an English historian and biographer. Since the 1980s, he has written many reference books about the Beatles and has worked for EMI, MPL Communications and Apple Corps. (who also contributed the book's Foreword), ''The New York Times'',
Alan Parsons
Alan Parsons (born 20 December 1948) is an English audio engineer, songwriter, musician and record producer.
Parsons was involved with the production of several notable albums, including the Beatles' ''Abbey Road'' (1969) and '' Let It Be'' ...
, Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono ( ; ja, 小野 洋子, Ono Yōko, usually spelled in katakana ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking.
Ono grew up i ...
, and many other individuals directly involved with the Beatles' work. The release of the book was celebrated in November 2006 with a party in Studio Two at Abbey Road. In attendance were most of the Beatles' former engineers and technicians.
The soul singer Raphael Saadiq
Raphael Saadiq (; born Charles Ray Wiggins; May 14, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He rose to fame as a member of the multiplatinum group Tony! Toni! Toné! In addition to his solo and group ...
and his engineer Charles Brungardt studied ''Recording the Beatles'' in preparation for recording Saadiq's retro-minded album '' The Way I See It'' (2008).
Contents
Chapter 1: EMI/Abbey Road Studios
Chapter 2: Personnel
Chapter 3: Mixers
Chapter 4: Outboard Gear
Chapter 5: Microphones
Chapter 6: Tape Machines
Chapter 7: Speakers & Amplifiers
Chapter 8: Effects
Chapter 9: Studio Instruments
Chapter 10: Other Studios
Chapter 11: Production (1962–1970)
References
External links
*
Book release party at Abbey Road
{{The Beatles literature
Books about the Beatles
2006 books