Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of the Beatles by Geoff Emerick

Oct 01, 2007 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book but I'm also the type that enjoys anything related to the Beatles. Emerick's insider view of many of the recordings sessions informs on the Beatles working and personal dynamics. He's clearly most enamored with Paul McCartney which at times seemed to interfere with objectivity of his stories. But his opinions are obvious and therefore easy to ignore if they annoy you like they did me.

I wasn't aware how inseparable John and Yoko actually were. Yoko even had a bed set u...more

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May 12, 2013 Katie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: owned-books, nonfiction

I have to add a disclaimer on here - I'm a huge Beatles nut, so I'm going to devour just about anything written about them. But I have to say that this book is by far one of the best I've read so far. Geoff Emerick worked on several of the Beatles' early albums, and in 1966, he became their main sound engineer, which meant he helped create Revolver, Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Abbey Road, and part of the White Album. This also means that he had a lot of insight into how the Beatle...more I have to add a disclaimer on here - I'm a huge Beatles nut, so I'm going to devour just about anything written about them. But I have to say that this book is by far one of the best I've read so far. Geoff Emerick worked on several of the Beatles' early albums, and in 1966, he became their main sound engineer, which meant he helped create Revolver, Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Abbey Road, and part of the White Album. This also means that he had a lot of insight into how the Beatles worked together, both creatively and personally.

The book is fairly straightforward: it chronicles Geoff's initial love of music, his first job at Abbey Road studios under producer George Martin, and his first encounters with the Beatles in 1962. While the narration deviates slightly to talk about other side projects Geoff was working on, it always comes back to his time with the Beatles in the studio, and watching their music evolve over the years.

The middle part of the book is where it really starts to get interesting, though, because these are the chapters when Geoff explains how Revolver & Sgt. Pepper were made, and how the tensions between the Beatles began to grow. The stories behind these innovative songs are fascinating, but the true heart of the book is Geoff's account of how the band came together to make music, and how outside pressures and creative differences ultimately drove them apart. There's a lot of emphasis on the Beatles' personalities, both individually and as a group, and it's this perspective that makes the book unique, as there weren't many people allowed inside the studio when the Beatles were recording.

There's a brief account of the work Geoff did on the Paul McCartney & Wings album, Band on the Run, but for me, this wasn't as interesting as his accounts of working with the entire band. The book is also very heavy on the technical details, which are likely to be foreign to anyone who doesn't have a background in music or in sound engineering, but I found it easy to skim over these parts. At any rate, the technical passages are a good representation of how much work went into these songs, particularly in the last half of the Beatles's career.

Despite the jargon-heavy nature of this book, there's a real sense of tragedy and loss when Geoff recalls the last few months before the Beatles dissolved for good. As a reader, I was present from the first energetic recording sessions at Abbey Road, so to see the Beatles grow, transform, and then fall apart before my eyes was heartbreaking. But Geoff's account also breathes new life into these songs; after all, who would have guessed that there was so much stress associated with the production of "All You Need is Love?"

This book is highly recommended for music fans & for Beatles fans, regardless of their familiarity with the technical aspects of music and recording. It breathes new life into the near-mythic story of the Beatles's rise and fall from power.

For an even more in-depth look at the Beatles's career, try Bob Spitz's biography, which tops out at one thousand pages - plenty of well-researched information to satisfy even the most die-hard Beatles fan. (less)

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Mar 01, 2013 Katie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction

I have to add a disclaimer on here - I'm a huge Beatles nut, so I'm going to devour just about anything written about them. But I have to say that this book is by far one of the best I've read so far. Geoff Emerick worked on several of the Beatles' early albums, and in 1966, he became their main sound engineer, which meant he helped create Revolver, Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Abbey Road, and part of the White Album. This also means that he had a lot of insight into how the Beatle...more I have to add a disclaimer on here - I'm a huge Beatles nut, so I'm going to devour just about anything written about them. But I have to say that this book is by far one of the best I've read so far. Geoff Emerick worked on several of the Beatles' early albums, and in 1966, he became their main sound engineer, which meant he helped create Revolver, Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Abbey Road, and part of the White Album. This also means that he had a lot of insight into how the Beatles worked together, both creatively and personally.

The book is fairly straightforward: it chronicles Geoff's initial love of music, his first job at Abbey Road studios under producer George Martin, and his first encounters with the Beatles in 1962. While the narration deviates slightly to talk about other side projects Geoff was working on, it always comes back to his time with the Beatles in the studio, and watching their music evolve over the years.

The middle part of the book is where it really starts to get interesting, though, because these are the chapters when Geoff explains how Revolver & Sgt. Pepper were made, and how the tensions between the Beatles began to grow. The stories behind these innovative songs are fascinating, but the true heart of the book is Geoff's account of how the band came together to make music, and how outside pressures and creative differences ultimately drove them apart. There's a lot of emphasis on the Beatles' personalities, both individually and as a group, and it's this perspective that makes the book unique, as there weren't many people allowed inside the studio when the Beatles were recording.

There's a brief account of the work Geoff did on the Paul McCartney & Wings album, Band on the Run, but for me, this wasn't as interesting as his accounts of working with the entire band. The book is also very heavy on the technical details, which are likely to be foreign to anyone who doesn't have a background in music or in sound engineering, but I found it easy to skim over these parts. At any rate, the technical passages are a good representation of how much work went into these songs, particularly in the last half of the Beatles's career.

Despite the jargon-heavy nature of this book, there's a real sense of tragedy and loss when Geoff recalls the last few months before the Beatles dissolved for good. As a reader, I was present from the first energetic recording sessions at Abbey Road, so to see the Beatles grow, transform, and then fall apart before my eyes was heartbreaking. But Geoff's account also breathes new life into these songs; after all, who would have guessed that there was so much stress associated with the production of "All You Need is Love?"

This book is highly recommended for music fans & for Beatles fans, regardless of their familiarity with the technical aspects of music and recording. It breathes new life into the near-mythic story of the Beatles's rise and fall from power.

For an even more in-depth look at the Beatles's career, try Bob Spitz's biography, which tops out at one thousand pages - plenty of well-researched information to satisfy even the most die-hard Beatles fan. (less)

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Dec 29, 2012 Brian rated it 3 of 5 stars

Definitely not a book for the casual Beatles fan. Emerick was 'balance engineer" on their first, last and most Beatles recordings in between. He knows where the mic's were placed, how the sounds were gotten on those ground-breaking mid/late period recordings. He knows John was an angry guy, Yoko had no business being there, Paul was a pushy pain in the ass (100+ takes of Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da would drive any sane person to murder). He never really spoke to George or Ringo, and he seems to have thou...more

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Aug 31, 2012 Gilly McGillicuddy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: beatles

I was really very pleasantly surprised by Emerick's book, and it was more for what it didn't do than what it did do. It's disarmingly frank , not so complicated on the technical side that a layperson like me is put off (and I have worked with enough engineers to know this is a rarity), and provides a wonderful insight into the world inside the recording studio with the Beatles. Greoffrey is also refreshingly onest about his preferences - not least his massive man-crush on Paul, but both John and...more

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Jul 25, 2012 Tyler Jones rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: pop-music, the-beatles

I read this one a few years back and I'm surprised at how much of it I remember. Emerick delivered exactly what I wanted him to - an insider's look at what the day to day working life of the Beatles was like, as well as a sense of what they were like as people.

Emerick put me there in the early days when John was the undisputed leader - the man with the plan that would take them to the "topper most of the popper most." The slow withdrawal of John into drugs and other interests creating a vacuum...more

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Jun 30, 2012 Marc Weidenbaum added it

Shelves: sound-music

Highly recommended. The book is a survey of the recording of many of the major Beatles albums from the recording room's perspective, which is to say from that of Geoff Emerick, the band's longtime engineer. It also provides a peek into some of Paul McCartney's solo work, including an incident when the band was threatened by supporters of Fela, who felt McCartney might be in Lagos to steal his rhythms. The book is valuable for its insight into the creative life of the Beatles (who did what, how t...more Highly recommended. The book is a survey of the recording of many of the major Beatles albums from the recording room's perspective, which is to say from that of Geoff Emerick, the band's longtime engineer. It also provides a peek into some of Paul McCartney's solo work, including an incident when the band was threatened by supporters of Fela, who felt McCartney might be in Lagos to steal his rhythms. The book is valuable for its insight into the creative life of the Beatles (who did what, how they related and — more to the point — didn't relate with each other), but for two other key reasons as well.

The first reason is the extent to which the engineer-as-composer is an underlying theme of the book. Emerick makes negligible claims to any traditional compositional activity — he doesn't suggest himself to have written a major part, or to have penned a lyric — but his role in creating the recordings that we generally think of as the songs is paramount throughout. Initially he's a technological interpreter of John Lennon's mumbled and hazy requests for particular effects, and later he's more of a direct instigator of such things. This book is essential reading for anyone who has a serious interest in musique concrète, in Brian Eno's pioneering ambient work, and in Glenn Gould's studio seclusion.

The second reason is more tangential, but I'll mention it here. In many ways, Geoff Emerick's book about working with the Beatles in the 1960s is the best book I've ever read about manga (Japanese comic books and graphic novels). It is by far the closest thing I've read to my personal experience observing how manga is produced today in Japan. This is because he gives a great presentation of how bands during the 1960s were signed to record labels and then how those bands' music was produced in what was, in effect, a fairly traditionally managed business environment. That old-school business model, as with so many ancient mid-century norms (from workplace suits to institutional sexism to presumed lifelong employment), remains the way much mainstream culture is produced in corporate Japan, manga especially. (less)

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Jun 25, 2012 Paul Lyons rated it 2 of 5 stars

Written by Geoff Emerick and Howard Massey... Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of the Beatles takes you inside the world of The Beatles in the recording studio from 1962 to 1970. Geoff Emerick was only 15 years old when he started as an assistant sound engineer at EMI Studios in London (now known as Abbey Road studios), and was there in the control room when John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr first laid down tracks together in 1962. Under the tut...more Written by Geoff Emerick and Howard Massey... Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of the Beatles takes you inside the world of The Beatles in the recording studio from 1962 to 1970. Geoff Emerick was only 15 years old when he started as an assistant sound engineer at EMI Studios in London (now known as Abbey Road studios), and was there in the control room when John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr first laid down tracks together in 1962. Under the tutelage of early Beatles sound engineer Norman Smith, as well as esteemed Beatles producer George Martin...Geoff Emerick to witness and be a part of Beatles history from the ground up. As an EMI employee, Emerick did not work for the Beatles exclusively, and was by no means present at every session...yet he still played a part in more than a few pivotal recordings in the Beatles early career.. Emerick mentions the madness of Beatlemania, which heightened the energy in the recording of "She Loves You"...and perhaps also drained the energy during the recording of "I Want To Hold Your Hand." At age 19, Emerick was asked to be the Beatles full-time sound engineer, beginning with the landmark Revolver album, and including his Grammy-wining dynamic work on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, as well Magical Mystery Tour. By the time of the miserable, contentious 1968 White Album sessions...Emerick had enough, and abruptly quit before the project was completed. Eventually, Emerick was lured back into the Beatles fold a year later...just in time for their last album together...Abbey Road. Tired of EMI, Emerick soon took up a position at the Beatles label, Apple...where he oversaw the construction of the band's own recording studio, and worked on Apple projects with George Harrison and Ringo Starr. Eventually, Emerick left Apple records to work for George Martin's AIR Studios in London. Since the Beatles, Emerick has engineered or produced a variety of artists including Elvis Costello, Supertramp, Cheap Trick, America, and Jimmy Buffett. His closest, and most fruitful post-Beatles association has been with Sir Paul McCartney. Emerick won a Grammy for his work on the 1973 classic Wings album Band on the Run, and has since worked on several Wings and McCartney solo albums...as well as work on the epic Beatles Anthology series in the mid-90's...

In Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of the Beatles, Geoff Emerick provides a fairly honest (which is not the same as truthful) and opinionated look at the world of the Fab Four. Emerick is lavish in his praise, yet also does not hold back on his scorn either. His portrait of John Lennon is of an immensely talented, yet highly temperamental, undisciplined and naive young man. Ringo Starr is portrayed as dour and aloof, struggling at times with his drum parts and vocals. George Harrison is initially portrayed as a floundering musician...struggling with almost each and every guitar solo, and crushed under the sheer weight of the Lennon/McCartney cannon. Paul McCartney comes off the best...as the disciplined musicians musician...working extra hard to get the best out of everything...yet is also portrayed as closed-minded when it comes to criticism, and going too far with band in the name of perfectionism. George Martin is presented as a talented producer and arranger, yet one who was over-protective of his status and authority. Even EMI Studios is not spared Emerick's wrath..as he bites the hand that feeds him by railing against EMI's stuffed-shirt, old-school, corporate policy when it came down to sessions, equipment, bookings and rules regarding proper attire for the engineers and maintenance workers.

All in all, I felt mixed about Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of the Beatles. True, I had read some criticisms of the book where it accused Geoff Emerick of favoring Paul McCartney in his portrayal of the Beatles and their recording sessions. I suppose I would agree with that to a certain degree...yet one also can't blame Emerick for writing more about the Beatle he knew and has worked with the most. No, what bothered me the most was that I felt I was reading a tome written by an outsider who desperately wanted to be "inside." Though a good portion of what Emerick recalls of the Beatles sessions is quite fascinating...it always felt as if he were coming from the point of view of a Peeping Tom...eavesdropping on things he wasn't supposed to...or sneaking a peek at things he never was meant to see. As a result, I never felt quite comfortable with Geoff Emerick as my narrator and guide. Don't get me wrong, I loved hearing the stories...and getting that fly-on-the-wall look at the making of some of my favorite Beatles songs and albums...yet the writing and storytelling itself was not half as compelling as it should have been. I enjoyed Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of the Beatles, yet where there should have been Love, I only felt Like... (less)

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Jun 02, 2012 Brianna rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: all beatles fans

It's so great to actually learn something new about the Beatles - after 16 years of devotion, it's hard to find a new anecdote or insight, but Geoff Emerick doesn't disappoint.

For one, I don't recall ever hearing about the fans breaking into Abbey Road Studios.

And, of course, no one has provided quite the same insight into the way sounds and effects were recorded onto the tracks. Some of the information Geoff shares could be found in previous books by Mark Lewisohn or George Martin, but there we...more

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Aug 21, 2010 Ed Wagemann rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Lately I'm starting to believe that 90% of what makes a good book is the subject matter and the other 10% is the author not being a total ass hat. In Geoff Emerick's Here There and Everywhere it would be hard pressed to find a subject matter that is more interesting to me right now. Emerick was like 15 years old when he started working for EMI and participating on Beatle recordings. He was there in fact for the first ever Beatle recording and eventually became the sound engineer for all of their...more

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May 16, 2012 Cláudia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: audiobook, biografia-non-ficion

Geoff Emerick descreve a sua experiência como sendo o engenehiro de gravação dos The Beatles, enquadrando -se o livro no gênero memórias / rquivo. O seu livro não tem um estilo populista cheio de histórias da vida pessoal de cada membro da banda, mas antes uma visão valiosa sobre o funcionamento do grupo. Assim, o verdadeiro valor deste livro é a descrição da observação em primeira mão dos Beatles no seu ambiente mais importante: o estúdio de gravação!

Algumas pessoas são sortudas o suficiente ao...more Geoff Emerick descreve a sua experiência como sendo o engenehiro de gravação dos The Beatles, enquadrando -se o livro no gênero memórias / rquivo. O seu livro não tem um estilo populista cheio de histórias da vida pessoal de cada membro da banda, mas antes uma visão valiosa sobre o funcionamento do grupo. Assim, o verdadeiro valor deste livro é a descrição da observação em primeira mão dos Beatles no seu ambiente mais importante: o estúdio de gravação!

Algumas pessoas são sortudas o suficiente ao perceberem a sua vocação logo no início da vida; e Geoff Emerick foi um dos poucos sortudos. Um antigo amor à música causou uma fascinação natural com a mecânica por trás da gravação. As suas experiencias com gravação em fita e a sua persistência permitiram que ouvissemos actual a excelente sonoridade da banda. Emerick iniciou-se como engenheiro assistente, o que lhe concedeu visitas ocasionais às gravações dos The Beatles durante o período de 1962-1966, quando o engenehiro da banda era Norman Smith. Com a saída de Smith para se tornar um produtor (produziu os primeiros 2 albuns dos Pink Floyd, Emerick foi promovido para o seu cargo; estando presente durante as gravações de: Revolver, Sgt Pepper, Magical Mystery Tour, parte The White Album e Abbey Road.

E porque não participou Emerick nas gravações de Let It Be? As tensões durante a gravação de The White Album foram tão grandes que, tal como Ringo, Emerick desistiu no meio da gravação não regressando para a conclusão do album. Assim, também não participou no Let It Be que foi considerado um fiasco. Por fim, foi convidado a retormar a sua ligação com os The Beatles no projecto Abbey Road, que aceitou.

Como testemunha de uma das primeiras sessões de gravação dos The Beatles ("How Do You Do It?"), Emerick descreve um retrato fascinante das dinâmicas interpessoais e personalidades de cada Beatle em estúdio de gravação. Paul era o mais fácil de se conviver, um workaholic no estúdio que, curiosamente foi indexado como "o líder" por Emerick durante as primeiras sessões. John era muitas vezes impaciente, querendo "despachar" as gravações.George Harrison era provavelmente o menos 'à vontade' no estúdio e tinha problemas nos seus solos. Ringo era basicamente silencioso no estúdio.
Num conto incluiu uma história engraçada do "cerco de fãs" durante a gravação de "She Loves You", no qual os fãs correram na EMI - que deu Emerick uma visão em primeira mão da Beatlemania.

Na descrição das gravações de Revolver / Sgt. Pepper, Emerick aboraa a maioria das canções, descrevendo promenorizadamente todo o espírito de invenção que entou nas musicas - não apenas pelos Beatles em si, mas também pelas soluções engenhosas que Emerick arranjava aos pedidos aparentemente impossíveis dos Beatles, principalmente John. Foi Emerick, que surgiu como solução para Lennon, que queria sua voz soar como a "Dahlai Lama cantando de uma montanha" em "Tomorrow Never Knows", que se usasse um alto-falante Leslie (que gira) para obter o efeito pretendido.

Finalmente, as descrições das gravações de Abbey Road são também detalhadas, mostrando os momentos finais dos The Beatles e a emergência de George como um talento.

É um excelente livro para quem gosta da banda, com uma linguagem simples de compreender e de leitura muito fácil.
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Aug 24, 2009 Anton rated it 4 of 5 stars

Priceless treasure trove of Beatles engineering, musical, psychological, and gossipy tidbits, written by the greatest engineer of pop music, who was instrumental in creating Revolver, Sgt. Pepper's, and Abbey Road. Also a great window into the Abbey Road recording culture of the 60s and recording history in general. He comes off as an amiable guy with excellent ears, good will, and a great memory. None of the Beatles escape quite unscathed, but it's nice to see them described as normal moody hum...more

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May 31, 2009 maricar rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, nonfiction, the-beatles

This is the book that I was waiting for…

…Ever since I picked up my first Beatles biography-slash-memoir, I always felt that there was a side to their story that was missing. And Emerick’s accounts filled that void.

The fact that this book takes the point of view of someone who was with the band at their most essential—their music—is enough to merit this a place on any fan’s shelf.

More important for me, though, was the fact that Emerick provided yet another insight (and often, a totally different...more This is the book that I was waiting for…

…Ever since I picked up my first Beatles biography-slash-memoir, I always felt that there was a side to their story that was missing. And Emerick’s accounts filled that void.

The fact that this book takes the point of view of someone who was with the band at their most essential—their music—is enough to merit this a place on any fan’s shelf.

More important for me, though, was the fact that Emerick provided yet another insight (and often, a totally different and unexpected one, at that) on the 4 guys that were the Beatles. Just when I thought that I might finally have an inkling as to who John, Paul, George, and Ringo really are (or were), Emerick reveals (whether accurately or not, who knows) the ineptitude of Lennon on the basics of sound recording, Harrison’s near-embarrassing incompetence on guitars during the earlier band albums, and Ringo’s apparent mulishness in his more private moments. On McCartney, Emerick is blatantly biased for…he loves the guy.

Of course, I suppose I needn’t be surprised. Different people impact on different Beatles members, and different circumstances (say, touring across the globe vs being ensconced in the EMI Studios) would inevitably impel a different side of a Beatle to show. There’s something to be said for seeing how the band works when it’s time to do their voodoo—and Emerick’s stories of the often zany and challenging, or utterly aggravating and tension-filled (but definitely never boring) Beatles studio sessions are every fan’s wet dream.

The great music that churned out from EMI studios like that of Revolver, Sgt. Pepper, and their swan song Abbey Road, among others, would then be seen as a combination of artistry (both from the side of the band and of the engineer & producer), providence, as well as unmitigated accident…with a smattering of intended flukes that were nothing more than secret jokes played for their listeners.

Whatever may be the case, Emerick’s stories are to be treasured—it tells of how, as a sound engineer, he was pushed to his creative limits as a response to the unceasing fervor of the band to raise the bar for themselves, expecting nothing less from the people who handle their music.

Half the time, of course, I don’t even understand the technicalities that Emerick spouts about…but it doesn’t matter. What really mattered to me is finally having someone show me how the band members forged musical history as they crowded about a mic, or tinkered about in a piano, guitar, or synthesizer, or how they showed their vulnerabilities by eventually inevitably drifting apart from one another, to the point that they literally could not stand each other’s presence for long periods of time.

This insider look at the Beatles recording at the height of their career is a must-read. Certainly, as the the New York Times Book Review states, this book will irresistibly pull readers back to listening to these well-loved songs...straining their ears to hear those tell-tale sounds, clicks, and echoes that told hidden stories and marked a revolution in music.(less)

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Feb 28, 2011 David Sawyer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Do you consider yourself a Beatles fan? Then you need to read this book. This is doubly true if you have any interest whatsoever in how music is made and recorded.

Emerick was the audio engineer for Revolver, Sgt. Pepper, Abbey Road, part of The White Album, and lots of The Fab Four's singles. In the book, he recounts his experiences recording The Beatles. You read about his observations about the individual bandmembers' personalities, and most interestingly, about how the band's creative process...more

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May 21, 2011 Don rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: beatles, history, music, non-fiction

Fantastic read. One of the best Insider books I have ever read about The Beatles.

It's all too often that the multitude of historical books written about The Beatles are generally created from that author's interviews with people who where either involved with the band or knew them to some degree. Not many books were written by 'Insiders', people who were there as the craze known as Beatlemania was taking form. Geoff Emerick was one of these people.

His story describes the recording aspects of the...more

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Jul 19, 2010 charlie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I can only review from the pov of a complete Beatles geek. I have read most of the biographies by various journos and hangers on... and i love the music pure and simple... thats the context.

This is my favorite of them all (shout out to Philip Nolan's Shout bio tho). Its the stories I really wanted to know... not the chisme about who did drugs and who was gay - its about the creation of the music sonically. And what is happening behind the scenes when the songs we have heard a million times befor...more

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Paul Boocock As a total Beatle-head, I too give big thumbs up to Emerick's book, for many of the same reasons. I thought I had heard all of the important stories a...more As a total Beatle-head, I too give big thumbs up to Emerick's book, for many of the same reasons. I thought I had heard all of the important stories about the Beatles creative process, but this book adds much that I didn't know, adds much to the stories I did know. Emerick paints the clear picture of EMI at the time of Fab in their prime, the white coated technicians limited by years of codified producorial rules, the ways the Beatles broke down the rules, or more significantly found very interesting ways to work within the rules and limitations of EMI. And Emerick obviously played a significant role in the evolution of the Fab's studio sound - a role approaching the significance of George Martin's? Martin the producer now seems more like the great arranger while Emerick was the guy who made the right sonic choices. Martin's the guy who finds a string quartet, writes the arrangement for said quartet. While Emerick is the guy who figures out, within EMI's tech limits, how to make John's voice sound like the Dalai Lama for 'Tomorrow Never Knows.' You need both of them to get the Beatles from being Fabs to being the best pop artists ever.

I have to say though, I did get a bit fatigued with the ongoing Paul was the man, John #2, George was a cranky dick and Ringo the simpleton reductivism. Paul was always going to have more to do with a guy like Emerick. Paul was hands on like that. Another producer. And Emerick does make that point. I think he could have done that without dissing the other boys so much. I guess that's older stoner sentimentalist in me, still always finding the genius even in Ringo.

Overall I loved it though; in fact I've already given 3 copies away. As a Beatle document, Emerick's book ranks second to none. Though as a Beatle book, I would rank it second to Ian MacDonald's "Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties" - which I return to again and again because it mixes all aspects of the Fab's significance: as artists, as civilization changers, as consciousness raisers.(less)
21. Juli, 08:08 Uhr

Jul 25, 2012 Supineny rated it 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this. the Beatles, from the perspective of one of their recording engineers. accounts of Beatles sessions, ranging from early ones beseiged by fans breaking into the EMI building and crashing into the studio during the 'She Loves You' session, to the novel sessions for 'Yellow Submarine' and 'Day in the Life'. He quits during the stormy White Album sessions, but is back for Abbey Road, and winds up doing 'Band on the Run' with McCartney later. Many fairly unsympathetic depictions of Ge...more

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Sep 11, 2009 HHS Staff rated it 4 of 5 stars

If you are at all excited about the remastering of the Beatles albums, this is a must-read. Check out articles about the event on CNN or in The New York Times; none mention that Emerick was the man who made most of those sonic innovations on records like REVOLVER, SGT. PEPPER'S, and THE WHITE ALBUM possible. Emerick began working with the Beatles in what would become known as Abbey Road studios while in his early teens--got the job thanks to a school guidance counselor! The two best things the b...more

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Apr 14, 2013 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars

Any review of this book will mention that Emerick is much more forgiving when it comes to Paul McCartney's musical abilities than any of the other Beatles. At times, I'll admit, I grew a little tired of him hammering on what he apparently saw as George Harrison's general lack of talent as a guitarist.

He does however make no secret that he always got along better with McCartney, and that would of course make anyone more forgiving. In the years after the Beatles the author actually became close fr...more

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Apr 03, 2011 Michael Hagerty rated it 4 of 5 stars

My daughter pointed this out to me on the remainder table at Borders two or three years ago...got it for a dollar.

Emerick does a wonderful job of showing us the how the Beatles got those sounds in the studio...sometimes by design, sometimes by accident and most often by trial and error. It's also a wonderful insight into how one group changed modern recording techniques (being the only group with the clout to fight EMI's fossilized engineering culture and win).

The letdowns? Geoff gets a few dat...more

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Jul 27, 2011 Jean-denis Crouhy added it · review of another edition

Le meilleur livre qu'il m'ait été donné de lire sur les Beatles ! Que vous soyez musicien, producteur ingé-son ou tout simplement fan des Beatles, ce livre est une vrai leçon de musique !

Au delà des anecdotes incroyables sur l'enregistrements de leurs albums mythiques, Geoff Emerick ébauche le caractère de chacun des Beatles et, même s'il n'est pas tendre avec tous, il nous laisse entrevoir les raisons qui font qu'un groupe marche ou marche pas.

Bref un livre qui va bien au-delà des simples ane...more

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May 13, 2011 Jason Howell rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: audiobook-finished

A fantastic look at the Beatles from the perspective of those recording and producing the sessions. I listened to the audio book version which is (unfortunately) abridged so I undoubtedly missed some good material, but I was enthralled start to finish by the quality of the reading and the level of detail. Some of the dialogue recounted by Emerick seems a bit contrived at times (I honestly have a hard time believing he remembers all of these one off conversations with the minute detail that he po...more

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May 31, 2013 Robert Mood rated it 5 of 5 stars

Who knows how many people were either considered to be, or claimed to be, the "fifth Beatle." Although Geoff never makes such a claim, he bloody well could: as much as the Beatles did as Artists (capital A emphasized), so much of what made them what they were/are was due to their adventurous recordings (especially Revolver and Pepper). Although there is some axe-grinding in the book (George Martin takes a hit, and Geoff seems to have a bit of an issue with the Other George as well), dude deserve...more

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Dec 31, 2012 James Ullrich rated it 5 of 5 stars

Great first-hand account of the Beatles' recording sessions at Abbey Road from an engineer who saw it all. His insights into the personalities and songwriting/recording process of the Beatles is priceless, and his writing voice is quite readable. It's the equivalent of having a paint-mixer's eyewitness account of Michelangelo's efforts in the Sistine. The one thing that is illuminated above all is the hard-core work ethic of the Beatles, as they plow through take after take until the song and th...more

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Aug 31, 2012 Carles Fabrego-Vinyeta rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: memories, favorites, revisited

M' agraden els llibres de memòries i sóc un fanàtic dels Beatles des que vaig fer 9 anys, per això no és d'estranyar que aquest llibre m'hagi fet gaudir com un mandril en zel.

El somni irrealitzable de qualsevol mitòman i admirador dels Beatles hauria estat poder-los espiar durant les sessions de gravació i aquest llibre fa realitat aquest somni a través de Geoff Emerick, enginyer de so d' EMI, que va ser present a gairebé totes les sessions i més. D'una manera molt amena, gens tècnica, l'autor e...more M' agraden els llibres de memòries i sóc un fanàtic dels Beatles des que vaig fer 9 anys, per això no és d'estranyar que aquest llibre m'hagi fet gaudir com un mandril en zel.

El somni irrealitzable de qualsevol mitòman i admirador dels Beatles hauria estat poder-los espiar durant les sessions de gravació i aquest llibre fa realitat aquest somni a través de Geoff Emerick, enginyer de so d' EMI, que va ser present a gairebé totes les sessions i més. D'una manera molt amena, gens tècnica, l'autor explica com es van aconseguir el so i els efectes específics que li van proporcionar 3 Grammys. Però a més a més desvetlla els diàlegs, les discussions i baralles, els recels i enveges, o les mostres de rivalitat i admiració mútua entre el Beatles, i transmet quina va ser l'evolució de l'ambient a l'estudi en cada un dels seus treballs.

M'ha agradat especialment constatar al llarg de tot el llibre com, l'admiració i respecte mutu entre Lennon i McCartney va ser total fins al darrer minut del darrer dia -tot i que això semblava importar molt més a McCartney que a Lennon-. Dona la sensació que Paul considerava Lennon més genial que ell, mentre que Lennon considerava Paul millor músic i intèrpret. També m'ha agradat saber que compartien un especial sentit de l'humor que només ells dos entenien i que en certa manera es va fer palès fins al darrer dia que varen estar junts.

Per altra banda m'ha sorprès que l'autor digui tant obertament que Paul McCartney va actuar de productor "de facto" des de Sargent Peppers fins a Abbey Road -White Album a banda-, malgrat que en els crèdits sempre aparegué com a productor George Martin. I sobretot, que Paul McCartney enregistrés algunes bateries en lloc de Ringo i molts solos de guitarra fins al Sargent Peppers, ja que a Harrisson li costava molt de "clavar-los" a la primera i tant Lennon com McCarteney com George Martin es mostraven sovint molt impacients a l'estudi. Aquest fet va causar en Harrison un fort ressentiment envers McCartney que va durar anys i li va costar molt de superar. Malgrat tot l' evolució de Harrison com a compositor i guitarrista va ser extraordinària i en els darrers discs va aportar peces i interpretacions del nivell de les de Lennon o McCartney.

En definitiva és un llibre de lectura obligada per qualsevol que tingui un interès especial pels Beatles, ple d'anècdotes per fer somniar despert a qualsevol mitòman.

I acabo amb una recomanació per qui el llegeixi: tingueu ben aprop els 6 CDs de la Beatles Anthology! és per flipar. (less)

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Sep 01, 2011 John D. Bain rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

Listened to the audio book while traveling on vacation. If you're a Beatles fan this is the best book you will ever read for learning what the "Fab Four" were like in the recording studio. Great insight into the personalities of each band member apart from all of the hype and media glamor.

The audio book would have been better if it had been interspersed with the songs that were being described and chronicled, but copyright permissions would have been a great hassle, perhaps an impossibility.

Goog...more

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Jun 03, 2010 Derek Hale rated it 5 of 5 stars

Geoff Emerick was an eyewitness to musical history. Emerick began his career as a recording engineer just as the Beatles to EMI. He was chosen to engineer the Beatles albums and the rest is history. His pairing with producer George Martin allowed the Fab Four's music to roam free and innovate in wild and wonderful ways.

Emerick tells story after story and, in the process, gives outstanding details about the albums and the personalities that created them. Paul McCartney comes across best; not surp...more

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Dec 11, 2011 John rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: music

This look at the Beatles is from the sound engineer who recorded them from Revolver through Sergeant Pepper, Abbey Road and the rest until they broke up. He provides an interesting account of the band and the personalities. He also talks about the way they engineered the sounds that gave the later Beatles albums the unique sound that they have. Remember that the Beatles never performed live after 1964 or so until a concert in 1969 at Apple Records before they broke up. If you like the Beatles an...more

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Jun 19, 2011 Malcolm rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Geoff Emerick has the privilege of being the man who can claim to have done more direct engineering for the Beatles and subsequently the solo artists than anybody else. He also can boast some serious chops as a gifted engineer in his own right.

In the book, he talks about his experiences, primarily in the control room during sessions, in and around the Beatles. Imagine that your job involved something historic happening over there, in the conference room, and now you're able to tell stories about...more Geoff Emerick has the privilege of being the man who can claim to have done more direct engineering for the Beatles and subsequently the solo artists than anybody else. He also can boast some serious chops as a gifted engineer in his own right.

In the book, he talks about his experiences, primarily in the control room during sessions, in and around the Beatles. Imagine that your job involved something historic happening over there, in the conference room, and now you're able to tell stories about how the people looked, acted, reacted and changed over time -- that's the intimacy you get with the book.

Interestingly, Emerick thinks like an engineer, and as a result most of his book is recalled by way of engineering milestones (he'll say things like "The next night, we began mixing the track. There was a fair bit of discussion about trying to cut it down to make it a bit shorter, but Harrison was adamantly opposed and we never actually attempted editing it.").

The history starts in the early 60's and goes through to the present. He stays true to his own memories, and tends to avoid recollecting events of which he wasn't witness, so it's a pretty clear presentation of one man's experiences and not so much a wandering set of opinions and speculations about other people's feelings and attitudes. For example, in general he will choose to observe that John came in and was snapping at the people around him and not talking to Paul than to say that based upon the way they were acting, John and Paul had obviously had a major fight in the morning and were angry at each other.

He tends to favor Paul over the others a bit, but it seems to be both a result of his general proximity and emotional relationship with Paul as it is about his value of true musical talent in each musician.

My biggest personal take-away was the humanizing of the process of the art - the Beatles would work for hours and hours and hours to get a specific piece of a song right ... which implies that they weren't some sort of master geniuses who made no mistakes and could play anything as soon as they put their hands to it (though, duh, they're still amazingly talented and geniuses all the same); but rather they were gifted artists who came to the table with more abilities than most, but still had to slave away at their craft to reach the heights that they did -- this is heartening to any artist who strives to accomplish something magnificent.

Another take-away I had was that, in many ways, "the Beatles" was more like 6 people - especially when they went into their studio years ... John, Paul, George, Ringo, George Martin, and Geoff Emerick ... with George Martin and Emerick somewhat replaceable, but still key elements of the original sound, not the music of course. Beatles music wasn't just 4 lads, it was artists making raw material and others openly and clearly having input into the creative process and final product much more deeply than I thought (e.g. George Martin arranged much of the backing music and played on a number of tracks, even though he was "just" the producer).

It gets nominally dry at points when Emerick goes about discussing the engineering and artistic process of each song in some of the biggest albums (e.g. Sgt. Peppers and Revolver), but outside of that, it's a pretty satisfying read.

Overall, if you'd like to see the real humanity of people behind the music of the Beatles, including the artists themselves - and you're interested in removing the "shroud of amazing" without destroying the image of the men behind the music, this is a good book to read.(less)

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Feb 10, 2010 Sally rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: beatles, own

I really liked this book. It's the first Beatles-related book I've read with any real substance, so I don’t have others to compare it to really, but I LOVE reading about how the music itself was made.

My only annoyance is how he describes the Beatles. I just kept thinking "OMG, dude, please calm down, you love Paul, he’s the best person in the whole world, we get it." But if that wasn’t enough, he then rips apart all the other Beatles every chance he gets. Once I was done with the book, I was abl...more

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