The Official Story of the Abbey Road years 1962-1970

Mark Lewisohn has put together a phenomenal and very detailed Anthology of the Bealtes recorded music. The day to day "logs" of the recording sessions shows how the Beatles progressed through their career and how they eventually took much more control of the way thing were done in the studio. A great read for Beatle fanatics.

It's all here - the outtakes, the insights, the photos, everything. Sit down with this one and the "Beatles Anthology" CDs and you'll appreciate it even more because many of the most notable outtakes and unused variants described in the text are included on those 6 discs. If you want just the Beatles' story there are plenty of books for that, but if you adore the band and the music itself this one is a must-have.

hello from ca ive got 2 copies of recording sessions book i like it soft bound had hard at one but had to sell it a real good story the history of the beatles recording sessions the real story behind each track from love me do to let it be the real story of eric clapton onwhile my guitar gentlyweeps no clapton did play side by side his solo was overdubbed intothe trackgood photos etc bring it back yours ron

The publisher of this book is coming out with a new edition in October 2013. Don't pay those high prices, as this was due to the book not being printed. SOON TO CHANGE !!!!! A great book to have, but not at the prices I've seen.

One of my most treasured books, I've actually read this tome cover to cover several times. It presents a history of the band by way of the music and their attitude toward crafting it. I've seen some people pick at the nits, but all in all, this is a keeper!

This is probably the most important of all Beatles reference books, and is an invaluable source for all studio-related knowledge ... but it's out of print?
This travesty aside, I have a source of this book (hardcover). I'm not sure how many I could find, but if anyone wants one, email me at [email protected] and I'll see what I can do. This is not to make money or anything seedy like that. :) I just bought the book the other day brand new, and there was at least five more on the shelf and probably tons in the backroom. If I get enough emails, I'll run down to the store and see if there's any more, and if you want, I'll ship them out. G'day!

This book is a must for any Beatle-fan, or anyone working in a studio who knows the Beatles' music. The book is a cornucopia of information on how the Beatles' music was created in the studio. Sit down with the book and the CDs, and listen to each song as your read Lewisohn's description of the recording session. It's like being there!

I had this book when I was a teenager beginning to be interested in The Beatles and recording in general. I found it utterly engaging and incredibly interesting from many points of view. It was great to see how The Beatles and George Martin were at the cutting edge of audio technology in those days, inventing flanging as an example!

I would strongly recommend this book to anyone learning how to produce or engineer music, or any Beatles fanatic.

I walked into my university bookstore years ago during a book sale and I spotted this book... "Some Beatle garbage" I said to myself. Then I found myself buying the book...!
Then I found myself buying all the Beatles CD so I could listen to the music that was described in the book...
I think the Beatles ARE BRILLIANT and I despair what to think my life would have been without the Beatles!! I just spent the whole day of New Year's Eve listening to various Beatle cds and other sources!! This is a great book! and it's not being published...! :(

This book is required reading for the diehard Beatles fan. I suspect that the studio documentation was just the normal level of detailed information they kept on those who recorded there, but in hindsight, having this particular info and retaining it looks pretty genius. A detailed account of every time the Beatles were in the recording studio with documents from the studio and the recollections of those who were present. The author is meticulous and obviously a fan himself. I really consider this book the Beatles bible.

I bought this book a long time ago when it first came out. As a diehard Beatles fan, I think it is great!! It really goes into the little details of the Beatles in the recording studio and gives the reader something of an idea as to what it was like to be there. By the way, the store states this is out of print; however, my local Borders store has a lot of copies in their bargain books for a really cheap price . . .between $4.99 to $9.99 (I can't remember exactly) So check out the closeout sections of your local stores.

Absolutely entertaining.
I've read it twice years ago when I purchased the first edition, savoring every studio detail, their ingenuity and willingness to break new grounds.
A must have for any Beatle fan.

Not every fan wants to sit everyday in the studio with the beatles, but if you did you would learn alot about recording techniques. This book helps to show that the beatles were'nt just creative but they got a lot of help from GEORGE MARTIN and the others at abby road studios. It is interesting to learn every exact sound and effect on the songs but does become a bit dry at times.

This book has been a constant source for Beatles trivia- not to mention a roaring good read! I read through it 3 or 4 times a year. As a musician myself, I find its insights into the Beatles "what the hell- let's try it!" mentality refreshing (in a time where the music business has become stiflingly boring and so much music is trite and disposable). Unfortunately, my cat had a great love for the book as well-especially page 91 and 92, so now I'm screwed!! Please reprint this book!!!

I can't give it all five stars, due to the errors that could have easily been corrected between the first edition and this (fourth?) one -- new things have come to light since the book's initial appearance, thanks to the Anthology episodes and the great book, Recording the Beatles.

Much of the information in this book is erroneous, although nothing more was known as of 1988. So it's not a bad job; it's just out of date. The sheer work and research involved deserves a revision, and not just a reprint to cash in on the recurrent waves of Beatles interest.

One little problem is that Mark doesn't seem to know much about the writing or recording of music; he often uses confusing terminology that doesn't quite fit (he seems misguided about what a middle eight is, for instance, and has no idea what the difference is between an "overdub" and an "edit piece").

When he tries to interject his own opinion -- which isn't indicated in a book of nonfiction data like this -- he's often comically out of line. One instance that stands out is when he claims that "Martha My Dear" is not about Paul's sheepdog. It obviously IS, not only judging from Paul's comments, but also considering that lyrics like "Hold your head up, you silly girl" were certainly not written about a human being.

Having said all of that, this is highly addictive reading, the prose having been painstakingly researched and optimally assembled. It's an obvious recommendation to any more-than-casual Beatles fan who likes to read, wishes the music would always be focused on instead of irrelevant soap-opera stories about the musicians' personal lives, and has an interest in the only big instrument that the Beatles actually were virtuosos at: the recording studio.

Just apply some salt to the precise information about overdubs, amounts of session takes, specific dates and whatnot.

EDIT: Brian Kehew posted a comment on this review, and helpfully informed me that the author was never allowed a revision by the publishers. So that explains it! All criticism about the book's information being out of date should now be directed toward the publishers.

I have a dog-eared, torn apart copy of this paperback, and I would love nothing better than to buy five more copies. This book is totally indispensible to true Beatle fans. Its a must-have. I have seen no other Beatle book as good as this one, EVER!

The book contains a vivid, precise and descritive text about the way The Beatles record.
The author researched in the papers from Abbey Road and talked with Paul McCarney to deepen the information.
It's a gift!

I have a dog-eared, torn apart copy of this paperback, and I would love nothing better than to buy five more copies. This book is totally indispensible to true Beatle fans. Its a must-have. I have seen no other Beatle book as good as this one, EVER!

If you pretend you are a 'serious fan' and have not read this book, you surely are a fake.
This monumental detailed work will give you half the things you need to read to be say you're a real beatles fan. The other half you can find it in the Anthology book.

Of course any Beatles fan with more than a dozen books about them will want this, but it's disappointingly sterile. Facts seem to be iterated, regardless of importance or of being memorable. Do I really need to know that "Matchbox" was done in five takes, only three complete? Or what number was put on a tape? Is there any reason to remember those facts, 2 1/2 minutes from now? Overall, Ian MacDonald's "Revolution in the Head" does a FAR better job of explaining the performances, the moods, the innovations, the turning points. It is nice to see in this book many "rare" pictures, and especially to have them matched to the days/sessions they were taken. But this is one of the rare Beatles' books I own that I'm not sure whether I bothered to read all the way through. In fact, I'd consider selling it.