Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of the Beatles, by Geoff Emerick (with Howard Massey)

Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of the Beatles, by Geoff Emerick (with Howard Massey).
Because of the legendary status of the Beatles in the pop world, it's hard to see them as just four guys making music. This book strips away the legend and takes you inside the studio for the recording of some great (and some not so great) songs. Emerick was there from the start, at first as an assistant, and soon being promoted to "balance engineer" or "knob twiddler". Those titles don't do justice to the amount of creative input he had, taking the basic song ideas that Lennon and McCartney brought to the studio and turning them into the hits we all know.

I'm not a huge Beatles fan, but I grew up with the music, and I've heard most of their albums many times. Still, as I relistened to them after reading the chapters devoted to their creation, I was hearing a lot in these songs I hadn't noticed before. I also understood for the first time how they managed to get so many of the great sounds they were getting.

For music recording fans, this book is a great treat and a true inside look at how it was all done. For Beatles fans, it's a very honest look at the four lads and how over time the tensions between them grew to the point that they had to split up.

Emerick's personality and voice comes through, making the book a quick read. I also enjoyed the additional (though too brief) chapter that dealt with his work on Elvis Costello's "Imperial Bedroom". From the introduction by Elvis it's clear both men have a lot of respect for each other.

For those interested in recording, even if you have no interest in the Beatles, this book is well worth a read.