Recording the Beatles: The Studio Equipment and Techniques Used to Create Their Classic Albums

by Kevin Ryan and Brian Kehew

Never before has there been such an absolutely thorough and definitive look at how the Beatles' albums were recorded. Years of research and extensive interviews with the group's former engineers and technicians shed new light on those classic sessions. With a detailed look at every piece of studio gear used, full explanations of effects and recording processes, and an inside look at how specific songs were recorded, Recording The Beatles is a must-have for any Beatles fan or recording engineer. Hardcover, 11" x 11", 540 pages, over 500 photos and illustrations, color and black and white, ISBN: 0-9785200-0-9

Advance Praise for Recording The Beatles

"Five stars...impossible to put down...a major publication."
MOJO, March 2007

"Magnificently produced...everything you could possibly want to know about the equipment used at the Abbey Road Studios when the Beatles worked there, and... how the group made its classic recordings"
New York Times, December 26, 2006

"...a vast, in-depth and amazingly well researched document of recording history."
Sound On Sound, December 2006

"Few books -- if any -- deliver such a thorough, detailed and enjoyable exegesis of vintage recording equipment."
Future Music, January 2007

"Some books stand clear of the crowded field by the contribution they make, and Recording The Beatles is a giant. The intricate technical aspects of the Beatles' recordings have never been better explained. This is a volume that adds considerably to the knowledge, providing a comfortable arm to guide the read up, down, inside and outside the EMI studios at Abbey Road, examining how all those extraordinary tracks came together, identifying the equipment and how it was put to use, looking at the expertise of EMI's superbly trained staff, exploring the techniques and processes. Clearheaded writing, photographs, illustrations, diagrams... it's a masterclass of fine scholarship, a definitive work."
--Mark Lewisohn, renowned Beatles author (excerpted from Foreword)

"...the most definitive and thoroughly researched book ever published about how the Beatles' recordings were actually made. It is an absolute 'must' for anyone who wants to know the true story of their recordings, the equipment used, and the people behind the scenes."
--Ken Townsend, Beatles Technical Engineer 1962-1970, former Director of Operations Abbey Road Studios

"A fascinating and impeccably researched work about the engineers, studios and equipment that contributed to the 'recording revolution' that was The Beatles. An essential Beatles recording bible."
--Alan Parsons, engineer/producer (The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Wings, The Alan Parsons Project)

"Recording The Beatles is quite superb. The research, the content, the overall appearance, are unparalleled. It is a work of art. I have nothing but praise for it."
--Norman Smith, engineer/producer (The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Pretty Things)

"I was at Abbey Road for a number of years and this book tells me things I never even knew. It is amazing and should be requisite reading for anyone with the slightest interest in the making of records. It shows where many of today's commonplace recording techniques originated and what may have been lost in the translation."
--Ken Scott, engineer/producer (The Beatles, David Bowie, Elton John, George Harrison)

"Musicians, producers and engineers of all generations will find this an invaluable guide to the Golden Decade of British Recording. Brian and Kevin's extraordinary research process -- which included intense cross-referencing of recollections and anecdotes by Abbey Road staffers, past and present -- achieves the most accurate document of The Beatles' recording techniques yet published."
--John Kurlander, engineer (The Beatles, Paul McCartney, Lord of the Rings Trilogy)

"An amazingly detailed book that shows -- both in picture and text -- details that have never before been revealed about Abbey Road Studios. A great read for anyone interested in any aspect of recording."
--Richard Lush, engineer (The Beatles, John Lennon, Badfinger, Paul McCartney)

"To this day the question keeps coming up: 'How did the Beatles do it?' Kevin and Brian's book leaves no stone unturned in revealing Abbey Road's contribution to these unique recordings. A magnificent effort. The amount of detail is quite amazing and provides a wonderful insight into the technology and methods used at the studio in the 60s. This is a definitive piece of work."
--Martin Benge, engineer (The Beatles, George Harrison) former Vice President EMI Music Studios