Solid State: The Story of "Abbey Road" and the End of the Beatles

Let's face it anyone who is even considering purchasing this book is either a Beatle-freak, has been an admirer of the ABBEY ROAD album for years/decades, is into music far more than what is playing in the elevator or is a musician themselves. either way if you fall into any or all of those categories then you already know a lot of the history of the AR album.So when i saw that this book had been released i was excited and the implications (given the title) were that there was be discussions, explanations, anecdotes about the new (in 1969) solid state mixer that was used during the AR sessions, as well as more insight into the recording and tracking or the the songs that make up AR.Sadly I was wrong.Other than some quotes from various people who "were there on the ground" back in the day, nothing was new to me. Further there is almost nothing about the "new" solid state mixer in the entire book from any technical perspective. Yeah there are the early specs that were discussed and Emericks continued quotes about the mixer being not producing tough sounding recordings, but in general any paragraph that mentioned the new solid state mixer was just flummery.The author also delved into the personal interactions of the band and their assorted followers ... so the book isn't about the new technology and the new solid state mixer, it is just another gossip magazine/book that recants all the same stories and gossip that we have heard for the past 50 years. Even the authors assessment of the early rehearsals during the Get Back Session of tracks that ended up on the AB album were less that satisfying. I would summise that (like me) the author has just lisrtened to the many hours of bootleg LPs and CDs based on the Nagra tapes used for the filming of the LET BE movie. Hey! ... I can do that as well. But if you are going to indulge yourself about early rehearsals then do it properly, assess the musicality, the way the songs developed from the embryonic early stages to what eventually ended up on the AR album. Do not do it in a way that makes out that you have special insight and access to this "secret stash" of Beatles rehearsal music.It is sad to say but I was bored by this book.Again, given the title, I wanted information about the recording process, how the new technology (the solid state mixer) helped in creating the AR album, how real issues were solved with the new 8 track mixer, may be even consideratuion on how the album might have sounded if the old mixer was used instead. But all we got was a fluffed out version of Mark Lewisohn's book from 30+ years ago.

Ken Womack's books are dreams to read. His knowledge of the Beatles world give any reader insight to the most important musicians and musical technicians ever. This book describes the too brief coming together of the Beatles in a last hurrah of the sort of music they had begun with Rubber Soul - well crafted, melodic artistic pop, Their friendship wore away as the pressure of their fame grew, and they rebelled against the machine they made, and against themselves until the end, when I suppose they realized they were better than the sloppy group that put out The Beatles and allowed George Martin and Abbey Road crew back in and redefined the album as art form, and recording as technology. Then they rode off into the sunset and mostly mediocrity. Sic Transit Gloria Beatles. Womack captures the potential and lost potential of this era in Beatles history. A must for any Beatles fan.

The target audience of this book is Beatles fans who have a basic interest in or understanding of audio concepts, as the “main character” is the newly installed solid-state recording console at EMI studios, which was used by The Beatles for their Abbey Road masterpiece. The book is entertaining and informative, without getting bogged down in technical details. NOTE TO MUSIC PRODUCERS: The titular recording console (known by its model number TG12345) is available as an emulation by the plugin manufacturer Waves, should you wish to experiment with the characteristics of the console on your own.

Abbey Road was the first record I ever owned - a Christmas gift from Mom in 1969. At the ripe old age of 8 I discovered the magical power of music. Abbey Road remains one of my 5 favorite albums of all time, and at last we’ve been given a chance to draw back the curtain and watch the Beatles creating their masterpiece.I’ve always been disappointed by the short shrift this album gets in the other Beatles histories and documentaries. For example, after seemingly dozens of hours of the Anthology, Abbey Road gets covered in about 10 minutes. Sort of like a 10,000 page history of WWII with a 5 page footnote covering D-Day.The wealth of technical details, even for a non-techie like myself, are fascinating and elucidating. Hearing how the songs took shape and the artistic choices that were made was truly amazing

This book is really amazing. I admit that I'm a Beatles fan and thus I find the book marvelous!Aside of giving the reader a fly-on-the-wall experience of the band while recording their last album (and in my opinion the best work of them) it also shows how the 8-track technology did wonders and influenced the final result.One will not only find details on the sessions and how Abbey Road (the record) came to be but also their ever-growing differences between the four friends.It's a quick read (240p) but nonetheless enjoyable!If you like music, if you like The Beatles or simply if you want to learn about one of the best-selling albuns of all time...grab this book and enjoy a fine reading!

A good read about the end of the Beatles. If you are a fan of the band or a nerd about music, you will enjoy this book. Well researched and written.

Nice book and some cool tidbits. Most of the information is well known by Beatles fan, so no big surprises. I enjoyed the technical aspect the most. I would say its a must have or read for Beatles fans, but it's is entertaining.

The only reason for not giving it five stars is the painfully tedious and repetitive explanations of the engineering and recording process. I get it - the equipment and subsequent manipulation of the technology was revolutionary - but a portion of one chapter would have sufficiently covered the revelation.

I read this book in one sitting. It’s a fascinating account of the recording of a much loved album. There’s very little fat in the telling as most of it’s been told before in other accounts. It goes through the entire lifecycle of Abbey Road and includes a few stories I’d not heard before. It’s a testament to the artistry and perfectionism of the Beatles who tinkered and honed the record up until the 11th hour. It’s also a tribute patience and professionalism of the Abbey Road team who had to respond to the Fabs’ wishes.My only negative is the obsession about the importance of The Solid State EMI TG12345 Mk1 console in defining the sound of Abbey Road. It’s true that the console and the solid state technology was a crucial factor but at the end of the day, but it was still a tool in the hands of some very talented people. My biggest moan however is that the last 46 pages of the of the book are acknowledgements, notes and an index. So the book is over at the 74% mark.

I’m a huge Beatles fan & and a sound engineer by trade. I got the kindle version just started reading really like at the moment.

A highly absorbing read for all Beatles fans who want to find out what the Abbey Road recording sessions were really like.

A very good read about the recording of The Beatles album Abbey Road.

A fascinating and entertaining read. New insights presented in a very readable way of An area knew deep in fact and fiction.