Completely updated (2025). Nominated for the 2018 Association for Recorded Sound Collections (ARSC) Awards for Excellence in Historical Recorded Sound Research, each of the five volumes are part of the permanent collection of the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Library and Archives.
The first book of the series, "The Beatles Recording Reference Manual: Volume 1: My Bonnie through Beatles For Sale (1961-1964)" tracks the evolution of the band from their earliest recordings and initial hits, through "Please Please Me", "With The Beatles", "A Hard Day's Night", and "Beatles For Sale". From the first take to the final remix, discover the making of the greatest recordings of all time.
Through extensive, fully-documented research, these books fill an important gap left by all other Beatles books published to date and provide a unique view into the recordings of the world's most successful pop music act.
The collection and analysis of hundreds of recordings (takes, outtakes, remixes and release versions), books, magazine articles, photos, film and video evidence, and interviews with key engineers who worked on the sessions filter out the noise of myth and conflicting fact to arrive at an accurate telling of the creation of The Beatles classic recordings.
Book features:
- Commercial releases during the period (albums, singles and extended play (EP) discs)
- Song-by-song narratives of work during the period in order of first recording (Each narration includes an introduction to the song, information on the technical team responsible for production and a description of the construction of the song from the first take to the final remix, detailing the entire recording process.).
- An easy to follow diagram of the recording process.
- A year-by-year overview of the recording studios used by the band, including the available equipment configurations.
- A year-by-year overview of the instruments and amplifiers used by the band.
- A session-by-session breakdown of every technical component used in the creation of the songs (listing the session date, location, work completed, technical staff, musicians, instruments used, amplifiers used, recording equipment, microphones and studio effects used).
- A listing of mono and stereo master remixes, their dates of creation and their release versions (for UK release).
- Tables outlining the use during the period of electric and acoustic guitars, basses, drums, percussion, keyboards and other instruments, amplifiers, EMI Studios outboard equipment and microphones.
- An explanation of technical equipment in relation to The Beatles recording sessions.
- A glossary of terms.
- A complete bibliography.
Jerry Hammack is a Canadian-American musician, producer, recording engineer and author living in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
