Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Not really; $100 seems reasonable given the printing costs given the packaging and the limited (let's be honest here) market for a Beatles Nerd book like this.

My two paperback travel guides I've published weren't all that cheap; at roughly 115 paperback sized pages they cost me about $7 a copy. $100 for a huge tome in a great hardback bound package seems pretty darned good to me.

Yes, I too got to see the book at the museum during the 75th weekend. It seems like a fair price to me. And I usually have no interest in these types of books.

Sure, I would have liked to have paid less, no doubt, but this book is comprehensive beyond words. It is almost impossible to describe the near exacting detail of the authors' efforts. Truly an amazing piece of work, and a fair price for that work.

I got mine yesterday. My wife got me it for my birthday present. I'm only about 40 pages into it so far.

Im speaking from ignorance here, since I have not read the book, but I have heard that neither Norman Smith nor Geoff Emerick -- the two guys who were responsible for well over 90% of the Beatles' recorded output -- participated in this project.

If that's true, it strikes me as rather odd that a book entitled "Recording The Beatles" would not include input from the two main people who actually RECORDED the Beatles, and it makes me question its true value.

"I don't do "Brammy vs. Dane Paul" at all well..."

Jeepers, Jerry...you big crazy name dropper...actually, I don't know how well Brammy and I do "Brammy vs. Dane Paul" either...

"I have a apolitical blues,
and it's the meanest blues of all...
I don't care if it's John Wayne,
I just don't wanna...talk to 'im now..."

John,

According to the Acknowledgement section, Norman Smith did participate (to what degree can not be determined), however Emerick is not listed. Emerick's recent book is listed as a reference however. Some other familiar EMI names are acknowledged including Richard Lush, Phil McDonald, Alan Parsons, Ken Scott, Ken Townsend and several others.

According to the preface / introduction, the authors had access to the EMI archives which included numerous pictures (hence documenting equipment, mics used etc...), session sheets that documented equipment as well. This combined with the interviews (including things said in interviews by the Beatles themselves) allow them to come up with a fairly clear picture of what went on.

One might suspect Emerick didn't participate because he had his own book on the topic and may have felt this book was competition.

Just a bit of fun, Dane, no offense intended. I really enjoy reading the back-and-forth between the two of you. I am just not intellectually capable of "participating" in it. My idealism crumbled years ago. Now I'm just another 54-year-old fart waiting almost 2 years for his Rickenbacker to show up. Doctor just told me I have arthritis in my right shoulder, so I just hope I can still play it if I ever get it. At this point, you begin to wonder what's the point of fighting about anything.

Thanks for the information, Ken.

However, just because Norman Smith is listed in the Acknowledgements doesn't mean he actually participated in the project. It's common practice to list influences and important people in that section (for example, Emerick lists all four Beatles in his Acknowledgements though we can be virtually certain neither John nor George had anything to do with the writing of his book), and if the normally reticent Smith HAD participated, I'm sure the authors would have made much of that fact in their self-promotion and on their website.

The question is, which former Beatles associates did they actually interview for the book? (as opposed to simply lifting quotes from previously published books like Lewisohn's)

If the only people who provided them with new information were Ken Scott (who, as I said, only engineered a dozen or so Beatles tracks), a handful of assistants, and a couple of technical engineers, then I don't know how much new information -- apart from the super-technical stuff such as wiring and mic positioning diagrams and photos of tape machines and mixers -- could actually be here, as cool as the presentation may be.

Again, I'm not trying to paint a negative picture, only trying to pose some questions, all within the context of the larger "is this book really worth a hundred bucks?" query. If it carried a standard $ 25 or $ 30 price tag, I doubt I'd be raising any of these issues.

Essentially, John, I guess the book is like anything else. It's worth what you're willing to pay. As far as new information is concerned, I suppose that is contingent on how much you already know, or think you know.
The book is more of a research ensemble than one of quotes and interviews. Similar in nature to Lewisohn's, The Beatles Recording Sessions, but much more detailed and much more expansive. It's about the songs, the equipment, the instruments, the recording techniques and more. Material researched over a decade. The subject matter is not just relegated to what songs were recorded on what day or full of the same old rehashed information. But obviously not everything in it is new material, or something you haven't already read about. How could it be some forty years later?
There are quotes that are used, but generally only in relation to a particular topic. Some are new to me, others are not.
If it is only recent, directly quoted, interviewed material or 'source' contribution you are looking for to validate the worthiness of the book, then I would say the book isn't for you.

My order number is 1190. When do you think mine will ship?

I don't know what my number was, but I placed my order in mid August. I got the book last Thursday.

I placed my order in June and I still haven't gotten mine yet. Thats not fair! Hope it shows up soon.

Mine just arrived today and I am just absolutely amazed. The thing is incredible. It is completely worth the $100 pricetag....just an incredible book.

It arrived via media mail and is as heavy as everyone has posted.

Mine arrived today. Poor secretary (ahem, I mean administrative assistant) had to lug the thing from the mailroom two floors down. I owe her some chocolate or something, I think.