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Solid State

The Story of Abbey Road and the End of the Beatles

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Solid State

By: Kenneth Womack, Alan Parsons - foreword
Narrated by: William Hughes
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About this listen

In Solid State, Kenneth Womack offers the most definitive account of the conception, recording, mixing, and reception of Abbey Road.

In February 1969, the Beatles began working on what became their final album together. Abbey Road introduced a number of new techniques and technologies to the Beatles' sound and included "Come Together", "Something", and "Here Comes the Sun", which all emerged as classics.

Womack's colorful retelling of how this landmark album was written and recorded is a treat for fans of the Beatles. Solid State takes listeners back to 1969 and into EMI's Abbey Road Studios, which boasted an advanced solid state transistor mixing desk. Womack focuses on the dynamics between John, Paul, George, and Ringo and producer George Martin and his team of engineers, who for the most part set aside the tensions and conflicts that had arisen on previous albums to create a work with an innovative (and among some fans and critics, controversial) studio-bound sound that prominently included the new Moog synthesizer, among other novelties.

As Womack shows, Abbey Road was the culmination of the instrumental skills, recording equipment, and artistic vision that the band and George Martin had developed since their early days in the same studio seven years before. A testament to the group's creativity and their producer's ingenuity, Solid State is required listening for all fans of the Beatles and the rock 'n' roll.

©2019 Kenneth Womack (P)2019 Blackstone Publishing
Art Entertainment & Celebrities Europe Great Britain Music Celebrity England

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All stars
Most relevant
This is, quite simply, one of the best books I’ve heard about the Beatles. Not only does it cover the technical aspects of Abbey Road recording, but it has some great details around the end of the Beatles career.

Essential listening for any Beatles fan

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A fascinating look into the recording of the final beatles album. A bit like the get back docu, only more upbeat. Quite a bit of information I didn't know. Recommended for those interested in recording techniques or just beatles history.

One of the better beatles books.

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I came to this book hoping to learn something about The Beatles and their final sessions in the studio. I’m interested in the recording process and love The Beatles and always refer back to them as a high point for recorded music, so this looked promising. I got what I’d hoped for within the first hour of listening, but the thing I also got, that I’d not imagined I would, was a narrative as compelling as an excellent novel. I was listening to Murakami’s 1Q84 at the same time as listening to Solid State, and I kept forgetting that one was a novel and one was not. There was just such an incredible narrative pull. I’m sure this was assisted by William Hughes’s excellent reading, and I think it’s important to highlight this. He read with complete engagement and that’s a major plus for a listener.

The Fabs themselves emerge as complex, difficult, and gifted very young men. McCartney’s drivenness comes through very clearly. Ringo’s as much the hero of these recording sessions as anyone, and I’m really pleased Womack chose to highlight this.

Of course George Martin and Jeff Emerick in particular, deserve as much applause as it’s possible to give for their production work, and this book illuminates their (and several others), ‘above and beyond’ ethos, when it came to this album.
Listening to the album now, is an even greater experience.

This is something special.

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all this book makes me want to do is listen to abbey road it was a good book but I struggled in places

read all about it

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Even though I don’t know the album Abbey Road very well I couldn’t stop listening to this audiobook.

Well narrated with only a couple of mispronunciations, and tons of information about the Beatles.

I really enjoyed it and I think it may have been free too!

Obviously now I have to start listening to both Abbey Road and Let it Be again!

Couldn’t stop listening

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