Guest Blog by GuitarJunky
If you haven’t read “Here,There and Everywhere” by Geoff Emerick, you must. Ever since this book was recommended to me by a friend, I’ve tried to tell all my musician buds about it.
I know, you’re thinking this is all about another old guy and his memories…yada, yada, yada!!! But, this time it’s about so much more.
For some background, it’s the telling by Emerick, of his experiences in the recording studio with the Beatles. His tenure with the band started with the “Revolver” album and went thru “Abbey Road.” He also tells of his fascination with sound starting in childhood and landing his dream gig at Abbey Road Studios. That being said, there’s so much more to the book. What began as seemingly random associations of people assigned to various tasks, including recording this band of “kids” emulating musicians (the prevailing attitude of the time), that became full blown relationships is amazing.
While most have heard of the symbiotic relationship between the Beatles and George Martin, I dare say the contributions of Mr. Emerick made to the Beatles is no less important. In some ways, perhaps even more so. Let me explain. Motivated by his fascination with sounds and sheer creativity, Emerick succeeded in pushing the curtain of conventional recording studio wisdom aside to peer into the world of what-if. His take on microphone placement as well as other ground breaking recording techniques helped define a sound that not only became synonymous with a generation, it set into stone the high recording values of all rock artists since. While the influence of George Martin is undeniable and helped set in motion the musical maturity of the Mop Tops, I think it’s the sound of the Beatles that non-musicians and musicians find instantly recognizable from any distance. This ultimately created a phenomena whose sound and influence was greater than the sum of its parts.
The book also gives us insights that to date have merely been speculation at best. After all, he was there! Great stories of struggles all around: the band, dealing with celebrity, ego, power, creativity….the studio, dealing with a changing of the musical guard, boundries stretched, (or obliterated in some cases), and subsequent adventures after the Beatles moved on to their solo careers.
In his career, Emerick went on to work with Paul McCartney & Wings, the Zombies, Badfinger, Supertramp, America, Jeff Beck, Robin Trower, Split Enz, and Elvis Costello.
A great read, check it out.
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