Acclaimed Beatles historian Kenneth Womack offers the most definitive account yet of the writing, 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 readers back to 1969 and into EMI's Abbey Road Studio, which boasted an advanced solid state transistor mixing desk. Womack focuses on the dynamics between John, Paul, George, Ringo, and producer George Martin and his team of engineers, who set aside (for the most part) 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 earlier. A testament to the group's creativity and their producer's ingenuity, Solid State is required reading for all fans of the Beatles and the history of rock 'n' roll.
Kenneth Womack's previous books about the Beatles include Long and Winding Roads and The Beatles Encyclopedia. He is also the author of the acclaimed two-volume biography of Sir George Martin, Maximum Volume and Sound Pictures. Womack is Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences at Monmouth University, where he also serves as Professor of English. Follow him on X @KennethAWomack and visit kennethwomack.com for more Beatles history and insight.
Foreword by Alan Parsons, by Alan Parsons Introduction: "Unmitigated Disaster" 1. EMI TG12345 Mk1 2. Stereophonic Sound 3. Tales of Men and Moog 4. "The Long One" 5. The Wind-Up Piano and Mrs. Mills 6. Virtuosi 7. Tittenhurst Park 8. Letting It Be 9. Solid State Acknowledgments Notes Bibliography Index
Music writer Womack delivers a fascinating, in-depth look at the creation of Abbey Road, the Beatles' penultimate album released 50 years ago.... Womack displays a detailed and insightful analysis that fans will hope he applies to the band's other albums. (Publishers Weekly) In the enjoyable deep dive Solid State, Kenneth Womack tells a detailed story of how the album came to be. (FORWARD) Womack has created an account of the Abbey Road sessions that is extremely well-researched and well-written. The timing of the publication is perfect, given the recent success of the 50th Anniversary Reissue of the album. It is well worth a read for die-hard fans, and even casual fans, who are interested in how this work of art was created. (Spill Magazine) Womack humanizes and demystifies the mythic status of the album and of the four Beatles, but not by diminishing their achievements... Solid State is as fine a tribute to the Fabs as one could hope for in 2019. (Spectrum Culture) If you are a studio nerd or a Beatles aficionado you will love this book. (Aquarian Weekly) Solidly entertaining. (On the Seawall) Kenneth Womack is an acknowledged Beatles archaeologist and archivist, and in this effort he undertakes a fine biography of this fine recording, taking it apart and reassembling it for us along the way...It is definitive indeed regarding the writing, recording, mixing and reception of Abbey Road. (Criticsatlarge.ca)
