About the Book
The Definitive Guide to the Music of the Beatles from 1962 to 1966
As Edna Gundersen once sagely observed in USA Today, the Beatles may have been defunct for nearly five decades, but they still “deliver the rock of ages—all ages.” With this book, the first of a two-volume guide to the group’s compositions, renowned Beatles musicologists Kenneth Womack and Scott Freiman explore the band’s unparalleled achievements in songwriting, musicianship, and production.
Conceived with the interests and learning styles of new generations of listeners in mind, The Beatles’ Touring Era addresses the evolving nature of the group’s work from 1962 through 1966. Organized chronologically, the book features close readings of each Beatles song with a tight focus on three key aspects:
Songwriting: What were the origins of the song and how was it written?
Arrangement: What are the melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic elements that make the song successful?
Recording: How was the song transformed in the studio with the help of producer George Martin and engineers Norman Smith and Geoff Emerick?
Each song includes recording dates, as well as a breakdown of the instruments used on the recording. And each song includes a “banger moment” — a favorite musical highlight that encourages readers to respond with their own.
While the book largely eschews a biographical focus, it will nevertheless trace the larger narrative of the bandmates as they brought their creative visions to life in a studio setting. In short, the journey of their recording artistry becomes the story. And as tales about making music go, the Beatles’ creative narrative brims with drama, majesty, and, ultimately, heartbreak.
The Beatles’ Touring Era includes some of Womack and Freiman’s latest research, including:
Extensive interviews with individuals from the Beatles’ inner circle, including friend and bassist Klaus Voormann; engineers Geoff Emerick, Ken Scott, Ken Townsend, John Kurlander, Alan Parsons, and Giles Martin; Paul McCartney’s brother, Mike McCartney; George Harrison’s ex-wife, Pattie Boyd; Apple Records manager, Ken Mansfield; former drummer Pete Best; and many others.
Excerpts about songwriting and recording sessions from the diaries of roadie Mal Evans.
Detailed, song-by-song instrumentation analysis, researched in partnership with Gear, There, and Everywhere, the leading video series on what the Beatles actually played on each track.
Newly uncovered recording details from the Beatles Super Deluxe album reissues, George Martin’s original scores, and deep analysis of each song’s isolated instruments.
In this way, readers will experience the story of the Beatles’ unique creative arc as it unfolds from the group’s first EMI recording session in June 1962 through the incredible heights of Rubber Soul and Revolver.
Readers from all walks of life—and, pointedly, from a wide range of generational perspectives— will benefit from the user-friendly nature of The Beatles’ Touring Era.