The View From Behind The Glass

I just read Geoff Emerick's excellent Here, There And Everywhere. As any Fab Four fan knows, Emerick was the main recording engineer for much of the Beatles' career. It always intrigues me to know what the "suits" thought of artists and entertainers, since we're so used to hearing the story in the other direction. And at stuffy EMI records, they really did have to wear suits--color-coded ones in fact--even after everyone else was wearing what they wanted in the psychedelic 60s.

Emerick didn't work on every record the band did, but he was there from the beginning and stayed till the end, even beyond. The lion's share of the book tells the technical tale of what he did, explained clearly enough that even a technophobe can understand. The Beatles' started experimenting to see what sounds they could make, and Emerick, along with producer George Martin, was a co-conspirator who came up with sonic solutions for the Beatles' requests.

What I find particularly fascinating is Emerick pulls no punches. When the band started recording, Emerick--even younger than they--fell in love with their exciting sound, not to mention their personalities. However, as they got more successful, even while the music still worked, they became, in a way, drunk with power. They were royalty, used to getting things their way and expecting everyone to be at their beck and call. They also got involved in bizarre, quixotic schemes, like much of the Apple business they set up.

While it's clear Emerick has mostly warm feelings for the people he worked with, still, as they say, no man is a hero to his valet. George Martin often comes across as imperious and insecure. John Lennon is irritable and absent-minded (and borderline nuts). Even George Harrison is criticized for not being talented enough. But there's no doubt Emerick still loves what he did. And so do we.