Off The Beatle Track
I was going to do a tribute to Geoff Emerick, the great recording engineer for the Beatles, who just died. Instead, let me recommend his excellent book, Here, There And Everywhere, where he discusses working with the band (who don't always come off great).
And let's note the anniversary of the Beatles' first true single, "Love Me Do," released October 5, 1962. Emerick, though just a teenager, was there to witness the recording session. The song went to #17 in England, high enough to make it worthwhile for EMI to continue recording the band. (If it had flopped, they probably would have dumped them and that would have meant the end, instead of Abbey Road's "The End.")
The band became so huge that there was a cottage industry in songs responding to the phenomenon:
posted by LAGuy @ 10:00 AM
3 Comments:
I hope the laughs on the Allan Sherman recording were from a laugh-track. Otherwise it's a sad reflection on audiences at the time.
Allan Sherman recorded his records in front of a live audience, but it was a hand-picked crowd that knew what they were there for.
His recordings were tremendously popular in the early 60s--he had three #1 albums in a row. The numbers actually started to dip in 1964, the same time the Beatles hit it big in America.
I should add "Pop Hates The Beatles," while it fits the post, is not one of his better pieces.
The best Beatles commentary song is certainly King Crimson's "Happy Family".
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