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Solid State cover art

Solid State

By: Kenneth Womack, Alan Parsons - foreword
Narrated by: William Hughes
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Publisher's Summary

In Solid State, Kenneth Womack offers the most definitive account of the conception, 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 listeners back to 1969 and into EMI's Abbey Road Studios, which boasted an advanced solid state transistor mixing desk. Womack focuses on the dynamics between John, Paul, George, and Ringo and producer George Martin and his team of engineers, who for the most part set aside 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 before. A testament to the group's creativity and their producer's ingenuity, Solid State is required listening for all fans of the Beatles and the rock 'n' roll.

©2019 Kenneth Womack (P)2019 Blackstone Publishing

What listeners say about Solid State

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Beatles Trivia

Lots of great facts and quotes I hadn't heard before. This is the perfect companion to the recently released Let it Be doco on Disney. After you watch that and listen to this you feel like you know exactly why the Beatles split up but also why they were so good at what they did.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Abbey Road Time

The early years of the Beatles is well documented
This book does a very good job of documenting the time of making Abbey Road

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    5 out of 5 stars
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All amped up!

you will be amped after listening to this discourse. I agree with the closing remarks of the writer.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Decent Beatles History

If you're beatles obsessive there's still quite a bit you can pick up from this book. would have liked more info around the making of Abbey Road rather than the ending of the band but still worth a read for beatles fans.

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  • Sam
  • 12-11-2021

Required reading for every Beatles fan

From Beatles tragic to interested fan this book is fabulous! A warts and all account of their final yet celebrated moments.

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And, in the end ... of The Beatles

This book is a great finisher for the other two books in The Beatles anthology. Informative and interesting.

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