As Emerick relates in his memoir, the Beatles often had ideas that required far more imaginative skills than just turning knobs and splicing tape. For Lennon’s vocals on ‘Yellow Submarine,’ Emerick put a condom-wrapped microphone into a bottle of water so that Lennon could hear what he sounded like when submerged (the track wasn’t used); Emerick also routed John’s singing through revolving speakers when Lennon wanted to sound like “the Dalai Lama chanting from a hilltop” on ‘Tomorrow Never Knows.’ For ‘A Day in the Life,’ Emerick had to stretch the boundaries of recording technology to get the song’s final, unforgettable piano chord.

Emerick also tells how the creative personalities of the band members led to frequent disagreements and long-held grudges, even as they were producing their greatest songs. The diplomatic Paul McCartney frequently clashed with the tempestuous John Lennon, a sullen George Harrison often resented the lack of attention to his compositions, and Ringo, less interested than the others in making music, rarely had much to say to anyone. As the Beatles quit touring and confined their artistic output to the recording studio, Emerick witnessed every flare-up, every temporary resolution, and every crack in their musical partnership that would ultimately lead to their dissolution. He was there in the early days when the band had to hide from screaming teenage girls who had stormed the building, he was on hand to see Yoko Ono install a bed in the recording studio during the Abbey Road sessions (to the horror of John Lennon’s bandmates), and he witnessed how the Beatles spent their last months as a band recording in different studios individually.

Emerick also shares outrageous stories of his post-Beatles career, including his trip to Nigeria with Paul and his band Wings to record their Band On the Run album—which, despite monsoons, the theft of the demo tapes, and threats from local singers concerned that their musical heritage was being compromised, came together as one of Paul’s best post-Beatles works.

Emerick’s take on the Fab Four and their transformation from mop-topped teeny-bopper idols to innovative sonic pioneers—and jaded international celebrities—is a look at the band like no other, from someone who spent countless hours at work with the group and saw collaborations and confrontations never described in previous accounts. HERE, THERE AND EVERYWHERE details Geoff’s extensive contributions to the Beatles’ albums, and also reveals him to be a devoted fan, still fascinated by the band’s music. It's a slice of rock ‘n’ roll history that every fan of popular culture will find enthralling.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS: Renowned recording engineer and producer Geoff Emerick worked with Elvis Costello, Cheap Trick, Jeff Beck, and many others in addition to the Beatles. He has continued to work with Paul McCartney on his recent albums. He lives in Los Angeles and in London. Howard Massey is a music journalist and the author of eleven books. As a recording engineer, he has worked with Elvis Costello and Kraftwerk. His articles have appeared in Billboard, Blender, EQ, and Guitar World. Massey lives on Long Island.