Abbey Road/Let It Be Book

Classic Rock Albums is a series of 6 books on famous albums that changed the way rock and roll was heardand played. Each book opens with a brief history of the group, their previous recordings, and their importance in rock. The main section of the text focuses on the album itselfhow it was recorded, the songs, the trivia and interesting information about the process of making and packaging the record. Finally, critical reactionthen and nowis summarized along with a brief essay on the album's place in musical history and the group's remaining work.Let It Be and Abbey Road were the products of a series of sessions that turned out to be the last the Beatles made. The Beatles undertook to return to their "rootsto make a simple live album and to document the process on film. Unfortunately, the sessions turned cantankerous, and a mountain of materialoriginal songs, oldies, fragmentswas recorded but never completed. The film crew only made matters worse, requiring sessions to take place early in the morning, as well as capturing much of the dissension and arguing among the ranks. In the end, the sessions were shelved, and the Beatles returned to the studio to make their "last" album: Abbey Road.Here, the entire story of the sessions is told, revealing the Beatles's unique working methods and documenting the dissolution of one of rock's most important bands. The book reveals in detail the acrimonious recording sessions for the Beatles last two albums. What brought them together for the sessions? What drove them apart? How did they manage to write and record many of their best-loved songs in the midst of their disintegration?Peter Doggett is the editor of Record Collector and well-known British writer on rock musicespecially the Beatles. Read More