The bulk of the book covers the years between 1962 when Emerick first arrived at Abbey Road Studios aged just 15, through to 1970 and the recording of Abbey Road. From Revolver onwards he was the primary mix engineer for all the Beatles records through to the White Album when he quit before coming back to engineer Abbey Road. He brilliantly describes the mechanics of making records in the 1960s, and the personalities of the individual Beatles and their methods of song writing and performing. They must have been under immense pressure throughout that period, and there are some excellent descriptions of fans invading Abbey Road desperate for a glimpse of the fab four. It seems the pressures, and especially drug use in Lennon’s case caused their friendships to fray and eventually fall apart. It’s quite sad to read how he became more and more dysfunctional and chaotic. Why is it that great talent is often accompanied by a self destructive personality? There are also lots of very funny moments in the book, my favourite occurred during the Abbey Road sessions. The Beatles were always weirdly possessive about their food. They wouldn’t share anything with Emerick or George Martin, or even with each other. One day Yoko Ono, who was a constant presence in the studio at that time wondered across the studio and helped herself to one of George Harrison’s digestive biscuits. “Oi! The bitch is eating my biscuits!” He swore, triggering a huge row with Lennon. It’s just hilarious, but shows how fractious their relationships had become by that stage. All in all a very entertaining read, especially for a Beatles fan like me.