Solid State: The Story of Abbey Road and the End of the Beatles by Kenneth Womack is a 2019 Cornell University Press publication.

Come together, right now-
Over me

Beatles fans never pass up an opportunity to read a new book about the group, no matter how many others they have read in the past. The Beatles are endlessly fascinating and even after all these years, when one might wonder what there might be left to talk about that hasn’t already been analyzed to death, it turns out there are always fresh angles to explore and discuss.

Even if you aren’t a diehard fan of The Beatles, this book will still hold your interest, especially if you have any knowledge of recording technology or music history.

While there can be a little confusion about the last Beatles album- Abbey Road was the last official Beatles album all four members worked on together. (Let it Be was released after the group disbanded-and is a story for another day.)

In 1969, the group was coming apart at the seams. While the machine still rolled on, they were in the process of mentally and emotionally divorcing themselves from each other and the group as a whole, having moved on to other planes- at least spiritually, if not bodily.

You're asking me will my love grow
I don't know, I don't know
You stick around, now it may show
I don't know, I don't know

While their frustrations with legal matters, and their palpable burnout simmers within the pages of this book, the forefront of the book is focused on the various recording techniques used in the making of the album and how the songs and music came together to eventually become one of the best albums of all time.

The Moog synthesizer, stereophonic sound, eight track reel to reel, as opposed to 4- track and other studio polish and garnishes used for the first time by The Beatles, which contributes to its historical significance. Oddly enough, at the time, it was this production that led many critics to initially complain about its lack of authenticity.

Of course, the Alan Parsons name drop may also be of interest to those who were not aware of his participation in the making of this album. His most notable claim to fame, besides his own personal projects, was his work on ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ by Pink Floyd- and for his work on the Lord of the Rings movies.

It is amazing how this album came together, considering everything going on behind the scenes. The exciting studio wizardry juxtaposed against the turmoil within the band’s stratosphere, shows the various ways the music is symbolic and a mirror into the lives of the group at that time. While so many things The Beatles did musically inspired people and blazed trails artistically, The Abbey Road album influenced the way music was made and continued to be an example for years to come.

Overall, this is an interesting book, especially for Beatles fans, but also for anyone who enjoys music history.

Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun
Here comes the sun, and I say
It's all right ( )

Solid State: The Story of "Abbey Road" and the End of the Beatles from Kenneth Womack is a comprehensive and well-written account of the period around the making of their final album. For anyone reading reviews here to decide whether to read the book, let me just warn you about reviews on subjects, like The Beatles, that have a strong following. Just as I will do in just a moment, there will likely be a disclaimer about whether we are fans or not fans. Some will give the impression that they are all-knowing when it comes to the subject. That is both delusional and typical when the subject holds a special place in a person's heart and life. Read these (including mine) with a little grain or two of salt, it is hard to separate our fandom from our opinion of the book. Some will use their perceived vast knowledge to mark the book down while others will be such fans that they will love it simply because it says The Beatles. Now, back to your regularly scheduled programming.

I have been a big fan since I was little and listened to them then watched them on The Ed Sullivan Show. Did I have all their original albums? Yes, both US and UK versions (the perk of being a military kid). Have I read most of what has been written about them? probably not, a lot has been written and much of it hasn't been marketed on a large scale, but if you mean books and major publications both within the industry and without, then yes. Did I ever see them? No, my parents wouldn't let my sister take me to one of their shows. They meant well but I never completely forgave them. Do I remember when I heard they split up? Of course, I cried my eyes out even though I was 11 years old. Did I meet any of them? Yes, not while the Beatles were together and even then only in passing, Ringo at a party and Paul at a PR event. Of the three of us, I am sure I am the only one who remembers. With all this, do I know everything, or even almost everything about them? Seriously? No way!

Now the book. This is more than simply about how well they did or did not get along during sessions, though that is certainly a bi part of it. It is about those sessions, and the period surrounding those sessions for contextualization, as a whole. How there was tension but the music served as a mediator of sorts, how the introduction of new technology also served to keep them focused on what they were doing together rather than what they wanted to do separately, and most importantly perhaps what they meant, as an entity, to those working with them. This is not an account told through rose-colored glasses. Their flaws are on display as are their amazing gifts.

There is a nice mixture of tech talk here along with what was happening. The tech talk is not very complicated and is essential to the story as told, which is as much about progress and improvement as it is about ejecting that which is no longer working or isn't up to speed. This is true of equipment and is largely true of working relationships, especially artistic ones. Knowing what instruments each used, what modifications were made, and to what effect makes the creation of the album that much more compelling. How they made a guitar or drum set play warmer or more full-bodied, how some sounds were coerced from pianos and from electronics themselves.

Having greater access to the session tapes, which were often kept rolling, gives Womack the opportunity to better assess many of the sessions. There have been some interesting things written since some of those recordings were made available but this is a particularly inspired use of that information within a larger narrative rather than just pointing to certain sessions and what might have transpired in them. One is trivia for showing what one knows while the other is narrating a chapter in the story of The Beatles.

I highly recommend this to both fans of The Beatles as well as fans of music history. This covers one of the periods that, for me, causes an irrational feeling while reading. Kinda like reliving RFK's or MLK's assassination. I find myself deep inside thinking, or more accurately feeling/hoping, that somehow things will turn out different this time. And it never fails to hit me just as hard when the same thing happens again. In other words, yes, at 60 years of age, I cried once again at the break-up of The Beatles.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. ( )