What really went on behind the doors of the world's top studios while
recording the Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and R.E.M.? How did
producers deal with the legendary egos of Oasis and Paul Simon? Or the
haunted perfectionism of Michael Jackson and Phil Spector? And how -
between the drugs, the sex, the tiffs and the tantrums - did some of the
most iconic tracks of our times ever get recorded? In Classic Tracks,
New York Times best-selling author Richard Buskin unearths the real
stories behind 68 seminal recordings, including: - How John Lennon put
his 15-month drink-and-drugs-fueled "lost weekend" on hold to nail his
first U.S. solo No. 1. - Why the Sex Pistols were forced to hide out in
the studio as police investigated complaints about them during a session
for God Save the Queen. - How Donna Summer's "Love to Love You Baby" was
extended to enhance the sex life of the record company's president. -
Why the Police required a referee as much as a producer during the
fight-filled sessions for "Every Breath You Take". - How two divorces
and one very public intra-band breakup didn't stop Fleetwood Mac from
recording "Go Your Own Way". - How the Rolling Stones completed their
smash hit "Start Me Up" - without spending any time together in the
studio. From rock to rap, pop to hip-hop, soul to metal, punk to disco,
and jazz to electronica, each chapter draws on original interviews and
the recollections of artists, producers, and engineers to tell the
inside story of an era-defining recording, with in-depth information -
including rare original studio photos, lyrics and track sheets - about
the relevant recording techniques and creative processes. Starting with
Les Paul (1951) and closing with the xx (2009), via reocrdings by David
Bowie, Miles Davis, the Doors, Marvin Gaye, Jimi Hendrix, Elton John,
Madonna, Metallica, the Pogues, Rihanna, the Who, and many more, Classic
Tracks offers a rare insight into the mindsets and unique talents of the
finest musical artists of the past six decades, and reveals how - often
against the odds - some of the all-time biggest-selling, most
influential records came into being.
