Now this is a beautiful book: hardcover with lavish illustrations and much detail. The cover shows The Beatles, the Stones, Hendrix, The Who and Floyd in recording studios and the text focuses on recording the music that made Britain a world-beater.
Thus the only real quibble – several interesting studios and artists get left out (no reggae!). That said, the book is encyclopaedic on Abbey Road, Olympic, Trident, AIR and Joe Meek’s 304 Holloway Road. Massey writes with intelligence, detailing the famous studios and their clients, and his thoughts on the “British sound” are never jingoistic. Fans of Cream, Alexis Korner, Led Zep, the Stones and other British blues recordings will find much of interest (Mike Vernon’s Chipping Norton Studios are detailed here). With many studios now shut, this book offers a fine reflection on their glory days.
