It’s a thing. Brits have similar problems with American stuff. I watch a lot of British TV and have learned to just ignore the problems they have presenting all things Yank. Just because we speak the same language doesn’t mean we speak the same language.
I’ve just finished the section of the book devoted to what feels like minute-by-minute coverage of the ATMP sessions. This is a compelling read; the next best thing to actually having been there, smacking a tambourine on “My Sweet Lord.” The brilliance of the book is in its pacing, and the manner in which familiar stories are woven together, spun with previously unknown details, to create a natural, flowing narrative.
I finished the book today, and first and foremost let me say I enjoyed it thoroughly. Oddly enough though, it wasn’t what I was expecting. It’s funny that Jason wanted to “do a Lewisohn” or however he put it up thread, because that’s exactly what I thought it was as I read it, and that’s a compliment. However, the book’s jacket/inner flap present it as the story of George and Eric’s friendship and how it survived throughout the years, not specifically about the recording details of those two albums. Not that I needed to read/reread the lurid details of all the infidelities, but I did anticipate more about the friendship’s ups and downs as well as their recording and stage interactions until George’s passing (“Cloud 9,” more from the Japan tour, etc.) So I guess my attempt at a constructive criticism is this: If it had been titled something as bland as “The ‘All Things Must Pass’ and ‘Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs’ Recording Sessions,” I still would’ve been all over this book but wouldn’t have been waiting for more of the “other” parts of the story. I love this subject matter anyway, but it’s also a great companion to the 50th anniversary of ATMP. I just feel like I need to reread it in a Lewisohn frame of mind as opposed to, say, a Philip Norman one. If you read this, Jason, congratulations. It really is well done. p.s. I like the shout out to Andrea of Harrisonarchive on Instagram in your Acknowledgements. She’s definitely worth a follow as well as the praise you gave her.
@Brother Maynard Thank you for the kind words. As far as the "George and Eric friendship" thing, that's unfortunately the work of marketing/publishing (right down to that jacket copy). I pushed for the subtitle to be "the making of their 1970 masterpieces" or something like that, but I lost out. Ken and I set out to write about the making of the MUSIC, but felt we also had to tell how both these guys got to where they were in 1970 in order to do that with the proper depth, so there's a lot of "setting the scene," which I realize can be confusing at the outset. I think the publisher struggled with how to sell the book in a way that reflects our exact approach, but this is very much the book we wanted to write, and it's been doing well. And we're glad when people respond the way you do because you're our audience, obviously!
If you're in Los Angeles, Ken and I will be doing a multimedia presentation on the book at the Grammy Museum on October 18. It features lots of goodies we found in our research, a cool little animation Ken made for one of George's songs, and de-mixes/elements mixes for a number of the recordings. Plus, if you go, you can ask me in person, "When is the next episode of the podcast?" All Things Must Pass Away: Harrison, Clapton, & Other Assorted Love Songs
Sorry, I must have missed this. What's the name of your podcast? p.s. I'm almost done with your book. Fantastic work. Thanks as I know this is a labor of love.
Thank you! The podcast is Producing The Beatles. Producing The Beatles : The Podcast I take for granted that everyone here knows about it, but the most-asked question is when the next episode will be. I've had a lot going on this year so I haven't been able to get new episodes out, but I'm working on two about the making of "My Sweet Lord" and "Isn't It A Pity."
I recently worked my way through all the Producing The Beatles episodes and it was brilliant! Great work! We absolutely need more of these and I very much look forward to the two ATMP episodes coming up!
In case anyone missed it in the ATMP thread, I'm bumping this to announce that the fully revised paperback edition of the book is now available. I think we fixed all the little errors noted above, but I also re-wrote the middle section of the book to integrate loads of new material we got from Mal Evans' diaries, which contain a session by session list of who played what. He had to make sure everyone got paid, so it makes sense that he wrote it all down. He made note of lots of other little details too, and we added an appendix with a complete sessionography based on Mal's diary entries combined with the material from the ATMP Uber box. I'm very excited to be able to share this with fans of All Things Must Pass.
Sorry, I mentioned that in the other thread. The publisher said it's a different ISBN so it is essentially a different book and won't be automatically updated, unfortunately.
Sorry to hear that, but thanks. I'd think that an e-book revision would be easier (less costly) to accomplish than a paperback.
Well, here on German Amazon the Kindle is said to drop on November 1. So I suspect that it may be updated, though we may need to purchase again. I wonder if there is a way to check from the preview. I do not own it yet, therefore I am not of much help here. Though it is kind of interesting that I can already purchase the paperback, released on June 20 2022. The bound book still gives July 20 2021 as release date, which is in line with the mentioned updated paperback. I just do not expect the audio book to get an upgrade as that really is a bit more challenging as long as there still are humans reading and we do not render the books from synthetic voices. (Note: I originally understood @Solaris' comment as to that the ebook will not be updated at all. So I hope this helps to get clarity, I may get my assumptions wrong, though as I fully rely on the sell pages. I am just a customer and reader.)
Oh I was unclear, sorry for the confusion. What @hEARt PhoniX says is correct. It will be updated but it won't update automatically. You have to purchase it separately.
