Ribbons of Rust: The Beatles’ Recording History in Context is a series designed to place the reader back into the times when The Beatles were producing their art and see and hear it through their ears: the sounds that captivated them and the developments that shaped their world.
The Beatles’ early years have largely been preserved in black & white, and the zeitgeist that influenced them and informed their art often seems, to contemporary observers, to be archaic and primitive: dated rock ‘n’ roll that looks laughably outdated in the 21st century (while the group’s own work still seems fresh and joyous). To view it that way would be to miss the point entirely: when the Beatles were absorbing this influence, it was new: not the oldies that we have long reduced it to, but the hits of the day.
Ribbons of Rust: The Beatles’ Recording History in Context is a series designed to place the reader back into the times when The Beatles were producing their art and see and hear it through their ears: the sounds that captivated them and the developments that shaped their world. Thus influenced, the books follow them into the studio, as well as the ad hoc environs where they preserved their sound onto recording tape—literally “ribbons of rust” (iron oxide bonded to polyethylene terephthalate).
Volume 1 is alive with colour, depicting contemporary ephemera that The Beatles would’ve been familiar with. To further deepen the experience, QR codes lead readers to the music, TV and British Pathé newsreels depicting the very music and history being discussed in the text. You can rock along with John, Paul, George and Ringo to the same sounds that inspired them, journey into the Hamburg Red Light district that proved to be their making, and be a fly on the wall as the group laid down their music in Liverpool, West Germany, and London on their road to Fabness.
Ribbons of Rust takes you back to the days when the four future adolescent Beatles were struck by the twin phenomenons of skiffle and rock ‘n’ roll, revealing how it led them down a path of self-discovery when they recognized that not only were they capable performers, but that two of them, working together, were world-class songwriters. The book examines every known instance that they committed sounds to tape and what went on in the room: how they were recorded, who was present, and what instruments were used.
Join them at every step—the Quarry Men recordings made at the Percy Phliips facility—the sessions backing Tony Sheridan in Hamburg—the failed Decca audition in London as well as the successful one at EMI—the two dates (and drummers) needed to successfully nail a releasable take of their debut Parlophone single, “Love Me Do,” as well as other known recordings (at the garden fête where John and Paul were formally introduced—at Paul’s home on Forthlin Road—backing “Wally” in Hamburg—live at the Star-Club). Beyond reading about what happened, readers can see for themselves with the richly illustrated text and diagrams as well as hear what’s being described.
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Award-winning author Robert Rodriguez has written extensively about The Beatles including Solo in the 70s and 2012’s acclaimed Revolver: How The Beatles Re-Imagined Rock ‘N’ Roll. He is a popular public speaker and has been a regular interviewee on radio and TV about the group. In addition to contributing numerous articles to Beatlefan magazine, Rodriguez is also the creator of the FAQ book series for Hal Leonard, the world’s largest print music publisher, and he maintains a daily archival page on Facebook where you can learn about the rock world the Beatles inhabited.
Robert is also the creator and host of Something About The Beatles podcast, the longest-running US-based Beatles podcast. With over 300 episodes and well-over 3 million downloads, the show has been written up in publications like Forbes and Radio and TV Mirror, while hosting hundreds of guests that include Peter Jackson, Alan Parsons, Pattie Boyd and Mike McCartney.
Jerry Hammack is a Canadian-American musician, producer, recording and mix engineer, and author living in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Author of the critically-acclaimed, best-selling series, The Beatles Recording Reference Manuals, he is also a contributing writer in the area of audio production and mixing, and has written numerous articles for Sonic Scoop and Produce Like A Pro. Jerry has presented his multi-media breakdowns of classic Beatles songs at academic conferences and events all over North America. Jerry is known for his advanced understanding of vintage recording techniques and their application in the digital domain. You can learn more about his work as a mix-engineer at www.jerryhammack.com
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