Classic Tracks

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 the Bee Gees, Madonna and the Police? Or the haunted perfectionism of Michael Jackson, Phil Spector and Whitney Houston? 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 the first place? In Classic Tracks, New York Times best-selling author Richard Buskin unearths the real stories behind 75 seminal recordings, including: · How John Lennon put his 15-month drink-and-drugs-fueled lost weekend on hold to nail his only number 1 hit · Why the Sex Pistols were allowed to sleep 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 · How hard-boiled Southern musicians coped with Bob Dylan's unconventional work methods · Why the Police required a referee as well as a producer during the volatile sessions for Every Breath You Take · How the Rolling Stones recorded 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 the recollections of engineers, producers and artists to tell the inside story of an era-defining recording, with detailed information about the equipment and recording techniques used. From Les Paul (1951) to the xx (2009), and with tracks from Elton John, the Doors, Public Enemy, the Who, Fleetwood Mac and many, many more, Classic Tracks offers a rare insight into the mindsets and creative processes of the finest musical artists of the past six decades, and reveals how - often against the odds - some of the all-time biggest-selling recordings came into being.