I'm just reading this book at the moment and it's a nice read so far.
Here's what me made laugh out loud:
He talks about recording 'Tomorrow Never Knows"
....John said, "Make me sound like the Dalai Lama chanting from a mountaintop."
"....I think I have an idea about what to do for John's voice," I announced to George (Martin) in the control room as we finished editing the loop. Exitedly, I explained my concept to him. Though his brows furrowed for a moment, he nodded his assent.
Then he went out into the studio and told the four Beatles, who were standing around impatiently waiting for the loop to be constructed, to take a tea break while "Geoff sorts out something for the vocal."
Less than half an hour later, Ken, our maintenance engineer, had the required wiring completed. Phil and I tested the apparatus, carefully placing two microphones near the Leslie speakers. It certainly sounded different enough; I could only hope that it would satisfy Lennon. I took a deep breath and informed George Martin that we were ready to go.
Setting down their cups of tea, John settled behind the mic and Ringo behind his kit, ready to overdub vocals and drums on top of the recorded loop; Paul and George headed up to the control room. Once everyone was in place and ready to go, George Martin got on the talkback mic: "Stand by....here it comes." Then Phil started the loop playing back. Ringo began playing along, hitting the drums with a fury, and John began singing, eyes closed, head back.
"Turn off your mind, relax and float downstream..." Lennon's voice sounded like it never had before, eerily disonnected, distant yet compelling. The effects seemed to perfectly complement the esoteric lyrics he was chanting. Everyone in the control room looked stunned. Through the glass we could see John begin smiling. At the end of the first verse, he gave an exuberant thumbs-up and McCartney and Harrison began slapping each other on the back.
"It's the Dalai Lennon!" Paul shouted...."
"...Moments later, the first take was complete and John and Ringo had joined us in the control room to listen to it. Lennon was clearly bowled over by what he was hearing. "That is bloody marvelous," he kept saying over and over again. Then he addressed me directly for the first time that evening, adopting his finest snooty upper-class accent. "I say, dear boy," he joked, "tell us all precisely how you accomplished that little miracle."
I did my best to explain what I had done and how a Leslie worked, but most of it seemed to go over John's head; all he really got out of it was the concept of a rotating speaker. In my experience there are few musicians who are technically savvy - their focus is on the musical content and nothing else, which is as it should be - but Lennon was more technically challenged than most.
"Couldn't we get the same effect by dangling me from a rope and swinging me around the microphone instead?" he asked innocently, throwing the others into paroxysms of laughter....."
