Not great literature, but readable enough, and all students of Beatles recordings should read it.

In addition to the obvious (good Beatles stories and documentation of Emerick's profound recording innovations) what's special here is the emotional and environmental truth. I really got a feeling for the place and time; it's much grimmer than I previously understood. Emerick has great recall for the smells, the heat, the meals, the hallways, etc. He is not shy about saying how he feels about people and institutions, and the book is stronger for it.

I really wish there was less laser-focus on the Beatles content. There are great tiny stories about other artists Emerick worked with (Judy Garland, various classical conductors), but it seems like they thought no one would care about these. Emerick recorded the Zombies' "Odyssey and Oracle" but that only gets half a sentence in the book. A shame. It would also be nice to have a bit more personal content, too; the little snippets we get of Emerick's family life, social life, commutes, etc. are interesting and humanizing.

The book suffers greatly from "as told to" padding, reconstituted dialogue, and apparently careless factchecking. Some of the now-famous factual errors are relevant, but many aren't, because trainspotting facts are not the strength or attraction here. Read this for the feeling and perspective.