Abbey Road: The Inside Story of the World’s Most Famous Recording Studio (with a foreword by Paul McCartney)

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So, they used to go to Hazel Yarwood [started at Abbey Road in 1947; no relevant experience other than familiarity with her dad’s classical record collection, and an ability to read music]. As we get closer to the present day, there's more opinion, with a definite undercurrent of nostalgia, which perhaps is understandable, and anyway never veers too close to grumpy old man territory. You also find that you get a potted history of recorded music itself - the progress of which was swift during the 20th century and revolutionized the way we listened to and purchased music, as well as the singers, musicians and studio technicians who made it all possible.

Long before and long after The Beatles, some of the best music in the world was born in those rooms and they are still carrying on as one of the best studios in the world. I’ve spent my life with the music of The Beatles and Pink Floyd , for example, but now I feel as if I was there at the recording sessions. The hardback is white with a black zebra crossing embossed on both front and back, and the spine has the title embossed onto a little road sign, too. And – as David Hepworth himself snuffles – a vignette featuring the cold virus: John Lennon’s rendition of Twist And Shout on Please Please Me – which sounds (as David wonderfully describes it) ‘like it was the last he would ever sing’ – achieved thanks to Lennon having flu.

And looking at the history of Abbey Road – the history of recorded performance – it wasn’t just the public who started out confused. He was involved in the launch and editing of magazines such as Smash Hits, Q, Mojo and The Word, among many others.

He was involved in the launch and editing of magazines such as Smash Hits, Q, Mojo and The Word, among many others. The poetry (more accurately described as italicized notes-to-self with line breaks) remains strewn liberally through the pages, often summarizing the takeaway or the emotional impact of the events described: "I was / and still am / an exceptionally / easy target. As an Anglophile, audiophile and unapologetic Beatles nerd, there was slim chance David Hepworth's book would be anything less than a hit with me - and it certainly delivered. Along with Mark Ellen and Alex Gold I'm running Word In Your Ear, which is all about events in "normal" times and is all about podcasts, videocasts and digital author events at the moment. Always intrigued when one landmark can pull in greatness from all corners of the world, this book captures everything from the artists themselves to the engineers and the groundbreaking discoveries.

Fascinating history of Abbey Road from 1931 when it was constructed in the gardens of a suburban Georgian villa. Biography: David Hepworth has been writing, broadcasting and speaking about music and media since the seventies. Apart from the odd time the writing strayed into pretentious music journo mode (especially towards the end), everything else about this was great and enjoyed it a lot.