# Rock Bio: Sound Man by Record Engineer/Producer Glyn Johns **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 11, 2015, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-bio-sound-man-by-record-engineer-producer-glyn-johns/740167 "2015-12-11T15:19:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2015, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-bio-sound-man-by-record-engineer-producer-glyn-johns/740167/1 "2015-12-11T15:19:21Z")
Amazon link here: [http://www.amazon.com/dp/0399163875/?tag=mh0b-20&hvadid=7002847395&hvqmt=b&hvbmt=bb&hvdev=c&ref=pd\_sl\_4vw8f703tg\_b](http://www.amazon.com/dp/0399163875/?tag=mh0b-20&hvadid=7002847395&hvqmt=b&hvbmt=bb&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_4vw8f703tg_b) If you are in this thread, I will assume you know who Glyn Johns is. Involved deeply with the creation of foundational works by the Beatles, Stones, Zep and everyone freakin’ else. The book is good - a superfast read because he just moves through each AMAZING, Mount Rushmore of rock moment rather quickly. He doesn’t dwell long enough to get a rich sense of the players. He is not coy and is complimentary, critical and has his own ego, but at the end of the book, I couldn’t recall exactly who he liked and disliked. I would put this on the second tier. For a better producer’s-eye-view of history, I would recommend **Geoff Emerick’s Here, There and Everywhere** as a better book, and the documentary **Tom Dowd: The Language of Music** as best example of this sub-category, bar none. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2015, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-bio-sound-man-by-record-engineer-producer-glyn-johns/740167/2 "2015-12-11T15:31:27Z")
I agree with your assessment of Glyn Johns’ book. Not so much with Geoff Emerick’s book; he spent way too much time putting down the other three Beatles in comparison to McCartney. Joe Boyd’s [book](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Bicycles) was much better, IMO. I was pretty impressed with Tony Visconti’s book, too. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2015, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-bio-sound-man-by-record-engineer-producer-glyn-johns/740167/3 "2015-12-11T15:39:03Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > I agree with your assessment of Glyn Johns’ book. Not so much with Geoff Emerick’s book; he spent way too much time putting down the other three Beatles in comparison to McCartney. > > Joe Boyd’s [book](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Bicycles) was much better, IMO. I was pretty impressed with Tony Visconti’s book, too. Fair point about Emerick - he is not fond of George’s playing until George shares Something with him in early form. But he gives a great “you are there behind the scenes” feel with The Beatles, richer than Glyn Johns’ stories. I enjoyed Boyd’s. Haven’t read Visconti’s but will check it out. I will also offer **Al Kooper’s Backstage Passes and Backstabbing Bastards** as another very worthy read. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2015, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-bio-sound-man-by-record-engineer-producer-glyn-johns/740167/4 "2015-12-11T15:50:01Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > I will also offer **Al Kooper’s Backstage Passes and Backstabbing Bastards** as another very worthy read. Thanks for the tip, will have a look for that. ETA: I have Nile Rodgers’ book queued up on my Kindle, I expect that’ll be a fun read and include many cool recording studio stories. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2015, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-bio-sound-man-by-record-engineer-producer-glyn-johns/740167/5 "2015-12-11T19:48:14Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > Thanks for the tip, will have a look for that. > > ETA: I have Nile Rodgers’ book queued up on my Kindle, I expect that’ll be a fun read and include many cool recording studio stories. I really enjoyed his book _Le Freak_ - plenty of stories, told well. Nile’s lived a helluva life.