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 Oasis and Paul Simon? Or the haunted perfectionism of Michael Jackson and Phil Spector? 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 Classic Tracks, New York Times best-selling author Richard Buskin unearths the real stories behind 68 seminal recordings, including:

• How John Lennon put his 15-month drink-and-drugs-fueled “lost weekend” on hold to nail his first U.S. solo No. 1.

• Why the Sex Pistols were forced to hide out 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.

• Why the Police required a referee as much as a producer during the fight-filled sessions for “Every Breath You Take”.

• How two divorces and one very public intra-band breakup didn't stop Fleetwood Mac from recording “Go Your Own Way”.

• How the Rolling Stones completed 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 original interviews and the recollections of artists, producers, and engineers to tell the inside story of an era-defining recording, with in-depth information – including rare original studio photos, lyrics and track sheets – about the relevant recording techniques and creative processes.

Starting with Les Paul (1951) and closing with the xx (2009), via reocrdings by David Bowie, Miles Davis, the Doors, Marvin Gaye, Jimi Hendrix, Elton John, Madonna, Metallica, the Pogues, Rihanna, the Who, and many more, Classic Tracks offers a rare insight into the mindsets and unique talents of the finest musical artists of the past six decades, and reveals how – often against the odds – some of the all-time biggest-selling, most influential records came into being.