Полная история записи песен The Beatles: 1962–1970

Beatles reference book by Mark Lewisohn
information on the Beatles' recording sessions

The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions (subtitled The Official Story of the Abbey Road Years 1962–1970) is a 1988 reference book on the English rock band the Beatles written by Mark Lewisohn. It was published by Hamlyn in the UK and by Harmony Books in the US. The book is written in the form of a diary, documenting each day from 1962 through 1970 that the Beatles spent in a recording session or producers and engineers spent mixing and editing their music. The book has been widely described as an "essential" reference book for study of the band.

In the early 1980s, John Barrett, a balance engineer employed by EMI, found himself unoccupied while undergoing chemotherapy. Ken Townsend, the General Manager of Abbey Road Studios, later recalled suggesting Barrett keep his mind engaged by listening to the Beatles' session tapes and write down information pertaining to them. The book includes a one page preface by Ken Townsend and a ten page interview between Lewisohn and Paul McCartney. Each entry first notes the date; the studio location, usually EMI or Apple Studios; the session time; the songs recorded or mixed, including the number of takes; and the names of the producer and engineers involved. Lewisohn then writes about the details of the particular session, such as overdubbing, false starts and studio chatter, as well as information about session musicians, orchestration and any other related information. He discusses the fate of various session tapes, the differences between mono and stereo mixes and the technical advancements first pioneered on the Beatles' recordings. UK release dates of singles, albums and EPs are also mentioned, discussing their chart success and sales numbers. Following the diary entries, the book includes a complete discography of all the Beatles' UK and US releases, including singles, EPs and albums. It concludes with a glossary of recording industry terms and a note from Townsend on the recording technology used by the band.

The book has been widely described as an "essential" Beatles reference book, required reading for anyone attempting a serious study of the band. In Michael Brocken and Melissa Davis's guide to Beatles literature, The Beatles Bibliography, they describe it as "one of the cornerstones of Beatles scholarship", and authors Stuart Shea and Robert Rodriguez characterise it as "[p]ossibly the most important Beatles book ever published", writing it was a "landmark" by providing the general public with so much previously unknown information. Later writers have relied heavily on the book's research, such as Ian MacDonald and Mark Hertsgaard, who each described it as being indispensable for the research of their own books, Revolution in the Head (1994) and A Day in the Life (1995), respectively. Hertsgaard further writes it is "superb, but superb in the way an encyclopedia is superb", contending that it provides much more than the typical reader would expect, leaving a book that "focuses more on the trees than on the forest". Critic Tim Riley writes the book is "indispensable for close listening", and concludes its research is "invaluable but not imperfect". He criticises Lewisohn for writing more like a fan than a critic, with his descriptions reliant on adjectives like "brilliant" rather than evaluating a recording's "color, texture and mood". Colin Fleming of Rolling Stone magazine similarly finds Lewisohn's descriptions of songs lacking, while still retaining an ability to make the listener feel engrossed in the particular recording session. Writing for Pitchfork in 2018, Stephen Thomas Erlewine also finds the book absorbing in its narrative of particular sessions. Author Chris Ingham writes that the book is useful for researchers while also being an easy read due to "Lewisohn's neutrally enthusiastic tone". The book was one of the first to document a band or artist through their recording sessions. Similar books covering Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix were written following its release. In the introduction to his 1995 book on Dylan's recording sessions, Clinton Heylin acknowledges that Lewisohn's book remains "perhaps the best known 'sessionography. David Hunter of the University of Texas at Austin describes the book as a "bio discography" – a portmanteau of biography and discography – illustrating the Beatles' progression and story through study of their recorded music. He writes that it serves as "the standard by which all bio discographies will be measured". Lewisohn's 1992 book, The Complete Beatles Chronicle, combines the work of The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions with The Beatles Live! to provide an exhaustive day by day account of the group.