Alan Parsons has had the type of career you can only dream about. He served as an assistant engineer on the Let It Be and Abbey Road albums and produced Pink Floyd's epic Dark Side of the Moon. Additionally, he enjoyed--and still does--a successful solo career with his own Alan Parsons Project.

Now, for the first time, Parsons has taken all the knowledge he's gleaned from working with The Beatles, Al Stewart, The Hollies, Pilot, and many more and written it all down in his informative and beautifully illustrated new book. Parsons also produced a video series called Alan Parsons' Art and Science of Sound Recording. This book is meant as a companion piece to that.

Here, laid out in logical step-by-step fashion, are chapters on everything from studio acoustics, microphones, and consoles to recording drums, keyboards, bass, guitar, and even mixing. The book not only instructs you on how to record; there are also numerous anecdotal passages where Parsons talks about working with The Beatles and other artists.

You may never be in a studio with Paul McCartney, but if the occasion arises, you'll be ready after reading this book.