Expert: Michael Scott - 9/5/2007

Question
Some of the drumming on the white album has a very unique sound - Don't pass me by, Cry baby cry, etc. Could you shed any light on the recording techniques/processing used to achieve this sound?

For example I read somewhere that for Sgt Peppers George Martin had Ringo overdub the drumming onto a speeded up version of the guide track, then slowed it back down to the normal tempo in playback to give the toms that boomy body.

It seems that 'Beatles sound' of the drums is often imitated but never replicated. Did they have a particular technique for achieving this sound?
 
Any help on this would be greatly appreciated, thankyou!  

Answer
Thanks for your question  , I am not a technical expert on the drumming technique used but I know overdubbing took place during the long process of recording the White Album  , and actually Paul played drums on a couple of tracks ( Back In the USSR , Dear Prudence ...) when Ringo walked out on the group . In fact on the White Album there wer few group efforts , often only 1 ,2 or 3 Beatles would appear on the tracks  . The best book on the subject is probably "Revolution - The Making Of The White Album" by David Quantick  , regards , Mike