Update (3/9/08)

Update (3/8/08)

It was an honor for me to have interviewed Norman last March, in advance of his Fest For Beatles Fans appearance. He was a true gentleman, and spoke candidly and humbly about his storied career. I've got it posted on my audio website, if anyone wants to hear it: http://www.andregardner.com/audio.

I just heard from an associate of former Beatles engineer Norman Smith that Norman died Tuesday 4/4/08 at 1:30am. It's amazing, when you think about it, the impact that man had on the sound and the music of The Beatles. His engineering and ear created the sound of Beatlemania - "She Loves You," "I Want to Hold Your Hand" - all the way through "Rubber Soul" - all bore the touch of Norman Smith. A great loss.

Hi everyone:

I don't know if the word is getting around, but I just thought I'd let everyone know about the passing of the Beatles' first recording engineer Norman "Hurricane" Smith yesterday, March 3rd. He was 85. As most of you know, Norman was the Beatles' primary recording engineer under George Martin from 1962 until 1965. He was promoted in 1965 and was replaced by Geoff Emerick. It was Norman who recorded every note The Beatles played from "Love Me Do" through the "Rubber Soul" LP.

Norman made his first-ever (and only) convention appearance at the New Jersey Fest For Beatles Fans last year. I was able to spend some private time with Norman and his wife Eileen at the show and found him to be a true gentleman - kind, quiet and unassuming. Norman was utterly astonished by the reception he received in New Jersey. He'd thought everyone had forgotten him. I corresponded with him several times in the past year and he always expressed his appreciation of The Beatles fans who were so kind to him at that fest. He was supposed to have made his second fest appearance in Chicago last year, but between the time of the New Jersey fest in March and the Chicago fest in August, he became seriously ill and had to cancel his Chicago appearance. He had so looked forward to meeting with the fans again and was so disappointed not to be able to make it.

The final version of Norman's book "John Lennon Called Me Normal" is forthcoming and I hope each of you will buy a copy and enjoy a really good read. It covers his life as an RAF glider pilot, his earliest days as a recording engineer at the EMI Abbey Road Studios, his tenure with The Beatles and his work with Pink Floyd. It also covers Norman's own moment in the spotlight in the early 1970s as recording artist "Hurricane" Smith. His self-penned tune "Oh Babe, What Would You Say?" was a #1 hit here in the States in 1972 - recorded when Norman was 49 years old! Norman's book will be part of a wonderful legacy and I'm thrilled to have been able to contribute to it in some small way.

So tonight, say a prayer for Norman and remember his work when you listen to those early Beatles albums. If you have a copy of "Oh Babe, What Would You Say?", give it a spin and be glad that Norman came our way.

Steve,

Norman Smith ABSOLUTELY made me the audiophile I am today! He certainly was a profound influence on Geoff Emerick and Ken Scott, his successors, as well. Listen to all the non-EMI bands from the era: The DC5, the mono Zombies singles, the Who, Kinks & Yardbirds . . . The difference Norman made was profound and obvious. No other act in the UK was sonically at the same level. (Only Tony Hatch's productions came close, and that was almost 2 years later)

Norman made sure that McCartney's bass cabinet was rattle-free during their 1962 audition with staff producer Ron Richards. And, of course, on the 2-track albums that followed Witht The Beatles and Please Please Me (after that of course Macca could afford decent gear).

The stereo version of 'Beatles For Sale' is a high water mark for me in four-track recording. Over the years, I've bought the album Japanese, Dutch, MFSL and UK pressed just to make sure I always have a pristine condition copy of this landmark.

Anyone at all interested in the sound of the Beatles' records is HIGHLY encouraged to seek out the coffee table book 'Recording the Beatles' by Curvebender Press.

Thom Osburn / Atlanta, GA
(author of the now defunct Searchers fan site on Geocities)

In 1967, Smith began working with Pink Floyd, producing their albums "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn," "A Saucerful of Secrets" and "Ummagumma" at Abbey Road Studios. In an interview from 1973, Floyd drummer Nick Mason talks about working with Smith:

Q: Was Norman Smith another individual with indisputable importance in Pink Floyd's career?

NM: Norman Smith, better known now as Hurricane Smith, led us to EMI, our record home, and was our producer for a long time. Taught us a lot of things in the studio.

Q: Did he leave you or did you leave him?

NM: We left him, because we wanted to produce our own albums. He helped us a lot, since he was simultaneously a musician, sound engineer and producer. He can do anything in the studio. In fact he has a very peculiar style, and a very peculiar sound. Just listen to his records. But we also wanted to have our own sound!

Smith also became a recording artist in his own right (write) with number 1 U.S. Cashbox hit, "Oh Babe, What Would You Say?"

Smith released a new CD, "From Me To You," in 2004 that included new recordings of his hits, "Don't Let It Die" and "Oh Babe, What Would You Say?", and liner note contributions from Paul McCartney and Pink Floyd. An autobiography, originally announced as "The Sound of the Beatles," made its debut at the Fest for Beatle Fans in 2007 as "John Lennon Called Me Normal," according to Wikipedia. A mass market edition was supposed to have been released last summer.

(Source-Wikipedia. Thanks to Rich Firestone. Andre Gardner and Tom Frangione.)