Ken Scott - Early Career

Early Career

Ken Scott began at EMI Recording Studios (later renamed Abbey Road Studios) on January 27, 1964 at the age of 16. He received the traditional EMI studio training under veteran engineers like Malcom Addey and Norman Smith. His first job was in the tape library, and within 6 months he was promoted to 2nd engineer (known then as a "button pusher"), where his first session was on side 2 of The Beatles' A Hard Days Night.

Among the other artists he worked with as a button pusher were Manfred Mann ("Do Wah Diddy Diddy" was the first English No. 1 hit he worked on), Peter and Gordon, The Hollies, Judy Garland, Johnny Mathis, Cliff Richard and the Shadows, and Peter Sellers.

After a short time as an assistant engineer, Scott was promoted to "cutting" (known as mastering today), where he spent approximately two years cutting not only acetates for EMI artists, but the masters for many of the hits that EMI also distributed at the time, including the American Motown catalog.

In September of 1967, Scott was promoted to engineer, where his first session was with The Beatles on their song "Your Mother Should Know". His first orchestral recording session came a few days later when he recorded the strings, brass, and choir for The Beatles "I Am the Walrus". During his time with The Beatles, Scott also worked on the singles "Lady Madonna", "Hello, Goodbye", and "Hey Jude", as well as the Magical Mystery Tour and The Beatles albums. Many of the notable songs from those albums that he worked on include "The Fool on the Hill", "Helter Skelter", "Birthday", "Back in the U.S.S.R.", and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps".

As an engineer at EMI, Scott also worked with numerous other EMI artists including The Jeff Beck Group, Pink Floyd, The Pretty Things, Scaffold, and Mary Hopkin. Shortly after completion of the Procol Harum album A Salty Dog, he left EMI for the independent Trident Studios in late 1969 at the suggestion of Elton John producer Gus Dudgeon.