Post by abbey on Dec 9, 2004 18:20:17 GMT
A Day In The Life
A biography of Sir George Martin
Sir George Martin is widely acclaimed by both his fans and his peers as the most influential and prolific record producer in history. His overwhelming commercial success -- with an astonishing thirty number one UK hits under his belt -- remains unparalleled. No other producer has enjoyed a track record as creative or as versatile, as Sir George has produced over 700 recordings in a career spanning almost 50 years, and encompassing genres as diverse as jazz, blues, metal, avant-garde, classical, comedy, and film soundtracks. Although today frequently ascribed the title of the elusive "Fifth Beatle," Sir George’s life story began far from the clamour of the music industry. George Martin was born on 3 January 1926, in Holloway, North London, growing up with no formal musical training. However, the young George taught himself to play piano by ear, and by the age of sixteen was actively involved in his own school dance band. From 1943, he served with the British Fleet Air Arm as an observer in planes, and rose to the rank of Lieutenant. Paul McCartney later credited George Martin’s legendary composure to his time in military service, explaining, "He pulled it all together, you're ultimately responsible, you're the captain. I think that's where George got his excellent bedside manner. He'd dealt with navigators and pilots...he could deal with us when we got out of line."
Having been demobbed in 1947, George gained a place in London's Guildhall School of Music, where he studied composition and classical music orchestration, at the same time developing his talents in the piano and the oboe. After graduating, George officially entered the music industry in 1950, when he was hired as assistant to the then head of Parlophone Records, and was soon made responsible for overseeing the classical recordings for the label, which was an offshoot of the EMI Group. Over the years, George established himself as a jazz and light music producer, working with such names as Cleo Laine, Stan Getz, John Dankworth, Humphrey Lyttelton and Judy Garland. Yet he was eager to seek out new recording markets, and produced a string of hit comedy records with legends of British humour, including Peter Ustinov, Bernard Cribbins, Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, and, most notably, the Goons. In 1955, at the age of twenty-nine, he was appointed head of Parlophone, so becoming one of the youngest people ever to take the helm of a record label. In the early 1960s, he was keen to acquire successful pop artists, just as the Beatles' manager, Brian Epstein, was anxiously seeking a recording contract on behalf of the band. Having been turned down by major British labels Decca, Pye, Phillips, and even EMI itself, Brian approached George Martin, who at length drew up a recording contract, provisional upon the outcome of an audition set for 6 June, 1962.
When The Beatles first set foot in EMI's Abbey Road studio for their recording test, history was in the making. Balance engineer Norman Smith recalls the events of the evening: "At the end of it all George Martin said that we had been talking to them for quite some time...and was there anything they didn't like. George Harrison looked up and said to George, 'I don't like your tie.' I still maintain that was the turning point...They didn’t stop talking for an hour or more after that...they were so funny and had so much wit, we couldn’t stop laughing." George Martin impressed the Beatles, in turn, when it was revealed that he had produced the solo comedy records of Goons members Spike Milligan and Peter Sellers, whose surreal humour had long been admired by John and George, in particular. Having been satisfied, therefore, that the Beatles had fine pop potential, with their vocal harmonies and tremendous charisma, George Martin finalised the deal which was to be a turning point in music history, and Brian Epstein declared in his autobiography that "from that moment on they have been a dream of a team." In the years to come, Martin would produce not only the Beatles, but numerous other Merseyside artists under the wing of Brian Epstein, including Cilla Black, Gerry and the Pacemakers, and Billy J. Kramer. In 1963, records produced by George Martin held the number one position on the British charts for an unprecedented 37 weeks of the year.
Such heights of innovation and success could scarcely be imaginable had Brian Epstein not brought the Beatles to George Martin. It may have seemed an unlikely partnership at first -- a classically-trained, thirty-six-year-old Martin and four rough-edged lads from Liverpool -- but the relationship bloomed. In the words of Beatles biographer Ray Coleman, it was one which "began as record producer and young pop stars and then developed into that of a wise uncle, and eventually to friendship." When George Martin himself released an album of orchestral Beatles music in 1964, John Lennon penned the sleeve note: "Some of the sounds on the album may be new to you (and me), that's 'cause George has a great habit of matching unlikely instruments together (like a Jew's harp and a twelve-stringed finger) but the results are great and I think he should get a raise." In their first years together, George Martin directed the Beatles' recording sessions, guiding their early sound, and on his suggestion, their first number one disc in the UK, "Please Please Me," was transformed from its original incarnation as a slow, Roy Orbison-style ballad into an upbeat, commercially popular hit single. In years to follow, his classical influence would grow increasingly prevalent among the recordings, and shone through again in such tracks as "Eleanor Rigby," "In My Life" with its baroque-style middle eight, the classic crescendo of "A Day In The Life," and Yellow Submarine's "Pepperland Suite." However, growing disgruntled with EMI, George Martin left the firm at one point to form an independent production company called Associated Independent Recordings (AIR). EMI could well have assigned the Beatles another producer, but it was clear to all involved that such a successful team should not be divided, and Martin remained with the Fab Four throughout almost their entire career.
Beatles Historian Mark Lewisohn affirms that "George Martin was the perfect producer for the group -- creative, keen to experiment, willing to listen, an expert about music but nicely inexperienced in pop and rock, and a veteran of comedy-sound effects records." Indeed, George's experience with the Goons had provided him with a diverse repertoire of recording trickery, which came into play when the Beatles, worn by the pressures of live performance and touring, progressed in the studio to ever more complex tracks, including "Tomorrow Never Knows" and "I Am The Walrus." The creation of such masterpieces called for a mutual understanding between producer and artists, a partnership in which Martin's patient nature was invaluable. Musician Peter Asher, brother of Paul McCartney's former girlfriend Jane, and one half of Peter & Gordon, saluted Martin: "The Beatles were brimming over with brilliant ideas and radical concepts but it took extraordinary diplomacy, exceptional musical expertise, limitless patience and visionary clarity to bring these ideas to fruition and greatness. Sometimes George's genius was knowing when to jump in and offer musical advice; sometimes it was knowing when to go down to the canteen and have a cup of tea, letting them get on with whatever they were up to."
End of 1st part.
A biography of Sir George Martin
Sir George Martin is widely acclaimed by both his fans and his peers as the most influential and prolific record producer in history. His overwhelming commercial success -- with an astonishing thirty number one UK hits under his belt -- remains unparalleled. No other producer has enjoyed a track record as creative or as versatile, as Sir George has produced over 700 recordings in a career spanning almost 50 years, and encompassing genres as diverse as jazz, blues, metal, avant-garde, classical, comedy, and film soundtracks. Although today frequently ascribed the title of the elusive "Fifth Beatle," Sir George’s life story began far from the clamour of the music industry. George Martin was born on 3 January 1926, in Holloway, North London, growing up with no formal musical training. However, the young George taught himself to play piano by ear, and by the age of sixteen was actively involved in his own school dance band. From 1943, he served with the British Fleet Air Arm as an observer in planes, and rose to the rank of Lieutenant. Paul McCartney later credited George Martin’s legendary composure to his time in military service, explaining, "He pulled it all together, you're ultimately responsible, you're the captain. I think that's where George got his excellent bedside manner. He'd dealt with navigators and pilots...he could deal with us when we got out of line."
Having been demobbed in 1947, George gained a place in London's Guildhall School of Music, where he studied composition and classical music orchestration, at the same time developing his talents in the piano and the oboe. After graduating, George officially entered the music industry in 1950, when he was hired as assistant to the then head of Parlophone Records, and was soon made responsible for overseeing the classical recordings for the label, which was an offshoot of the EMI Group. Over the years, George established himself as a jazz and light music producer, working with such names as Cleo Laine, Stan Getz, John Dankworth, Humphrey Lyttelton and Judy Garland. Yet he was eager to seek out new recording markets, and produced a string of hit comedy records with legends of British humour, including Peter Ustinov, Bernard Cribbins, Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, and, most notably, the Goons. In 1955, at the age of twenty-nine, he was appointed head of Parlophone, so becoming one of the youngest people ever to take the helm of a record label. In the early 1960s, he was keen to acquire successful pop artists, just as the Beatles' manager, Brian Epstein, was anxiously seeking a recording contract on behalf of the band. Having been turned down by major British labels Decca, Pye, Phillips, and even EMI itself, Brian approached George Martin, who at length drew up a recording contract, provisional upon the outcome of an audition set for 6 June, 1962.
When The Beatles first set foot in EMI's Abbey Road studio for their recording test, history was in the making. Balance engineer Norman Smith recalls the events of the evening: "At the end of it all George Martin said that we had been talking to them for quite some time...and was there anything they didn't like. George Harrison looked up and said to George, 'I don't like your tie.' I still maintain that was the turning point...They didn’t stop talking for an hour or more after that...they were so funny and had so much wit, we couldn’t stop laughing." George Martin impressed the Beatles, in turn, when it was revealed that he had produced the solo comedy records of Goons members Spike Milligan and Peter Sellers, whose surreal humour had long been admired by John and George, in particular. Having been satisfied, therefore, that the Beatles had fine pop potential, with their vocal harmonies and tremendous charisma, George Martin finalised the deal which was to be a turning point in music history, and Brian Epstein declared in his autobiography that "from that moment on they have been a dream of a team." In the years to come, Martin would produce not only the Beatles, but numerous other Merseyside artists under the wing of Brian Epstein, including Cilla Black, Gerry and the Pacemakers, and Billy J. Kramer. In 1963, records produced by George Martin held the number one position on the British charts for an unprecedented 37 weeks of the year.
Such heights of innovation and success could scarcely be imaginable had Brian Epstein not brought the Beatles to George Martin. It may have seemed an unlikely partnership at first -- a classically-trained, thirty-six-year-old Martin and four rough-edged lads from Liverpool -- but the relationship bloomed. In the words of Beatles biographer Ray Coleman, it was one which "began as record producer and young pop stars and then developed into that of a wise uncle, and eventually to friendship." When George Martin himself released an album of orchestral Beatles music in 1964, John Lennon penned the sleeve note: "Some of the sounds on the album may be new to you (and me), that's 'cause George has a great habit of matching unlikely instruments together (like a Jew's harp and a twelve-stringed finger) but the results are great and I think he should get a raise." In their first years together, George Martin directed the Beatles' recording sessions, guiding their early sound, and on his suggestion, their first number one disc in the UK, "Please Please Me," was transformed from its original incarnation as a slow, Roy Orbison-style ballad into an upbeat, commercially popular hit single. In years to follow, his classical influence would grow increasingly prevalent among the recordings, and shone through again in such tracks as "Eleanor Rigby," "In My Life" with its baroque-style middle eight, the classic crescendo of "A Day In The Life," and Yellow Submarine's "Pepperland Suite." However, growing disgruntled with EMI, George Martin left the firm at one point to form an independent production company called Associated Independent Recordings (AIR). EMI could well have assigned the Beatles another producer, but it was clear to all involved that such a successful team should not be divided, and Martin remained with the Fab Four throughout almost their entire career.
Beatles Historian Mark Lewisohn affirms that "George Martin was the perfect producer for the group -- creative, keen to experiment, willing to listen, an expert about music but nicely inexperienced in pop and rock, and a veteran of comedy-sound effects records." Indeed, George's experience with the Goons had provided him with a diverse repertoire of recording trickery, which came into play when the Beatles, worn by the pressures of live performance and touring, progressed in the studio to ever more complex tracks, including "Tomorrow Never Knows" and "I Am The Walrus." The creation of such masterpieces called for a mutual understanding between producer and artists, a partnership in which Martin's patient nature was invaluable. Musician Peter Asher, brother of Paul McCartney's former girlfriend Jane, and one half of Peter & Gordon, saluted Martin: "The Beatles were brimming over with brilliant ideas and radical concepts but it took extraordinary diplomacy, exceptional musical expertise, limitless patience and visionary clarity to bring these ideas to fruition and greatness. Sometimes George's genius was knowing when to jump in and offer musical advice; sometimes it was knowing when to go down to the canteen and have a cup of tea, letting them get on with whatever they were up to."
End of 1st part.