Posted on 03/08/2016 11:18:15 PM PST by dfwgator
(CNN)Sir George Martin, the music producer whose collaboration with the Beatles helped redraw the boundaries of popular music, died Tuesday, according to his management company. He was 90.
Developing story - more to come
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
RIP
It's interesting that some view it that way. I view it as their best. If I could pick only one album out of my thousands to take to a desert island it would be that one. It is marred by "Revolution 9", though.
From the “History of the Eagles” (Netflix): Sir Martin wasn’t convinced that the Eagles had the talent it took for him to work with them. Starting out, while in the London studio with Martin, they played several songs they had written but Martin wasn’t impressed that they were worthy until they decided to sing “Seven Bridges Road”, he was blown away at the harmonizing. He went on to work with them on subsequent albums. Don Henley said that what he liked about working with Martin was that he demanded hard work and absolutely no drugs or alcohol in the studio, he learned the hard way while producing the Rolling Stones. Glen Fry didn’t agree with the policy, saying it was “bullsh!t”.
I suppose they thought they didn't need him anymore...they knew it all. Which is why the White Album is mostly crap with a few good songs here and there.
Early in their recording careers they listened to Martin when he told them a song was either bad or needed redoing. When they ditched him they allowed their rather large egos to make decisions for them.
Now, it is possible they simply ran out of good ideas by the time they split up. But I would bet getting rid of Martin didn't help. Certainly, McCartney's mostly crappy albums post-Beatles could have used Martin's musical expertise.
It's ironic that the only Beatle who I thought had consistently good music post-breakup was Harrison. He was the Beatle whose music Martin relegated to third place during the Beatles reign at the top.
Epstein didn't choose Martin. Epstein and the Beatles had been turned down by every major record label. In desperation Epstein went to EMI, who weren't really interested but gave them to staff producer George Martin at their comedy division, Parlophone, to see if he could do anything with them.
Regarding my earlier post:
Disregard it. I have the wrong producer. It wasn’t Martin, it was Glenn Jons.
Ooops. Sorry.
Classy gentleman- I saw years ago that his son was music director of The Beatles Love show in Vegas.
File under: Didn’t know he was still alive.
Those mop top Beatles were quite the sensation in their day.
I think Steely Dan and Gerry Rafferty were two of the greatest recording acts of all time.
RIP Sir George. Say hi to Messrs. Lennon, Harrison, Epstein, Evans, and Aspinall for us.
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The White Album was probably the last time I looked forward with great anticipation to a record release. I still recall when they finally arrived at the store and I got mine (I actually bought two thinking that they would be collector items).
And I remember that first listen. It was like an LSD trip. the songs were almost jarring in their intensity, the transitions so stark, and the emotions so manic. We found ourselves racing through the entire two-album set in one tremendous binge, only to go back and re-sample selections a second and third time.
I didn’t think it was their best work (for me that would either be Revolver or Rubber Soul) but it certainly was one of their most dramatic albums.
Lots of good songs on the White Album: Dear Prudence, Blackbird, Sexy Sadie, Helter Skelter, I’m So Tired, Back in the USSR and others.
RIP Sir George.
Especially All Things Must Pass, his triple album release of 1970, produced by Phil Spector. By that time Harrison had compiled quite a backlog of great unrecorded songs due to being relegated to (pretty much) only one song per album when he was with the Beatles. He must've felt like he was just let out of jail.
He made remarks to that effect after the Beatles broke up.
My wife (literally the girl-next-door) and I moved to LA/Hollywood just before White Album was released - a couple of 18y/o kids from Ohio.
I was listening to KHJ (may have been KRLA) on a Sat afternoon when the White Album was being played for the first time.
Between each track, a voice (guest of the DJ) was explaining the background of each song and what was happening in Abbey Road studio during that song.
That voice was George Harrison.
After hearing the entire album, I drove to a record shop on Sunset and bought the album.
Good times...
That was Glyn Johns - not George Martin - who first produced/engineered the Eagles.
Glyn Johns had a stellar resume of working with major superstar groups from Led Zeppelin to Who to Clapton as well as the initial production of the Beatles “Get Back” before Phil Spectre took control.
Another fun factoid on teh White Album...
Ken Scott took over from Geoff Emerick as the Beatles 3rd Engineer that began with the great Norman Smith who stayed thru Rubber Soul.
Martin did produce a few of Paul's solo albums, and he did produce Paul's theme to "Live and Let Die."
The Beatles broke up at precisely the right time, had they gone on further, their legacy would have been tarnished.
Good choices, Sam.
O/T, I hope to live long enough to see Yes inducted in the R&R Hall of Fame.
The period from 1964 to 1968 was an unbelievably productive era in modern music. About every 4-6 months, the Beatles issued a new album, whose music was radically different from the previous one. No doubt George Martin played a huge role in those productions.
Nowadays, an artist will issue a new CD, tour for 2-3 years before stepping back in the studio.
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