10 Great Beatles Moments We Owe to George Martin
The identity of the true "fifth Beatle" has been hotly debated for half a century, but the strongest case can be made for Sir George Martin. The band's trusted and loyal producer, Martin served as expert and conspirator, taskmaster and mad scientist, friend and father figure throughout the band's studio life. He shaped their songs in ways that are seldom appreciated but impossible to forget.
Unlike most producers of his era, his creative daring fostered an environment where it was acceptable to explore and expand the realm of the possible. He played with the Beatles, in every sense of the word — by picking up an instrument, or merely indulging their curiosity and translating their abstract musical fantasies into reality. "He was always there for us to interpret our strangeness," recalled George Harrison. It's difficult, and frightening, to imagine the Beatles' artistic trajectory had they been paired with anyone else. His role as a confidant, advocate and realizer cannot be overstated.
These are 10 of our favorite moments in the Beatles' catalog that we owe to George Martin.
"Please Please Me" (1963)
When John Lennon and Paul McCartney first played "Please Please Me" for George Martin during their second EMI recording session on September 4th, 1962, the song was miles away from the uptempo tune that would become their first Number One. "At that stage 'Please Please Me' was a very dreary song," Martin recalled to historian Mark Lewisohn. "It was like a Roy Orbison number, very slow, bluesy vocals. It was obvious to me that it badly needed pepping up." He suggested they speed it up double-time, and suddenly they had a hit on their hands. "We were a bit embarrassed that he had found a better tempo than we had," admitted McCartney in The Beatles Anthology.
By: Jordan Runtagh
Source: Rolling Stone
