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| Photo by Chris Ware/Keystone/Getty Images |
We have lost another great in the world of music. The Beatles became "The Beatles" (and one of my forever favorite groups) because of George Martin. I have had that discussion with several people over the years. Shaping the sound...bringing color to the studio...facilitating the experimentation...it's truly remarkable what the band were able to achieve with help from the producer, and it still holds up.
After hearing of his passing this morning, I was in for a treat during my drive to work, as I discovered local WRPI Radio basically playing the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album in its entirety...on vinyl, no less (you could hear the "pops!"). This reminded me of my first discovery of the Beatles at age ten, following the tragic death of John Lennon. Seeing my growing interest in the band, my mother kindly gave me her old vinyl copies of Sgt. Peppers and Abbey Road-- those two albums were really what sealed it for me. Martin, of course, played a huge part in both, bringing classical music elements to the sound, clever sound effects and notation, and adventures in stereo, all while leaving it enough room to breathe... I remember being entranced by that opening of "Come Together"... the creativity of the side two medley... and blown away by the eccentric and dramatic elements present throughout Sgt. Pepper's, building up to the melancholic "Day in the Life"... I would put these albums on in the early evening, and marvel at the musical journey I was experiencing...my first, really...
To you, Sir George, with sincere gratitude... you were the gold standard, and played a big part in igniting my passion for music and becoming a musician. R.I.P.
