A Letter of Thank You to Sir George Martin, the Unofficial “Fifth Beatle” Who Passed Away Seven Years Ago Today

 

Dear Sir George Martin,

Fans of popular music, especially Beatles’ fans, would like to thank you. Thank you for taking the time to listen to what Brian Epstein had to say when nobody else did. After he was turned down by every other record company in London.

Thank you for having an open mind by broadening your horizons into rock And roll music. Especially since you had your personal tastes in classical. Something you would put to good use with The Beatles and others in later years.

Thank you for seeing in John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Pete Best, and Ringo Starr, what no one else saw. Even with their music limited ability at the time, you saw their charm. A charm that would win over the world just a couple of years later.

Thank you for not changing the dynamics of the band. Going against the grain, not just settling on one singer. Realizing that all four members of the band had the ability to perform lead vocals.

Thank you for thinking about the quality of the music above all else. It wasn't an easy decision to tell Brian Epstein that Pete Best just wasn't a good enough drummer for what the material warranted. Turns out in the end it was the right call.

Thank you for being open minded. Allowing The Beatles to develop into songwriters. Pretty much every other producer at the time would not have had the patience. You challenged them though, and told them to bring material to you stronger than the song written by an outside songwriter called "How Do You Do It" and you would release that instead. They would come back with "Please Please Me", a song that would go to number one, and give them the confidence they needed to keep writing.

Thank You for reinventing the role of what a producer was. Before you, producers were considered task masters who felt the artists were beneath them. Never listening to their ideas or suggestions. You would change all of that. Treating The Beatles more as peers, always willing to listen to what they had to say. Even using one of their ideas if you felt it would make the music better. From that point onward, The Producer became like another member of the band.

Thank you for calling out Capitol Records in America who felt that The Beatles wouldn't amount to anything. Calling their bluff by issuing The Beatles music to smaller companies like Vee Jay, Swan, and Tollie to prove your point. Finally, because of your persistence, Capitol (who never deserved their music) would wake up to release "I Want To Hold Your Hand." The rest is history.  

Thank you for never having the word "Can't" in your vocabulary. Whenever any member of the band wanted a song to sound a certain way, you would explore a way to make it work. Turning the studio into a tool, creating new sounds, new ways to make a voice or instrument sound. Even playing a song backwards if needed. Without you, songs like Strawberry Fields Forever, Paperback Writer, Rain, and even the Sgt Pepper album probably wouldn't even exist today.  

Thank you for your brutal honesty with George Harrison on his songwriting. It had to be difficult to tell him some of his songs were not up to par to be on a Beatles album. Turns out that is exactly what he needed to hear to push himself to write excellent songs which he eventually did.

Thank you for your amazing work as an arranger. Making great songs even better with your classical training. From Yesterday to Eleanor Rigby, to Goodnight just to name a few.

Thank You for coming back after "the winter of discontent" during the "Get Back/Let It Be" sessions. Most other producers never would have worked with the band again. Especially the disrespectful way you were treated. Yet, you swallowed your pride, came back, and helped The Beatles go out on top with the legendary Abbey Road album. One of your greatest production jobs of all.

Thank You for always being there for all of The Beatles, especially Paul McCartney after the break up. Helping Paul with an incredible arrangement of Live And Let Die, along with helping Paul cope through music after John was killed. Always being available to him as a father figure.

Thank you for always being an absolute gentleman. Never taking cheap shots at any of the Beatles. Even when John Lennon especially was taking shots at you in the early 70s. You never exaggerated things, always told your stories straight. Giving us all insight on what those days were like.  

Thank you for your amazing work on The Beatles Anthology, and Love projects. Plowing through thousands of old tape reels, finding incredible demos, and outtakes fans now consider the holy grail. Even finding old acetates that included Pete Best, making things right with him by allowing him to finally get royalties off a Beatles album, which would make him a millionaire.

Thank you for all of the other work you did outside The Beatles. Artists from Kenny Rogers, Cheap Trick, Jeff Beck, America, and many others all got to witness your brilliance, and gave all of us some great music.

Thank you for making sure that your legacy, and the legacy of the music you spent your life producing, remains in good hands with your son Giles. The past few years he’s done you proud with a true stereo remix of the “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club” Band” album. Also a new mix of the “White Album” in 2018, “Abbey Road” the following year, also the “Let It Be” and “Revolver box sets that arguably brought out more than ever the true genius of the work you did. You left the “keys to your home” in the right hands.

Simply Stated. Thank you for everything Sir George Martin. You may be gone, but your legacy will live on forever, because you will always be the greatest, most influential Producer/Arranger of all time.

Sincerely,
Not Just Beatles’ Fans, but All Fans of Popular Music.

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                         George Martin (January, 3, 1926 - March 8, 2016)