Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Back in 2017, SATB featured a conversation with Ken Womack on the publication of volume one of his George Martin biography, Maximum Volume (here). In late 2018, volume two emerged, this one taking up the story where George Martin resumed production chores with The Beatles, this time as an independent contractor. It marked the era of their highest artistic achievement as well as an eventual erosion in relations between producer and proteges. This discussion also covers the post-Beatles years and Sir George Martin’s other productions, as well as his curation of The Beatles’ latter-day collections.
More about Sound Pictures: The Life of Beatles Producer George Martin (The Later Years 1966 – 2016) here
More about Ken’s new novel, I Am Lemonade Lucy here
Check out Ken’s site here
Great episode – I’ve read all of the books by each of you and still learned new stuff in every passage of this podcast. Waiting with bated breath for the Abbey Road stuff.
Look forward to the Abbey Road book!
The Beatles’ resentment of Martin also stemmed from documentaries like ‘The Compleat {sic.} Beatles’ that featured extensive commentary by Martin and gave him a lot of credit for their success. Not just John got in their digs. In the last part of Anthology, Paul commenting about Martin, says that ‘familiarity was breeding contempt’.
But George Martin was fundamental to the Beatles sound and records where he was sidelined or excluded, as in the case of the White Album and Free As a Bird, suffered from a lack of unity or quality of the overall feel and sound. As mentioned, ‘All Things Must Pass’ best highlights how producers can make or break songs however good they are. I find most of that album fairly unlistenable nowadays whereas I will be listening to Beatles albums to my dying days.
To me George Martin will always be the 5th Beatle. An innovator and genius producer. He had great ears !!!!
Nice episode..
Wise words about John – a man who would never be older than 40 years. We have to take that in consideration about a lot of his quotes and comments
Another well presented podcast – “world’s greatest lover” is a revelation! George Martin was the master at producing and recording ‘voice’ indeed.
It is important to remember that The Beatles were only in the 20’s in the 1960’s and our brains are not fully developed until we’re 25 so that could them irrationally being jealous of George who deserved more credit from them. Love the work Robert and Ken do.
Great show. All your shows are thoroughly enjoyable and beyond fun. Thank you!!!
I find the question of ‘68/’69 interesting, particularly the dissonance between the Beatle events of that period, and the Beatle memory of those events. I think Ken Womack is right: John’s dope addiction can illuminate a lot of those questions. As a recovering opioid addict myself, I know if one were to ask me to give my impression of the year 2012 – which was the peak of my dope habit – I would describe it in dark terms. However, one could provide evidence to the contrary, such as moments of happiness or productive behavior. But since I tend to remember extended periods of time in snapshots, my overall impression of that period is negative. Likewise, it seems John’s dope habit had a much more deleterious effect on Beatle event and memory than I previously knew. Anyways, it is certainly a subject I plan to explore further.