Good Night Sir George Martin – A Great Influence On Me
Living to 90 is a great, long life.
Contributing to popular culture and art for many decades is arguably more important to simply living to be 90 years old.
Having a unique experience gives a person a unique aspect to creating art. Sir George Martin certainly had a unique experience. Without his unique experience, the Beatles may have just been another Dave Clark Five …
His family made the ridiculous decision to purchase a piano for the family home when George as a mere six years old.
When he was a young teen, a person in school authority made the ridiculous decision to invite a symphony orchestra to perform for his school.
If it had not been for these sparks of music in Sir George’s young life – would we have a lot of the music we have enjoyed over a long period in the latter 20th century? I say not. Art is important in the young experience.
He began with symphonic music. He then tripped into doing countless comedy recordings in the 1950s. It could be these comedy performance recordings with Peter Sellers and Peter Ustinov (as well as other comedy greats) so early that allowed him to digest pop music later.
Those spoken comedy recordings no doubt gave him a great understanding of producing the voice well in recordings. His early work in classical music is maybe why the early Beatles recordings had a more “brittle” sound of the instruments while the singing voices were so well done.
OK – I will say it – Sir George Martin never seemed to understand how to properly record a bass instrument.
If he had, Paul McCartney on his Hofner electric bass would have been better pronounced. It was always just a deep thud with a quick decay. No sustain. No definition. But to be fair – on radio and in recordings in those days, the playback could rarely define anything below 400 hertz other than reproducing sonic mud.
George Martin brought class to the Beatles. The Beatles brought a pop ear to George Martin.
As I and many in the world celebrate Sir George Martin’s life and musical achievements, I can’t help thinking how small influences add up to big achievements.
Go out and make the ridiculous decision to buy a real piano for your home that has little children present. Take them to a symphony concert when they are young teens. Bear the burden of your young child plinkling all those bad notes … Do it for them!
Who knows the end result?
You will be investing in the world’s future! At the very least, you will be investing in your own future no matter what your children turn out to be.
Category: Featured, Tony Rollo Blog
