| |
McDonald, Kari, and Sarah Hudson-Kaufman (2001), "Everything I need to know about music I learned from the fifth Beatle. An introspection into George Martin's influence on the Beatles." In: Yrjö Heinonen, Markus Heuger, Sheila Whitely, Terhi Nurmesjärvi and Jouni Koskimäki (eds.), Beatlestudies 3. Proceedings of the Beatles 2000 conference. Jyväskylä: University of Jyväskylä (Department of Music, Research Reports 23), 2001, 273-282. |
| |
Throughout popular history there has been controversy as to the existence of a fifth Beatle. Personages such as Murray the 'K', Stuart Sutciiffe, and Pete Best have claimed or been given this title. This article aims at proving that this designation rightfully belongs to the Beatles' producer, George Martin by examining Martin's responsibilities as producer, orchestrator, realizer, and teacher. His contributions in arranging, recording, mixing and composing are emphasized. The interactive dynamics of Martin and the Beatles, including his role as a parent figure, are also discussed. A literature review indicates that Martin's career path paralleled that of the Beatles, divisible into four overlapping stages: Beatlemania (from "Love Me Do" to Rubber Soul), Experimentation (from "Yesterday" to Magical Mystery Tour), Dissolution (from "She's Leaving Home" to Let It Be), and Afterward (post-Beatles). Throughout the discussion, various group and solo tracks are compared and contrasted to illustrate the objective. |
