Rest In Peace, George Martin

And the hole in pop culture's fabric continues to widen with the passing of Sir George Martin, a true genius who was known for producing everything from albums of classical music to comedy albums with Peter Sellers in the 40s and 50s. But he is perhaps best known for his groundbreaking work with The Beatles, most notably on their 1967 opus Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Martin pioneered the use of physical tape loops for effects in an era before sampling was done on computers with the click of a mouse.

And on one memorable occasion during the recording of Strawberry Fields Forever, physically cutting up tape, throwing it up in the air, and splicing it back together where it landed to produce the randomly jumbled orchestral piece which appeared at the end of the song. Ever repaired an 8-track cartridge? Times that about 1000 is what George Martin did.

Rest in peace, Sir George. You were a true pioneer and genius who will be missed, but your work will live on forever.

And now in closing, Ringo and George Martin discussing the recording of With a Little Help From My Friends, as well as George Harrison's use of the sitar:



MTMG