Five decisions that confirm George Martin was the ‘Fifth Beatle’
George Martin’s role in The Beatles is impossible to underplay, and together, they proved to be a perfect match. Before Brian Epstein recommended him to work with John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, Martin wasn’t necessarily perceived as an elite producer, and their reputations soared in tandem.
The Beatles were far from the global behemoths they’d soon evolve into when their paths first crossed. In fact, Martin took a chance on the group by showing a willingness to work with the Fab Four at EMI – given that the Liverpudlian band had just been rejected by Decca Records. Nobody at that time – apart from Epstein – could have guessed that their future was so bright.
Martin’s musical career initially started with the BBC,working as part of the classical music department, but he’d find his true home at EMI in 1950. Five years later, the producer would become the head of their subsidiary, Parlophone, and he helped re-establish the label with an impetus on comedy.
While the label wasn’t dominating the charts nor the airwaves, Martin had carved out a prolific niche for himself and helped elevate Parlophone back into relevancy. However, the opportunity that would present itself to work with The Beatles would change the trajectory of the producer’s life, a partnership that would earn his position as the ‘Fifth Beatle’.
Five reasons why George Martin was the Fifth Beatle:
The initial gamble
Without this decision by Martin, who knows what the future would have held for The Beatles. While the band had a wealth of talent at their disposal, the producer didn’t know whether they would succeed when he invited them to EMI Studios. In reality, Martin only had the rough demo recorded at Decca to judge them from. Still, the strength of the vocals convinced him enough to give them a chance.
It was a decision that would define Martin’s legacy, and he signed the group to a recording contract prior to meeting them or seeing them play live. He could sniff out the potential for something special to occur, and Martin even broke the EMI contract rules to sign the band by giving them twice the proceeds that a standard group would receive.
Not trying to repackage the group
It would have been easy for Martin to mould The Beatles into whatever he believed would sell the most records. However, instead, he allowed them to be free and redesigned the model of what a pop group should and could be.
Before The Beatles, it seemed farcical to have two singers who shared vocal duties and not build the band around a singular person. Yet, that’s how they operated, and any other presentation of the group would have been inauthentic. Rather than trying to chase success, Martin simply used his experience to guide The Beatles, and it was their unwavering creativity that asserted them into greatness.
Doing the band’s “dirty work”
When The Beatles signed to EMI, three out of the four members in the group weren’t content with the other fixture in the band, and it was clear to Martin they wanted Pete Best to depart from his role as drummer. However, the members didn’t have the guts to tell him face-to-face, and instead, it was down to the producer to inform him his services were no longer required.
“He never joined in with the others,” Martin told Melody Maker in 1971. “He was always a bit quiet, almost surly. But the basic thing was that I didn’t like his drumming, it wasn’t solid and he didn’t bind the group together. The boys had been thinking of getting rid of him anyway, but they wanted someone to do the dirty work for them.”
‘Love Me Do’
‘Love Me Do’ was The Beatles’ first single, and the pressure was on for the group to race out of the traps with a hit. However, Martin knew that more important than short-term success was for the Fab Four to establish a robust reputation.
Initially, they were scheduled to release their recording of ‘How Do You Do It’. However, the song was written by Mitch Murray, and Martin thought it would be best to introduce the band with a wholly original piece of music. Instead, he gave the track to Gerry and The Pacemakers for their debut, and they reached number one with the release. Conversely, ‘Love Me Do’ only landed at 17, but in the long-term, Martin’s decision would be proved the correct move.
‘Yesterday’
As an arranger, Martin brought expertise to The Beatles, which elevated their sound and dragged the group into uncomfortable but fruitful creative territory. Often, he’d have to use his authority to convince the group to listen to his changes, and on ‘Yesterday’, the producer wasn’t taking no for an answer from Paul McCartney.
“Writing a song out with George Martin was nearly always the same process,” McCartney explained. “For ‘Yesterday’, he had said, ‘Look, why don’t you come round to my house tomorrow? I’ve got a piano, and I’ve got the manuscript paper. We’ll sit down for an hour or so, and you can let me know what you’re looking for’.”
“He would say, ‘This is the way to do the harmony, technically.’ And I’d often try to go against that. I’d think, ‘Well, why should there be a proper way to do it?'”
McCartney added: “‘Yesterday’ was typical. I remember suggesting the 7th that appears on the cello. George said, ‘You definitely wouldn’t have that in there. That would be very un-string-quartet. I said, ‘Well? Whack it in, George. I’ve got to have it.'”
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