Jeff Lynne’s all-time favourite producer: “A big hero of mine”
Producers are rarely, if ever, afforded the same success or notoriety as the artists they are producing, regardless of how this production work is for a certain album or artist. While the general public might not be overly concerned with the groundbreaking power of producers like Martin Hannett, Rick Rubin, or Nile Rodgers, their fellow musicians are well aware of the importance of production work. ELO songwriter Jeff Lynne, for instance, has always maintained a healthy appreciation for the production side of the music industry.
First establishing himself as an artist during the era of progressive rock, Lynne always tried to make the production work of the Electric Light Orchestra as captivating and expansive as the band’s music itself. As a result, ELO were often held aloft as being on the cutting edge of musical innovation during the early 1970s, and many of their pioneering production efforts, which were evident from the get-go, with the 1971 debut single, ‘10538 Overture’.
Over the course of their initial run, from 1971 to 1986, ELO crafted a plethora of otherworldly tracks, committing themselves to the hearts and minds of audiences across the land. At the heart of their appeal was the production work of Jeff Lynne, which routinely drew from his extensive knowledge of psychedelic, progressive, and experimental music. In particular, Lynne found a colossal influence in the work of Beatles producer George Martin.
ELO’s expansive concept albums were often compared to the later work of The Beatles, and that was partly down to Lynne’s ability to draw from Martin’s techniques and atmospheres. Having worked with the Fab Four from the very start, Martin was utterly instrumental in bringing their earth-shattering material to life, including records like Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, which was particularly influential on Jeff Lynne.
After all, Martin pioneered a litany of production and engineering techniques that made the sound of The Beatles stand out against virtually every other group in existence. Although obviously, the songwriting mastery of Paul McCartney and John Lennon was at the heart of the band’s appeal, those iconic tracks would not have sounded nearly as timeless or exciting without the production of Martin at the wheel.
Lynne himself has never tried to hide his adoration of Martin’s production work. Back in 2016, shortly following the death of George Martin, Lynne told The Guardian, “George Martin was a big hero of mine, my favourite record producer. There were millions of questions I would have liked to ask him. It’s so sad that I won’t get to ask them now.”
He added, “I only met him a few times, and I was always in awe of him. His productions were brilliant. He created his own sound.”
Although Lynne only crossed paths with Martin on a handful of occasions, the ELO songwriter certainly owes a lot of his music and production career to the influence of the former Beatles producer – as does virtually every music producer who followed in his legendary wake.
In fact, Lynne carried out production work on multiple George Harrison solo projects during the 1980s and 1990s, including their collaborations within The Traveling Wilburys. The ELO star was even able to follow in the footsteps of his production hero by co-producing singles for The Beatles’ Anthology during the 1990s, and on ‘Now and Then’, released in 2023.
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Beatles Newsletter
All the latest stories about The Beatles from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.