The song George Martin considered his final major release: “Not bad to go out on”
Not everyone has the decision of when to bow out gracefully. Even though they have the opportunity to keep changing no matter what people throw at them, there is always going to be a moment when time seems to stop them before they are ready to pack it in. Although George Martin could have reasonably had his name etched into rock and roll history if he decided to stop after 1970, he knew that there was a lot more ground to cover after being ‘the Fifth Beatle’.
But how was one supposed to top being a part of the biggest band in the world? Every one of the Fab Four had no idea how to continue on once they all fell out over business decisions, and when Martin started working on his material, that normally meant him trying to find the next big thing or doing work with his former pupils behind the scenes.
Although Martin did get the opportunity to work with McCartney on albums like Tug of War and Give My Regards to Broad Street, he was not going to let one artist define him. He was interested in seeing where his musical prowess could go, and that meant hooking up with everyone from Jeff Beck on Blow by Blow to signing bands like America when they first started making waves in England.
But there would always be that four-headed monster looming over him. Like it or not, Martin was an integral part of British culture thanks to his work with The Beatles, and when working with acts like Cheap Trick, he was still using the same playbook that he had when working with the legends. And while turning over production duties to Jeff Lynne for The Beatles Anthology may have been the diplomatic thing to do, Elton John thought Martin was far from creatively spent.
There was a lot more ground to cover, and when working on a revamped version of ‘Candle in the Wind’ to commemorate the death of Princess Diana, Martin was more than willing to step behind the desk one more time. Although everything about the song was simply a rewrite of Bernie Taupin’s tribute to Marilyn Monroe, there’s an added dimension to this version enhanced by Martin, like the subtle orchestral pieces and bringing John’s vocal up in the mix slightly so the world could hear every single word he said.
Even though Martin would work on a handful of other projects for Beatles re-releases, he always considered this tune the last proper production of his career, saying, “I was privileged that Elton asked me to work with him on [‘Candle In The Wind 1997’]. It became my last No. 1, and probably my last single. It’s not a bad one to go out on.”
That didn’t mean that Martin wouldn’t be recognised in other ways, though. Despite some of the other Beatles producers taking offence to what was done to the band’s music on the Love project, all it does is offer a new mix of the songs for the next generation, especially when hearing the swirling sounds of ‘Being for the Benefit of Mr Kite’ being overlaid on top of the clangour of ‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’.
But even if Martin hadn’t done anything else after ‘Candle in the Wind 1997’, it would have been a fitting end to his career. He had earned his reputation by being one of the best producers to come out of England, and it would only be fitting to have one of his final bows to be in tribute to one of the biggest figures to come out of England.
