ultimateclassicrock.com

BEATLES PRODUCER GEORGE MARTIN DOCUMENTARY TO BE RELEASED ON DVD

by: Dave Lifton

Monday, July 2, 2012

In 2011, Sir George Martin, who signed the Beatles to his Parlophone label and produced all but one of their albums, was the subject of a BBC documentary, ‘Produced by George Martin.’ The film will be released on DVD, Blu-ray and digital formats on Sept. 11, 2012.

In the 90-minute film, Martin, whose influence on the group makes him one of the few people who could genuinely lay claim to the title of the ‘Fifth Beatle,’ tells his own story. ‘Produced by George Martin’ uses rarely-seen archival footage as well as new interviews from, among others, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Monty Python’s Michael Palin and Jeff Beck.

Martin signed the Beatles in 1962 and became their guiding hand in the studio. His skill as an arranger and willingness to experiment contributed heavily to songs like ‘Eleanor Rigby,’ ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ and ‘I Am the Walrus.’ Martin walked away from the group during the tense ‘Let it Be’ sessions, but was coaxed back for ‘Abbey Road,’ which was the last album the group recorded.

While he’s most closely associate with the Beatles, Martin gained fame producing comedy records by Peter Sellers and Flanders and Swann. After the breakup of the Beatles, he went on to produce albums by Jeff Beck, America and Cheap Trick.

The home release includes 50 minutes of bonus interviews from other notable producers like Rick Rubin and T-Bone Burnett and Jimmy Webb.

Eagle Rock Entertainment