Another Martin in the Beatles’ famous Abbey Road studios

“You’re retouching the Mona Lisa,” is his succinct description of working on Beatles music, but Martin takes comfort knowing he can focus on the four opinions that are crucial: Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison. . The two former Beatles, along with the widows of John Lennon and George Harrison, control Martin’s employer, Apple Records, and their outlook is hardly protectionist.

Giles Martin: Working on the music his father, Sir George Martin, recorded with the Beatles in the 1960s.

“I remember that Paul came during Love when I had just finished To help and all I had done was double the guitars and make them more surround,” Martin says. “He asked me what I had actually done, which was basically a way of saying, ‘Why are we paying you?’ And that’s true. His point of view was sid that, let’s see what you can do.

Martin was born in 1969, when his father had stopped spending his days in the studio with the Beatles, and when he was growing up in the 1970s, the group did not have the cultural prominence it carries today; it was a recent memory that had to settle before it became resonant. His father spoke casually about his revered work, caring more about current projects than past glories, but Martin knew what it would look like to outsiders, having started a career in music writing jingles and serving as musical director of various UK TV shows, when he went to work on the Beatles back catalogue.

“I was worried that everyone would think I was George Martin’s son and that I couldn’t get a good job, but my friend, who is also a record producer, said to me, ‘Damn, enjoy it’ “, admits Martin. “And that’s the key. It’s an honor to do this, and I love doing it.

“But my dad and I are more likely to talk about cricket than the Beatles,” he says. “When I told him that A hard day’s Night was being re-released and I was remixing it, he asked me, “Does anyone really want to watch A hard day’s Night?’ He’s just happy that I’m working.

The 50and anniversary edition of A hard day’s Night is available now on Blu-Ray and DVD through Umbrella Entertainment.

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