Beatles ‘froze out’ George Martin on White Album

Man, this made me laugh hard. This is the reason I love this forum.

 

If you think that one is funny, you should read my posts that get deleted ... .

 

Sometimes Paul had the upper hand.

 

I'm sure they suffered very badly...

 

he could stay, but nibble on more chocolate!

 

The Beatles had George Martin so frozen out, so that only George Martin’s dismembered hand (lower right) was allowed to use the mixing board.

 

Too bad the specific sources are not named in the article. Hopefully he's got more than just Geoff "Memory Like A Sieve" Emerick upon which to base this.

 

Well, there are many songs with a dry back-to-basics type of production. It’s possible he just wasn’t utilized much for those minimalist tracks. And then he was relied on more for anything with orchestration or tape tricks.

 

Bickering? There was a lot of tension - listen Geoff talk about it...
All three of the vids in this series have some great insight into the sessions:
But this third one - well... seems that Geoff patched it up with them a bit

 

Funny - maybe the inspiration for Roger Nichols' pic with Steely Dan:
Nichols, Roger (1944-2011) Steely Dan’s recording man
"Famously only Roger's hand featured in this picture"

 

I always remember this quote from Geoff Emerick who was mostly pro-Paul in his biography until this comment concerning himself and Martin...it doesn't sound misremembered but there were some errors in the book of course-but this is from Mark Lewisohn's book:

Despite his creative wizardry being invaluable to the group, Geoff Emerick became increasingly unhappy with the often tense atmospheres during the sessions for the White Album in 1968. He quit working with The Beatles on 16 July, while the group were recording Cry Baby Cry.

I lost interest in the White Album because they were really arguing amongst themselves and swearing at each other. The expletives were really flying. There was one instance just before I left when they were doing Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da for the umpteenth time. Paul was re-recording the vocal again and George Martin made some remark about how he should be lilting onto the half-beat or whatever and Paul, in no refined way, said something to the effect of 'Well you come down and sing it'. I said to George 'Look, I've had enough. I want to leave. I don't want to know any more.' George said 'Well, leave at the end of the week' – I think it was a Monday or Tuesday – but I said 'No, I want to leave now, this very minute, and that was it.

Geoff Emerick
The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions, Mark Lewisohn

 

another BS story...

 

And I thought happiness was a warm gun

 

Roy Carr and Tony Tyler wrote in "The Beatles: An Illustrated Record" that The White Album was when the Beatles began to assert themselves as producers, Martin acting more in the role of an executive producer. At least in front of the camera (around 2:20 mark) , Martin looks to be "the producer" in the "Hey Jude" studio clip , same sessions as The White Album.

 

I think you've just stumbled onto the title for the upcoming White Album boxed set: Lilting Onto the Half-Beat (or Whatever) - The Beatles

 

How big exactly was this bar of chocolate?

 

Well I think this would be their first album where Martin wasn't producing every song, like he had on the previous albums. So there were maybe times when he had little to do so he read the paper and ate chocolate. Not a freeze out just a change in the way they recorded.

 

Frozen? I guess George Martin eventually let it go.

 

Hahahaha

 

This is a huge lie. We all know without Martin, there won’t be a Revolution 9, since he was the one saying “Number 9”

 

John's inspiration for "Cold Turkey"

 

Unknown voiceover artist - apparently it was taken from a tape of exam questions they found in the EMI tape library (Lewisohn, p. 138)

 

And Paul had every reason to make such a comment. They were no longer the lovable, inexperienced-in-the-studio moptops in mid-1968. For Martin to make such a comment (IF he made such a comment) would have been a bit much. Emerick doesn't help by saying "they were doing Ob la Di for the umpteenth time" either. They re-recorded it a few times, not unlike many other songs for the album, and on most album sessions before and after too. What the Beatles were mostly upset about was being stuck at EMI with their measly 4 track deck and staid atmosphere. Soon after they developed a liking for Trident and did a fair amount of recording there during the sessions. It was only after enjoying the benefits of eight-track recording at Trident that they forced EMI to start using their deck... something they themselves liberated from a closet.

What I never understood is why Geoff was so upset at the "swearing at one another" and biting back at Martin that he felt an immediate need to quit. Never does he mention the Beatles yelling at him personally. For all those that don't know, Geoff also left during the Magical Mystery Tour sessions citing exhaustion at the ripe old age of 22. Funny, the Beatles never used that excuse when writing, recording, filming and directing the sessions and film at the same time. In effect, Geoff left the Beatles during recording sessions within 9 months of one another. Under the circumstances, it's fairly shocking they wanted him involved in any way, half way through the Abbey Road sessions. Ron

 

But Ringo's shirt doesn't look as night. No sale!

 

On the new box set, I wonder if we’ll get to hear the argument that broke out between Eric Clapton and George Martin after Eric ate all of his chocolate while he was gone on vacation...