Beatles Producer George Martin’s Scores the Subject of New Book
A new book celebrating the work of legendary Beatles producer George Martin is on the way, and it’s being released in honor of what would have been his 100th birthday….
A new book celebrating the work of legendary Beatles producer George Martin is on the way, and it’s being released in honor of what would have been his 100th birthday. For anyone who’s ever been fascinated by how those classic Beatles songs were built, this one’s a big deal.
Titled George Martin: The Scores, the book is being billed as the first truly definitive collection of Martin’s original music manuscripts. It’s a three-volume set scheduled to arrive in April, and it digs deep into the handwritten scores behind some of the most iconic songs in popular music. We’re talking full-sized reproductions of Martin’s original arrangements for tracks like “Yesterday,” “Strawberry Fields Forever,” “Here Comes the Sun,” and even “Live and Let Die.”
Paul McCartney Wrote the Foreword for New Book
The book also includes a foreword written by Paul McCartney, which alone gives it some serious weight. Beyond the scores themselves, there’s added commentary and brand-new orchestral recordings made at Abbey Road Studios. The idea is to let fans experience Martin’s arrangements on their own, separate from the finished Beatles recordings everyone already knows by heart.
According to George Martin’s son, Giles Martin, the book is as much a visual experience as it is a musical one. "It's a book of art, if you like, because his scores are very beautiful," Martin tells Rolling Stone. "There's a fluidity to it. There's a vibrancy to looking at that music on a page."
What makes this project even more special is that it was already in the works before George Martin passed away in 2016 at the age of 90. His 100th birthday would have fallen on January 3, making the release feel like a fitting tribute to his legacy.
George Martin: The Scores will be available in three different versions: a standard edition, a deluxe edition, and a signature edition. The higher-end versions come with bonus material, including documentary footage from the orchestral recording sessions. The signature edition goes a step further, featuring a signed page from George Martin himself from early in the project.
All three editions are available for preorder now, making this a must-have for Beatles fans and music history lovers alike.
