All You Need Is Ears: The Inside Personal Story of the Genius Who Created the Beatles

Yeah, I'm a Beatles freak. I'll pretty much read anything Beatles-related. And, having said that, I have no idea how a book from Sir George Martin escaped my notice for so many years. Once I found out this was out there, I had to read it. I've noticed others expressing disappointment in how much technical detail Martin goes into, and how much less Beatles info there is than they expected. Personally, I was delighted with this book. The sense I get about the person George Martin was, was that he was exceptionally capable, very good at what he did, yet was also incredibly humble about it for the most part. He worked in the field for a long time prior to capturing lightning in a bottle (lightning in the Beatles?) with the band that made his name, and he continued to work his magic long afterward. He got the recognition and the accolades he deserved, and he accepted them graciously. So, the tone and feel of this book reflects that. Yes, he talks about the Beatles, but he also talks about all the other stuff around those crazy eight years, as he should. Personally, his philosophies on what a producer does, how he problem solved, his outlook on what sound is, how various instruments come into it, and how he helped paint sonic pictures...? All of if was enlightening to me. This is a fascinating and informative glimpse into the mind of the one guy who said yes to the Beatles, but who also gave us a lifetime of incredible sounds.

My husband is loving this book. A little slow to get into the Beatles section but he’s there now.

George Martin writes about his work with The Beatles and many other artists during his long carreer. A very interesting book for everyone who is interested in the history of popular music and recording.

Gran libre sobre la historia de esa conjunción de artistas que dio fua el origen de la formacion y desarrollo del mejor grupo de pop de todos los tiempos.

A fascinating and well-written account of the life and work of one of Britain's most influential cultural figures of the post-war period. Reading it you can see that George Martin has had an enviable life, rubbing shoulders with the greatest comedians of the 50s and 60s and then, of course, the Beatles and many more. It is also evident that he got there by merit alone, starting at the bottom and working his way up through his talent and amiable personality The book has a lot of interesting technical knowledge about music, musical arranging, the recording practices of the pre-digital age and the ruthless nature of the record industry. It offers to any Beatles enthusiast a lot of insight into how they worked and the vast extent to which Martin was key to their success. If also offers interesting insight for any enthusiast of British post-war comedy. Martin was only paid £15 to do the arrangement for All You Need is Love, and was then sued by Glenn Miller's estate for borrowing one of his tunes in the ending, and the record company insisted Martin should pay (they backed down in the end). Paul McCartney told Martin he wanted "When I'm 64" to sound "Tooty" and Martin obliged with an arrangement for 3 clarinets. The orchestra hired to play Martin's orchestration for Hey Jude wanted their fee doubling for having to clap and sing the melody. ...buy the book for more!