Producer George Martin was born on this day in 1926. It's interesting to see how one person can make a difference in so many lives. For anyone who saw Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life again over the holidays, the idea is probably fresh in your mind. Just as one person can act as a catalyst for others in daily life, so can a person conduct mass culture over the course of their career. Sir George Martin was the "man with the golden ear." Blessed with musical genius and a sense of humor, Martin was a bit like the Wizard of Oz- the man behind the curtain- whose work as a producer and arranger defined the music and humor of the last half of the 20th Century and beyond. The artists he worked with included Flanders and Swann, Peter Ustinov, The Goons, Peter Sellers, Sophia Loren, Beyond the Fringe (with Peter Cook and Dudley Moore), Matt Monro (of From Russia With Love), Gerry and the Pacemakers, Cellia Black, Billy J Kramer and the Dakotas, Jeff Beck, Elton John, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Paul Winter Consort, and America. In addition to multiple Grammys and other major awards, George Martin scored 30 #1 hits in the UK and 23 #1 hits in the US. (See Spy Vibe's article Peter Sellers to John Lennon and Peter Sellers posts for more about comedy in the UK). Of special interest to Spy Vibers, Martin also produced two James Bond theme songs: Goldfinger (1965) with Shirley Bassey, and Live and Let Die (1973) with Paul McCartney.
George Martin was perhaps most famous as the producer/arranger behind The Beatles. Legend has it that a shared sense of humor sealed the deal between Martin and the Fab Four. The band loved his records with Peter Sellers and The Goons. In their first meeting in the studio on June 6th, 1962, the group recorded four test songs that didn't quite measure up. Martin gave them a bit of talking to about what they needed to do in order to become recording artists. When he finished, he added, "Is there anything you don't like?" Without skipping a beat, George Harrison responded, "Yeah, I don't like your tie." Jokes and laughter followed. The producer appreciated their irreverent humor and committed himself to recording the band. Martin's expertise fostered musical experimentation throughout the 1960s, allowing The Beatles to push their songs into new territory. Martin often contributed as keyboard player in the studio, in addition to arranging the accompaniment to well-know songs like Yesterday, Eleanor Rigby, and Penny Lane. I once got to see him speak about the making of SGT. Pepper, which was really fascinating and quite a thrill. George Martin most recently worked with his son Giles to produce the soundtrack to the Cirque Du Soleil show, The Beatles Love.
Sue Lawley chatted with George Martin on Desert Island Discs on November 19th, 1995 (Recorded the same year as The Beatles Anthology broadcast. 40minutes. Listen here). In the program Martin talked about his earning money for piano lessons as a kid, his career recording the comedians during Britain's satire boom of the 1950s and 1960s, and his signing and collaborating with The Beatles starting in 1962. George Martin's discs included The Beatles, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, Benjamin Britten, and George Gershwin. He was also the subject of a wonderful documentary film in 2012 called Produced by George Martin. It's hard to imagine what the world would have been like if he hadn't been there to help bring talents like Peter Sellers and The Beatles to our attention. Sir George, we thank you for your magic. George Martin passed away on March 8, 2016. Below: Martin with Peter Sellers.
New release: Bedazzled (1967) Blu-ray edition. Dudley Moore and Peter Cook established their dynamic collaboration within Beyond the Fringe, that groundbreaking comedy troupe that helped to establish the satire boom in 1960s Britain. The two branched off into their own hilarious projects as a duo with the series Not Only... But Also(1965-1970), many films, appearances, and recordings, and the classic masterpiece, Bedazzled. Peter Cook as the mischievous Lucifer, Raquel Welch as Lust, leaping nuns, and Dudley Moore as a sensitive fry-cook smitten with Eleanor Bron (Help!) are just a few reasons to check out this film. It's been long overdue for a hi-res transfer and Twilight Time is gearing up to create a limited-edition Blu-ray! From the press release: "The great Stanley Donen directs Peter Cook and Dudley Moore in Bedazzled (1967), a Faustian tale about a Wimpy bar burger-flipper (Dudley Moore) so hopelessly in love with a waitress (Eleanor Bron) that he sells his soul to the devil (Cook) in exchange for seven wishes. All, of course, goes hilariously wrong, up to and including the brief appearance of a beauteous Raquel Welch as the very incarnation of Lust." Pre-orders start February 9th. More info here. In other news, I have a new book out (over 700 pages!) about one of America's legendary cartoonists. Check it out! Enjoy!
Breaking news: Sir George Martin has passed away at the age of 90. It's interesting to see how one person can make a difference in so many lives. For anyone who saw Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life again over the holidays, the idea is probably fresh in your mind. As one person can act as a catalyst for others in daily life, like a conductor of sorts, so can a person conduct mass culture over the course of their career. Sir George Martin was the man with the golden ear. Blessed with musical genius and a sense of humor, Martin was a bit like the Wizard of Oz- the man behind the curtain- whose work as a producer and arranger defined the music and humor of the last half of the 20th Century and beyond. The artists he worked with included Flanders and Swann, Peter Ustinov, The Goons, Peter Sellers, Sophia Loren, Beyond the Fringe (with Peter Cook and Dudley Moore), Matt Monro (of From Russia With Love), Gerry and the Pacemakers, Cellia Black, Billy J Kramer and the Dakotas, Jeff Beck, Elton John, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Paul Winter Consort, and America. In addition to multiple Grammys and other major awards, George Martin scored 30 #1 hits in the UK and 23 #1 hits in the US. (See Spy Vibe's article Peter Sellers to John Lennon and Peter Sellers posts for more about comedy in the UK). Of special interest to Spy Vibers, Martin also produced two James Bond theme songs: Goldfinger (1965) with Shirley Bassey, and Live and Let Die (1973) with Paul McCartney.
Monty Python celebrates their career with new record releases and a live show! As London audiences line up tonight to see the return of Monty Python on stage (runs through July at the 02 Arena- see preview below), a comprehensive collection of Python records was released yesterday in England by UMC. Their tunes got the deluxe treatment with a 2-CD release of Monty Python Sings (again) with unreleased tracks, a bonus album, and a 32-page booklet. But the news that will really have Spy Vibers swooning and practicing their silly walks is the release of a career-spanning box set entitled Monty Python’s Total Rubbish: The Complete Collection. The set includes the group's nine UK albums: "Monty Python’s Flying Circus", "Another Monty Python Record", "Monty Python’s Previous Record", "Matching Tie and Handkerchief", "Live at Drury Lane", "Holy Grail", "Life of Brian", "Monty Python’s Contractual Obligation Album", "The Meaning Of Life", and a limited edition 7" Single of their 1974 flexi-disc ‘Monty Python’s Tiny Black Round Thing’- all on glorious vinyl! Here is a preview of the group's new show Monty Python Live (mostly) from their Youtube channel:
Satire Boom: With the rise of youth culture and a questioning of traditional class roles, social satire became the new frontier in late 1950s/early 1960s British humor. Following in the footsteps of Peter Sellers and The Goons, who offered a wild send-up of British characters and institutions, young comedians like Peter Cook and Dudley Moore of Beyond the Fringe and the future members of Monty Python became the acerbic voice of the generation. Some of the popular targets included class, the generation gap, authority, official media, media styles/conventions, education, family, and the job market. Comedy fans may recall Beyond the Fringe skits like The Great Train Robbery, Sitting on the Bench, and my fave below, One Leg Too Few. Film fans may remember John Schlesinger's Billy Liar (Tom Courtenay/1963) for its blend of satire and fantasy. John Lennon played a key role in this satirical climate, with his James Thurber-like published books of cartoons and poetry, In His Own Write (1964) and A Spaniard in the Works (1965).
Surrealism Boom: Surrealism experienced a rather major renaissance in the early-mid 1960s. Long before the mind-altering psychedelia that we associate with the 1960s was introduced, influential artists like John Lennon were already thinking outside the box. Inspired by the surrealism of Lewis Carroll, Lennon and others challenged the status quo with a playful and eschewed view. One figure who loomed large in this movement was an American ex-pat in London named Richard Lester, who had worked with the Goons on television projects. At the dawn of the sixties, he collaborated with Peter Sellers and Spike Milligan on a short film called the Running Jumping & Standing Still Film (1960). John Lennon, a fan of The Goons, loved the movie and kept Lester in mind when it came time for The Beatles to make a motion picture. Seeing a clip from Running Jumping below, I'm sure Spy Vibers will recognize a gag which echoed through Monty Python skits years later. Fish-Slapping dance anyone?
Richard Lester was picked to direct The Beatles in A Hard Day's Night (1964), also groundbreaking for its surreal segments, and he continued to helm the films, Help! (The Beatles/1965) and How I Won the War (Tom Courtenay/John Lennon/1967). Lester also teamed with James Bond composer, John Barry, in two major pieces for the 1960s, The Knack... and How to Get it (Rita Tushingham/1965) and Petulia (Julie Christie/1968). Fans of The Monkees might recognize a scene inspired by The Knack, where the characters wheel a bed through traffic.
Lewis Carroll: The surreal and whimsical work of Lewis Carroll (1832-1898) resonated throughout the Arts in early-mid sixties England. John Lennon often listed the author as an influence on his own imagery (see I am the Walrus below). A notable celebration of Lewis Carroll came in 1966 with the BBC's production of The Wednesday Play. With a soundtrack by Ravi Shankar, this surreal Alice film starred a who's-who of British talent, including Peter Sellers, Wilfrid Brambell, Leo McKern, Sir Michael Redgrave, Eric Idle (Monty Python), Sir John Gielgud, and all four members of Beyond the Fringe: Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Alan Bennett, and writer/director, Jonathan Miller. Spy Vibers will recognize a number of actors in the film for their appearances in the satirical/surreal spy shows, The Avengers and The Prisoner.
The 4th Wall: An element that is pointed out when discussing the performance style of 60s surreal spy show The Corridor People is the breaking of the fourth wall, or when actors speak directly to the audience. This was not a new technique. Eugene O'Neill is one playwright who employed it in his play, Strange Interlude. This was parodied in the 1930s by the Marx Brothers, where Groucho actually speaks of "corridors." The convention was also seen in the wartime and post-war comedies of Bob Hope and Warner Brothers animation studio. The sudden, snappy interplay between character and viewer was hip again in the 1960s and seen often in British films. This convention of storytelling had an element of participation that I believe created a deeper level of engagement with the largely young audience. Where we watched Truffaut's Julie Christie interact on-screen with a TV soap opera in Fahrenheit 451 (1966), films like Alfie (1966), How I Won the War (1967), and The Knack...and How to Get it (1965) actually put the movie-going viewer right into the action.
Python: Emerging from the comedy scene in university and honing their craft on shows like At Last the 1948 Show and Do Not Adjust Your Set, the Python troupe pushed the elements of social satire and surrealism further for a new generation. Like Beyond the Fringe before them, they had a knack for turning class roles and media conventions on their head. Their records did a good job capturing many of their popular skits and scenes from their feature films. The group always had an amusing meta and cynical perspective on their recordings-as-product, which was illustrated in their tendency to use titles like Monty Python’s Contractual Obligation Album, Total Rubbish, The Final Rip Off, and even show titles, like Eric Idle's Greedy Bastard Tour. Some favorite Python highlights below: Bookshop, Four Yorkshiremen (original w Marty Feldman), Argument Clinic, and Northern Playwright.
Additional Viewing: Essential faves from the satire/surrealism boom also include The Wrong Box (Michael Caine/Peter Cook/Dudley Moore/1966)Monty Python's Flying Circus(1969-1974), Not Only But Also (Peter Cook/Dudley Moore/1965-1970), Bedazzled (Peter Cook/Dudley Moore/1967), The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer (Peter Cook/1970), and below: The Bed Sitting Room (Richard Lester/Peter Cook/Rita Tushingham/1969) and Magical Mystery Tour (The Beatles/1967).
