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This is the first in a two volume biography about George Martin, taking him through the first forty years of his life, from 1926 �� 1966. I have often thought that some of those closely involved with the Beatles deserved their own, in-depth biography, and so I was pleased when this title was announced. Having read it, I feel it is, overall, a good read, but there are some issues with it.

Firstly, if you have not read Mark Lewisohn’s mammoth first volume of his biography of the Beatles, “Tune In,�� (especially the extended version) then you will learn a lot from this book. However, if you have read it, then much of this will be familiar. George Martin’s early life was covered in, “Tune In,�� and, indeed, Lewisohn finally uncovered the circuitous route by which the Beatles actually got their recording deal with Parlophone and the way in which the Beatles came into George Martin’s orbit. This is not really the author’s fault, but it does mean the beginning is fairly repetitious if you have read, Lewisohn’s biography.

That aside, there is more detailed information on Martin’s first marriage, with Jean Chisholm, known as “Sheena,�� and her difficult relationship with Martin’s mother. However, unlike Lewisohn, Womack is apt not to tie up all his threads. For example, he mentions that Martin’s mother, Bertha, suffered a ‘head injury,�� which affected, and altered, her behaviour. However, at no point in the book could I find where she had sustained this injury, which seemed an odd lapse. Also, it is well known that George Martin began an affair with Judy Lockhart Smith, who he met at EMI, and they were eventually married. It is obvious that neither Judy, nor her children, were interviewed for this book and so we have the strangely skewed account of this relationship, mostly from the point of view of the children from his first marriage, Alexis and Gregory. Obviously, they are very important witnesses to events, but, at the end of this volume George and Judy are still not married �� although they marry later in 1966. George and Judy go on holiday with John and Cynthia at one point, as well as travelling together on Beatles tours, but it is unclear how either he, or Judy, felt about being unable to marry after so many years together, whether they were openly living together and whether, indeed, their relationship was accepted outside of their immediate friends and family.

This is subtitled, “The Life of Beatles Producer George Martin,�� and, of course, the Beatles are central to this story. As most fans know, Parlophone, under George Martin, was best known for comedy records; indeed Martin struggled to discover his own musical success and was jealous of his rival, Norrie Paramor, who had a string of hits with Cliff Richard and others. As we know, though, Martin would soon outstrip any success Paramor could have achieved, with the Beatles. Oddly, Womack refers to the Beatles, and Brian Epstein’s stable of acts, as ‘North County�� acts; a term I haven’t really heard before. In England we would say, ‘Northern,�� or perhaps “Merseyside,�� but not ‘North County��.�� There is lots in here about the Beatles; Martin’s early meetings with Brian Epstein, his involvement with Dick James, his first encounter with the band, his work with them in the studio and how, to his astonishment, the Beatles just kept on improving and writing hit after hit.

Along with the success, are the battles that Martin had with EMI and his attempts to be properly recompensed for his work. His frustration, at not feeling he was receiving a fair pay, especially with his huge chart success with the Beatles, led to his deciding to branch out on his own at the end of this volume. He was also unimpressed by the company’s penny pinching attitude to change and to their delays in providing the up to date equipment that was already familiar in US recording studios. Womack is keen to suggest that Martin liked to be ‘right�� and was keen to confirm this whenever possible. He also stresses that Martin, born to fairly humble origins, was eager to improve his lot and quickly changed his accent when he felt it was essential to improving his career. The class system in Britain at that time was fairly rigid and so I don’t think Martin can be blamed for attempting to fit in with those around him.

I enjoyed this book, with a few minor niggles, and will certainly read on. It was interesting to read how Martin, for example, clashed with Richard Lester, how closely he worked with Brian Epstein and how much he aided the Beatles to grow in the studio, and helped them realise their ideas. I do wish there had been a little more about Martin’s personal life, once the Beatles come into the picture, as I do feel the studio takes over at that point and you begin to see Martin as a producer and lose sight of his personal concerns. Still, this is an interesting work and I do feel that the second volume will add more that is less familiar. Overall, I was impressed with Martin as a person. He was principled, immensely supportive of the Beatles, and, as his actions in not attending the only Oscar ceremony he was nominated for, because he felt he had no chance of winning, always realistic and self deprecating.