Playback: An Illustrated Memoir
by George Martin

With forewords by Paul McCartney & Ringo Starr.
Afterword by HRH Prince Charles, Prince of Wales.

(A signed limited edition book/CD set of 2000 copies, published by Genesis Publications, 2002.

I was fortunate enough to spend two years working closely with Sir George as his editor on his autobiography, Playback.

'A gentle, affectionate memoir, written without rancour or regret.'—The Observer

'The book is beautifully presented—as massive as it is fantastic.'—Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

'A lavishly illustrated, 330 page autobiography... reproduces some fascinating memorabilia, including pages from Sir George's diaries—one shows his first meeting with Brian Epstein, the Beatles' manager, at 9 a.m. on Feb. 13, 1962—as well as handwritten notes, diagrams and doodles from recording sessions and Sir George's neatly handwritten string score for Eleanor Rigby.'—New York Times

'When Beatles producer George Martin puts together an autobiography, he really
goes the distance… Playback is as much a work of art as a book.'—The Australian

'Playback is George Martin's autobiography, but more than that, it is the history of pop music by the man who shaped it in a career spanning 50 years.'—British Beatles Fan Club Magazine

In 1962, as head of Parlophone Records, George Martin signed a new band from Liverpool that had been turned down by nearly every other label in Britain. The rest is history. He went on to record every track made by The Beatles and is considered to have been a vital influence on their sound, enabling them to realise their ideas as their music became increasingly ambitious. The world's most successful music producer has now written a charming memoir of his life and career.

Though Sir George Martin's name will forever be associated with The Beatles, his career has encompassed far more than those four peerless talents. Before the Sixties he had already achieved success as 'the comedian's producer'; and he has recorded a large number of the major talents of the past fifty years. He holds the record for having produced the most UK Number One singles (30). In 1963, records produced by him topped the UK charts for 34 out of 52 weeks, a mark that will surely never be matched. He is also an accomplished composer, arranger and conductor, the winner of five Grammy awards, the designer of three state-of-the-art music studios, an acclaimed television documentary presenter and a towering figure in the music business and Western culture.

From working-class beginnings in London in the Twenties, to a knighthood, the Party at the Palace, and the biggest-selling single of all time ('Candle in The Wind 97'), it's quite a tale, and George Martin tells it in full for the first time in Playback.

For full details of Playback, or to order, visit Genesis Publications website

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