Giles Martin
Encyclopedia
Giles Martin is an English
record producer
, songwriter
, and multi-instrumentalist
. He is the son of Sir George Martin
, famed producer of almost all of The Beatles
' records.
, then writing jingle
s in college, then working in various musical capacities in the UK. In 1995, he was appointed co-music director
for the television and radio music countdown show, The Great Music Experience
. He worked on the Party at the Palace
concert to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II
's Golden Jubilee
, for which he also produced the subsequent album and DVD.
Martin's first notable producer role came with the high-selling UK band Kula Shaker
. After that, his production and mixing credits came to include Jeff Beck
, Elvis Costello
, INXS
, and Kate Bush
. In 2004 Martin produced Hayley Westenra
's multi-platinum album Pure
, the UK’s fastest-selling classical album of all time.
Giles Martin collaborated with his father to remix, rearrange, and recombine the music of The Beatles into a soundscape for Love
, a theatrical production of Cirque du Soleil
, which opened to acclaim at The Mirage
in Las Vegas
in June 2006. Giles Martin's expertise at digital music production and manipulation in particular is what allowed some of Loves wilder mash-ups
to take place. He went on to produce the music for the final Broadway performance of Rent
and worked with Martin Scorsese
on his epic George Harrison
film documentary "Living in the Material World".
In 2009, Giles Martin returned to the Beatles catalog, this time for The Beatles: Rock Band
, a video game that allows players to simulate performing Beatles songs with plastic instruments. Martin produced the title's music, cleaning and reworking the audio to suit the game's mechanics.
Giles has been awarded two Grammy awards in his career to date.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, and multi-instrumentalist
Multi-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
. He is the son of Sir George Martin
George Martin
Sir George Henry Martin CBE is an English record producer, arranger, composer and musician. He is sometimes referred to as "the Fifth Beatle"— a title that he often describes as "nonsense," but the fact remains that he served as producer on all but one of The Beatles' original albums...
, famed producer of almost all of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' records.
Biography
Giles Martin grew up without much awareness of The Beatles, and was discouraged by his father from pursuing a career in music lest the inevitable comparisons should be made. Giles ignored the advice, first playing in the critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful band Velvet JonesNaked Records
This article is wrong. Naked Records was in fact set up in 1988 by James Reed, who was part of Indie band Those Disposable Things. Two singles were released in 1988, the first was a double 'A' side single; Sweet Leila/Out Of The Question. The second single was called Away Days, which was...
, then writing jingle
Jingle
A jingle is a short tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. The jingle contains one or more hooks and lyrics that explicitly promote the product being advertised, usually through the use of one or more advertising slogans. Ad buyers use jingles in radio and television...
s in college, then working in various musical capacities in the UK. In 1995, he was appointed co-music director
Music director
A music director may be the director of an orchestra, the director of music for a film, the director of music at a radio station, the head of the music department in a school, the co-ordinator of the musical ensembles in a university or college , the head bandmaster of a military band, the head...
for the television and radio music countdown show, The Great Music Experience
The Great Music Experience
-The Great Music Experience:The Great Music Experience was a concert starring Japanese and international musicians staged at the eighth century Buddhist temple of Todai-ji, in Nara, Japan in May 1994...
. He worked on the Party at the Palace
Party at the Palace
The Party at the Palace was a pop concert held in London in 2002. The event was in commemoration of the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II held over the Golden Jubilee Weekend 1 -4 June 2002. The concert itself was held at Buckingham Palace Garden on 3 June 2002...
concert to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
's Golden Jubilee
Golden Jubilee
A Golden Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 50th anniversary.- In Thailand :King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world's longest-reigning monarch, celebrated his Golden Jubilee on 9 June 1996.- In the Commonwealth Realms :...
, for which he also produced the subsequent album and DVD.
Martin's first notable producer role came with the high-selling UK band Kula Shaker
Kula Shaker
Kula Shaker are an English psychedelic rock band. Led by outspoken frontman Crispian Mills, the band came to prominence during the Post-Britpop era of the late 1990s. The band enjoyed great commercial success in the UK between 1996 and 1999, notching up a number of Top 10 hits on the UK Singles...
. After that, his production and mixing credits came to include Jeff Beck
Jeff Beck
Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck is an English rock guitarist. He is one of three noted guitarists to have played with The Yardbirds...
, Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
, INXS
INXS
INXS are an Australian rock band, formed as The Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales. Mainstays are Garry Gary Beers on bass guitar, Andrew Farriss on guitar/keyboards, Jon Farriss on drums, Tim Farriss on lead guitar and Kirk Pengilly on guitar/sax...
, and Kate Bush
Kate Bush
Kate Bush is an English singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Her eclectic musical style and idiosyncratic vocal style have made her one of the United Kingdom's most successful solo female performers of the past 30 years.In 1978, at the age of 19, Bush topped the UK Singles Chart...
. In 2004 Martin produced Hayley Westenra
Hayley Westenra
Hayley Dee Westenra is a New Zealand soprano, classical crossover artist, songwriter and UNICEF Ambassador. Her first internationally released album, Pure, reached No. 1 on the UK classical charts in 2003 and has sold more than two million copies worldwide...
's multi-platinum album Pure
Pure (Hayley Westenra album)
Pure is the first internationally published Album by Christchurch, New Zealand soprano Hayley Westenra. Her previous albums were released only in New Zealand and nearby Australia. This album also received professional consultation from the legendary Sir George Martin who helped to create its...
, the UK’s fastest-selling classical album of all time.
Giles Martin collaborated with his father to remix, rearrange, and recombine the music of The Beatles into a soundscape for Love
LOVE (Cirque du Soleil)
Love is a 2006 theatrical production by Cirque du Soleil which combines the re-produced and re-imagined music of The Beatles with an interpretive, circus-based artistic and athletic stage performance. The show plays at a specially built theatre at The Mirage in Las Vegas.A joint venture between...
, a theatrical production of Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy...
, which opened to acclaim at The Mirage
The Mirage
The Mirage is a 3,044 room hotel and casino resort located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, United States.The Mirage is connected by a free tram to Treasure Island. The marquee in front of the Mirage is the largest free standing marquee in the world.-History:The Mirage was built by...
in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
in June 2006. Giles Martin's expertise at digital music production and manipulation in particular is what allowed some of Loves wilder mash-ups
Mashup (music)
A mashup or bootleg is a song or composition created by blending two or more pre-recorded songs, usually by overlaying the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the instrumental track of another...
to take place. He went on to produce the music for the final Broadway performance of Rent
Rent (musical)
Rent is a rock musical with music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson based on Giacomo Puccini's opera La bohème...
and worked with Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. In 1990 he founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation, and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation...
on his epic George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
film documentary "Living in the Material World".
In 2009, Giles Martin returned to the Beatles catalog, this time for The Beatles: Rock Band
The Beatles: Rock Band
The Beatles: Rock Band is a 2009 music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games, and distributed by Electronic Arts. It is the third major console release in the Rock Band music video game series, in which players can simulate the playing of rock music by using...
, a video game that allows players to simulate performing Beatles songs with plastic instruments. Martin produced the title's music, cleaning and reworking the audio to suit the game's mechanics.
Giles has been awarded two Grammy awards in his career to date.
Selected Works
- 1986 Colin Newman - Commercial Suicide
- 1994 The K’s (also known as Kula ShakerKula ShakerKula Shaker are an English psychedelic rock band. Led by outspoken frontman Crispian Mills, the band came to prominence during the Post-Britpop era of the late 1990s. The band enjoyed great commercial success in the UK between 1996 and 1999, notching up a number of Top 10 hits on the UK Singles...
) (GUT) - 1994 My Life StoryMy Life StoryMy Life Story are a British indie pop group who peaked in the mid to late 1990s, when they were regarded as part of the Britpop movement. Fronted by singer/songwriter Jake Shillingford, the group was formed in London around 1991, and inherited their name from an earlier group in which Shillingford...
(Mother Tongue) - 1995 The Glory of GershwinThe Glory of GershwinThe Glory Of Gershwin is the title of a 1994 tribute album by various singers in celebration of Larry Adler's 80th birthday. All songs are written by George & Ira Gershwin, Adler's lifelong friends.-Track listing:# Peter Gabriel - Summertime [3:50]...
(Mercury) - 1995 The Choir (BBC)
- 1995 The Great Music Experience
- 1996 The Beatles AnthologyThe Beatles AnthologyThe Beatles Anthology is the name of a documentary series, a set of three double albums and a book focusing on the history of The Beatles. Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr all participated in the making and approval of the works, which are sometimes referred to collectively as the...
(EMIEMIThe EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
/AppleApple CorpsApple Corps Ltd. is a multi-armed multimedia corporation founded in January 1968 by the members of The Beatles to replace their earlier company and to form a conglomerate. Its name is a pun. Its chief division is Apple Records, which was launched in the same year...
) - 1996 Monorail – Hairdressing (Edel)
- 1996 Paramount Television
- 1996/7/8 Velvet Jones (Naked)
- 1996/7 In My Life (Echo/MCA)
- 2000/1 The Alice Band (Instant Karma/Sony)
- 2002 Party at the Palace – Live show, CD and DVD releases (EMI/Virgin)
- 2003 Hayley WestenraHayley WestenraHayley Dee Westenra is a New Zealand soprano, classical crossover artist, songwriter and UNICEF Ambassador. Her first internationally released album, Pure, reached No. 1 on the UK classical charts in 2003 and has sold more than two million copies worldwide...
– Pure (Universal/Decca) - 2004 Willard WhiteWillard WhiteSir Willard Wentworth White, OM, CBE is a Jamaican-born British bass-baritone.-Early life:He was born into a poor but supportive Jamaican family in Kingston. His father was a dockworker, his mother a housewife. White first began to learn music by listening to the radio and singing Nat King Cole...
– My Way (Sony/BMG) - 2004/5 Hayley WestenraHayley WestenraHayley Dee Westenra is a New Zealand soprano, classical crossover artist, songwriter and UNICEF Ambassador. Her first internationally released album, Pure, reached No. 1 on the UK classical charts in 2003 and has sold more than two million copies worldwide...
– Odyssey (Universal/Decca) - 2004/06 – LoveLove (The Beatles album)Love is a Grammy Award-winning soundtrack remix album of music recorded by The Beatles, released in November 2006. It features music compiled and remixed as a mashup for the Cirque du Soleil show of the same name...
(AppleApple RecordsApple Records is a record label founded by The Beatles in 1968, as a division of Apple Corps Ltd. It was initially intended as a creative outlet for the Beatles, both as a group and individually, plus a selection of other artists including Mary Hopkin, James Taylor, Badfinger, and Billy Preston...
/Cirque du SoleilCirque du SoleilCirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy...
/MGM/EMI) - 2007 Kim RicheyKim RicheyKimberly Kay "Kim" Richey is an American singer/songwriter. Though her work fits into the general country music category, her sound is not easily categorized. Her songs have been hits on both the country and pop charts...
— Chinese Boxes (Vanguard) - 2007 Paco PeñaPaco PeñaPaco Peña is a Spanish flamenco guitarist. He is regarded as one of the world's foremost traditional Flamenco players.Born in Córdoba, Spain as Francisco Peña Pérez, Paco Peña began learning to play the guitar from his brother at age 6 and made his first professional appearance at 12...
— Requiem - 2008 RENTRentRent may refer to:*Renting, a system of payment for the temporary use of something owned by someone else ; the payments for such use are typically referred to as "rent"...
- Live on Broadway (Sony Pictures) - 2008/9 The Beatles Rock Band (MTV Networks)
- 2009/10/11 George Harrison: Living in the Material World