The musician whose approach George Martin was appalled by

(Credits: Far Out / Alamy)

Tue 10 June 2025 20:30, UK

The idea of a finished product in art is a weird one, because how do you know when you’re done? How do you know when the thing itself has reached its final form, perfect and free from any additional tweaks, for better or worse? Most of the time, you don’t, which is also why most musicians get to a point where they decide it’s as good as it can be, on the brink of being destroyed by perfectionism. George Martin was never really sure what to think of this.

As much as we don’t talk about it, this is overwhelmingly common in the music world. U2, for example, knew just how much aiming for the finish line was pointless, not only because it doesn’t really exist, but it’s usually the difference between something impactful and butchering good art. Usually, as casually resigned as it might sound, this means just deciding on an endpoint regardless of whether it’s actually “finished” or not.

This sometimes bleeds into the start, too. Some might prefer a more regimented approach, while others sort of go in blind, equipped with nothing more than a handful of vague ideas that they hope will eventually come into more focus the more they chip away at them. This can manifest differently depending on who it is (from David Byrne’s improvisations to Rick Rubin’s genius nonchalance), but usually, it’s a brave road that requires patience and perseverance, or for those who feel there’s no structure with rules.

Because that’s exactly what it is: no rules. No set routine, no clear direction, just pure exploration, with the hopes that it’ll lead somewhere good. Peter Gabriel explained it best when talking to Real World Studios in 2002. While discussing his long working days and how he usually likes to work by throwing around countless ideas until something sticks, he said it’s the messiness that sets him off at first before he’s able to stumble upon something that makes more sense. He also explained why George Martin absolutely hates the idea.

“I have a sort of messy, sprawling technique of writing really where you throw all this stuff at the wall and then you just chip away and spiral inwards and try to find the centre,” he said. Continuing, “I remember talking to George Martin about this as a sort of production technique and he was appalled, because of the waste involved.” Adding: “He could only envisage having a definite result in mind that you went straight to, and you knew how to get there. I’ve tried that too, but I’m not very good at it. I work this other way.”

To be fair, it would make sense for anybody to have managed a band as big as The Beatles to need some semblance of order with any other project, especially if they’re conscious of the cultural context and the need to meet deadlines in order to keep the whole thing running smoothly. If you’re someone like Peter Gabriel, or anyone else who works from the mess of their own mind and nothing else, you can get away with the disorder. But someone like Martin needs it, not just to keep focused but to keep in line with his own version of a steady flow.

Suppose that’s the difference, then, between approaching art like it’s some sort of military operation and like it’s more of a vague attempt at grasping something real. The outcome might be the same, but it shows how some prefer not to be boxed in by a beginning, middle, and an end, knowing that, in the end, none of those categories ever really existed to begin with.

Related Topics

The Far Out Music Newsletter

All the latest music news from the independant voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.

_{Images are for reference only.Images and contents gathered automatic from google or 3rd party sources.All rights on the images and contents are with their legal original owners.}