Beatles mash-up

Legendary producer returns to Abbey Road

17 Nov 06 - Sir George Martin - the fifth Beatle - today unveiled the band's new mash-up album at the famous Abbey Road Studios.

Sir George and his son Giles worked on the new album, Love, at the studio complex in north London where The Beatles recorded some of their classic songs. The Martins were asked to make experimental mixes from the master tapes for a collaboration with Cirque du Soleil for a new show in Las Vegas.

The request came from Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr as well as Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison. The resulting record has their complete blessing, and Sir Paul said: "This album puts the Beatles back together again, because suddenly there's John and George with me and Ringo - it's kind of magical."

"It's kind of magical"
Sir Paul McCartney

An emotional Sir George Martin today returned to the studio where he recorded with the Beatles for the launch of the album, which features classic songs edited together, dismantled and reconstructed from unused takes.

Sir George worked alongside his son Giles, who said they originally thought that Yoko Ono may not be happy with the idea of changing some of John Lennon's music. But it turned out she was receptive to the album concept.

Giles Martin said: "With Yoko she just went, 'I'm so happy to be able to hear John like this', and you would be able to discuss things with her, and I found her fascinating in that respect, you know hearing the stories, that anyone would find interesting. I was surprised."

Sir George added: "When Apple came to me and said they wanted an hour and half of continuous Beatles sounds for a new show, I thought 'wow', that is a bit ambitious isn't it? And then they said, 'Well you can use any sound that you want that you made in the Sixties'.

"It kind of rounds things off, because in 1965 I did the first score for the Beatles, which was a little number called Yesterday, and this one is the final score that I will ever do for the Beatles, so a top and tail of my life really."

The album is out on Monday, 20 November. And 6 Music has an exclusive documentary, Love: The Album, about the making of the record on Monday at 9pm.

Andre Paine