10 Most Unsung Heroes In Rock History

The Beatles are one of those few bands who many would consider over-explained. With dozens of reissues of their material popping up left and right and a damn miniseries Anthology made of their entire career in the '60s, there's pretty much nothing else that needs to be covered about the Fab Four. While the lives of John, Paul, George, and Ringo have gone down in legend, George Martin deserves to be right there beside them.

Even though the Fabs clearly had the songwriting power to pull off incredible tracks, Martin's role as their producer took these songs to the next level. Being the most musically educated out of the group, Martin was the one in charge of the orchestral arrangements on most of their material, whether it was the controlled chaos you found at the middle and end of A Day in the Life or the chilling string work on Eleanor Rigby.

It was almost as if the Fabs were in a friendly competition with their own producer, bringing more and more outlandish ideas to the table and finding a way to make them work in a pop context. This led to stuff that didn't even seem possible, like the morphed voice of John Lennon on Tomorrow Never Knows and the amazing melding of two complete takes together on Strawberry Fields Forever. The Beatles may be canonized in the Almighty Church of Rock Music, but when you look at sheer craftsmanship, George Martin has earned himself a spot in the musical heavens.