View a FREE sample

This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is the double meaning of the title of Chapter 15?
(a) It is both the title of a Beatles song and a reference to his fears about the future.
(b) It is both the title of a Cilla Black song and a reference to his fears about the future.
(c) It is both the title of a Beatles song and a reference to his predictions for the future.
(d) It is both the title of a Cilla Black song and a reference to his predictions for the future.

2. In Chapter 12, George Martin reveals that he uses his collection of gold, silver, and platinum discs for what purpose?
(a) He sells them in order to maintain and upgrade his studios.
(b) They paper the walls of one room in his house.
(c) They adorn the side walls of his shelving units.
(d) He donates them to music schools to inspire young people.

3. For which movie did George Martin receive his first and only Academy Award nomination?
(a) "Live and Let Die".
(b) "Help!"
(c) "Goldfinger".
(d) "A Hard Day's Night".

4. What does George Martin describe as a lifetime ambition in Chapter 12, unfulfilled when the book was written?
(a) Recording an album featuring himself as the vocalist.
(b) Writing music for the ballet.
(c) Becoming a grandfather.
(d) Becoming an Impressionist painter.

5. In what year was "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" recorded?
(a) 1969.
(b) 1967.
(c) 1968.
(d) 1970.

6. Why was George Martin shocked when he viewed "Crooks Anonymous", a film that he scored?
(a) The vocal track had been removed from the song that played during the opening credits.
(b) The music was out of sync with the action.
(c) His movie score had been replaced with someone else's.
(d) The balance between percussion and other instruments was all wrong.

7. In Chapter 8, in George Martin's layer cake metaphor, what was the third layer in a four-track recording?
(a) Harmonies, such as piano or guitar.
(b) Rhythm, such as drums and bass.
(c) The lead voice.
(d) Extra bits, called sweetening.

8. The "Yellow Submarine" story was written by Erich Segal, who later found fame with what novel-turned-film?
(a) "The Exorcist".
(b) "Love Story".
(c) "Close Encounters of the Third Kind".
(d) "Jaws".

9. George Martin wrote the musical score for which James Bond film?
(a) "Diamonds Are Forever".
(b) "Goldfinger".
(c) "On Her Majesty's Secret Service".
(d) "Live and Let Die".

10. Why did George Martin ultimately agree, in 1976, to score the "Sergeant Pepper" film featuring the Bee Gees and Peter Frampton?
(a) He desperately needed money.
(b) The Beatles asked him to do it.
(c) The Bee Gees asked him to do it.
(d) His wife reminded him that if someone else did the job, he wouldn't be there to defend the music's integrity.

11. What three reasons does George Martin offer for some groups' desire not to work with a producer?
(a) They may fear a producer will steal their ideas; they do not want to surrender a large percentage of the profits to an outsider; and they may feel a producer will inhibit their creativity.
(b) They want the glory that comes with producing themselves; they may worry a producer will rewrite their songs; and they may feel a producer will inhibit their creativity.
(c) They want the glory that comes with producing themselves; they may fear a producer will steal their ideas; and they may worry a producer will rewrite their songs.
(d) They want the glory that comes with producing themselves; they do not want to surrender a large percentage of the profits to an outsider; and they may feel a producer will inhibit their creativity.

12. At EMI, what did engineer Charlie Anderson do when a photographer wanted to take pictures of a recording artist in the studio?
(a) Deny their request.
(b) Rearrange the microphones in impossible ways so no one could study his techniques.
(c) Offer them standard publicity glossies.
(d) Remove all microphones from the room.

13. Where did George Martin build his second AIR studio?
(a) Cape Cod.
(b) Montserrat.
(c) Yugoslavia.
(d) London.

14. Who was the first artist recorded by George Martin at AIR's first studio?
(a) Cilla Black.
(b) The Beatles.
(c) Mike Oldfield.
(d) America.

15. In Chapter 10, which Beatle does George Martin describe as an aural Salvador Dali?
(a) Ringo Starr.
(b) John Lennon.
(c) Paul McCartney.
(d) George Harrison.

Short Answer Questions

1. In the recording studio, what is the function of the compressor?

2. As stated in Chapter 8, in what year did George Martin make his first trip to America?

3. As mentioned in Chapter 12, where did George Martin first meet the then-unknown composer, Randy Newman?

4. As described in Chapter 14, AIR built its first studio where?

5. While recording the twenty-four-bar climax for "A Day in the Life", George Martin told the orchestra to disobey a fundamental rule by doing what?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 879 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample