View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which film won the Oscar for musical direction, in the year George Martin was nominated?
(a) "The Sound of Music".
(b) "My Fair Lady".
(c) "Doctor Zhivago".
(d) "Mary Poppins".

2. What problem was discovered at AIR, while Laurence Olivier was recording "Julius Caesar"?
(a) Overly sensitive microphones.
(b) A squeaky floorboard.
(c) Poor air circulation.
(d) The walls weren't soundproof.

3. Which Beatles associate died from an accidental overdose in August 1967?
(a) Neil Aspinall.
(b) Magic Alex.
(c) Pete Best.
(d) Brian Epstein.

4. How did the recording tape used at Capitol in 1958 differ from the tape used at Abbey Road?
(a) Capitol used one-inch tape to produce a three-track recording, while Abbey Road used half-inch tape to produce two tracks.
(b) Capitol used half-inch tape to produce a three-track recording, while Abbey Road used quarter-inch tape to produce two tracks.
(c) Capitol used quarter-inch tape to produce a two-track recording, while Abbey Road used half-inch tape to produce three tracks.
(d) Capitol used half-inch tape to produce a three-track recording, while Abbey Road used quarter-inch tape to produce three tracks.

5. What is George Martin's explanation for the song title, "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"?
(a) The song was a tribute to John Lennon's mother, Lucy, who often wished for a diamond ring.
(b) Lysergic acid diethylamide, or LSD, an illegal psychedelic drug.
(c) Lucy was a stewardess on a flight taken by John Lennon shortly before he wrote the lyrics.
(d) John Lennon's son, Julian, had drawn a picture of his friend, Lucy, floating in a black sky full of stars.

Short Answer Questions

1. The song, "Pepperland Laid Waste", appears on which Beatles album?"

2. In Chapter 10 George Martin describes his disappointment with EMI, due to their unwillingness to pay him a bonus, using what British turn of phrase?

3. What three reasons does George Martin offer for some groups' desire not to work with a producer?

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

5. Who found a solution to the noise problem caused by extra tracks multiplying hiss and crackle?

Short Essay Questions

1. As explained in Chapter 13, how does George Martin respond when asked how to become a successful record producer?

2. What album does George Martin consider to be the classic example of what can be achieved by a talented amateur with multi-track equipment?

3. What difficulties were presented by John Lennon's request that George Martin fuse together two unique versions of "Strawberry Fields Forever"?

4. Briefly describe the controversy surrounding John Lennon's comparison of the Beatles and Jesus.

5. What sorts of diversions did the Beatles create, in order to get in and out of their hotel rooms in the U.S.?

6. What main advantage did George Martin gain from EMI, as a result of creating gold records with the Beatles?

7. What was the first film scored by George Martin, and why does he refer to the process as a nightmare?

8. In the song, "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite", how did George Martin achieve his complex hurdy-gurdy effect?

9. Why did the creators of the James Bond film, "Live and Let Die", want someone other than songwriter Paul McCartney to sing the title song?

10. How does George Martin compare multi-track recording to a four-layer cake, as described in Chapter 8?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,334 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample