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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who was the first artist recorded by George Martin at AIR's first studio?

2. George Martin converted a house in what New England town into a recording studio, to record Sea Train?

3. At the British Embassy in 1964, what did one Beatle fan do to Ringo Starr?

4. Which Beatles associate died from an accidental overdose in August 1967?

5. In Chapter 12, what does George Martin refer to as a "golden treadmill?"

Short Essay Questions

1. Under what circumstances did the Beatles' manager, Brian Epstein, die?

2. 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?

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

4. What is George Martin's explanation for the song, "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", contrary to the popular theory that the song is about LSD?

5. In what way was the construction of the first AIR studio innovative, as described in Chapter 14?

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

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

8. How is a compressor used in a recording studio?

9. Briefly summarize George Martin's predictions for the future, as of 1979, regarding the use of digital recording.

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast George Martin's descriptions of alcohol consumption by many of the comedic and musical acts he recorded in his early days at Parlophone, with his descriptions of illegal drug use by the Beatles.

Essay Topic 2

If George Martin can be said to be the protagonist of his own autobiographical story, who are the main antagonists? How did George Martin overcome obstacles set before him by those antagonists? Did he, or his character, learn and grow as the story progressed?

Essay Topic 3

How did George Martin's experiences, recording classical artists and comedians at Parlophone, help to prepare him for his most famous role as the Beatles' producer?

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