Good Morning, Lizards.

I’m saddened to wake up to the news that Sir George Martin has passed. Martin’s portfolio is as weighty as anyone in modern music. He broke tremendous ground with The Beatles, of course - every album revealed a new innovation, a new twist on established procedures, a new way of production that is still a template for how things are done.

But of all the amazing work he produced, this remains my favorite.

In 1974, Martin corralled the wild artistry of Jeff Beck, sending his work in a brand new direction and kicking his career to another entire level. This track closed the groundbreaking ‘Blow By Blow’ album, and Martin’s gorgeous contrapuntal string arrangement steals the show, even in the face of Beck’s beautifully sensitive playing.
The orchestra is so good, Beck even sits out the last refrain and lets Martin’s strings wash over the listener one more time. It never fails to move me to tears with its elegant simplicity. Even now.

Well done, Sir. Well done, indeed.

Jeff Beck / Diamond Dust (Vinyl)