David Rudderham
Connector Editor
“Abbey Road,” the famous album released by The Beatles back in 1969, will be performed by a hand-picked selection of top musicians at Boarding House Park on Sept. 5. The man responsible is Craig Martin.
Martin is the founder of “Classic Albums Live,” a concert series that aims to perform entire rock albums for audiences around the U.S. and Canada. Although the series was started in 2003, Martin has been around music his entire life.
“I don’t have a law degree to fall back on,” said Martin. He does, however, have talent in singing as well as playing guitar, piano and harmonica.
Like most music nerds, Martin obsesses over sound and how pieces are performed live. He detests cover bands that dress like the band they’re covering only to butcher their songs in front of a small audience. For Martin, everything has to be bigger, better and perfected.
That explains why he chooses to use professional studio musicians who are capable of recreating the magical nuances that took place in a music studio over 40 years ago. “We’re like museum curators. We’re concerned with musical purity and finding the most talented musicians to perform [the albums] note for note,” said Martin.
“Abbey Road,” is one of those albums that deserve curation. Martin defined the importance of that album in his life, claiming it as his “blood type.”
Although Martin, CEO and creator of the concert series, has an affection for older music he also respects what is happening right now. Martin is aware of the Katy Perry type of pop star and while it may be difficult to think about, 40 years into the future could yield a concert series dedicated to the music of Justin Timberlake.
His knowledge of modern music could be attributed in large part to his kids.
“I’m a father of four kids so I’m familiar with what’s going on in the music industry. People immediately assume that I don’t like pop music and rap music and that’s just not true” said Martin.
Martin considers the current state of the music industry to be “cognitive” and like most musicians with a passion, he struggles with the reality of the present day.
He understands that older music still appeals to young people because “cream rises to the top.” That’s not just a statement of nostalgia, it is actually true when you look at the significance of backlogged material from record companies and how it still sells decades after the material was first released.
When asked about “Highway 61 Revisited” by Bob Dylan, one of those eternal albums, he proudly exclaimed “I’ve seen him twenty times!” He also recognizes certain difficulties in having that album performed live but expressed clear desire to hear “Desolation Row.”
Even just scrolling through the series’ past performances listed online or filmed for their Youtube channel indicates that they’re not known to shy away from an album just because it may be considered difficult.
In the past the series has performed “Dark Side of the Moon” by Pink Floyd – an album that would demand the best from the musicians and a type of organized orchestration that makes the performance theatrical. One can expect the same level of fidelity when these musicians take the stage at Boardinghouse Park to cover the Beatles.
