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Originally Posted by gmku
George was the only true musician in the group.
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That's the wrong "George." If George Martin is "the fifth Beatle," then he is the best musician in The Beatles.
When they began, George Harrison could play his lead guitar instrument with less proficiency than anyone in the band played their parts. As the years went on, and as The Beatles evolved, George developed a signature style that is absolutely amazing and that clearly places him among the best guitarists of all time.
John & George, were the resident creative directors in the group. John was aggresive about it, George passive, the creative and the receptive principles fully embodied. John mainly developed the concept of the songs, wrote the majority of the lyrics and the overwhelming bulk of the bare-bones of the music and basic progressions as well. George added his touch to the songs to make them take flight. Despite these observations, the true musicians of the group were (shocker!) Ringo Starr (a consummate swinging drummer) and Paul McCartney. Paul would flesh out Lennon's demos and with John's and George Martin's help would make them into The Beatles wonderworks. Paul is one of the best living bassists on the planet and he can play anything else you put in front of him as well.
So, to get technical (hehe), Paul is the
real musician in The Beatles, not George. In fact, as much as I love him and his work, George would have to be ranked dead last in that department. And beyond Paul's technical expertise (none of them could sight-read although Paul could read music and George Martin could probably sight-read backwards), as I alluded to before, John is the heart and soul of The Beatles. His genius outshines Paul's intrinsic talent. For that same reason, some may opt to give that nod to Harrison instead of Lennon. If that's your leaning, then I won't be able to change that. I do, however, want to let you know with this message that it's a complete crock.