Alan Parsons remembers legendary Beatles producer George Martin

As a 19-year-old assistant sound engineer working on the Beatles album Let It Be, Alan Parsons witnessed first hand the collaborative genius behind the sound of the greatest band in rock 'n' roll history.

A legendary artist and producer, Parsons says George Martin's influence on the Beatles cannot be understated, especially during the Let It Be sessions, when the band was falling apart.

I like to think I modeled myself on George. He was always, to me, the epitome of how a studio producer should conduct himself in studio situations.- Alan Parsons

"He was the ultimate diplomat," Parsons says, "he had the respect of every member of the band … without his contribution to The Beatles and to many of the other artists he worked with, I think things might have been very different."

Parsons was an inexperienced assistant recording engineer, assigned by Abbey Road Studios, to help George Martin record The Beatles' latest album in 1969.  Parsons is the legendary music producer and sound engineer behind Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon", and the leader of the Alan Parsons Project.

Little did he know, he was about to witness a historic last concert by the Fab Four.

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"I was 19 and went down to (Apple Records to) participate in the recording of Let It Be and that culminated in the rooftop session," Parsons tells As It Happens guest host Helen Mann.

Parsons also assisted on the Abbey Road album, which was recorded after Let It Be but released first.

Parsons says in Beatles songs with orchestration, you can hear Martin's personal touch,

"His production technique was very evident on strawberry fields where he took two entirely different versions of the song and made them into one, at John's [Lennon`s] request"

As the Beatles' sound matured, their thirst to push sonic boundaries deepened and Martin was able to work with that.

"He was always ready to experiment and push technology to the available limits of the time," says Parsons.

"It was all quite primitive so the results he and the Beatles achieved were nothing less than remarkable."

Parsons' career took off after his time with Martin, with projects such as Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon and The Alan Parsons Project. He says that George Martin had a profound effect on his work.

"I like to think I modeled myself on George. He was always, to me, the epitome of how a studio producer should conduct himself in studio situations."

Parsons' favourite memory of Martin was from years after the Beatles broke up and Parsons had returned to Abbey Road Studios as the boss,  "George greeted me in the lobby of Abbey Road and shook my hand and said many congratulations, I'm sure you'll do a great job."