Why Billy Joel initially turned down George Martin | CPT PPP Coverage

By the time his hard rock outfit, Attila, fell through, Joel knew that he had to do something soon, or he would most likely kill himself. Going into the studio with his batch of songs, Joel eventually was given a deal to put out his record, which resulted in the album Cold Spring Harbor. Although did have high hopes for the record at the time, things sunk without a trace once he heard the final mixes.

Looking to get it right on the following records, Joel would hit the ground running on his second release Piano Man, featuring the now-iconic title track he still uses to close out concerts. Although the single may have become his calling card for the next few years, he would find it difficult to assemble the pieces for his next handful of records.

After the sessions were starting up for Joel’s masterpiece The Stranger, he had the opportunity of a lifetime to work with the legendary producer George Martin. Having been behind the board for the best albums The Beatles had ever made, Martin was a seasoned pro and knew that he could help Joel realise what he heard in his head.

When first hearing about the prospect of working with Martin, Joel admitted to being starstruck by the opportunity, remembering in his biography, “George Martin was looked on by the music industry and the state-of-the-art producer, The Beatles’ guy. If you could get George Martin, then you must be pretty damn good”.

Once Martin shared his opinion on what the band should be doing, Joel baulked at the opportunity, saying, “He was interested, but when we had a conversation, he said, ‘I’ve seen you play, I like your stuff, I don’t like your band. I want you to work with the studio musicians.’ It was a crucial moment because here I had the opportunity to work with George Martin, and he didn’t want to work with my band. I kept trying to convince him to try the guys out, just let them try. We’d been on the road, and that was what I wanted. I didn’t want smooth.”

While any music fan would question Joel’s judgement for declining Martin’s offer, his relationship with producer Phil Ramone would soon become the stuff of legend, crafting extraordinary pop odysseys on tracks like ‘Just the Way You Are’ and ‘Scenes From an Italian Restaurant’. Although Martin certainly wouldn’t hold a grudge against Joel, it takes guts to decline an offer from the man who made ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ come to life.