 FOR A certain generation, it's difficult to accept the fact that Sir George Martin, the prolific record producer, without whom the Beatles may have ended up being a very far cry from how the world remembers them today, is 80 years old. Suddenly, a generation feels old, as they see, in the person of George Martin, their own mortality being reinforced. The legacy of this icon is a rich one indeed. His contributions to the recording industry were enormous, and the body of work that he compiled still matters to this day. For his is a portfolio of accomplishment that should not be forgotten simply because different trends and tastes have come and gone across the years. At the risk of sounding more than a bit jaded, in the minds of some from today's technology-savvy generation, Sir George Martin may indeed be a figure who is shrouded in mystery. To the generation which gets the news of the world in 30-second sound bites, and whas a steadily shrinking attention span, there is perhaps a vague and misty image of him. In their collective mind, he may be seen as a person of distant celebrity status. In today's world, our heroes seem to be disposable, and sensitivity often dumped along the side of life's highway like a crushed beer can. To those who may not have a clear recollection of Martin, and who have never had the opportunity to acquire an appreciation for his timeless work have missed a great deal along the way. Today's generation demands instant gratification, and subscribe to the belief that if you can't push a button on a keyboard and acquire real-time results and instant answers, the effort is hardly worth making. There was a time, not all that long ago, when technology hadn't advanced to the level where it could provide all of the answers to all of the questions, and solve all of the problems with the click of a mouse. Those were the times that found a rather polished and sophisticated London gentleman named George Martin at the very top of his game. Simply put, George Martin was, without question, the most acclaimed and celebrated producer in the history of the music industry. | 
