Who Was the Most Prog Beatle?

Dean wrote: <span style="line-height: 14.3999996185303px;"> Kati wrote: Dean wrote: None of the above.</span><div style="line-height: 14.3999996185303px;"><div style="line-height: 14.3999996185303px;"><span style="line-height: 14.3999996185303px;">  </span><br style="line-height: 14.3999996185303px;"><span style="line-height: 14.3999996185303px;">Party pooper </span><span style="line-height: 14.3999996185303px;">  </span><div style="line-height: 14.3999996185303px;">Often called the 5th Beatle we all know the influence George Martin had on the Beatles recordings but we tend to overlook that he was a composer and musician. That piece of electronic music, (later recorded by an orchestra and later still by a little known Prog band by the name of Van der Graaf Generator), contains everything he brought to that party to the extent that it actually sounds like a collage of dozens of Beatles records - there's bits of Revolver in there, bits of Sgt Pepper, bits of Magical Mystery Tour - the trumpet refrain, the sawing cellos, the organ crescendo, were all musical touches that Martin the musician introduced into those Beatles tunes that lifted them above the ordinary. To me, Martin with the Beatles was like Wakeman with Yes: Anderson, Squire & Howe had the tunes and the ideas, but it was Wakeman that brought those disparate ideas together with his musician's touch and expertise. John, Paul & George had the tunes and the ideas, but it was Martin that brought those ideas together because he was a musician as much as he was a producer - he made the Beatles sound "proggy" (for want of a better word).

I disagree. Martin was actually the most Classical Beatle. The most Prog Beatle? The great Geoff Emerick. The Recording engineer and boy genius for both Revolver and Sgt. Pepper's and, unofficially, Abbey Road.

Edited by SteveG - September 27 2014 at 12:33

^Stu Sutcliffe, Brian Eptein and Billy Peston were also refered to as "The Fifth Beatle" at different times in the press. Time to add Geoff to the party.

Dean wrote: by the current reckoning that makes him the 39th Beatle.

With the inclusion of Revolver artist and close band friend from their Hamburg days Klaus Voorman (he was also referred to as the 5th Beatle) that would make Emerick No.6. But why split hairs?

George. To release albums like "Wonderwall Music" and "Electronic Sound" with its moog synthesizers... That's pretty progressive.
"All things must pass" was a triple album, also a proggy move, even though the songs were no prog.

But didn't Ringo compose something for ARP synthesizer?
All 4 have some amount of prog in them, I suppose.

But I vote for George.

^Have you noticed all of the different responses?  

^I'll take that as a no.

Ringo was extremely prog.