The legendary “fifth Beatle” died two years ago after a lifetime as a successful record producer.
And now a new biography is claiming Martin had a “cold war” with The Beatles in 1968 when they recorded The White Album.
Author Kenneth Womack details the affair in his new book, Sound Pictures: The Life of Beatles Producer George Martin, the Later Years, 1966-2016.
The Guardian reveals the claim is that Martin would turn up to recording sessions and just sit reading newspaper and eating chocolate.
Womack alleged: “I asked them [the sound engineers] what George was doing when John was playing a particularly guitar part or when Ringo was working on some drum part.
“They would say ‘nothing, he was in the back of the booth, reading newspapers, sharing his chocolate with us.’
“He was on a kind of chocolate-and-newspaper strike.”
Martin is said to have been “frozen out” when The Beatles were recording The White Album.
According to Womack the reason for this was Martin had been credited as the mastermind behind 1967’s Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
The author said: “It…had a lot to do with a Time magazine article in 1967 where George was credited with being this wunderkind and the mastermind behind Sgt Pepper.
“They didn’t take very well to that and let him know…I do think this was the beginning of the struggle over ‘who’s the genius behind the Beatles?’”
“This was payback for taking credit for the Beatles myth…but they coaxed him back for Abbey Road.”
The star said: “George would often be the one – when we’d be having to do something we didn’t fancy – who would just go, ‘Why we f***ing doing this?
“‘What the f***? What the f***’s this? I don’t f***ing want to do this!’ And then it was like, ‘Yes!’”
“You’d maybe say, ‘George, I think we have to do it.’
“‘I’m not f***ing doing it!’ and you’d be going, ‘Yes, great!’ so none of us have to do it.
Sound Pictures: The Life of Beatles Producer George Martin, the Later Years, 1966-2016 is published on September 4.