Sea Of Time: A George Martin Instrumental for The Beatles film.

Sea Of Time: Introduction

The title of this track, “Sea Of Time,” tells us that it is part of the Yellow Submarine project. Again, we see George Martin conducting a 41-piece orchestra for this instrumental. In short, his work makes allowances for the vibrant visuals in the film.

Obviously, he does this with great effect, like all tracks on Side 2 of the album. However, this instrumental piece incorporates Indian classical instrumentation, unlike the other pieces.

Release Date: January 17, 1969 (UK), January 13, 1969 (US)
Recorded: October 22–23, 1968
Studio: Abbey Road, London
Genre: Psychedelic, Indian classical, orchestral
Track Duration: 3:00
Record Label: Apple
Producer: George Martin
Co-producers: John Burgess and Ron Richards
Engineer: Geoff Emerick

George Martin: Composer and conductor of a 41-piece orchestra

None of the Beatles took part in the recording due to the nature of this instrumental track. However, the track is important to the Yellow Submarine project, rather like incidental music.

You can still buy this instrumental piece. However, ensure you get the appropriate album. The only one you should get is the soundtrack album, not the songtrack, which differs a lot. Of course, the songtrack has Beatles songs throughout.

In 1968, an animated film featuring The Beatles characters called “Yellow Submarine” came to our screens. In effect, this was The Beatles’ fourth film. However, the band members became cartoon characters and only made an appearance at the end. This was not unique since there was a cartoon series featuring The Beatles in 1965!

Just like The Beatles’ cartoon series, the Yellow Submarine movie also incorporated plenty of The Beatles’ songs. But, being a film, it needed plenty of incidental music, and “Sea Of Time” is one such piece.

Music Maestro George Martin was responsible for all the incidental music in the film, of course. The unique thing about the “Sea Of Time” piece was that it included Indian instrumentation. At the time, The Beatles had already distanced themselves from Maharishi, but Indian music was still fresh in their minds.

Be that as it may, the track opens with a tampura drone and a winding melody. We heard something similar on “Within You Without You,” a George Harrison composition, but this was from a time when the band had faith in the Maharishi.

Side 2 of the Yellow Submarine soundtrack album only has George Martin’s instrumental pieces from the film. Just to point out that the American album lists both “Sea Of Time” and “Sea Of Holes” as one track. On the UK album and the 1987 international CD reissue, they are separate tracks.

Of course, all recording for these incidental music tracks took place at the Abbey Road Studios in London on October 22 and 23, 1968.

While pure Beatles fans might overlook these instrumentals, they do play an important part in the film. Not only that, but George Martin deserves the credit for all his hard work. So, take a listen, then leave your thoughts below.

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