Music That's Just Fab

Performing Beatles albums note-for-note in their entirety has given Glen Burtnik the idea that the Fab Four’s producer was working against him.

“I have this theory about George Martin, that every time he contributed a solo on Beatle records, he specifically made it difficult for tribute acts of the future,” Burtnik says.

It may not be the most scientific of theories but if anyone’s qualified to come up with such a notion, it’s Burtnik. He’s been playing Beatles music professionally since the late 1970s when he played Paul McCartney in the West Coast production of the Broadway show “Beatlemania.” He’s also played with a Beatle tribute band and since 2007, he has performed a different Beatles album at the State Theatre in New Brunswick for his annual Jersey Beatles Bash.

This year’s Bash is scheduled for July 23 and will feature “Revolver,” which is marking its 45thanniversary. The Beatles really began to experiment with recording techniques on the album, incorporating sound effects, tape loops and instruments that aren’t found on your average rock album.

Take, for example, the Paul McCartney-sung “For No One,” which includes a famous French horn solo that Burtnik says is challenging because it’s played at a high register.

“The beautiful solo by that French horn player, it’s really a bear and not simple to perform, as is the trumpet solo in ‘Penny Lane’ as is the sped-up piano solo in ‘In My Life,’” Burtnik says. “George Martin would add these elements to these Beatles records that aren’t for the faint of heart, you really need great musicians to tackle that.”

It would seem the musicians Burtnik puts together for his annual celebration of John, Paul, George and Ringo are up to the task. In the past, Bertnik has led performances of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” “The Beatles” (commonly known as the White Album), “Abbey Road,” “Let It Be,” “Help” and “Rubber Soul.”

“Revolver” is a pretty short album (about 35 minutes), so the concert will be rounded out with performances of other Beatle favorites. Putting together the musicians needed to play “Revolver” is allowing Burtnik to play songs that feature lots of instrumentation. “Eleanor Rigby,” for example, features two string quartets, so having all those players should allow for powerful performances of songs like “The Long and Winding Road,” “I Am the Walrus,” “Good Night” and “A Day in a Life” 

“I usually have a quartet with me but this year I’m going bigger and I have an eight-piece string section,” Burtnik says. “Because I have it for that one song, I figured, Well, maybe I’ll employ them for the second half of the show.”

Other well known songs from “Revolver” are “Yellow Submarine,” “Good Day Sunshine,” “She Said, She Said,” “Got to Get You Into My Life,” and the album’s closing song,  “Tomorrow Never Knows,” a John Lennon-penned bit of psychedelia that doesn’t lend itself to live performances.

“We kind of created loops that will be triggered,” Burtnik says of the strange sounds that are heard throughout the song. “Instead of actually having tape loops, we’ll have a (synthesizer player), who will be triggering the sound bites. And we do that along with a live rhythm section and singing. We’re working on it and I think it’s going to be great.”

That confidence comes in part from memories of his White Album concert.

“After I did ‘Revolution 9,’ I figured I could do anything,” he says.

Burtnik was born in Irvington and his family moved to New Brunswick when he was in second grade. He played in various Jersey bands, and got his ”Beatlemania” break after responding to an add in the “Village Voice” seeking Beatle-type musicians.

“Because I’m left-handed and because I have droopy eyes, people would comment — especially back in the day when I had darker hair — that I bore some resemblance to McCartney,” says Burtnik, who later joined the band Styx in the 1990s. “But really musically, I’ve always said I didn’t go to college, I went to ‘Beatlemania.’ I studied their music and it’s been good, it’s something I go back to often.”

And fans come back to it, from older people who bought the records on vinyl and wore Beatle wigs, to young people who discover the songs.

“I think it is phenomenal that their music continues to be relevant to new generations,” Burtnik says. “They’re still relevant, every time a new generation comes along, there’s always admiration for the music of the Beatles. It’s a lasting classic, it’s kind of like the music of Bach or Beethoven. It strikes some kind of chord for everyone, musicians and laypeople, casual music fans alike.”

Glen Burtnik and Friends will host Jersey Beatles Bash V at the State Theatre, 15 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick on July 23 at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $20-$45. For tickets and information, call 732-246-7469 or go to www.statetheatrenj.org.