George Harrison RESPECT Thread

[bigbluntz]

A place to talk about the best damn Beatle ever :cool:

http://www.8notes.com/wiki/images/GeorgeHarrison.jpg

Feel free to share any George Harrison stuff you would like :smile:

Please let me know if any of my youtube links don't work, thank you and enjoy!!!

To start us off a less heard version of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-xRRZUeC9A

:biggrin:

EDIT: If you notice any links are broken please let me know, thanks

[40footwolf]

He was always my favorite Beatle. Never seemed to have quite the ego the rest of them had. Hell of a guitarist, too.

[bigbluntz]

Live version of George singing "My Sweet Lord" :biggrin:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wynYMJwEPH8

:smile:

[bigbluntz]

George learning to play the sitar

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erLZ-zW9Ti4

Ravi Shankar is awesome too :cool:

[Shellhead]

I think very highly of George Harrison, but he will always be the third-best Beatle in my rankings.

[bigbluntz]

"Think For Yourself" by The Beatles written by George :smile:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFkbWcdgZj8

I think very highly of George Harrison, but he will always be the third-best Beatle in my rankings.

How exactly do you rank your Beatles? cuz here George is always numba 1 :wink:

[Ilash]

I think very highly of George Harrison, but he will always be the third-best Beatle in my rankings.

I agree. But in terms of personality, he is a strong contender for my favourite.

Of course, while I do think that as a Beatle he easily comes third, based purely on his very best work, All Things Must Pass, he was the best solo Beatle.

[bigbluntz]

"Piggies" from The White Album :smile:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrntecBoS6E

Honestly I would have ranked George my 3rd fav in my youth, but since my early 20's he's been my favorite :biggrin:

[bigbluntz]

"Love You To" from Revolver

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AcjRu1meYE

Thank god for those lessons from Ravi :biggrin:

[bigbluntz]

"Within You, Without You" from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrxRAvnU1FQ

Another example of his sitar lessons paying off big time :biggrin:

[The Confessor]

Musically, I'd also rank Harrison as my third favourite Beatle but considering how much I worship The Beatles, that's still a fairly large amount of love that George gets from me. :biggrin: As far as personality goes, I pretty much love all four Beatles equally.

I have to say though, I think the music that George Harrison put out after The Beatles split was wildly inconsistent in terms of quality. I mean, on the one hand you've got the artistic heights of albums like All Things Must Pass, Cloud 9 and Brainwashed but you've also got the unmitigated dross of albums like Extra Texture (Read All About It) and Gone Troppo. Then there are a lot of in-between albums like Dark Horse and Somewhere In England which have some great tunes on them but also contain a fair amount of filler.

I suppose that the same could be said for both Lennon and McCartney’s solo albums but for my money, none of Lennon or Macca’s solo albums sucked quite as hard as Harrison albums like Extra Texture did.

[bigbluntz]

"Dark Horse" from the album with the same name :cool:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brNF7d_SfuI

:biggrin:

[bigbluntz]

"Cloud 9" featuring Eric Clapton :biggrin:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFponF9A86c

from Live in Japan :cool:

[bigbluntz]

"Old Brown Shoe"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSn3w_ZlJSo

originally this was the B-side to "The Ballad of John and Yoko"

[bigbluntz]

"Flying" from Magical Mystery Tour

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4QNs8R4yNw

:biggrin:

[The Confessor]

Ummmm...bigbluntz, are you aiming to post links to George Harrison's entire oeuvre? :confused:

[bigbluntz]

Ummmm...bigbluntz, are you aiming to post links to George Harrison's entire oeuvre? :confused:

Just the stuff I want people to hear :wink:

[Buried Alien]

George Harrison's estate released a new greatest hits collection of his work earlier this year. It's his first new "career-spanning" retrospective compilation since Capitol/EMI's THE BEST OF GEORGE HARRISON back in 1976.

It probably would have been a bigger deal in the pre-download age, but the newest compilation, though offering more than previous ones, still isn't quite comprehensive. It does manage to collect Harrison's EMI and Warner Brothers material in a single set, but misses his Beatles-era hits (a few of them do appear in live form from the CONCERT FOR BANGLADESH). A comprehensive George Harrison retrospective would have all the highlights from the early Beatles stuff all the way through BRAINWASHED.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Buried Alien]

When one assesses the musical contributions of George Harrison vis a vis his fellow Beatles John Lennon and Paul McCartney, the usual habit of most observers is to compare them as songwriters. Although Harrison wrote his share of great songs (i.e. "Something," "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," "If I Needed Someone," etc.), he's inevitably going to lose this comparison on sheer volume alone. Lennon and McCartney simply wrote a greater number of classics than Harrison did.

But what gets overlooked is how vitally George Harrison's instrumental prowess contributed to the results of those Lennon/McCartney compositions. Would "I Saw Her Standing There" have been nearly as good without that George Harrison guitar solo in the middle? Imagine "Day Tripper" without its signature guitar riff. Harrison's guitar solo on "Let It Be" was the highlight of the song for me.

If you take George Harrison's guitar (and sitar) out of the equation, many of those Lennon/McCartney classics fall apart. That, more than Harrison's songwriting offerings, should be the key in assessing his overall contribution to the Beatles.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[howyadoin]

If you take George Harrison's guitar (and sitar) out of the equation, many of those Lennon/McCartney classics fall apart.And yet, he got Clapton to play the solo on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"...

[Buried Alien]

And yet, he got Clapton to play the solo on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"...

Harrison remarked that he had two reasons for recruiting Eric Clapton to record the lead guitar part for "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." First, Harrison wanted the song to not sound "so typically Beatles," which would have been the case had he (or Lennon or McCartney) recorded the lead part. Second, as tensions were high among the Beatles in the studio at the time, Harrison thought it might put everybody in a more cooperative frame of mind if there were a "guest" in the studio.

Harrison achieved both objectives by bringing Eric Clapton in for that recording session.


Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[jesse_custer]

George Harrison should also be recognized for being part of the best damn Cream song, "Badge."

[Ilash]

Harrison remarked that he had two reasons for recruiting Eric Clapton to record the lead guitar part for "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." First, Harrison wanted the song to not sound "so typically Beatles," which would have been the case had he (or Lennon or McCartney) recorded the lead part. Second, as tensions were high among the Beatles in the studio at the time, Harrison thought it might put everybody in a more cooperative frame of mind if there were a "guest" in the studio.

Harrison achieved both objectives by bringing Eric Clapton in for that recording session.


Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

All true. Plus, Harrison apparently felt a bit rusty going back to the guitar after having spent the last year or so intently focused on the sitar.

[berk]

I think very highly of George Harrison, but he will always be the third-best Beatle in my rankings.So ahead of Paul at least, then.

[jesse_custer]

Haha, Paul's solo stuff must be the inspiration for that comment.

[Ilash]

... I still like a lot of Macca's solo work.

[AvengingAngel]

When I was kid I heard the song "Got my mind set on you" and didn't know he was a former Beatle. As I have gotten older I know now his contributions and to me he is my favorite Beatle. Though I think he is still vastly underrated. All things must pass is one of my favorite cds period.

[Shellhead]

When I was kid I heard the song "Got my mind set on you" and didn't know he was a former Beatle.

That was an annoying song. I like the Weird Al cover, "(This Song's Just) Six Words Long."

[rick]

I think that attempting to rank the three song writing Beatles is a fools errand if there ever was one, since each of the three was a world class songwriter in their own right.

I grant you for just pure volume of hits, about the only ones who match Lennon & McCartney are Liber & Stroller, but Harrison is the guy who wrote Something, Here Comes the Sun and It Don’t Come Easy, so George is not really second to either John or Paul.

Besides, when I was just a little kid, it was George Harrison’s version of Roll Over Beethoven off that first American release that introduced me to Rock n Roll.

[Buried Alien]

George Harrison should also be recognized for being part of the best damn Cream song, "Badge."

One thing about "Badge": that song seems to just come to a stop rather than actually end. Every time I listen to "Badge," I get this nagging feeling of "that's it?" when the song reaches its end. It doesn't sound like the song reaches a natural conclusion; it sounds like Cream just stops playing.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[jesse_custer]

Yeah, I like unusual pop structures.

[Romero]

"Badge" is a great song. That bridge part that leads into the solo just soars.

[jesse_custer]

There's a pretty good Red Hot Chili Peppers song, "This Velvet Glove," that has a conclusion similar to that of "Badge." You're expecting another chorus, but it ends.

[Ilash]

"Badge" is a great song. That bridge part that leads into the solo just soars.

Yup and that bit is pure Harrison. More than even the solo, that's the bit that really feels like a George Harrison song.

[Buried Alien]

Yup and that bit is pure Harrison. More than even the solo, that's the bit that really feels like a George Harrison song.

It was such a great idea that Harrison ripped *himself* off to write "Here Comes the Sun." :smile:


Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[bigbluntz]

Speaking of Here comes the Sun, how about some "Here Comes the Moon"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=effaYm3xJF4

George made such beautiful music and I think he is underrated as a composer.

[bigbluntz]

This guitar (can't keep from crying)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvrdVfNXf3s

Another brilliant composition

[Street Worm]

Never was much of a Beatles fan, but I always kinda liked George-

When I was just a wee kid, one of my camp counselors had the
'Wonderwall' album (1968) & it amazed me-

I've had a copy (in one form or other) ever since-

(bought his albums up 'till 'Dark Horse')

[berk]

... I still like a lot of Macca's solo work.Oh, I do too. Just couldn't resist the easy joke.

I will say that Harrison's All Things Must Pass might be the single best solo album by an ex-Beatle - and that is a meaningful statement to me, because I do think there were some very good ones by each of the four. If ATMP had been a double instead of a triple album it might have just clinched it for me. I could do without the extended blues jams of the 3rd record.

[Ilash]

Oh, I do too. Just couldn't resist the easy joke.

I will say that Harrison's All Things Must Pass might be the single best solo album by an ex-Beatle - and that is a meaningful statement to me, because I do think there were some very good ones by each of the four. If ATMP had been a double instead of a triple album it might have just clinched it for me. I could do without the extended blues jams of the 3rd record.

Oh I think it's easily the best Beatles solo album. I actually just ignore those silly jams and just treat them as inessential bonus disks.

[Buried Alien]

As big a Beatles fan as I am, I've had a hard time getting more than two tracks deep into any one of their solo albums. Even on ALL THINGS MUST PASS, the only two songs I really liked were the title track and "My Sweet Lord." The only exception to this was Macca's BAND ON THE RUN, and even then, my interest ran only three songs deep (title track, "Jet," and "Bluebird").

Of course, I've long been of the opinion that if you took the best tracks that Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, and Starr recorded during the 1970s and put them together on an album, it'd create at least the illusion of one of the most bitchin' Beatles albums in the catalogue.


Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[SlightlyMad]

I'm surprised that no-ones mentioned his Live in Japan album yet - a great mix of Beatles & solo stuff performed with inimitable style.

http://www.norwegianwood.org/beatles/index/applesing-filer/glive.jpg

[Ilash]

As big a Beatles fan as I am, I've had a hard time getting more than two tracks deep into any one of their solo albums. Even on ALL THINGS MUST PASS, the only two songs I really liked were the title track and "My Sweet Lord." The only exception to this was Macca's BAND ON THE RUN, and even then, my interest ran only three songs deep (title track, "Jet," and "Bluebird").

Of course, I've long been of the opinion that if you took the best tracks that Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, and Starr recorded during the 1970s and put them together on an album, it'd create at least the illusion of one of the most bitchin' Beatles albums in the catalogue.


Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

That is surprising. Especially as far as their earlier stuff goes. While they might be more uneven, their early solo albums are not exactly a huge departure from what they were doing on the last few Beatles albums.

Of course, you're talking to someone who owns every single Pal McCartney studio album (aside for the Fireman and classical stuff, that is). Even his awful 80s works.

[rick]

I'm surprised that no-ones mentioned his Live in Japan album yet - a great mix of Beatles & solo stuff performed with inimitable style.

http://www.norwegianwood.org/beatles/index/applesing-filer/glive.jpg


That's a good call.

That really is an excellent live album and late enough in Geroge's carrer to be a first rate retrospective.

[howyadoin]

As big a Beatles fan as I am, I've had a hard time getting more than two tracks deep into any one of their solo albums. Even on ALL THINGS MUST PASS, the only two songs I really liked were the title track and "My Sweet Lord." The only exception to this was Macca's BAND ON THE RUN, and even then, my interest ran only three songs deep (title track, "Jet," and "Bluebird").What about Ringo?

http://www.amiright.com/album-covers/images/album-Ringo-Starr-Ringo.jpg

[bigbluntz]

I'm surprised that no-ones mentioned his Live in Japan album yet - a great mix of Beatles & solo stuff performed with inimitable style.

http://www.norwegianwood.org/beatles/index/applesing-filer/glive.jpg

1st page post numba 13, I posted Cloud 9 from Live in Japan.

[Buried Alien]

What about Ringo?

http://www.amiright.com/album-covers/images/album-Ringo-Starr-Ringo.jpg

"It Don't Come Easy" and "Photograph" - two songs deep.

Now if "The No No Song" had been on this album too, it would have been three songs deep. :smile:

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[howyadoin]

"It Don't Come Easy" and "Photograph" - two songs deep.

Now if "The No No Song" had been on this album too, it would have been three songs deep. :smile: I figured you'd like it because it was the closest we ever got to a Beatles reunion album.

[Buried Alien]

I figured you'd like it because it was the closest we ever got to a Beatles reunion album.

Yeah, but it's never easy (heh) to listen to an album on which Ringo sings *all* the songs.

Ringo's singing is best appreciated in limited doses.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[The Confessor]

What about Ringo?

http://www.amiright.com/album-covers/images/album-Ringo-Starr-Ringo.jpg


Yeah, Ringo's a pretty good album actually. It's certainly the only Ringo Starr record that I could even begin to consider as anything like essential.

[berk]

Yeah, Ringo's a pretty good album actually. It's certainly the only Ringo Starr record that I could even begin to consider as anything like essential.Yeah, it's a good one. I was just looking at the wiki article for it, and what an amazing line-up he had backing him up there. Not only the other Beatles, but Marc Bolan, Harry Nilsson, Steve Cropper, the guys from The Band ...

[bigbluntz]

Did anyone see the Robot Chicken parody of Yellow Submarine?

[Black Francis]

The Live in Japan album with Eric Clapton playing with him is one of my fav. :biggrin:

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the Traveling Wilburys yet.

[The Confessor]

The Live in Japan album with Eric Clapton playing with him is one of my fav. :biggrin:

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the Traveling Wilburys yet.


Yeah, the Traveling Wilburys' albums were pretty enjoyable; the second album "Vol. 3" is the better of the two in my opinion though. Having said that, both albums are pretty good...until you remember who was in that band, of course. I mean, the Wilburys were good...no doubt...but when I consider that the band features an ex-Beatle, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynn, I kind of think "is that the best you could do?"

I guess this is the curse of the Supergroup...even if they produce music which by anyone else standards would be pretty great, there's always this vague sense of "is that it?!". Especially when compared to the individual members' musical legacy.

[Black Francis]

I guess this is the curse of the Supergroup...even if they produce music which by anyone else standards would be pretty great, there's always this vague sense of "is that it?!". Especially when compared to the individual members' musical legacy.

vry good point, still I find the TW's documentaries pretty enjoyable. Its nice to see Tom, Bob, George, Roy and Jeff all out of their more familiar environments, still they seem so natural working together.

[bigbluntz]

Speaking of the Traveling Wilburys..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJWv3Xw5QrY

"Handle With Care" from Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1:cool:

[Kirayoshi]

The Live in Japan album with Eric Clapton playing with him is one of my fav. :biggrin:

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the Traveling Wilburys yet.
Yes, the Traveling Wilburys. Pure musical serendipity. Jeff Lynne recruited Dylan, Orbison and Petty to join George Harrison for what was supposed to be a B-side for a single from the Cloud Nine album. After they cut the track("Handle With Care"), they decided that 1) the track was too good for a B-side, and 2) they were just having too much fun to quit at just one track. Good stuff all around! And had Roy Orbison survived, Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 would have been the springboard for the biggest comeback in rock-and-roll history!

And another reason George Harrison was, is and ever shall be The Man; he created his own movie studio because he wanted to see a new Monty Python movie! When studios balked at financing Monty Python's Life of Brian, Harrison put up the money and ended up founding Handmade Pictures(which would later produce Time Bandits among other things) because he was a fan of Monty Python. I read an interview where he credited Monty Python's Flying Circus for helping him get over the breakup of the Beatles!

I remember seeing the Concert For George, a tribute concert on PBS a few years back. Featured Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, Ravi and Anoushka Shankar, Billy Preston, Andy Fairweather-Lowe, Ray Cooper, Jools Holland and Jeff Lynne. At one point, the Monty Python troupe(with Tom Hanks!) appeared, doing "Sit on My Face" and "The Lumberjack Song".

[Black Francis]

that Monty Python "Sit on my Face" bit at the Harrison tribute was great :biggrin:

[Buried Alien]

You know who's done a really good job at keeping George Harrison and the Beatles' legacy going in recent years is George's son, Dhani. He's been a huge factor in getting the BEATLES ROCK BAND project and the remastered CDs project going.

In a few more years, Paul, Ringo, and Yoko will be moving on. Julian and Sean don't seem very interested in being active custodians of the legacy, nor do any of Paul's or Ringo's kids. It looks like it's going to fall to Dhani to watch over the Beatles' legacy for the next generation.

And I'm good with that. Dhani seems to have a good head on his shoulders and I think he'll uphold the legacy wisely and tastefully.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[The Confessor]

It looks like it's going to fall to Dhani to watch over the Beatles' legacy for the next generation.

And I'm good with that. Dhani seems to have a good head on his shoulders and I think he'll uphold the legacy wisely and tastefully.


By doing more stuff like The Beatles Rock Band?! :eek:

I'm not sure that’s what I'd call being a good custodian of the legacy. It's fine if people wanna play it...I'm not into video games myself anyway...but the trailers for it just looked really tacky. Let's face it, it's "The Beatles - Live From Corporate Headquarters"...made for people who like to pretend that they're musically talented...but aren't (somebody stop me, I can feel a rant coming on!) :biggrin:

More worrying though, is the fact that the Rock Band thing screams "sell out" to me. No, actually, I take that back...not sell out, so much as, "cash in". I'm doubtful that the Rock Band thing would've happened on Neil Aspinall's watch. Now he was a good custodian of the legacy.