Come November, the "Quiet Beatle" will have been dead ten years. Crazy, though not as crazy and unacceptable as John Lennon being dead for 30. Also dead, Elvis for 34 years. Somehow that doesn't seem strange or even remotely as fucked up to me. Perspective has an important role here.
When Lennon was killed, Elvis had only been dead 3 years. Did we think that then? I can't remember. I feel like Elvis has been dead forever, yet I still forget occasionally that John Lennon isn't just hanging out somewhere in Central Park. I don't know if I have a point beyond missing John and George. So for today, with what would have been Mr. Harrison's 68th birthday, please enjoy some music.
TRACKLIST
Here Comes The Sun- Paul Simon & George Harrison
(Live on SNL.)
Take Good Care Of My Baby-The Beatles
(Decca Audition)
Don't Bother Me- The Beatles
(Alternate Take)
My Sweet Lord- George Harrison
(Early Acetate--dig that rubberbandy bass)
It Don't Come Easy- George Harrison
(George's demo for Ringo)
Don't Let Me Wait Too Long- George Harrison
(pop brilliance from 'Living In The Material World')
Homeward Bound- Paul Simon & George Harrison
(Live on SNL)
Stuck Inside A Cloud- George Harrison
(telling first single from the wonderful last release "Brainwashed")
Try Some, Buy Some- David Bowie
(Harrison cover from "Reality.")
Far East Man- Ronnie Wood
(Harrison cover from "I've Got My Own Album To Do")
Mama, You've Been On My Mind- George Harrison
(Dylan cover from the "Let It Be" sessions)
Maxine- Traveling Wilburys
(unreleased track, or at least I think so)
All I Have To Is Dream- Bob Dylan & George Harrison
(sessions from Woodstock, 1968)
While My Guitar Gently Weeps- Todd Rundgren
(from "Songs In The Material World: A Tribute To George Harrison")
What Is Life - George Harrison
(Early acetate)
Absolutely Sweet Marie- George Harrison
(Live from the Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary concert)
About "Something"- George Harrison
(George speaks)
Something- Paul McCartney & Eric Clapton
(Live from the "Concert For George")
THE ZIP
15 comments:
i gotta admit i am really disappointed with this George Mix. I really thought we were gonna get the penultimate Radiohead Mix this Friday. Oh well I guess I'm gonna have to enjoy this weeks mix....bummer.
Looks like a nice mix, looking forward to checking it out when I get home from work. Thanks for posting.
I watched the Concert for Bangladesh yesterday, and didn't even put together that today would have been his birthday.
During the Beatle years, the twin PR train of Lennon/McCartney kept both George and Ringo in the shadows.
But as I look back at the catalog with a less than star crossed view, it becomes clear that the songwriting and playing of George and the incredible rhythm of Ringo are the factors that put the band in the pantheon they now reside. "Something" is the second most covered song in the Beatle catalog. (Has there been a better muse in rock than Patti Boyd?)
I think his humor was his best trait. In "A Hard Days Night" his droll wit steals the show, and lest we forget, it was his Handmade Films that saved the "Life of Brian".
I love -- nay, LURVE -- that version of "Absolutely Sweet Marie" from the Dylan tribute show.
The video's great, too -- George in this swell purple sports coat...
I love Tom Petty's story about the origin of the Wilburys - George was heading to Dylan's house and stopped by to pick up his guitars, and invited him along. I like to think of somebody visiting Tom and going to hang up his jacket. "What are those, Tom?" "Oh, George Harrison's guitars. He keeps them here for when he comes to town".
What a life.
Sal, you've written before about wanting "All Things Must Pass" for Christmas when you were a kid...made me wonder why you had such great expectations for that record (which I came to very late in life, for whatever reason). Was it just the Beatles connection that made you want it so badly? Had you heard it, or cuts from it, already? Was there a lot of advance hype?
I was 11 when that came out and it sailed right past me...I was still listening to top-40 on WTRY and WABC, or of course WJR at night if the Tigers were playing...but not yet tuned in to the elpee zeitgeist. Anyway, just curious. Thanks for the mix, will enjoy it this weekend.
Noam,
Music was everywhere in my family. I wrote about my two uncles and my cousin...record collections, tape recorders, guitars, drum kits, pianos...it was everywhere. I am sure The Beatles connection and my cousin wanting "ATMP" made me want it.
I think a lot of us became the music obsessives via our parents.
I certainly got my love from my parents and extended family.
My grandparents were Irish and there was always a piano playing at any get together.
My dad was originally in the Merchant Navy and was bringing records home before I was born.
When he packed it in, he was in the cavern scene and I vaguely remember many musicians around the house. He loved The Beatles but they'd moved on really by the time he got there, it was Merseybeat that dominated.
I thought about this a few years ago and thought did my influences come from that scene and surprisingly they didn't initially.
You develop your own tastes and music was so vibrant in the Seventies, not necessarily any better or worse than what had gone before or was to come to this point, just more exciting.
All you had was the radio really, TV had just three stations in the UK and they weren't on for most of the day.
I remember the Hey Jude Telecast being on the tv and the Let It Be single perked my interest because there was such attention that even a seven year old could be interested.
I started to listen more to the Beatles and the Blue and Red became bibles even though we had all the albums in the house.
Harrison's songs on the blue album are the ones that grabbed me most and I seemed to follow him more as I got older.
For me, Lennon was patchy and McCartney twee.
Incidentally, the thing that probably got me most into music and influenced me most was my mother's love of Hank Williams.
I was in awe of his songs and I like Country little, but I always have time for Hank.
Sweet mix, Sal. My only complaint
is you overlooked one of my favorite Dylan covers by George - "Abandoned Love." But if anyone wants to add it to this lovely tribute, you can find it here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?dsl4ezrvkdmmfjb
Nice Steve! Yes...add it! Forgot all about this track. Fantastic.
Interesting. Thanks for this intriguing mix.
Sal,
I recently watched the DVD " Nowhere Man "...it lead me to watch the 6 hour Beatles' " Anthology ", then the remastered DVD of " Bangla Desh", then the remastered " All Things must Pass ".....then you post a " George " mix....
We are more alike than you would ever admit....
Love this mix... and I love Chrissie Hynde's intro to George on "Absolutely Sweet Marie" -- I actually never think of George as a 'guitar hero' but when she says that, I can see it!!
I think for most of us Beatle babies on this side of the pond "Don't Bother Me" was our first look into what Harrison could do...ascerbic, melodic, and the only Beatle who sang in his native voice...no need to "Americanize" the vocal technique whatsoever....loved that about him..we fell in love because they were nothing like us, nothing we'd ever seen or heard before...and I think he best exemplified that aspect of why we were theirs for the taking from the get-go....beautiful man, great music...w/o need for dissection, think-tank discussion or entire college semesters discussing his musical influence on our culture..not that he wasn't worthy of any of these....
E Gads Sal,
I'm playin' my George " bootleg " collection, which is endless...in my more " mature " years, George has become my favorite Beatle...I now value introspectiveness & quiet dignity.....& that is " a friend of us all "........George Harrison......
Agree with your take on Don't Let Me Wait to Long. One of his best solo songs. I loved Bowie's take on Try Some, Buy Some. A very under-appreciated tune that he dresses up very nicely.
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