Week 26: GEORGE HARRISON (420 to 30: A Music Retrospective)
The quiet Beatle loudly debuted his triple LP, All Things Must Pass, as a solo artist in 1970 to great acclaim and went on to create an impressive body of work up to his death in 2001 that rivals any of his band mate's. George was spiritual, sensitive, and thoughtful in ways I have appreciated being able access throughout my life in his songs he has left behind.
420 to 30: A Music Retrospective
Here's 7 of my favorites from George Harrison.
Week 26: GEORGE HARRISON
#176/420 - George Harrison, “If Not For You”
Another Bob Dylan original for which I prefer the cover version, George brightens this track up and makes it his own on his remarkable triple LP. George evidently had a hefty backlog of material/creative inspiration that had been sidelined during his tenure with The Beatles for John and Paul, but that didn’t mean he didn’t also have time for a few Dylan tracks as well.
There’s something so peaceful about this and much of George’s work. John Lennon and Paul McCartney may have been the bigger stars, but George Harrison was the secret ingredient that brought the flavor of The Beatles music all together and to have its quality isolated here in his solo work is a real joy.
#177/420 - George Harrison, “Apple Scruffs”
George’s love letter to the “scruffs” who would try to catch The Beatles in public throughout London wherever they were likely to appear. This is perhaps the most fun George has on All Things Must Pass, with bright, incessant acoustic strumming, gusty harmonica playing, and wailing out in falsetto. It’s all full of good energy.
An often overlooked gem in George’s catalog.
#178/420 - George Harrison, “When We Was Fab”
George and Jeff Lynne. Not their only collaboration, but a very good one. This song was released shortly before the two would come together with Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, and Tom Petty to form the supergroup Traveling Wilburys. Of course, this song is about a different supergroup George was part of, The Beatles. It’s a great fusion of the distinct George Harrison and Jeff Lynne sounds in remembrance of a band that meant a great deal to both of them.
Also, what an amazing album cover. God bless you for that, George Harrison.
#179/420 - George Harrison, “My Sweet Lord”
George’s first single as a solo artist that went to number one on the charts remains his most well known song outside The Beatles and it is indeed worthy of such remembrance. I love how it builds and builds and it is one I can almost never resist singing along with on the radio. It is a defining sound of George’s that showcases his spirituality, something the other Beatles never really crossed into. Even as an atheist, I still enjoy plenty of music with religious themes and this is firmly among the many I do. I think there are a lot of ways of interpreting what is being expressed in this song and I quite like it.
George was also successfully sued for copyright infringement over its resemblance to “He’s So Fine” by the Chiffons (also a great song) though the judge felt George had “copied” it subconsciously. This was said to have been devastating to George and my personal feeling is that such lawsuits are frivolous when all art and ideas are built on and copied from everything to come before. The fact that it is similar by no means makes it the same song. Unfortunately, these lawsuits continue to muck up the works to this day, something I hope society is eventually able to move past when it gains better perspective on the matter.
#180/420 - George Harrison, “Isn’t It a Pity”
One of George’s longest songs and also one of his very best, that deserves to be heard. It is a powerful lamentation on the tragedy of coldness towards love, but a lamentation given warmth and hope from George’s playing, singing, and some wonderful and epic instrumentation. The lyrics are simple and short for how long the song is, but it is a worthwhile journey and jam.
Plenty of time to ponder what is being said.
Now, isn't it a shame?
How we break each other's hearts
And cause each other pain
How we take each other's love
Without thinking anymore
Forgetting to give back
Isn't it a pity?
#181/420 - George Harrison, “Awaiting on You All”
My favorite track from my favorite George Harrison album isn’t quite my absolute favorite song of his, but it is very near. Featuring the distinctive Phil Spector “wall of sound” technique, this is a full and vivid standout from his discography. Again, it is a bit of an odd favorite for an atheist, but to be perfectly honest, I could never fully understand the lyrics to this one anyway (*until reading them) — I just really dig this sound. The horns and the drums are a blast and George has some great vocals here.
Little phrases jump out like “you don’t need a horoscope or microscope” and “you don’t need passport and you don’t need no visas” that stick in your head. This one also comes right out and says “If you open up your heart, you’ll see he’s right there” in reference to Jesus which is seemingly a pretty straightforward Christian message, and on one hand it is, but the full picture of this song is a bit more profound than that. Basically, Jesus the abstract is available without frivolities and superstitions. And although it could be argued Jesus the concept is superstitious in and of itself, it’s still what I would consider a good message worth pondering.
Like most of George’s work from this era, it poses very deep and interesting questions, but it is easily enjoyed even if you can’t make out all the words for how awesome the music composition itself and talent behind it are.
#182/420 - George Harrison, “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)”
Sometimes the sequel is even better. What could be considered part two to George’s “My Sweet Lord”, this one really manages to emblemize his best strengths as a musician and heart as a writer. Give me love and give me peace, what more could one simply ask for.
The guitar slides and piano rolls work wonderfully together in creating the tranquility and calmness of the message of the song. George continues to seek out the Lord, asking how he may reach it, anthropomorphizing a hand of God which he is reaching out to. It is a cry of many that I know many can relate to.
While I must venture into the abstract to grasp this hand myself, the idea of finding the strength to live in love and peace is a universal goal we all can strive for and one I think this song conveys beautifully.
George may have been the softer of The Beatles and never quite had the flash of John and Paul, but he was truly equal in importance in their success as a group and I am very glad to have his music to remember him and what he stood for.
Next week, Beatles without The Beatles continues on with perhaps an unexpected choice. While I am, of course, quite a fan of Ringo Starr and songs like “Goodnight Vienna”, “It Don’t Come Easy”, and “Photograph” remain favorites of mine, I am choosing to spotlight a far less lovable character in week 3 from The Beatles tenure who produced many Beatles solo tracks, as well as the controversial original release of their “final” album, Let It Be. His production techniques remain among the very most distinct of the 50s, 60s, and 70s, though his legacy is heavily tainted as he currently sits in prison on a murder conviction. Nonetheless, the artists he produced were incredibly talented, deserve to be remembered, and his work made many of their songs into the stand-outs of the era. It’s Phil Spector and his Wall of Sound.
420 to 30: A Music Retrospective
Week 2: The Jackson 5/The Jacksons
Week 3: A Tribe Called Quest
Week 4: Weezer
Week 5: Bob Dylan
Week 6: Led Zeppelin
Week 7: 2Pac/Makaveli
Week 8: Billy Joel
Week 9: Electric Light Orchestra
Week 10: Elvis Presley
Week 11: Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band
Week 12: The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Week 13: Nirvana
Week 14: The Doors
Week 15: The Rolling Stones
Week 16: Gnarls Barkley
Week 17: Gábor Szabó
Week 18: Galaxie 500
Week 19: Simon & Garfunkel
Week 20: Gorillaz
Week 21: Ennio Morricone
Week 22: The Moody Blues
Week 23: Koji Kondo
Week 24: Rob Zombie/White Zombie
Week 25: Paul McCartney/Wings
View the full list of "420 Songs" here: https://tinyurl.com/y8fboudu (Google spreadsheet link)