It's time to wrap up our three day celebration of the much missed George Harrison, on what would have been his 80th birthday weekend.
In yesterday's feature, I threw in a few lesser known tracks as we looked back on his life and music - but for today's playlist, it is all about the big tunes that George wrote and/or played on. Okay, there might be a couple of obscurities in there....
1. George Harrison: My Sweet Lord
Harrison started his solo career strongly in November 1970 with My Sweet Lord, his very first solo release. It was the first number one by an ex-Beatle, topping the charts in both the US and UK, was the biggest selling single in the UK in 1971 and remained his most successful solo song. The song is in praise of the Hindu god Krishna and against religious sectarianism. It was originally given to Apple records labelmate Billy Preston, who has a version on his Encouraging Words album.
2. The Beatles: Here Comes The Sun
Spring is coming, so let's play this little beauty. Written by Harrison at Eric Clapton's country pile in Ewhurst, Surrey, it is a celebration of the end of winter and his relief at getting some brief respite from the Beatles business affairs, which he was beginning to find a bit of a drag. The song features a Moog synthesiser, which he had introduced to the band after he purchased an early version in California. The song is an anchor on the 1969 Abbey Road album, opening up side two. In 2021, it was listed as the most streamed Beatles song on Spotify, globally.
3. George Harrison: Got My Mind Set On You
This song was written by Rudy Clark and was a 1962 hit for James Ray (released as I've Got My Mind Set On You). Harrison is reputed to have first heard the song in the US in 1963 when he bought a Ray album whilst visiting his sister in Illinois. He recorded this, and the rest of his Cloud Nine album, at his Friar Park home, with a band consisting of Jeff Lynne on bass (who also co-produced) and legendary session drummer Jim Keltner. It made number one in the US and was his last top ten hit there - in the UK it spend four weeks at number two (denied by China In Your Hand by T'Pau).
4. Patti Smith: Within You Without You
Within You Without You was Harrison's only contribution to 1967s Sergeant Pepper. It was his second song written in the classic Indian style and had been inspired by his time in India in 1966. It was written at the Hampstead house of artist and musician, Klaus Voorman. Barry Miles wrote in his book, The Beatles Diary, "Some thought it a masterpiece, some a prime example of mock-philosophical babble. Either way, it was pure Harrison." To be a little different, this is Patti Smith's rather lovely version from her 2007 covers album, Twelve.
5. John Lennon: How Do You Sleep?
This track from Lennon's 1971 Imagine album, features Harrison on lead guitar. On it he uses some sublime slide guitar that he had been inspired to use by Delaney Barrett. The song itself is a return dig at Paul McCartney, because he felt that his Ram album was making slights at Lennon, especially on the song Too Many People. This video was shot during the recording process at Lennon's home Ascot Studio and includes Harrison.
6. George Harrison & Friends: Beware Of Darkness
This version is from 1971's Concert for Bangladesh, a fundraiser for refugees suffering after a revolution and a cyclone hit their country. Harrison assembled some musical greats to join him for two nights at Madison Square Gardens, including Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston and Leon Russell (who takes one of the verses on this version). The song itself opened disc two of his debut triple album, All Things Must Pass. It reflects the influence at the time of his friends from the Radha Krishna Temple in London (HQ of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness). Some of their members helped Harrison restore his Friar Park estate and instil a sense of spirituality.
7. Travelling Wilburys: Handle With Care
Handle With Care was supposed to be a bonus track on a Harrison single (This Is Love), but his record company said it was far too good for that. And so, the supergroup of the 80s, the Travelling Wilburys was born. Harrison and Jeff Lynne were in L.A. in April 1988 and discussing the song with Roy Orbison over dinner, who asked if he could come along and watch the session. With no professional studios available, Harrison called Bob Dylan, who said they could use his Malibu studio. Tom Petty arrived on the scene after Harrison had been by his house to retrieve a guitar. Harrison only had a few lines written going into the session and the lyrics ended up being a group affair.
8. The Beatles: While My Guitar Gently Weeps
This song features on The Beatles double album (commonly known as The White Album). It was written as an exercise in randomness, in the style of the Chinese I Ching - with Harrison's dismay at the world's inability to find universal love ("the love that's there sleeping"). There is a reflection of the band's general worsening camaraderie, as shown in the apathy the track received when he first presented it to the group. As a result, Harrison invited Eric Clapton in to record some guitar overdubs (although he is not credited). The song transformed from a more folky demo track to its end as a more rock orientated song.
9. The Beatles: Norwegian Wood (The Bird Has Flown)
This is not a Harrison composition, with the primary writer being John Lennon, with some lyrical input from Paul McCartney. But, it is the first song to feature Harrison playing a sitar - in fact the first western rock recording to include an Indian stringed instrument. He first came across the instrument whilst recording the film Help! - there were a group of Indian musicians at the Twickenham Film Studios for a scene set in an Indian restaurant. The lyrics allude to an extramarital affair that Lennon had, although it was never revealed who with - the Norwegian wood refers to the tendency in London at the time, to clad everything in Scandinavian pine.
10. The Beatles: Something
We have saved the best to last! Something is Harrison's most sublime song, and arguably one of the best Beatles songs there is (yes, it even knocks a few Lennon-McCartney tunes out of the way). This is the moment where critics felt like Harrison reached maturity, matching the other two for songwriting chops - unbelievably, it was also his first song to make it as a Beatles A-side (double A with Come Together). It is generally regarded as an ode to his first wife, Pattie Boyd - although Harrison alluded to other influences in later interviews. Because he traditionally struggled to get more than two songs on any album, this was first offered to Joe Cocker. In the end, it was highly praised by his bandmates, with Lennon going as far as to say it was the best song on Abbey Road. By the late 70s, it was the second most covered Beatles song (after Yesterday), with over 150 versions. Shirley Bassey had a UK top five hit with it and it was also covered by the likes of Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, James Brown and Smokey Robinson.
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