I remember when a friend played me "It's Johnny's Birthday." I thought they were singing "This song is worthless." I agreed.
― Matos-Webster Dictionary (M Matos), Saturday, August 19, 2006 9:
lol
― The Edge of Gloryhole (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 29 June 2011 03:04 (twelve years ago) link
Remove Living in the Material World and Somewhere in England from his discography and I don't think anyone ever makes that accusation, Alfred.
― timellison, Wednesday, 29 June 2011 03:12 (twelve years ago) link
A musician friend and I discussed George on Saturday; he was even more violent in his dismissal. "The guy's almost as bad a crank as Lou Reed, except he had the fortune never to record Berlin.
I thought George came off really well in the Anthology series - maybe a bit dismissive of The Beatles legacy, but he seemed to really have good humor about it.
― Darin, Wednesday, 29 June 2011 05:04 (twelve years ago) link
He had moments of Cranky Old Dad that mitigated Ringo and Paul's sentimentality -- gestures and remarks you imagine John would have made -- but I always remember this moment when the three are jamming on stools and Paul, obviously having a ball, says, "Another one?" and George aims the briefest of evil scowls at him, as if he's thinking, "It's not 1969, motherfucker."
― The Edge of Gloryhole (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 29 June 2011 11:29 (twelve years ago) link
Download zip file of "Beware of Abkco", solo demos for "All Things Must Pass." Love this, could even bring some of the haters around:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=YLWVTLIV
― thirdalternative, Wednesday, 29 June 2011 13:18 (twelve years ago) link
I watched the Concert for Bangladesh recently & was pretty shocked at how thin George's voice was. I like his Beatles songs from "If I Needed Someone" on (though not before that), but haven't ever gotten into anything post-Beatles (not for lack of trying, esp. with All Things Must Pass). But that live set, yeesh; George's vocals sound like hard work & that's no fun to hear, especially when the singing is so cringeworthy otherwise. It's a drag, isn't it?
― Euler, Wednesday, 29 June 2011 13:36 (twelve years ago) link
That's exactly my problem with most of his solo albums: he can't sing worth a damn, which makes his homilies a chore to sit through, and he's not resourceful enough a producer to arrange his songs in a way that mitigates the preaching.
― The Edge of Gloryhole (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 29 June 2011 13:39 (twelve years ago) link
Remove Living in the Material World and Somewhere in England from his discography . .
The former has two of my favorite George songs, "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)" and "Don't Let Me Wait Too Long."
he can't sing worth a damn
Given his multitracked backing vocals all over "All Things Must Pass," some of which are pretty dense and complex, this is madness.
― Michael Bay, CEO of Transformers (Phil D.), Wednesday, 29 June 2011 13:45 (twelve years ago) link
You just made my point though: the vocals were multitracked and produced by Phil Spector. George needs help.
― The Edge of Gloryhole (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 29 June 2011 13:46 (twelve years ago) link
There's a gulf of difference between "can't sing worth a damn" and "requires a producer's guidance."
― Michael Bay, CEO of Transformers (Phil D.), Wednesday, 29 June 2011 13:50 (twelve years ago) link
When I hear him mangle the line "you made me such a big star" on the Bangladesh "Wah Wah", I'm inclined to say "can't sing worth a damn".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDCP4UeXgw8
― Euler, Wednesday, 29 June 2011 13:55 (twelve years ago) link
Phil, I only mentioned those two albums because I think they might have the heaviest concentration of the type of lyrics that were being criticized. No one's ever going to say they can't take Gone Troppo because it's too heavy-handed.
And Alfred, as ever, I disagree with your producer stance. Phil Spector is one thing, but I really like the sound of the Dark Horse-era albums. And there are collaborators on those records - all the people who play on them.
― timellison, Wednesday, 29 June 2011 14:13 (twelve years ago) link
What's the name of that Harrisong playing at the very end of the Time Bandits movie?
― t**t, Wednesday, 29 June 2011 14:22 (twelve years ago) link
"Dream Away" - one of his greatest!
― timellison, Wednesday, 29 June 2011 14:23 (twelve years ago) link
yeeesss!
― t**t, Wednesday, 29 June 2011 14:25 (twelve years ago) link
Well, it's like "All things must pass", I quite like the first third, but the second gets very "more of the same" but more heavydraggy.
(The "jam" album I don't mind, actually!)
― Mark G, Wednesday, 29 June 2011 14:30 (twelve years ago) link
Well, I do mind the jam album. A lot. Then again I got a whole lotta love for most of what comes before it. On ATMP.
Wonderwall is one very decent soundtrack too.
― t**t, Wednesday, 29 June 2011 14:33 (twelve years ago) link
Yeah, I'd call it the very definition of "overlooked"
― Mark G, Wednesday, 29 June 2011 14:38 (twelve years ago) link
Alfred's constant dismissals of George reminiscent of famous talent scout putdown of Fred Astaire
― Retweet From The Sun (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 29 June 2011 17:03 (twelve years ago) link
It seems like George took the opportunity of the Anthology to assert himself and stand up to Paul's condescension. He insisted on Jeff Lynne to produce, shut things down when a third Threetles song wasn't working out, and vetoed "Carnival Of Light" on Anthology 2 (that last one rankles, though).
According to Peter Doggett's indispensable You Never Give Me Your Money, George only did the Anthology because he was nearly bankrupt from his film company and a shady business manager or two.
― shake it, shake it, sugary pee (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Wednesday, 29 June 2011 17:36 (twelve years ago) link
George is my favorite Beatle
― a man is only a guy (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 29 June 2011 17:50 (twelve years ago) link
Bangladesh album is a mess though, I'm not gonna defend that. Dylan's version of Maggie's Farm from that is pretty fun tho
― a man is only a guy (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 29 June 2011 17:51 (twelve years ago) link
tho
Jim Keltner and Ringo doubling their drum parts during the Bangladesh Concert is one of the alternately most pointless/entertaining things about ti
― a man is only a guy (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 29 June 2011 17:53 (twelve years ago) link
I've honestly never seen Bangladesh straight through, just snippets here and there (must rectify) but damn if that youtube didn't give me chills. I didn't hear that line (or any of his singing on that song) as mangled; I think he sounds ragged but right.
― Have not gotten over my dancing phase (Dan Peterson), Wednesday, 29 June 2011 17:53 (twelve years ago) link
yeah it's not like he Amy Winehouse'd it or anything
― a man is only a guy (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 29 June 2011 17:54 (twelve years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2wrte1ijlY
― a man is only a guy (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 29 June 2011 17:55 (twelve years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ng511CKPt3w
― a man is only a guy (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 29 June 2011 17:56 (twelve years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9D9JuiJNizw
George stuff I like from the seventies:
"Blow Away" (who needs Macca when you've got this chorus?)"This Song" (not very funny, but he sounds like he's enjoying himself over this 'ere beat)"Don't Let Me Wait Too Long" (a God song about being real horny; one of the few times he understood Al Green)
― The Edge of Gloryhole (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 29 June 2011 17:58 (twelve years ago) link
Also, he seems pretty at-ease and comfortable for a guy who hadn't been on a concert stage in five years.
― shake it, shake it, sugary pee (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Wednesday, 29 June 2011 17:58 (twelve years ago) link
George is maybe the best thing about this tune (apart from the lyrics)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQwWp98IuGE
― a man is only a guy (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 29 June 2011 17:58 (twelve years ago) link
His dual slide guitar solo on "Day After Day" is great, too.
― Darin, Wednesday, 29 June 2011 18:06 (twelve years ago) link
I've always had a soft spot for this drunken hootenanny of a b-side:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lum7Pow-vTA
― Have not gotten over my dancing phase (Dan Peterson), Wednesday, 29 June 2011 18:28 (twelve years ago) link
If I haven't already mentioned it upthread, Simply Shady from Dark Horse is one of those snake charmer melodies he did so beautifully, though never better than Beware of Darkness
― Dr X O'Skeleton, Wednesday, 29 June 2011 19:09 (twelve years ago) link
Martin Scorsese documentary airing on HBO in October:
http://www.georgeharrison.com/#/news/archive/201107/george-harrison-documentary-and-book-announced
― timellison, Friday, 15 July 2011 03:24 (twelve years ago) link
Trailer for the movie.
― timellison, Tuesday, 23 August 2011 01:53 (twelve years ago) link
The Worst of George Harrison.
― a regina spektor is haunting europe (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 6 August 2012 15:33 (eleven years ago) link
Pete Prown? I thought that was a 'fakey' name, but it seems not
― Mark G, Monday, 6 August 2012 15:45 (eleven years ago) link
Wonderwall is one very decent soundtrack too.― t**t, Wednesday, June 29, 2011 10:33 AM (1 year ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
Yeah, I'd call it the very definition of "overlooked"― Mark G, Wednesday, June 29, 2011 10:38 AM (1 year ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
OTM. So good.
― Emperor Cos Dashit (Adam Bruneau), Monday, 6 August 2012 16:32 (eleven years ago) link
some of the wonderwall stuff really invent the "wes anderson" vibe, particularly mark devo's stuff on the rushmore soundtrack
― Elrond Hubbard (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Monday, 6 August 2012 16:54 (eleven years ago) link
I don't know what's being particularly identified as "slick and overproduced" about the 1979 self-titled album or why a song like "Love Comes to Everyone" is singled out as an "overt stab at polished LA pop." That album sounds a lot like the production on the other albums from that period to me. Not exactly the same, but nothing radically different.
I also think it's too easy to make assumptions based on his personality that lead to claims about how "alienated by the current pop scene" he was. "Blood from a Clone" strikes me as far less serious than the writer makes it out to be (he says it's "supposedly his savage commentary on the state of popular music") and actually remarkable for how of its time it sounds, at least in Harrison's own way. It's an easy rival of "Coming Up" for eccentric older guy new wave with some cool funky bass.
"Wake Up My Love" from Gone Troppo is another one. The synthesizers on that are like something you'd hear in an Italo tune.
― timellison, Tuesday, 7 August 2012 23:29 (eleven years ago) link
I like "Love Comes to Everyone" and disagree with how he tosses "dated" to signify something he doesn't like. He could've criticized him in other ways.
― a regina spektor is haunting europe (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 7 August 2012 23:35 (eleven years ago) link
Just listening to the iTunes clips of the '06 Living in the Material World and it is awfully good sounding.
― timellison, Saturday, 16 March 2013 05:08 (eleven years ago) link
Living in the Material World remaster, I meant to say.
― timellison, Saturday, 16 March 2013 05:09 (eleven years ago) link
Harrison was the third-best songwriter in the Beatles, sort of like Uruguay ranks third in a list of who has the most nuclear devices after the USA and Russia. Proof that McCartney wasn't a control freak is that mewling, turgid pomposity like "While My Guitar Noisily and Repititiously Whines" and "Something"(genius lyric - "I don't kno-o- ow, I-I-I don't know") was allowed on their albums.
― dave q, Thursday, August 30, 2001 8:00 PM (11 years ago)
even after these all years i feel compelled to say Fuck you dave q, fuck yoooooouuuu
― ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (Z S), Saturday, 16 March 2013 05:13 (eleven years ago) link
:)
― t**t, Saturday, 16 March 2013 10:58 (eleven years ago) link
the self-titled is a gorgeous album. such a strong run of simple, beautiful songs on there. it stands up bloody well.
― Esteban Buttiérrez (Autumn Almanac), Saturday, 16 March 2013 11:55 (eleven years ago) link
I just learned "Think For Yourself" on guitar. It's crazy! It's not a song from 1965, it's like something off Nevermind. There some proto-Devo in this as well.
― ©Oz Quiz© (Adam Bruneau), Saturday, 1 November 2014 17:52 (nine years ago) link
The good things that we can have if we close our eyes it's a beautiful world
― ©Oz Quiz© (Adam Bruneau), Saturday, 1 November 2014 17:53 (nine years ago) link