George Harrison (1) (1943–2001)

1 Got My Mind Set On You Written-By – Rudy Clark 3:52
2 Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth) 3:35
3 Ballad Of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll) 3:48
4 My Sweet Lord 4:40
5 While My Guitar Gently Weeps 4:46
6 All Things Must Pass 3:46
7 Any Road 3:51
8 This Is Love Written-By – George Harrison, Jeff Lynne 3:47
9 All Those Years Ago 3:46
10 Marwa Blues 3:41
11 What Is Life 4:24
12 Rising Sun 5:27
13 When We Was Fab 3:51
14 Something 3:10
15 Blow Away 3:59
16 Cheer Down Written-By – George Harrison, Tom Petty 4:06
17 Here Comes The Sun 2:54
18 I Don't Want To Do It Written-By – Bob Dylan 2:54
19 Isn't It A Pity 7:07… (mehr)

This isn’t your traditional sort of biography. It’s a book of two parts: Part 1 is a transcription of George’s conversations with his friend Derek Taylor, who served as the Beatles’ press officer, and Part 2 discusses the inspiration for a selection of George’s songs, including reproductions of the handwritten lyrics.

I liked hearing George’s story in his own words and seeing the handwritten lyrics. I am sad that it stops at 1979, but wow did George ever accomplish a lot in the time period that *is* covered by the book.

I did find the conversation a bit hard to follow because of the formatting; Derek’s commentary was blended into George’s statements and set off with italics, but it was hard to read. I would have preferred a format where George and Derek got separate paragraphs.

This book has sent me down the rabbit hole of George’s solo catalogue (not me playing “Crackerbox Palace” ad infinitum), so if you’ve been looking to explore his work, the second half of this book especially might be of interest.… (mehr)

Big! Rock! Book! number three.

I still have my much-battered, much slimmer 1980 version of this book (regrettably, not the limited edition one that was put out). Thirty-eight years later, here I am again, with a beautifully-made extended edition, essentially encompassing every song of his career.

Harrison's modest, everyman personality shines through on every page of the book. He was never my favourite of the four—that honour goes to their troubled front man, Lennon—and I could never buy into Harrison's spiritual beliefs, but I gotta say, I do respect the man for not only living his values, but also taking the risky career move of letting those values shine through in his work.

Yes, he's a bit trippy—more than I remembered—but then again, so was Lennon, and a hell of a lot of others who came up through the Sixties.

But this? This is an interesting glimpse into the Quiet One.… (mehr)