Guest post: George Harrison demos
Since I’m on vacation, it’s a fine time to let someone else take the wheel for a bit, as one of you recently commented. So today we’ve got a special treat to the Fuel/Friends blog with a guest blog on a nice little set of demos from Beatle George Harrison.
I’d been entirely unfamiliar with any of Harrison’s solo work before I was recently challenged to unearth this set of demos from Harrison’s All Things Must Pass album (1970). I was surprised at the gentle and warm acoustic loveliness, not being at all familiar with Harrison’s work aside from The Beatles.
This particular pal is responsible for introducing me to a massive amount of good music, and possesses an encyclopedic library of musical minutae in his head. Not kidding, it’s like world-record material. This is his first attempt at blogging: for years now he’s just had to try and unload his vast musical knowledge on disinterested friends and poor passersby. Finally, he has a willing audience. He writes:
“Not only are these sessions amazingly historic, but they’re just beautiful — like the George Harrison cafe sessions! Art of Dying was written in 1966 and fuck me does it sound like it totally could have been on Revolver — which it would have been considered for?! But I think it probably sounded too much like Eleanor Rigby, and since it was Paul vs. George…ta da.
George sat down on solo guitar with Phil Spector in Abbey Road Studio 2, and ran through the cache of songs he had built up over the repressive last years of the Beatles. Sit back, get a coffee, put on a turtleneck if you feel pretentious enough, make like it’s the end of the ’60s, and let George play you some of the tunes he’s been collecting over the past few years.”
GEORGE HARRISON DEMOS (1970)
w/ Phil Spector (“Beware of ABKCO” sessions)
Run of the Mill
Art of Dying
Everybody, Nobody
Wah-Wah
(sounds to me like a variation of the riff from I’ve Got A Feelin’)
Window, Window
Beautiful Girl
Beware of Darkness
Let It Down
Tell Me What Happened To You
Hear Me Lord
Nowhere to Go (a Harrison/Dylan collaboration)
Cosmic Empire
Mother Divine
I Don’t Want To Do It (Dylan)
If Not For You (Dylan)
ZIP: HARRISON DEMOS
Note: the title of this boot comes from a changed lyric on the song “Beware of Darkness” to “Beware of ABKCO” (Allan B Klein Company).
Name: Heather Browne
YOU ARE A GEM. I’ve been looking for these for a long time, used to have em and don’t know where they went. Thanks a million to you and your guest blogger friend.
Shana
Anonymous — July 24, 2007 @ 12:34 pm
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o279/duyn318/cbs_comic_con.jpg
Jennifer Love Hewitt is gonna be at Comic-Con this Sat.
Sara — July 24, 2007 @ 2:50 pm
it’s hard to decide whether it’s you or your wonderful music blog which is more beautiful. I’ll just ponder that awhile…enjoy your time off!
andrew — July 24, 2007 @ 5:26 pm
Why thank you,maam.Her majesty as they say is very nice girl and this is just like candy(Reid Brothers et al) considering that I have justy been at the Museum in Docklands where one can espy an extrordinary picture of George and his cavern companions(Circa 68) san suits, sans vest,standing on the dock of the bay watching time………..
Bruce then George.I think I may have to lie down for a rest.
russell — July 24, 2007 @ 6:37 pm
Thanks for these gems, Heather! You def. owe it to yourself to get acquainted with George’s solo work. Like all post-Beatles Beatles, it’s uneven to say the least, but the best is most excellent. “All Things Must Pass” is a masterpiece; “Dark Horse” is pretty good.
Greg — July 25, 2007 @ 9:00 am
Great post, this is one of my favorite boots. You should get acquainted with George’s solo work, particularly his early (All Things Must Pass & Material World) and late periods (Cloud 9, Brainwashed, and of course the Wilburys). A few years ago I was despondent as usual that there would never be any more Beatles albums, when suddenly I realized all four of them produced a wealth of material after the breakup, and some of it was bound to be good. Sure enough all four created some amazing stuff post-1970, on par with their 60′s work.
If you REALLY want to surprise yourself, check out Ringo’s recent output (“Give Me Back the Beat” from Choose Love is a hidden gem)
petepizza — July 25, 2007 @ 10:35 am
awesome.
george rules.
Anonymous — July 25, 2007 @ 10:38 am
One of those bootlegs I’ve always heard of, but never actually heard. Thanks so much. This is a treat.
Anonymous — July 25, 2007 @ 3:00 pm
More GH love posted incorrectly under Temporarily Out of Service. Here is a video interview that I watch periodically to “keep straight” about a few things.
The making of Brainwashed with George, Jeff Lynne and Dhani Harrison. (Ryan is underneath as well)
http://www.npr.org/programs/asc/features/index.html#harrison2
deb — July 25, 2007 @ 10:13 pm
last try
http://tinyurl.com/377oe3
Thanks to both of you
debs — July 25, 2007 @ 10:16 pm
I’ve just listened to Hear Me Lord for the very first time and I love it…. burp and all. Where can I get this song? Can anyone help me with this? Thanks!
DeAnna — August 15, 2007 @ 9:18 pm
I think radio players hav done what they intended to do. People can play the radio over their internet connection.
Anonymous — October 17, 2007 @ 7:47 am
sounds to me like a variation of the riff from I’ve Got A Feelin’)
Heather please buy her a New couple of ears.
Anonymous — November 30, 2007 @ 12:01 pm
Hate that I missed this, if anyone knows another source for these demos please email me at jsniel on g mail.
Great find!
Starmile — April 24, 2008 @ 10:13 am
With my best wishes please enjoy this free download of ” SONG FOR GEORGE ” , a song I wrote for the immortal George Harrison to appear on my next album , Nothing Like Love. ( my recording name – Ananda Vardhan ) LOVE YOU GEORGE ! HARE KRISHNA. https://soundcloud.com/freedmana-1/01-song-for-george-a
Ananda Vardhan — April 6, 2013 @ 3:44 am