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Home , All Those Years Ago, Anthology 3, Any Road, Awaiting on You All, Crackerbox Palace, Derek Taylor

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George Harrison Birthday Special 2016

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George Harrison – - Thirty-Three & 1/3 ‘76 This was the most successful track off the LP, and the title originally considered for the . It’s content was inspired by the comedian Buckley, a longtime favorite of George’s. Another directed promo film, featuring the future Mrs. , future Rutle , and the numerous children of .

The Beatles - - Help! (Harrison) Lead vocal: George Recorded in eight takes on February 15, 1965. The introduction features Paul and on a Steinway piano and John playing an electric piano. On U.S. album: Beatles VI - Capitol LP

The Beatles - Do You Want To Know A Secret – (McCartney-) Lead vocal: George Recorded February 11, 1963. Written primarily by for George Harrison to sing. The was given to another -managed act, Billy J. Kramer with the Dakotas, to cover. Their version topped the British charts in late spring 1963. Inspired by "I'm Wishing," a song from Walt Disney’s 1937 animated film “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” that Lennon’s mother used to sing to him when he was a child. On U.S. : Introducing… The Beatles - Vee-Jay LP - Capitol LP

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The Beatles - Don’t Bother Me – (Harrison) Lead vocal: George George Harrison’s first recorded original song. While some may see it as a misfortune that Harrison was surrounded by two of the most gifted in history, this proximity gave him great insight into the mechanics of writing a song from scratch. His first attempt was more than a throwaway composition. He called “Don’t Bother Me” an “exercise” to see if he could write a song, and it was written while George was sick in a bed at the Palace Court Hotel in Bournemouth where The Beatles were playing six nights at Gaumont Cinema in mid-August of 1963. It was during this engagement (on August 22) that photographer Robert Freeman took the iconic “artsy” cover photograph of in half lighting that would grace the cover of both the British “With The Beatles” album and the American “Meet The Beatles!” album.

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Using the basic Lennon-McCartney song structure George crafted a “Beatles song” that was on par with the material the band was currently working for their second album. Getting the other Beatles and producer George Martin to take his work seriously was another matter, and it would take years for Harrison to finally be given his due. Normally he was relegated to one or two per album. On U.S. album: Meet The Beatles! - Capitol LP

The Beatles - I’m Happy Just To Dance With You - A Hard Day’s Night (Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocal: George Written by John and Paul specifically to give George a song in the movie “A Hard Day’s Night.” Completed in four takes on March 1, 1964, with filming slated to begin the next day. The b-side of “I’ll Cry Instead” in U.S. On U.S. album: A Hard Day’s Night - United Artists LP Something New - Capitol LP

George Harrison – - ‘70 A track with some “tart lyrical phrasing,” an offending verse was omitted from the printed lyrics included on the inner sleeve.

George Harrison – – Brainwashed ‘02 Composed in 1988 during the filming of a video for his album Cloud 9, Any Road would be George’s last single. It was nominated for Grammy Award in 2004 for Best Male Pop Performance.

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George Harrison – This particular track is a puzzle still somewhat unsolved. Originally written for Ringo with different lyrics, (which Ringo didn’t think was right for him), the lyrics were rewritten after John Lennon’s murder. Although Ringo did provide drums, there is a dispute as to whether Paul, Linda and Denny did backing vocals at , or in their own studio – hence phoning it in. But Paul insists that he had asked George to play on his own track, Wanderlust, for the Tug Of War album. Having arrived at George’s Friar Park estate, they instead focused on backing vocals for All Those Years Ago. It became George’s biggest hit in 8 years, just missing the top spot on the charts.

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The Beatles - Something - (Harrison) Lead vocal: George The Beatles’ twenty-first single release for EMI, and fourth on the label. Although initially crediting Lennon and McCartney as the songwriters, legendary crooner called George Harrison’s “Something” “"the greatest song of the past 50 years".[7 6

.” Commonly referred to as George’s first Beatles A-side, some sales chart makers at the time considered the single a “double-A,” as both sides of the record received significant radio , and charted both “Something” and its flip side (John’s “”) as one combined chart listing. The song is the first of two CLASSIC songs George delivered for the “Abbey Road” album, the other being “.” It was a phenomenal one-two punch that had to have Lennon and McCartney wondering what else Harrison had up his sleeve.

George Harrison – - ‘74 This track features some great 12-string work by George, he had originally begun composing the tune in New York in 1972. This was possibly recorded during the “Living In The Material World” sessions at Friar Park w/ Ringo on Drums = ½ Beatles

Speaking of Ringo & George….here’s George guiding his friend through some vocals…lets listen

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George – It Don’t Come Easy – Demo

The Beatles - I Need You - Help! (Harrison) Lead vocal: George Recorded in five takes on February 15, 1965, the first day of recording for what was to become the “Help!” album, with overdubs completed the next day. It is the second 7

original George Harrison song to be recorded by the Beatles. Harrison wrote “I Need You” for his future wife, . The track is notable for the first use on a Beatles record of what is now known as a “wah-wah pedal.” George achieved this by playing his 12-string through a foot-controlled volume pedal. Ringo provides cowbell percussion. On U.S. album: Help! - Capitol LP

George Harrison – Don’t Let Me Wait Too Long - Living In The Material World ‘73 This track was the single that should have been, almost was, but never appeared. This is a prime piece of pop songwriting, and was scheduled as the second single from the LP for release on September 24th, 1973. It was assigned 8

an Apple catalog number (Apple 1866), but was mysteriously cancelled at the last minute.

George Harrison – Dark Sweet Lady - George Harrison ‘79 A tropical feel dominates this his lovely soon-to-be-wife, Olivia. The lyrics were dated February 28th, 1978 – which means this tune was also written in Hawaii.

QUIZ HERE Name the song from George’s 33/1/3 album that he began writing back in 1967…the first line of the song is referring to Paul McCartney’s admission of ingesting something psychedelic Name that song

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It's easier to tell a lie than it is to tell the truth",

Winner HERE…kicking off a set of George Harrison singing about his fellow Beatles…

George Harrison – - Thirty-Three & 1/3 ‘76 George wrote the majority of this track in 1967, shortly after Paul McCartney admitted he had taken LSD. It was constructed as a response to the media who felt it necessary to pontificate on Paul’s “wrongdoings” in the uproar that ensued. The song went unfinished for almost ten years until sound engineer (Kumar Shankar – Ravi’s nephew) reminded George of the tune

George Harrison – Wah-Wah - All Things Must Pass ‘70 Famously composed during the “” sessions. On January 10th, 1969 – George left the Beatles and wrote the song during this period of estrangement. The title refers to the “wah-wah” (headache) he was receiving due to prolonged exposure to Macca-baiting and John and Yoko’s antics during the Twickenham 9

rehearsals. The song obviously had some meaning to George, as he used it to open his section of the Concert for .

George Harrison – Sue Me, Sue You - Living In The Material World ‘73 Inspired the Beatles legal problems, George wouldn’t let a good fight go unrecorded. In characteristic good humor, George put the frustrations of Paul suing his former band mates to song (while Lennon reportedly threw bricks through Paul’s windows – though this is highly, highly disputed!). had some lyrical modifications for his 1974 US Tour, brining the story up to date to include the litigation against (Paul told you so, George!).

The Beatles – Not Guilty – The Beatles (Harrison) Recorded: 7th, 8th, 9th, 12th August 1968 Location: Abbey Road 2 Producer: George Martin Engineer: Musicians: George Harrison – lead vocal, , harpsichord (?); John Lennon – harpsichord (?); Paul McCartney – bass guitar, drums (?); – drums This was scheduled for a slot on the White Album, but for some reason they dumped it after 99 takes. For a long time after it was only available 10

on Beatle bootlegs, until they released it on . It might have struck a bum note with John and Paul, because it suffered the same fate as his other bitter lyrics: was dumped from Sgt. Peppers, and was studiously ignored at Twickenham. George explained: I said that I wasn’t guilty of leading them astray in all our going to to see the Maharishi. He also made his frequent point that his songs had often got a pasting: Not guilty of getting in your way/While you’re trying to steal the day. It was during the recording of this song that George first used his famous cherry-red – a gift from . (A famous old story says that he gave it to him after playing the solo on While My Guitar Gently Weeps, but that’s just a Beatle myth!) Lead Vocal George Harrison 1.00

The LONGEST version of The Beatles song Not Guilty from the White album sessions from the summer of 1968…winding down a set of songs all written by George Harrison about his fellow Beatles…

NEWS w/ Jackie DeShannon followed by a song.. Here Comes The Sun

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The Beatles - - Revolver (Harrison) Lead vocal: George The backing track was recorded in five takes on June 2, 1966. George Harrison's third song on “Revolver,” was, he later said, "about the avalanche of thoughts that are so hard to write down or say or transmit." Once again Harrison had no idea what to call his composition. The band briefly kicked around random ideas, and the song was recorded under the working title “Laxton's Superb,” a type of apple. It later became known as “I Don't Know,” which was George’s answer when producer George Martin asked whether Harrison had come up with a title. By the day of the final mix (June 6, 1966), Harrison had settled on the title “I Want To Tell You.” Contains the first bass overdub on a Beatles record. Paul had his bass recorded on a different track really allowed for more options when it came time to mix the song. On U.S. album: Revolver - Capitol LP

George Harrison – You – Extra Texture Originally written for , and recorded during the sessions for her sole Apple single, “Try Some, Buy Some,” in February 1971. According to George, they “recorded four or five tracks before Phil fell over,” (something had a tendency to do often. George dug this tape out during the Extra Texture sessions, but didn’t bother redoing the backing track, which is why you can hear Ronnie Spector singing one of her trademark “” oh-oh-oh’s in the background.

The Beatles - While My Guitar Gently Weeps - The Beatles (Harrison) Lead vocal: George 12

In his book, “I Me Mine,” George explains that while visiting his parents he decided to create a song from the first thing he saw upon opening a book. George randomly opened a book and saw the phrase “gently weeps.” He put the book down and started writing lyrics.

The first proper recording of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” took place on July 25, 1968. Nearly two months into recording the Beatles’ new album, this was George’s first chance to record some of his new material. George: “I always had to do about ten of Paul and John’s songs before they’d give me the break.” On this first day George recorded several rehearsals and one proper take. At this stage, “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” was an acoustic song, with George’s solo vocal and some organ overdubbed near the end that ran 3:13 and had a final verse not found in the final version. This exquisite “take 1,” which was a demo for the other Beatles, is one of the highlights of the “Anthology 3” album. George would continue working on the song at home, and eventually re-imagined the song as a rocker. On August 16, the full band revisited the song, making 14 takes of a rhythm track.

The Beatles - I Me Mine - Let It Be 13

(Harrison) Lead vocal: George It should be noted that none of the Beatles’ rehearsals at in January 1969 were recorded on multi-track. Those official recordings took place at Apple headquarters, either in the studio set up in the basement or on the rooftop during their concert. In the “Let It Be” film George can be heard playing his song “I Me Mine” to Ringo while John and Yoko dance a waltz. He had composed the song the night before in five minutes flat. Unfortunately, George’s song was not one the group recorded when they went to Apple Studios to record the new album tracks. Because the song was being used in the film it needed to be recorded for the album, prompting George, Paul and Ringo to return to on January 3, 1970, to record the song. John was on vacation in Denmark. Had he been in London it is doubtful he would have attended the session because he had quit the band in . Sixteen basic tracks were recorded with George playing acoustic guitar, Paul on bass guitar and Ringo on drums. Overdubs recorded that day were electric piano, electric guitar, new lead and backing vocals and a second acoustic guitar part. The original running time was 1:53. To flesh out the song for the “Let It Be” album, producer Phil Spector cleverly edited the song to repeat a section and extend it by 51 seconds. At the 1:53 mark, just after the line “flowing more freely than wine,” the song jumps back to the :32 mark to the line “all through the day.” This leads back into the hard-rocking “I me me mine” segment and continues past “flowing more freely than wine” until the song ends. He also added orchestration. The original shorter version of the song can be heard on the “Anthology 3” album.

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George Harrison – Mama You’ve Been On My Mind (demo) - Early Takes Vol.1 ‘12

QUIZ HERE Who’s singing this LIVE version of ? Kobe Only

The day after what would have been George Harrison's 73rd birthday, February 26, 2016, George Fest: A Night To Celebrate The Music Of George Harrison. Recorded and filmed on September 28th, 2014 at the The Fonda Theater in . g 2xCD/DVD, 2xCD/Blu-, 3xLP (180 gram) and digital download.

Produced by and David Zonshine,…

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Dhani Harrison – Savoy Truffle - George Fest: A Night To Celebrate The Music Of George Harrison

10.56 BREAK Here’s a George Harrison song that’s as good as any Lennon/McCartney song from 1965…see hanging around those guys makes ya better!

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The Beatles - - (Harrison) Lead vocal: George The fourth original composition by George Harrison to be recorded by The Beatles was heavily inspired by the 12-string guitar sound of . The introduction of George Harrison’s “If I Needed Someone” is strikingly similar to the introduction of The Byrds’ “.” Harrison commented that the song was “like a million other songs written around the D chord.” The backing track was recorded in one take on October 16, 1965. George’s double-tracked lead vocal and John and Paul’s backing vocals were added two days later. The song was performed live by The Beatles in late 1965 and was a staple of their 1966 world tour. On U.S. album: - Capitol LP

George Harrison – Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea - Brainwashed ‘02 Recorded in 1991 for British television, during sessions with and band. It allows the ever-playful George to play and sing and just have fun with the great Harold Arlen/Ted Koehler standard.

The Beatles - - Let It Be (Harrison) Lead vocal: George Recorded on January 25, 1969, and completed in six takes. John Lennon provides the lead guitar part playing a lap steel guitar and using a shotgun shell as a slide. Paul McCartney plays piano. Nearly a year later, on January 8, 1970, George Harrison re- recorded his lead vocal to the already completed backing track. During the instrumental break he ad-libbed “go Johnny go” and “’ got nothin’ on this baby” to give the impression he was singing live with the band. Immediately prior to the start of the song, John can be heard saying "Queen says no to pot-smoking FBI members." It is one of the few inclusions of film dialogue heard on the soundtrack LP. Written by George Harrison for his wife, Pattie, “For You Blue” was a straight-forward blues song. George: “It's a simple 12-bar song following all the normal 12-bar principles, except that it's happy-go-lucky!” “For You Blue” was the flip-side of the American “The Long And Winding Road” single, released on May 11, 1970. A new mix of take six was made in 2003 for “Let It Be... Naked” and an alternative take from the January 25, 1969, session is included on the “Anthology 3” album.

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The Beatles - - The Beatles (Harrison) Lead vocal: George The basic rhythm track for “Piggies” was recorded on September 19, 1968, with Chris Thomas sitting in the producer’s chair, subbing for George Martin. It was completed in 11 takes and overdubs were finished the following day. Although “” was a derogatory term that young people in America in the sixties called police, George Harrison’s social commentary made light of the upper class, not authority figures. The first utterance of a curse word (“damn”) by a Beatle in a Beatles song came at the suggestion of Harrisons’ mother, who offered her son the line: “What they need’s a damn good whacking” to rhyme with “backing” and “lacking.” Although he did not attend any of the sessions for the song, John Lennon improved on one of George’s lines, suggesting the line “Clutching forks and knives to eat their bacon” instead of George’s line “Clutching forks and knives to eat their pork chops.” Chris Thomas supplies the harpsichord part on the song. In fact, the harpsichord had been set up overnight in Studio One for a classical recording the next day. Rather than move it to Studio Two, the Beatles went to the harpsichord in Studio One and recorded “Piggies” there. The rhythm track featured George played his Gibson J-200 acoustic guitar, Paul on his Rickenbacker bass and Ringo on drums. It is presumed he was elsewhere in the building compiling tapes for the still-evolving 17

“.” For the next night’s session Lennon put together a of pig sounds taken from the EMI sounds effects library. Prior to the big finish of the song, George can be heard saying “one more time.” In his book, “I Me Mine,” George provides lyrics to a verse that was not recorded. Everywhere there’s lots of piggies Playing piggy pranks You can see them on their trotters At the piggy banks Paying piggy thanks To thee pig brother!

The Beatles - - Revolver (Harrison) Lead vocal: George Completed in 11 takes on April 21, 1966. Written by George when he started realizing the majority of his money was going to the British government in the form of taxes. George went to John Lennon for some help with the lyrics, and Lennon was especially pleased with his line “Now my advice for those who die: declare the pennies on your eyes.” Featuring a nice lead guitar solo by Paul on his . The ‘pennies’ lyrical reference derives from Greek mythology – it is the payment to Charon (the ferryman of the underworld) to ferry the deceased to their destination in the underworld. To pay the ferryman, the deceased person's relatives place a coin on each eye of the deceased. The Mr. Wilson and Mr. Heath mentioned in the song were real people. was the Prime Minister Married 2 kids and Edward Heath not married was head of the opposition party at the time the song was recorded. It is the first time a George Harrison composition opens a British Beatles album. On U.S. album: Revolver - Capitol LP

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LIVE set from George to end the show…but wait do we have some Birthday’s ???

Eng Mark – George etc 18

The Beatles - Birthday - The Beatles (Lennon-McCartney) Lead vocal: Paul with John “Birthday” is a song written entirely by Paul McCartney in the studio on September 18, 1968, while he waited for the other Beatles to arrive. The session that afternoon was purposely scheduled to start two hours earlier than usual so the Beatles could take a break and walk to Paul’s home and watch “The Girl Can’t Help It,” the 1956 film starring Jayne Mansfield and featuring the likes of , , the Platters, Gene Vincent, and Eddie Cochran. The movie was having its British television premiere on the BBC that evening, and Paul lived around the corner from Abbey Road Studios, on Cavendish Avenue. The instrumental backing track included Paul on Epiphone Casino electric guitar, George Harrison on Fender Bass VI (a six-string bass guitar), John on Epiphone Casino electric guitar and Ringo on drums. By the 20th take the backing track was complete and the Beatles headed out to Paul’s house to watch the movie. When they returned to the studio they worked on overdubs. In addition to Paul’s scorching lead vocal, overdubs included piano, drums, lead guitar, bass guitar, (played by George with gloves on so he wouldn’t get blisters), handclaps, and backing vocals. While Paul is predominantly the lead vocalist, he is joined on occasion by John. The female voices heard on the “birthday” refrain in the middle eight belong to Pattie Harrison and . 19

LIVE SET to finish us off?

George Harrison – Beware Of Darkness - The Concert for Bangla Desh ‘71

George Harrison – - Live In Japan ‘92 Recorded in Tokyo – December 17th, 1991.

George Harrison – - The Concert for Bangla Desh ‘71

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George Harrison – Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth) - Live In Japan ‘92 Recorded in Tokyo – December 15th 1991.

(Let crowd noise GO while I do goodbyes…

George Harrison – - All Things Must Pass ‘70 This was a salute to the girls (and sometimes boys) who stood vigil at Apple, Abbey Road and anyplace a Fab was to likely to be. Upon recording the tune, George invited the “Apple Scruffs,” into the studio to have a listen.

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