George Harrison, the not-so-quiet one

It’s been ten years now since George Harrison’s departure from this world, and after all this time we can still feel his musical presence fresh and strong, as the great composer and accomplished musician in his own right that he was. We also remember him for his soulfulness and special gift for melody, because the radio still treats us to songs like “My Sweet Lord”, “Isn’t a Pity,” and the warm-hearted “Crackerbox Palace.”  Even not so “commercial” tunes like “Give me Love” or “What Is life” are played by some of the hardcore classic rock or alternative music stations of the area.  

     It’s hard not to think about George every time we hear a slide guitar lick or the sitarish sounds of raga rock, that were so recurring in the guitars of some of the most prominent bands of the sixties.

     It was George Harrison who, as a 14-year-old kid, was able to leave a cocky young man by the name of John Lennon perplexed, just by playing Bill Justis’ “Raunchy” in its entirety; and he was also the one who, early in his career, came up with such solid guitar riffs, as the lead guitar for the greatest rock & roll band of all times. But as the “quiet Beatle,” George was also the great artist whose talent and musicianship was always overshadowed by John and Paul’s musical genius; a curse that somehow followed him even after the Beatles’ split --the high price he had to pay for being surrounded by mastery. 

     A curious thing is that, after the “mop heads” disbanded and everyone started putting out solo projects, it was George who produced the first number-one hit with “My Sweet Lord,” from the triple album “All Things Must Pass.”  And even before that, in what came to be the Beatles' coda, Abbey Road, are two of Harrison’s songs that stand out as some of the brightest highlights of the album: “Here Comes the Sun” and “Something”, the latter which Frank Sinatra hailed as one of the most beautiful love songs ever written. But, in a common display of thoughtlessness, Ol’ Blue Eyes attributed it to Lennon and McCartney.   

     It is hard to pinpoint what made Harrison’s music so moving and soulful, but it might have to do with his particular views on love and humankind. There was something about his music that, even when he could get preachy and condescending --but always insightful--, it always bore a special kind of touch. Songs from his Beatles years like “I Want to tell You,” “If I Needed Someone,” and “The Inner Light”, or some of his compositions as a soloist, like the aforementioned “Give Me Love” and “When We Was Fab,” are pieces that reveal the artist’s great sensibility and musical wit; not to mention his awesome sense of melody. 

     There are two songs that I would recommend to anybody still doubting the Beatles’ inventiveness and versatility, both of them composed by George: “Within You, Without You” and “Blue Jay Way.” He wrote the former around the time when he was getting immersed in Eastern philosophy, which would, in turn, become his religion. Although debate is still around as to who invented raga rock or who played it first, the truth is that his version of it had more purist overtones than “mainstream” raga rock, which also added a mystique to the Beatles’ image as a rock band, by being bold enough to put a song with that kind of musical demeanor in a rock/pop album. Of the latter, all I will say is that the chorus and the orchestral arrangements give such an eerie quality to it, that made not only for a very original piece, but the feelings produced by it were very much in tune with the times --second half of the sixties-- the world was living. 

     Another thing that has gone mostly unrecognized about Harrison is his rocker facet and his qualities as a very distinctive and stylish vocalist. He was the one who played some mean rockabilly-influenced guitar riffs and, with that voice that contained a strong liverpudlian accent, he was perfectly apt to tag along with such a rock & roll master as Carl Perkins --with his trademark southern drawl-- in songs like “Your True Love” or “Glad all Over.” 

     Actually, we could say that George inherited the virility of rockabilly from Perkins himself and we can hear it in songs of his own making like “Don’t Bother Me,” and in covers like “Roll Over Beethoven,” which wasn’t a Perkins song, but it shows how The Beatles were able to capture audiences so early on in their career for the virility of their sound. Despite his rather-vulnerable-voice, Harrison can keep up with the toughness of any hardcore rock 'n' roller on roughneckies like “Honey Don’t” or “Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby”.

     George’s legacy is a huge one --although overlooked and underrated--, in and outside of the Fab Four, because he was a team-player; which is probably what better explains the fact that he was willing to stand behind John and Paul for so long. He had excellent collaborations with other artists in songs that he co-wrote with people like Eric Clapton (“Badge”), Ronnie Wood (“Far East Man”), and Ringo’s “Photograph” that was quite a work of art in itself  --and Ringo’s first number-one hit-- for its great music arrangements. And, of course, we have his collaborations with supergroup Travelling Wilburys, whose songs like “Heading for the Light,” “End of the Line,” and “Handle with Care,” --of George’s co-authorship-- stuck out dearly.

     So yes, George Harrison was a consummated artist, whose merit was sorrily overlooked by the ones who only wanted bubble-gum music from him, and who encased him in that image of the pop star, who was good until they found out that he could think; then, they looked away in search for the next easy-to-digest cheap thrill. 

     As a closing note, I want to add that, with the Concert for Bangladesh George was the first one to do a big-scale charity concert with real, pure intentions --are you listening Bob Geldof?--; which, unfortunately, turned into a nightmare for him, thanks to bureaucracy and the bunch of free-loaders that made themselves present as soon as they learned that it could be an open game. “And while you’re in this world, the fuzz gonna come and claim you...”

George Harrison music for appreciation (probably on YouTube):

“Isn’t a Pity”

“Wah-Wah”

“Don’t let Me Wait Too Long”

“The Answer’s At the End”

“World of Stone”

“This Song”

“Hari’s on Tour”

“Ding Dong, Ding Dong”

“Far East Man”

“Love Comes to Everyone”

“Cheer Down”

“Crackerbox Palace”

“When We was Fab”

“Rising Sun”

“Stuck Inside a Cloud”

Note: This article appeared originally on a now defunct online magazine and I wrote it on account of George Harrison's death anniversary.