Beatles recording engineer Geoff Emerick [RIP] wrote a book
about his experiences recording with the Beatles titled Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of the Beatles. In his book, he made the absurd claim that
George Harrison “couldn’t play guitar” simply because it took George awhile to
think of guitar parts that would complement the songs of John Lennon and Paul
McCartney. The book was very deferential
to Paul McCartney, whom he would always refer to as “Paul”, whereas he would
refer to John Lennon and George Harrison as simply “Lennon” and
“Harrison”. Where he still alive, I
would have some choice words for Mr. Emerick.
But since he is no longer among the living to defend himself, I’ll
simply state that Geoff Emerick was wrong. Bob Dylan liked George’s musicianship, and
was in awe on George’s knowledge of “all those chords”. Mike Campbell owes much of his style to
George Harrison. George Harrison would have been 76 this week.
As I said in Part One of my blog about George as a
guitarist, George wasn’t a show-off.
Most of the guitarists that I list as favorites play solos that last
longer than most Beatles songs. That
kind of playing was not in George’s toolbox.
He played whatever the songs of Lennon and McCartney required. What amazed me about George Harrison is that
once he wasn’t a Beatle, he became a better guitar player. I attribute this to Delaney Bramlett. After Abbey
Road was in the can, George [with Eric Clapton] toured England with Delaney
and Bonnie & Friends. It was during
this short tour that George learned from Delaney how to play slide. Unlike most slide players, George’s slide playing
didn’t come from the blues. His playing
is unique in that it reflects his love for Indian music. His slide emulated the Indian sounds he heard
in his head and with his heart. Like his
playing with a slide, you can practically sing his slide solos. As for his other solos, the norm for George
would be eight bars, but sometimes he got to stretch out a little bit longer.
Here are my favorite musical moments from George. Mostly they are guitar solos for the songs of
Lennon and McCartney, but others are songs that I like that don’t have any
solos at all [you’ll know them when you read them].
I Saw
Her Standing There – What a great way to start a recording career. This song from Paul [with a little help from
John] was the first song from the first album, Please Please Me [1963]. By
Beatles standards the solo is a long one [16 bars]. More than fifty years after this track was
cut, you can still feel the excitement bursting from your stereo speakers.
Don’t
Bother Me – This was the first song he wrote [other than any
instrumentals]. He said he was sick in
bed at a hotel in Bournemouth, and he was doing an exercise to see if he could
write a song. Even George didn’t care
for it, but I love it and the solo. It’s
not like The Doors’ Robbie Krieger’s first song [Light My Fire], where the first song he wrote in his life was a #1
hit [where do you go from there?].
A Hard
Day’s Night – The iconic chord that introduces the song is the “Big
Bang” of the British Invasion. The sound
of the solo sounds lightning fast, but George couldn’t play that fast [not yet,
anyway]. He played the solo at half
speed and an octave lower. George Martin
doubled the part on piano. What you hear
on the record is tape at twice normal speed.
Once it came to playing live, George got it [the Hollywood Bowl shows
are evidence].
You
Can’t Do That – The twelve-string riff from this song from John Lennon is
George’s. John plays the solo [a
rarity], but George keeps chugging along with the riff. At the time, 12 string electrics were
virtually non-existent. George was given
his by Rickenbacker when the Beatles first came to New York in February 1964
[Remember, Mike Campbell’s first Rickenbacker 12-string came off their assembly
line right after George’s].
Everybody's
Trying to Be My Baby – George Harrison was the Beatles’
Carl Perkins guy. At one time before
they got signed to EMI, he used the pseudonym “Carl Harrison”. Many English
guitar players were influenced by the blues.
George was influenced by rockabilly.
George plays two solos, the second of which is another long one by
Beatles standards [24 bars].
Norwegian
Wood [This Bird Has Flown] – George introduces the sitar into Western
music and finds his musical identity. ‘Nuff
said.
Nowhere
Man
- This solo is at the top of my list.
This is what a Stratocaster with no effects sounds like. I still have no idea how he got that “ping”
at the end of the solo.
Drive
My Car – The idea for the arrangement for this song by Paul
McCartney was George’s idea. He had been
listening to Otis Redding's Respect. He suggested that Drive My Car's bass and guitar parts should play similar lines in
an approximation of Redding's bass-heavy sound.
That’s why you have such a unique sound here. According to George: “We laid the track because what Paul would do, if he's written a song,
he'd learn all the parts for Paul and then come in the studio and say, 'Do
this.' He'd never give you the opportunity to come out with something. But on
Drive My Car I just played the line, which is really like a lick off Respect,
you know, the Otis Redding version – and I played that line on guitar and Paul
laid that with me on bass. We laid the track down like that. We played the lead
part later on top of it.”
If I
Needed Someone – After Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark and David Crosby saw A
Hard Day’s Night, Roger McGuinn got himself a Rickenbacker 12-string. George said this track was inspired by the
Byrds’ The Bells Of Rhymney. This was the only George Harrison original
[from Rubber Soul] that the Beatles
would play live.
Taxman –
George’s song that started Revolver,
and it’s a great one. George shows off
his rhythm guitar chops while Paul lays the lead. He had some uncredited help from John on the
lyrics [And my advice for those who die,
declare the pennies on your eye…].
For me, this song was a statement that George could write songs as good
as John and Paul.
I’m
Only Sleeping – This is John Lennon’s song, but he wanted a backwards
guitar solo. How do you play a guitar
solo backwards? According to Geoff
Emerick, it took George six hours to figure out how the notes he would play
could be transposed backwards to give the solo a “yawning” feeling. And he did it a year before Hendrix did it on
Are You Experienced?
Let It
Be
– I have five versions of this song, four of which are completed studio
versions, the other is a demo found on the deluxe White Album from last year. Each studio has a different guitar solo. The single version is probably the best known
of them all [and my favorite of the four].
The second version from the Let It
Be album is recorded with a Les Paul, and has a dirty, aggressive
sound. The first and second versions
actually have the same basic track, just different solos. The third version [from Let It Be…Naked] has George playing through a rotating Leslie
speaker. The fourth studio version [from
the hits collection 1] is a remix of
the first version. It keeps the solo
played on the single, but you can hear elements of the Leslie from the Let It Be…Naked version.
Come
Together – This is the last great Lennon Beatles track, which kicks
off Abbey Road. It’s as bluesy and as swampy as the Beatles
would ever get. You don’t hear George
until John is halfway through his electric piano solo, but when he makes his entrance
he provides a textbook lesson on string bending. At 3:02, you can hear him doing volume swells
on the guitar, followed by more BB King-like soloing as the song fades.
Something - George
cut this one live with an orchestra in one take. As the story goes, there was some much
overdubbing of instruments on this song that there was only one track left on
the tape, and that was saved for the orchestra.
This didn’t faze George in the slightest. He said he would play along live with the orchestra,
such was his renewed confidence in his abilities. He nailed the solo in a single take,
shredding Geoff Emerick’s claims that George couldn’t play.
My
Sweet Lord – This is the first recording where you hear “George
Harrison – slide guitarist”. Phil
Spector baked the studio reverb into the recording of the entire All Things Must Pass album, and it gives
this song and others a HUGE sound. Not
only was there a big 12-string guitar sound, and the Wall of Sound orchestra,
George overdubbed many backing vocals [all those Hare Krishnas] which he dubbed
the “George O’Hara Smith Singers”.
Whether or not it was an unconscious rip-off of the Chiffons He’s So Fine, this is a great sounding
record.
Isn’t It
a Pity – George recorded two versions of this song. The better-known version appears on the first
side of All Things Must Pass. One word can describe that version – “majestic”. The other is more of a dirge, which is
ok. The longer version is better.
Cloud
9
– After laying low for five years [Gone
Troppo was done in 1982 before he took a break], George did Cloud 9 in 1987. The title cut has him dueling guitars with
Eric Clapton. EC does his usual thing
but somewhat restrained while George keeps up with him on slide. Keith Richards describes his rhythm/lead
playing with Ron Wood as an “ancient form of weaving”. EC and George do the same thing on Cloud 9.
This is magical stuff.
When
We Was Fab – George kept his Beatles past at arm’s length. When he finally came to terms with having
been a Beatle, he wanted an I Am the
Walrus vibe. And like I Am the Walrus, there isn’t much guitar
to be heard, but that wasn’t the point.
I think he captured the Walrus vibe magnificently here.
Handle
With Care – Coming hot on the heels of Cloud 9 came the Traveling
Wilburys, Volume 1 in 1988. Warner
Brothers wanted a B-side for the single This
Is Love [from Cloud 9]. Either he or the record company [I don’t
remember which – it’s immaterial] didn’t want the B-side to come from the
album. If you listen to the lyrics of When We Was Fab and Handle With Care, one hears the story that was started on one was
continued with the other. Maybe that’s
why I like to hear them back-to-back.
Mike Campbell told the story of how Tom Petty called him to come to the
studio to lay down the ending solo for the song. For whatever reason he couldn’t get it. George played it himself and nailed it.
Tweeter
and the Monkey Man – A Wilburys track, my favorite after Handle With Care. This
hilariously funny homage to Bruce Springsteen was written mostly by Bob Dylan
and Tom Petty. However, there is a nasty
twelve-string slide played by George.
His slide part appears throughout the song. For me, that’s the hook – it starts the
song. Once you’re hooked, Dylan and
Petty’s lyrics keep you interested for almost six minutes of fun.
Cheer
Down – This was written with Tom Petty for the movie South Pacific [so he said jokingly in
Japan]. The last 1:40 is all solos [very
“out-of-character” for him], like a guitar duel, only it’s George vs. George. The
world loves a clown…
Lift
Me Up – This is the third song from Jeff Lynne’s Armchair Theatre. That’s George playing the slide solo at the
end.
That
Kind of Woman – After years of playing hard rock and heavy metal, Gary
Moore decided he would be a bluesman. Gary
Moore’s Still Got the Blues came out
in March 1990. George gave him this song
and traded solos with Gary Moore. Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3 came out in
October 1990. Gary Moore returned the
favor and played the blistering lead guitar on their song She’s My Baby.
All She
Wanted – This from the Electric Light Orchestra’s album Zoom.
It was one of the last things George recorded.
Woman
Don't You Cry for Me – This is the first song from 33 1/3, his first album for Warner Brothers on his own Dark Horse label
after leaving Apple. George shows that it is possible for a
white Englishman to get funky.
Any
Road – “Give me plenty of that guitar…” This is the first thing
you hear to start George’s last album, Brainwashed. I’m a firm believer in “truth in advertising”
and George delivers plenty of guitar.
His main axe on this song is a ukulele, over which he plays plenty of
slide guitar. “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there”…very
cosmic.
Back
Off Boogaloo – This was Ringo Starr’s second single from 1972. Like It Don’t Come Easy, this too was
produced by George. His slide is all
over this one.
I’m
the Greatest - For the Ringo
album [1973], John, George and Ringo were all on I’m the Greatest with Billy Preston and Klaus Voorman, just one
Beatle shy of a full reunion. George played all the fills, and a nasty guitar
during the song’s fade-out.
I’ve
Got a Feeling – This one is live from the Apple rooftop, January 30,
1969. John plays the riff while George gets a big sound out of a
Fender Telecaster [of all things]. When George enters the song, he makes his presence known
immediately. I remember seeing the movie Let It Be,
where Paul describes how he wants to hear the lead guitar sound like it's falling off a cliff. I can't remember if it was George or
John trying to get what Paul wanted, and one can hear a studio outtake on Anthology 3 where George can't quite get it. But when it came to time play it live on the rooftop, George nailed it.
One
After 909 – This one is live from the Apple rooftop recorded in
1969. It sounds like the guys are having
fun. This is proof that the Beatles
could cut it live. George’s lead playing
is flawless.
Octopus's
Garden – From Abbey Road,
George played the opening riff, and he played another solo in the middle. This sounds like George’s Chet Atkins
influence coming to the fore.
Here
Comes the Sun – This song from Abbey
Road is one of George’s finest. It
was a spring day in 1969 and George didn’t feel like going to work at Apple one
day. He went to Eric Clapton’s house
instead. Whilst wondering around EC’s
backyard, he picked up an acoustic guitar, and this song popped out. It is one of happiest songs George ever
did. If you’re wondering, he put a capo
at the 7th fret.
Old
Brown Shoe - This was the B-side to The Ballad of John and Yoko.
I think it’s the first time one can hear George playing a slide on a
Beatles song, but I can’t be sure. But
the solo is a very nimble little exercise played on a Telecaster through a
Leslie speaker. Throughout the song, you
can hear the same guitar-bass playing in unison like they did on Drive My Car.
You
Never Give Me Your Money – This Paul McCartney song from Abbey Road is his commentary on the
Beatles business problems. It starts as
a simple piano melody, then suddenly switches to a faster boogie-woogie part,
which is a fondly nostalgic look back at the early Beatle days that describes
the magic feeling with nowhere to go.
After a lengthy [by Beatles standards] guitar interlude, then it’s rock
city. John’s holding down the rhythm
while George steps on the gas. You can
hear over the repeated chant of "One two three four five six seven, all
good children go to heaven" a motif of guitar notes that would later return
as the bridge between Carry That Weight
and The End. That chiming, sparkling guitar is all George.
I Want
You [She's So Heavy] – John Lennon played a rare lead on
this song, with George providing the fills. But after you hear John’s final “she’s so…” then begins the long playout
with a massive guitar wall of sound with many guitar parts played by both John
and George. The Moog synthesizer starts
off like a wind in the distance and then becomes a hurricane with the
John/George guitar wall of sound. The
listener is lured into a trance until the music suddenly stops, snapping the
listener out of the trance. It’s still a
mind-blower for my kids.
Gimme
Some Truth and How Do You
Sleep? – Gimme Some Truth from
John’s Imagine album first appeared
during the Beatles Let It Be
sessions. Resurrected for Imagine, this
song has elements of the Phil Spector “wall of sound” [he co-produced with John
& Yoko]. George plays one of his
most nasty slide solos of his life [0:50 – 1:15] which cuts through the wall of
sound like a stiletto. It was on the Imagine album where John said George was
playing the best guitar of his life.
When I first heard it and How Do
You Sleep? so many years ago, I
did a double take, thinking to myself “that’s George?” I checked the liner notes and sure enough, it
was George. These are “we’re not worthy”
moments.
What
Is Life – You’re recording your first proper solo album after
leaving the biggest band on the planet, Eric Clapton plays lead on most of the
songs while you play rhythm. That album
was George’s All Things Must Pass,
arguably the best Beatle solo album of them all. On this song, the roles are reversed – George
plays the fuzzy lead guitar riff while EC plays rhythm.
Day
After Day – George produced roughly half of Badfinger’s Straight Up album before he had to tend
to the arrangements for staging the Concerts for Bangladesh. Before he handed the production reins over to
Todd Rundgren, George asked the band if he could play on this himself. I think the slide part that starts the song
is Pete Ham, but the rest of the slide parts are all George. There’s some beautiful playing here.
Hey
Bulldog – The terms “screaming guitar solo” and “George Harrison”
are, for the most part, mutually exclusive.
Not so with this hidden gem from Yellow
Submarine. George uses a Gibson SG
here. This one is the nastiest solos
George recorded with the Beatles. After
spending most of the previous year NOT playing guitar, he laid down this
blistering solo.
Dear
Prudence – The main guitar motif played throughout this song from
the White Album is fingerpicked by John Lennon.
George doesn’t make an appearance until the 1:40 mark. George uses two guitars to weave a guitar
tapestry throughout that gives the songs a “trippy” quality. From here the song keeps building up to a
climax, which comes at 3:35, where the song starts to fade as it began, with
John fingerpicking alone.
Happiness
Is a Warm Gun – This is another fingerpicking exercise from John
Lennon. George often cited this song as
one of his favorites because of the time changes. The song has four distinctive parts, with
time changes between 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, 9/8, 10/8 and 12/8 time signatures and
tempo changes to match. George enjoyed
navigating the twists and turns of the song.
His fuzzy, distorted Stratocaster has and “acid rock” vibe to it. Great string bending here.
Savoy
Truffle – This one from Side 4 of the White Album is an ode to Eric
Clapton’s sweet tooth. Most of the words
came directly from a box of Good News chocolates. This song has a great horn section, but the
guitar greatness comes from George’s tasty solo [no pun] between 1:27 – 1:50.
If Not
for You – The only Dylan cover I like more than this one is
Hendrix’s take on All Along the
Watchtower. More acoustic slide
greatness from George.
It
Don't Come Easy – Ringo Starr’s first hit.
Produced by George, he also plays all over it. The Leslie guitar intro is George. This is a great record.
Sue
Me, Sue You Blues & Soft-Hearted
Hana – both of these tunes, recorded five years apart, are played on
acoustic slide guitar. Sue Me, Sue You
Blues [from Living in the Material World]
is George’s commentary on the Beatles’ legal woes. Soft-Hearted Hana is a more
light-hearted affair that discusses the effects of “magic mushrooms”. The song’s speed is varied at the end to give
the listener a woozy, drugged-out feeling.
At first, I thought there was something wrong with either the record or
the turntable. But the disoriented
feeling was done deliberately.
The
Lord Loves the One (That Loves the Lord) – All Things Must Pass featured Eric Clapton and Dave Mason in
addition to George. On Living in the Material World, George is
the only guitarist. The song has an
acoustic beginning, which he strums throughout.
He has the slide pop up in bits and pieces throughout, but at 3:53 until
the songs conclusion [4:35] he performs a very tasty slide solo, about 15 ½
bars worth.
So Sad – Dark Horse doesn’t have many songs to
recommend it, but this one caught my ear the first time I heard it 40 years
ago. The main guitar here is a
twelve-string acoustic, with plenty of electric slide throughout. The song begins and ends with an eight-bar
instrumental passage played on the acoustic twelve-string, and for me that’s
the song’s hook. Originally recorded for
Living in the Material World, this
song paints a bleak picture of George’s failing marriage to his first wife,
Pattie.
Photograph –
George co-wrote this song with Ringo Starr.
It appears on Ringo’s eponymous album [Ringo] from 1973. Like So Sad, Photograph is about lost love and was also first begun during
sessions for Living in the Material World. Of course, after George’s death the song took
on a new meaning. There are no guitar
solos. George’s 12-string acoustic
guitar is part of the song’s Spectoresque wall of sound.
Marwa
Blues – Every now and then George would cut an instrumental. This one from Brainwashed impressed the Grammy people enough to give him the
award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance.
Stuck
Inside A Cloud –
Dhani Harrison once said that if his dad had a favorite song on any album, he
would place it as the seventh song. Stuck Inside A Cloud is the seventh song
on Brainwashed. I think this was the only song where George
addressed his declining health and his quiet despair. There’s beautiful slide playing here.
The
End
- Paul, George and John each play three little two-bar solos, in that order.
John has a raunchy, distorted guitar tone on his Epiphone Casino, Paul also
plays a Casino but his style is more stinging and a bit frantic [think Taxman and Sgt Pepper]. George is more melodic and polished, and plays a Les
Paul. According to engineer Geoff Emerick, they did the soling in one take.
Part One - http://tonysmusicroom.blogspot.com/2013/02/tonys-guitarist-picks-george-harrison.html
