Revolver unleashed the full power of what pop & rock music could amount to. Probably more groundbreaking than even Sgt Peppers. It's a ride of incredibly diverse songs yet there's a cohesion that makes it all gel. A multitude of color on a single mosaic.
Mine as well. They struck the best balance between innovation and composition, without filler to get through contractual obligations, going too "fruity", as George said, or weirdness for its own sake, without the musical quality to hold it up.
@@nikolatesla1967hot damn!! I love your description of Revolver. I think Revolver is better than Sgt. peppers. I got addicted to "Love you to" years ago and I also think RS and R are my favorite studio albums. (Magical Mystery Tour, I like just as much I think, though it's more like a soundtrack or playlist or something 😊)
An example of how history his been distorted. This was written in 1963, and it wasn't any worse than most Lennon/McCartney songs of the time. George was pretty much at their level from the very beginning. Not only late, as it is commonly believed.
@@fitless I didn't mean to say say that it was as good as the better Lennon/McCartney songs.Just that it was at the level of their lesser ones. His first attempt was a WHOLE lot better than "Love Me Do" or even "Please Please Me.".
Way back then, though I always played an album as one piece, start to finish, I always looked forward to that track. The songs they 'let George have' as a vocalist are often among my favorites.
Most of the songs George disliked were ok but I do agree with some of his feelings toward Sgt. Peppers album and Abby Road though I liked a few of the songs on each one. However the best songs on Abby Road were were contributions by George. . I've just never much appeal in Sgt. Peppers very appealing appealing except for the ballad by Paul called Shes Leaving home
When the Beatles were new to us in 1963, and fans were picking their favorite Beatle, I favored George mainly because he played LEAD guitar. Rest his soul.💖 I've been a Beatles fan ever since and always will be.
@@xanderk84 Something, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Here Comes The Sun, Within You - I’d rate Something as the best song they did and Here Comes The Sun as fourth, and While My Guitar … in the top 10. Piggies is an underrated masterpiece that should be in their top ten. Within You … stands right with A Day In The Life at second.
I love George. His song "Long, Long, Long" from the White Album is simply haunting, specially the remixed version. I also love this deepcut "This Guitar (Can't Keep From Crying") [Platinum Weird Version] from his Extra Texture album.
I like "Dear Prudence"#1, but "Long Long Long" a close second. @@Menestro de gustibus es non disputantem est (or something like that - meaning 'what you like can not be disputed.' lol
The song Do you want to know a secret is one of my all time favorites.. It was played on the Beatles cartoons with the follow by lyrics on the screen. Absolutely one of my fondest musical memories as a 6 or 7 year old. Having George on lead vocals ??? and John n Paul on backing or harmony, just added a new and wider appeal and appreciation for their music. Dont bother me is great in my mind as well. But didn't increase the Beatlemania in my mind as much as the impact of Do you want to know a Secret? Which still today 60 years later is dear to my heart. Your comment about it being innocent couldn't be more accurate, because its takes me back to the innocence of my childhood.
That was the biggest surprise for me from these 6 songs, even more so than "Not Guilty" or "Don't Bother Me", two of George's songs... I'd consider "Do You Wanna Know A Secret" as one of the best from their debut album, tying with "PS. I Love You"
George's singing style is slightly detached and slightly irreverent. It's perfect! That detachment is what made George the coolest Beatle of all. His version of Roll Over Beethoven shines for almost the same reason - but it's more excited detachment, like he's just having fun with it.
When the rest of the world got to know about them, these guys had been in each other's pockets for years. The madness that ensued upon said discovery only made the situation even more claustrophobic for them. I'm amazed that they were able to keep it together as long as they did, not to mention thankful for their incredible output.
Don't Bother Me is one of my favorite Beatles songs. I have found that I have a tendency to gravitate towards George's songs more. I never knew for many years that he wrote the song "Badge" for Eric Clapton and Cream. He was a much better song writer than people gave him credit for. Case in point, "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" was huge and Frank Sinatra said that the song "Something" was one of the greatest love songs.
It didn't dawn on me until a few years ago that George's songs always stood out more than John's and Paul's. In my youth I never looked at the credits on an album. But years after I realized it was George's songs I liked to most
My least favourite Beatles song. Awful oompah music, as I observed when watching Get Back (again) with a bandmate yesterday. What was Paul thinking? For the greatest of the four genii who made up the greatest band in history, he couldn't half back a stinker once in a while.
@@gavinbrockis Most of his solo career stinks. It's clear he needed Lennon and co around him to keep him in check, but in the last couple of years they all gave up and just let him do what he wanted.
@@John-k6f9k did you think I was implying that Lennon was immune? Absolutely not. Paul is (as in my original comment) the greatest of all the Beatles, but (as in my original comment) had a blind spot for some dodgy stuff on occasion. Having said that, Mr Kite is clearly 'in character' and even then is not half the stinker that MSH is 😉 IMO obvs!
I've absolutely adored Within You Without You since I was 7 years old. My mum bought Sgt Peppers when it was released and it seemed she played it all day long. The mysterious sounds, lyrics and the luscious arrangement always enchanted me. I still find it magical to this day and is my favourite track on the album.
Have you ever heard the demos of that song? It was nothing, the final production including the idea of the sitar made the song. And that was all done by George Martin. George had ideas but wasn't able to execute them. Also with Something and All Things must pass he struggled for days. Without the help from John and Paul we never would have known these songs.
the Sitar has a percussive quality that's irresistible. in 'GET BACK' on DISNEY+, Lennon's sharp mind reacts when someone says "we were talking last night,,," where John inserts "about the space between us all, and the people who.. ..?" the guy was sharp. another gem is in the 'Anthology' DVD, where Lennon is trying to accommodate Paul's dictatorial ways, and says, " really, anything you'd like..., Any time at all, really. ".making reference to an old BEATLE song, sarcastically. these guys were the best. when they had a meeting in Sept. '69, on tape, for Ringo, whose absent, Lennon declares out of the blue, that George, going forward, should have 4 songs on any LP's to come. so, he really wasn't totally ready to hang it up, and did, in fact appreciate George's talent. so don't believe the crap that's out there. w/ a 3rd songwriter taken seriously, they realistically, could've gone on for another couple years. they were not by any means, washed up.
Not true! If you read about the Wonderwall soundtrack, George produced, worked out all the arrangements (with a collaborator), and wrote most - if not all - of that album. He worked directly with the Indian musicians, explaining what he wanted verbally or by singing the melodies. This is an indication that Harrison was really stretching and learning as a composer, but it was certainly his effort that made it possible.
Of the four new songs on the YELLOW SUBMARINE album, George’s two tracks hold their own against the Lennon-McCartney pair. “It’s All Too Much” in particular is underrated.
"It's All Too Much" is probably the closest thing on a recording that one can get to an LSD trip. I rate it as one of the very best songs of the entire Beatles catalog.
@@sdql_observer9811 I love that song. It was recorded around the same time as "All you need is love." I also think "Only a Northern Song" is one of Harrison's and the Beatles' greats. It's so sarcastic and grounded in the reality of their everyday lives than most of their latter-day songs were and it is more psychedelic than anything recorded for "Pepper", which it was actually recorded for. I'm glad it was left off "Pepper" though.
There's no band I respect more as songwriters and performers but I would like to mention that other than interesting anecdotes it doesn't matter whether any of them liked particular songs or albums. When music is released it belongs to the listeners as much or more than those who wrote or performed it.
@@commanderdancody But he's absolutely right. The artist is rarely the best judge of their own work. They can't be. And besides, there might be millions of others that house a different opinion to the artist. Millions of different angles that no one artist can possibly encompass. That's art. Once it's out there in the public domain, the artist's view may be interesting {it usually is}, but they have to share that piece of art with all those that engage with it.
@@commanderdancodyJohn actually had this belief too, one of his famous quotes was how the ownership of music was a false idea created by corporations but once a song or songs are released it belongs to everyone. Yoko Ono still believes that, she encouraged DJ to take her songs and remix them freely with no input or interference from her.
@@grimtraveller7923 You're using public domain wrong. Public domain is when an artist loses the right of ownership to the work, meaning anyone can copy and monetarily profit from it. Usually the copyright lasts for the lifespan of the artist plus 70 years. I think you mean under public scrutiny or public inspection or exposure.
@@Crunkboy415 No Crunk, I'm not using "public domain" wrongly. I'm not using it in its legal sense {I do know about copyright _ I'm a musician}, I used it in its literal sense - the domain of the public. For example, this quote of mine is now going into the public domain. That is, it is now out there for everyone to read.
"Don't Bother Me" is a great song. John singing Maxwell's Silver Hammer just shows that he could have been a perfect fit on Monty Python's Flying Circus.
I love George Harrison songs even the underrated ones including don’t bother me which is a fantastic song and it’s too bad that not guilty was not included on the white album I think it would’ve been great if it had been.
@@leonardoiglesias2394 That George sings out of tune here and there doesn't matter one bit. The human element of soul comes through in it and all of the Beatles recordings. That's what made their records magical.
'All Things Must Pass' is another great George song that they should have finished I think it's better than about half of the rest of the stuff on the White Album.
@@beatleographer_10-51 I was nine when Sgt. Pepper was released in 1967 and at the time I didn't like "Within You Without You" because I didn't understand it. It was long and I thought sitars had an annoying sound. Because I was so young in the 60s, I took another look at The Beatles in 1977 at 19 and bought all of their albums. It gave me an appreciation for a lot of material I didn't understand as a kid. Tracks like "I Want You (She's So Heavy,)" "Across The Universe," " Helter Skelter, " " While My Guitar Gently Weeps." and The White Album in general. It's the one Beatles album I never get tired of.
@@DesertScorpionKSA Are you hiding yourself behind a wall of illusion? Having trouble glimpsing the truth? Is it far too late? Not if you realize that life flows wthin you without you. (Hippies laughing like donkeys)
Great video about George, he is one of my favorites right behind Ringo who is #1. The Beatles inspired so many musicians in 1964. I was one of them. Thanks friend
Dont bother me is good along with I need you (guitar reverb), If I needed someone, My guitar gently sleeps are his best song. THERE IS A GOOD REASON WHY MORE OF GEORGE'S MUSIC are not on more Beatles albums. Never will get the George love but he is right about Abbey Road not being good. Also John is the best writer and Paul songs are often too lame, silly. I know Paul's the best musician and has the highest IQ and is a nice guy whereas John often wasn't - but what does that have to do with the price of tea in China?
I'm glad to see so many other people liking Don't Bother Me. I always loved that song. I can understand where George was coming from but to me, it kind of stood out and fit in at the same time. I love the vibe - it's very deliberate.
I'll go on record saying I always thought "Don't bother Me" was marvelous. I was delighted when it was selected as one of the dance club songs in A Hard Day's Night because that's what it is, a hyper though controlled dance club song. George's singing in a lower key, use of tonic chords and Ringo's frenetic, jazz-style drumming create a dark and anxious atmosphere of someone on the edge of losing love, not knowing what can be done and otherwise just wanting to be left alone to brood. George's lyrics are also great, employing opposites which he was always good at doing. First time around the track he says "So go away leave me alone don't bother me." Next time around he says "I've got no time for you right now, don't bother me." In the middle he simply wails the basics, "I know I'll never be the same if i don't gert her back again. Because I know she'll always be the only girl for me." Then he reverts to telling the listener to "... please don't come near just stay away." Simply a well crafted story that delivers with clarity an urgent message to the listener.
Finally someone to see things as I do. Don't bother me is a moody Beat-Punker of the highest order and showed early what he was capable of and in stark contrast to the often saccarine stuff John & McCartney were churning out.
Read through most of the comments below and I'm a bit surprised that no one mentioned George's "Taxman", it was one of the coolest sounding Beatle songs ever and contained some of the best lead guitar in any of their songs (though ironically it was Paul, not George who was playing it). Great tune regardless.
You can see that George and especially John hated Pauls Granny music. But the catchy Granny music and even John’s Revolution 9 is what I think made The Beatles what they are today. THEY COVERED EVERYTHING!
The Beatles were all professionals. Although George, Ringo and John stated they didn't like the song, they were all there to give it a go. The only reason John wasn't on the final released version of Maxwell's SH was because he was in a car accident and was in the hospital when the song was finalized for the Abbey Road lp. John was apart of the many takes they did durning the Let It Be sessions. And FYI, My Sweet Lord was not even started until after the Beatles broke up, as George first started My Sweet Lord while on tour with Delany & Bonnie after the Beatles broke up so it could not have been on the Abbey Road lp.
I disagree. He did not consciously copy anything. He took some melodic elements and the call-and-response format - possibly subconsciously remembered - from a trivial pop tune and made an artistic statement on a much higher level. He should have won that court case.@@dj71162
Couldn't agree more !! When I was 8yrs old my Dad would play my brothers Abbey Rd album, starting with 'Here Comes The Sun' every Saturday & Sunday morning !! It's a 'forever' song 😊
As well as "Something" and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." These were The Beatles, but George & Ringo were treated like side men. It reminds me of the way Don Felder was treated by The Eagles, appearing by album #3 and a part of the corporation by #4. But Frey and Henley cut him out in the 90s. The industry is ugly.
George was a really essential part of the Beatles Chemistry. His early 'Carl Perkins' style solos are great. He never became a twiddly-twiddly rock guitar player and was therefore less of a musical factor in the later years. Paul played a lot of the guitar parts on the more rocking songs. But from 68 on, George really came into his own and has, for me, become a favorite. As I get older I want to hear music and lyrics with more depth. George was'older' than his age when he was young and is now getting his due from more and more muscians. God Bless him.
Another thing about George Harrison that many seem to have forgotten was what a talented vocalist he was while still with the Beatles. His compositions were very thoughtful & unpretentious, which it why it was a shame they weren’t supported in a unified spirit! But it speaks volumes about greed, control-freakishness, & secret deals between “partners” and other parties as inevitable sources of division. I’m glad he had his own opportunities to stand in his own right-however short-lived. Palace might be considered “fruity” by some today. 🥰 But I loved every note. 🎼🎶🎤 Long-live George & John’s memories-but especially George’s. (John’s a big boy, he’s always had willful independence! Both departures left big voids.💐) 🌸♥️❤️🩹🧡💛❤️🩹 🌼
Well they were VERY unified early on but John and Paul had no secret deal, they just emerged as the natural songwriters because they took it upon themselves to do it. George probably would have never written songs if it wasn't for their model. But George did come into his own in that environment and ended up being an equal. By the late period of the Beatles, a pecking order had been established. George got some due but too bad a few gems like All Things Must Pass were passed over for fare such as Why don''t We Do it in the Road, Happiness is a Warm Gun, Maxwell's Silver Hammer, etc. But I feel so fortunate to have been around at a time where those 4 guys came together and created so much great music, together and independently. @@ahnraemenkhera7451
@@ahnraemenkhera7451 Listen more closely to George's vocals. They are not smooth. There are small gaps in between words. John and Paul were much smoother.
Personally I Iove Don't Bother Me, Within You, and Not Guilty. I love what he did with it in 1979. When ... Secret 1st came out all my friends and I loved it, just hearing his voice do a new song. I still like it a lot. Well done video. Thanks.
I was too young in the 60's to think about how songwriters felt about their own creations, but i can imagine the pressures they felt due to contract obligations. Back then, i'm guessing they had to come up with "hit songs" at a very fast pace. Sometimes the B side was as good or better. I loved "Don't let me down", "Help", Eight days a week, Do you want to know a secret, i loved all their music. It's all in the musical taste of the listener. It's amazing to me that the USA heard the first Beatles songs in 1963 and just 7 years later they broke up as a band. Think of the discography they accomplished in those great years.
Don't Bother Me is the coolest song on With The Beatles. Fine first composition. And his singing wasn't bad either. He took a third of the lead vocals during their bar band era, and his vocals were the most confident on the Decca Audition. Every artist has a right to shit on their own work, doesn't mean they're right about their own opinions.
Totally agree! Not a typical love song like many of the other original (non-cover) songs on that record... for his first released song, it is pretty amazing! I was like the George of one of my previous bands (except that I was writing far more music than the other two, but they had a closer bond like Lennon-McCartney and would co-write hits, whereas I was far more experimental in my writing)... one of the many reasons I left to form my own band, and eventually went solo
@@Monkforilla I'd consider "Little Child" and "All I've Gotta Do" as love songs, maybe just "Not A Second Time" from the three you mentioned is not a typical love song... and yeah I was just referring to the original songs on that album, not the covers (obviously "Money" or "Roll Over Beethoven" are not love songs)
@@thomascraymer8712 little child ain’t typical, all I’ve got to do was innovative as it talked about “calling on the phone” which landline phones didn’t even become common in England until 1971 even then it was less than 50% of households that had them
@@Monkforilla Ok in that context I guess "All I've Got To Do" wasn't common for the time, of course since then there have been many songs about calling on the phone
I'm not even convinced that he didn't like the song. 'Fruity' isn't necessarily an insult, and it seems to me that it was more a case that he was annoyed with the amount of time they had to spend on it.
@@colinjames2469 Not at all. George was English, and the English often use the term 'fruity' to describe something that is 'bouncy', suggestive or twee. Innuendo is often described as 'fruity language'. Honey Pie and When I'm Sixty Four are examples of songs designed to evoke the fruity songs of the twenties and thirties. The dictionary definitions are easily available to you.
I'm 71 now, The Beatles came out when I was in 5Th grade & brought with them all their British Buddies from The Animals to The Zombies. They were either 4 or 5 piece band, there were 2 duels & 2 female singers & they all made out good because music was looking for a new direction & the British people provided that entertainment. The music industry can thank Ed Sullivan for his variety show at that time. Oher British acts followed later that were just as good. American artists soon joined in, in the 1960's movement, then into the psychedelic time not only with their music, but with their clothes. The world was slowly changing as the music industry was leading the way to all sorts of new talent, even the German people got into it & very talented too. My interest & collection was really growing, all thanks to music.
Ive had a pet theory that, amongst all the other things driving the Beatles apart in those last days, that with the final Abbey Road album recordings, John and Paul realized that George had completely blown them away with his two contributions to same.
I've heard.that John was very complimentary of George's contributions to the White Album, as well. To my ears, George put out the best of the band from '68 onward into their first prominent solo albums.
"Don't Bother Me" is my favourite track on "With The Beatles". It has a different 'sound' and feel to all the other tracks. George's songwriting always seemed distinct from what Lennon and McCartney were doing. I personally don't have a problem with "Maxwell" or "Ob-La-Di" either, but then I didn't sit through endless hours of McCartney's drilling just to get it 'right'.
@alanlake4614 Abbey was the finest finally a Band could Ever ask for, George had arguable the best 2 songs on the Album. Oh my, there are people out there that this would be their desert isle album. It also showed that they were able to use Modern recording techniques and sound quality is top notch. but you are entitled to YOUR opinion. Of course I like 95 precent of all their stuff, and esp. like the early Beatles, but I lived thru that time period. I remember Abbeys release like OCT. of 69. The White album other than my Guitar gently weeps would be my least listened to album.
I personally would nominate Don't Bother Me on a list of underrated Beatles tracks. Its minor chords and chord progressions were different from Lennon-McCartney compositions and showed he had the ideas, even if he wasn't sure of his own abilities.
The greatest critic any of us ever face is ourselves. You couple that with drugs, Paul's domineering, John's bitterness from childhood traumas which led him to be bitterly snarky, which grew even more bitter once Yoko entered the picture, and all of that added to George's bruised egos. It's sad he had millions upon millions of fans, yet he was made to feel if unintentionally, like he was the lesser Beatle. Paul and Ringo are in their 80's ( as would John and George be too now) and are still first and foremost treated like a Beatle. Despite all the great songs Paul wrote and sang with Wings, and at other times, he and Ringo will when they die, be thought of as a Beatle. People will always want hear "I love you" before Hey Jude"or "Michelle". Newscasts around the globe will show the clip of the Beatles on Ed Sullivan. So if George or the others, had songs they hated from 60 years ago, more power to them, we all have things we would change if we could, but when you are World famous that is even harder, because what you hate millions of others love. .
George Harrison did NOT hate Not Guilty. What he hated was the memory of it being rejected by Lennon and McCartney. If he “hated” it, he never would’ve made the acoustic remake in the late 70’s.
I'm glad to see that 'Don't Bother Me' is as well liked by others as it was one of my favorite songs off an album of great songs. And I love Ob La Di because it is so HAPPY! I like Maxwell's Hammer but I can see that spending so much time on was a downer, but if they hadn't it wouldn't have evolved into such a good song. 'Within You, Without You"....somewhat interesting. To me it's mostly the percussion that makes is.
The best Beatles albums are the ones where he was most engaged and interested- Rubber Soul, Revolver, Abbey Road. Some of the weakest when he wasn't- Pepper, White album, Let it Be. Music is chemistry and he had a way of just adding a touch or idea to a J or P song that crystalized it- as with Eleanor Rigby and And I love her and who knows how many others. That's why although publicly seen as secondary, he was highly valued in the band. J and P just didn't t think much of his songs. Until he EXCEEDED the greatest songwriters of the century on Abbey Road w Sun and Something. Astounding if you think about it. And for the first few years after the breakup, he was actually the MOST successful solo- until Paul found his stride. And he produced huge hits for Ringo. I suppose his modest, introverted and unassuming personality led to less public recognition. Hated touring and doing press promotion. A very interesting and wildly funny guy.
@@timothysullysullivan2571Music taste truly is subjective, yes, but considering how often Sgt Pepper and Abbey Road make “best ever” lists (and I mean “best album ever” lists, not just “best Beatles” lists), I don’t believe the general consensus does agree with you
Whoa! "Hated?" He wrote the soundtrack for Time Bandits. The songwriting there and production value is off the charts! PLUS! He's the main man who, as a friend to the Pythons, [Monty Python] He established a company, Handmade Films, which distributed *The Life of Brian* AND *Time Bandits* for the sake of good passion projects. For shame that he be "Hated" as the title of anything would dare imply! We all know that it was John that was at least publicly and privately *both* loved and hated. His songwriting skills on one hand, politics on the other. George? Come on man!!!!! No George, no Monty Python's Life of Brian! He's got my vote for Best Beatle!
Don't think I would rank his solo work as better than Paul's, but would say its as good or better than johns. Definitely proved he could hold his own with those guys and his songwriting talents were underutilized in the beatles.
George came into his own but his solo career isn’t as good as Paul’s imo. George has ATMP which is top tier but Paul has Ram. Imo Ram is better but they’re both rated similarly with critics. After that George has Brainwashed, LITMW, Cloud Nine, and his Self Titled which are good to great. The rest of his albums aren’t that good and for the most part boring. After Ram, Paul has Band on the Run, Chaos and Creation, Flaming Pie, Venus and Mars, Tug of War, McCartney II, Electric Arguments, etc. Paul has way more good to great albums and I could have listed more. Paul also experimented more than George and influenced indie pop, lofi, DIY, electronica, and bedroom pop.
Its all subjective, of course. And sometimes hard to compare, since paul and ringo put out a lot more. But I would kund of agree that paul doesn't get enough credit for his artistic risks. We think of him as the pop music beatle, but even his pop stuff is subtley experimental if you listen carefully.
Strictly speaking, Paul only plays lead guitar on the title track and "Good morning, good morning." And "She's leaving home" is the only track Harrison doesn't appear on. There again, McCartney isn't on "Within you Without you" except for a piece of dubbed laughter on the end. And that was from a 1965 session. George said it was the concept of Pepper that didn't interest him. He felt that they weren't playing as a band, rather it would be Paul playing piano and Ringo keeping the tempo then lots of overdubs. As he put it "For me it became a bit tiring and a bit boring. I had a few moments in there that I enjoyed, but generally I didn't really like making the album much."
Maybe he just didn't like many of the songs. It is nowhere near as good an album as the critics and the diehard fans make it out to be. Being first to do something (and sometimes other groups like the Byrds, the Kinks or the Yardbirds got there quicker anyway) doesn't make that something the best.
George was the X factor in the Beatles: he wasn't a major creative song writer, he was like the magician's apprentice. He had to vie with two of the most creative song writers in pop and rock, and he was learning( in a more spiritual way) on the job. His guitar playing was a very considerable part of Beatle music. He had a wry humour and honesty, a quietness of presence, lack of ego, which was its own magical function. Some of his early tracks like Don't Bother Me were pretty good. Taxman was incredible. His break a way Indian sound, tied to his Hindu spirituality, produced a good sound, off to the back of the Beatles' music. I think Maxwell showed off Paul at his weakest: churning out mechanically music, as he directed the other boys to get this track done after x no. of takes. I think George himself didn't have the energy of the two dominant personalities. His creativity after All Things Must Past( all his pent-up emotions, creativity), seemed to peter out . He was better at these gatherings of other musicians like Concert for Bangladesh, or the Travelling Wilburys. The 4 boys together made up the magic of The Beatles: George being intimate to that.
Maybe George had less energy than John and Paul but he did write some of their best songs: While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Something, Here Comes the Sun, and Taxman. I Love Piggies too.
"Not Guilty" was a very good song. When I first heard it on the Beatles Anthology, I was shocked that they didn't put it on the "White Album". There were a few less that spectacular songs that were included on the "White Album".
I agree with you about "Not Guilty". My takeaway from this video is that George didn't like recording it over and over again in numerous takes and then it not getting on the White Album. He must have liked it enough to record it again for his 1979 "George Harrison" album, although this version is bland and not a patch on the Anthology 3 version.
I don't consider that a song. It's an avant garde art piece. It takes a real connoisseur of post modern art to appreciate that - that's not me. @@robertcapek2425
@@StanvansandtI would totally have missed Why Don't We do it in the Road. But Wild Honey Pie? Yeah, I'm with you there. I could also have done without Glass Onion & Revolution #9. On a 30 track album 2-4 filler tracks is not bad at all. Any album that has more than 2-4 non-filler tracks is a good album!
I KNEW "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" was gonna turn up here - it's often cited as one of the few real off's and subpar songs in the discography of the Fab Four. :)
"Within you without you" was very important to me at the age of 13/14. Still as a dull feeling an important step of my spiritual search happened. As a catholic girl I felt that there must be something very deep with the spirituality of India. Thank you George.
Within You Without You changed my life when I heard it as a 14 year old! I had never heard anything like it. I became enamored with Indian Classical music.
They all had their various opinions, but to most of us everything they did was great and we're lucky to have that music in our world for over a half-century now.
This is why I really ended up loving George so much. He was only getting two songs on every album. Maxwells Silver hammer crap was put on the Album over "My Sweet Lord", a clearly superior song. This was disgraceful and disrespectful. This is why Georges debut solo album "All Things Must Pass" was a 3 record album. George had tons of songs written which were excluded from the Beatles albums and ended up on his first solo album.
The melody of "My Sweet Lord" was copied. A U.S. circuit court judge ruled and wrote: "Did Harrison deliberately use the music of "He's So Fine"? I do not believe he did so deliberately. Nevertheless, it is clear that "My Sweet Lord" is the very same song as "He's So Fine" with different words, and Harrison had access to "He's So Fine". This is, under the law, infringement of copyright." George then wrote a self-righteous follow-up: "This Song".
He was also not fond of the song Help, not because he didn't like the song, but for the guitar run he had to learn to pick that happens right before the first verse.
Wait. In Martin Scoecese's documentary about George Living In The Material World, George Martin says he was indeed quite keen on "Within You, Without You" for Pepper. It was a different song George had previously submitted for the album (presumably "Northern Song") that Martin said he didn't like (he said he found it "a bit boring").
A big part of this and his minor sway: George came to rest badly towards Paul. I don't think he ever got over him and his greater talent/yes, possibly ego also (but who wouldn't have if you were that great?) until the day he died...7-hrs to the very same day that my only child, a daughter, was born.
Hard to believe “Not Guilty “ didn’t make it onto a Beatles album. It is one of my favorites off Anthology 3 ( the other 2 being George solo on “All things must pass” and while my Guitar gently Weeps” No wonder George was p**sed off
Actually, I like what George did at the later part of the Beatles by showing all of his feelings of discontent before leaving the band rather than just being silent all the time. It only means George is man enough to have a balls to show his true feelings and not pretending to be naive of his discontent about the Beatles especially Paul telling George when to play guitar or not to play guitar to a certain song .
All the Beatles hated Maxwell Silver Hammer, my grandkids live it through. George Harrison had a sense of humor that you had to know to love. My sweet lord was a great song but George really paid for that one.
It appears George and John resented Paul's ambitious song writing and album theme ideas after Brian Epstein's death. We all love the Sgt. Peppers Album, Critics lauded the album for its innovations in songwriting, production and graphic design, for bridging a cultural divide between popular music and high art, and for reflecting the interests of contemporary youth and the counterculture. Paul McCartney wrote the most tracks for Sgt. Pepper's album because he was the one who came up with the idea to make the Sgt. Pepper's album. John Lennon felt The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band didn't “go anywhere.” He felt only a few tunes on the album connected to each other. George Harrison contributed “Within You Without You” and John Lennon had four songs including “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds”, “Getting Better”, “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!” and “A Day in the Life”
Not Guilty wasn't rejected by John and Paul, they were more than happy to put it on the album. But I believe the day before the albums release, George was going on a holiday. He told his band mates: "Don't put Not Guilty on the album.". He said nothing more about it and left. George decided it wouldn't go on. Not John and Paul. Just a slight error! Have a good one!
The very few George Harrison songs are among the very best Beatles songs (Here comes the sun, Something, While my guitar...). And how right was he about Maxwell Silver Hammer and Obladi blada!
Whether a song is "good" or "bad" is totally up to the listener, and a very personal decision. You shouldn't be persuaded one way or the other by someone else's opinion. George Harrison had a much broader style of writing than either Lennon or McCartney, yet his contributions were often ignored. I really like "Not Guilty" which happens to be an actual song, unlike some of the ridiculous album filler that made its way onto The White Album.
One could say George traipse around California in the 60s as a huge Celeb because of Sgt Pepper. Too easy to pick faults in George, best to leave it alone. He was my favorite Beatle as a teen.
HATED is really too strong of a word. You are putting this into their mouths. I don't think George or the others said or felt this. Not really thinking a song is worth recording or placing on an album is different to HATING it. It's just clickbaity to say that.
@@WeirdScienceComics show me the quotes where they ALL used the word "hated" regarding this...easy for you to find and present this. As you claim to know...
@@SoupA150 Ok... John Playboy Interview 1980 - "I hate it! He made us do it a hundred million times. He did everything to make it into a single and it never was and it never could've been… we spent more money on that song than any of them in the whole album." Ringo told Rolling Stone in 2008: "The worst session ever was 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer.' It was the worst track we ever had to record. George told Crawdaddy Magazine in 1977 "Sometimes Paul would make us do these really fruity songs. I mean, my God, 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer' was so fruity. The rest of us hated it...John hated it so much he skipped out on recording"
the commentary on "Now and Then" is particularly interesting since it was officially released today, and the video about it indicates that both Paul and Ringo were enthusiastic about the opportunity to remaster John's vocals using new technology. That George didn't think much of it makes one wonder if he'd have been as enthusiastic as Paul and Ringo if he were still alive now.
I'd say the answer would be a resounding 'yes'! George's objection was with the quality of the source tape, not the song itself. The technology is now able to separate John's vocals and a remixing was done. The result is undeniable. I think that both John and George would be pleased with the result.
Over 100 takes were tried, but George was not satisfied. It would surely have been better than Piggies. However, I like Sour Milk Sea more than Not Quilty.
@reddwood4971 "Can’t believe it didn’t make the album" I can. It should have been a Beatle classic, it has all the ingredients of one but it's just tuneless and arrangement-less. It's all over the place. Piggies and Savoy Truffle knock it out of the park, back in again, then back out of the same park !
Hey there everyone! I (as a person who was in the music industry then) would say that it's mostly just down to people's moods & personality foibles. And all the complications which come along with being a living human, and a conscious one at that. I know (through personal *and* second-hand contact) the George was honestly a really great person and someone who when he was in the mood to socialize or have visits was really fun to be around! And he was also a gardener which I think is great, which people don't talk about much. And also the fact that he really mastered the sitar is amazing because it's an incredibly difficult instrument to learn and to play. And lastly, as a tiny bit of trivia... People have often wondered what George was saying at the very intro to his song *IT'S ALL TOO MUCH* (which was written to Patti) on the Beatles Yellow Submarine album. I think it's a psychedelic masterpiece and it's too bad it doesn't get mentioned more (or get airplay) but anyway... At the very intro it sounds like George is saying "To your *Ma"* rather emphatically. Well...At least soundwise he is saying that. *BUT* what George actually said was "To Jorma!" Jorma Kaukonen (it's pronounced YORMA) was the amazing and very experimental lead guitarist for the band The Jefferson Airplane. In the 1966-1967 he'd be experimenting (along with their bassist Jack Casady) with some really 'bad' and loud Jimi Hendrix type feedback techniques, mainly generated by turning the amps up really loud and getting really close to them with a hollow body guitar or bass. The best example of this technique where he really let it go was on their third (and most psychedelic/experimental) 1967 album "After Bathing at Baxter's". At the intro of the song "The Ballad of You and Me and Pooneil", Jorma cranked his amp up really loud, using his red Gibson ES-345 guitar. And then, he really let the first chord rip, and it's pretty darn amazing to hear. George Harrison become a fan at least by their second album and ended up meeting Jorma in person when he went to San Francisco in the early summer of 1967. He met with Jorma, and actually hung out with the Airplane briefly, which he was very happy about. And so then, back in England, during the post-Sgt. Pepper sessions, when recording "It's All Too Much", George used the technique and turned his amp really loud and slammed the famous power chord (on his Epiphone Casino 335) and let it really rip, and that became the intro of "It's All Too Much." And of course as a tribute to his new friend, he enthusiastically said, "TO JORMA!" just before slamming the chord. I absolutely love this story! It belongs in more Beatles books and documentaries. And also I truly really miss George. Talking about things like this seems to bring him closer again. What can I say? Peace everyone! ☮️☯️🔯🕉️✝️
I s'pose there's a certain songwriting naïveté about 'Don't Bother Me' but it also has a way ahead of its time post-punk vibe about it too. And I love it.
I imagine a fair amount of George's resentment toward particular tracks was based on how he was treated during the recording of those songs. You get a sense that George felt John and Paul treated him and Ringo like hired hands and I imagine there is some justification for that. But George wrote a fair number of dogs. There is a line in the beginning of the movie Field of Dreams where Kevin Costner reminisces about his time as a college student in the 60s and how he smoked pot and tried to like sitar music. George liked the sitar, I'm sure a lot of Beatle fans liked the sitar, I just was never in that camp. And if you look at the lyrics for songs like Within Without You or The Inner Light they really lack depth. I get it, the whole Eastern religious bit was new to him and he was a neophyte but lines like "The further one travels, the less one really knows" could have come from a fortune cookie. Then there are songs like Blue Jay Way and Only a Northern Song that, in my opinion, just flat out suck. The band cut him some slack allowing those songs to be released, they just weren't in the same league as the stuff John and Paul were writing. I know I am probably being a bit overly critical of George, and he did write some great songs like While my Guitar Gently Weeps, For You Blue, and Here Comes the Sun. I'm also a big fan of Taxman. But as John put it, for a long time he wasn't in the same class as Lennon/McCartney. That is why I take his criticism with a grain of salt. I will say I agree with George where Sgt. Pepper is concerned. I think it is over produced and it clearly is a George Martin Paul McCartney project. But as the commentator points out, you got varying levels of criticism depending on when you asked the band members about their work in the post-Beatle days. Gorge probably said the least about the band as a whole. He just seemed to want to move on and he did a good job of it. Still love that band and George was an integral part of it so I have nothing but love for him too. RIP George. I'm sure none of that matters to you anymore.
"The Inner Light" certainly didn't lack depth. It's the only indian song of there's I liked because it's packed with beautiful melodies. To us these days a line like "The further one travels, the less one really knows" sounds like a fortune cookie because eastern philosophy has bcome almost a meme by now with simple but supposedly meaningful aphorisms. But in the 60s this way of thinking was brand new and very foreign, and people were really exploring new ideas through music which I find fascinating. These days nobody tries to explore anything philosophical through music songs either complain about broken hearts or boast about female conquests, but rarely talk about bigger philosophical ideas.
I agree with you. George had the misfortune to be in a band where he was the third best songwriter. John and Paul competed with each other and in doing so maintained a level of originality and quality (mostly). Paul’s attraction to the 20’s style of music irritated the other lads, but it is no more aberrant than George’s forays into Eastern mysticism or John’s avant-garde crap. Anyways, you made a good argument and I enjoyed it
@@johnnyfever3832 Thank you for the compliment and for reading the post. It's a bit long but like that crack from the movie Lincoln, I could write shorter sermons but once I get started I'm too lazy to stop. I do try to explain my position though.
Im sorry but you have George's personality all wrong. I have a family member who spent time with him and he is very humble and never spoke bad about any members of the band. Yes he was quiet person, but very, very friendly and never ever did he have a big head. Maybe he didn't like some songs, but everyone is entitled to their own opinion!
I'm just finishing "WONDERFUL TONIGHT", Pattie Boyd's book and George could be quite the a-hole, which surprised me. You wouldn't have wanted to be married to the guy.
Do you have a quote from George about "bitterly putting Not Guilty aside"? Because the George biography Behind the Locked Door has testimony and from people present, possibly Chris Thomas, that George himself took Not Guilty off that album. Chris (i think it was Chris) said that after the album was done, he, George Martin, Paul, John and Ringo were working out the track order. George H. wasn't there because he was going on vacation. But George did pop his head in the door to tell them he'd changed his mind and he wasn't happy with the song after all, and he wanted to take it off. The author thinks George did that because the song is all about his grievances against Paul and John, but normally George kept band conflicts private. So maybe at the last minute he decided he didn't want to go public with internal band problems. Eleven years later, it didn't matter so much, and that version was much gentler, as you pointed out.
This sounds much more in line with reality. This idea that John & Paul thought of George as a child and overlooked his contributions, while it has some truth to it, is quite overblown.
MSH was better than either George song mentioned. Plain fact. That, and Ob La Di were beaten to death in recording, to be sure. I can't fault George for taking that away as the final verdict, but the songs were good (MSH) and fairly good (ObLaDi). Do You Want to Know a Secret is flat-out a good song.
Paul was the limbs, Ringo was the torso (gut, spine, ribs) John was the head (central nervous system, one that over-thinks everything), George was the heart and blood ( vascular system)... of the Beatles. They produced a lot of boppy songs with mechanical rhythm, without heart, totally inanimate. George must have been quite frustrated, at times bemused, to discover whatever his kindergarten colleagues had constructed. He must have been quite baffled too, that their lyrical farces and farts actually became hits, Top of the charts. ...credit is due to Fifth Beatle, publicity and marketing manager
George is on record saying his favorite Beatles albums were Rubber Soul and Revolver, i tend to agree.
If you watch the Anthology, there's a great bit where George gets confused about which songs were on which of these two albums.
Revolver unleashed the full power of what pop & rock music could amount to. Probably more groundbreaking than even Sgt Peppers. It's a ride of incredibly diverse songs yet there's a cohesion that makes it all gel. A multitude of color on a single mosaic.
Mine as well. They struck the best balance between innovation and composition, without filler to get through contractual obligations, going too "fruity", as George said, or weirdness for its own sake, without the musical quality to hold it up.
Funny. My two favorite Beatles albums and my favorite Beatle. And my least favorite Beatles album is the one that he didn’t like. Sgt. Pepper’s.
@@nikolatesla1967hot damn!!
I love your description of Revolver.
I think Revolver is better than Sgt. peppers.
I got addicted to "Love you to" years ago and I also think RS and R are my favorite studio albums.
(Magical Mystery Tour, I like just as much I think, though it's more like a soundtrack or playlist or something 😊)
Don't Bother Me is better than George thought. It has always sounded good to me and suited to other Beatles music of the time.
Yeah . Good song
An example of how history his been distorted. This was written in 1963, and it wasn't any worse than most Lennon/McCartney songs of the time. George was pretty much at their level from the very beginning. Not only late, as it is commonly believed.
It is a lame song. One of the 20 weakest of the Beatles.
@@Kermit_T_FrogLol. George wrote about 6 songs in the Beatles that reached the level of the songs written by Lennon and McCartney.
@@fitless I didn't mean to say say that it was as good as the better Lennon/McCartney songs.Just that it was at the level of their lesser ones. His first attempt was a WHOLE lot better than "Love Me Do" or even "Please Please Me.".
In my opinion, "Don't Bother Me" is one of the best "first songs" in the history of music. A very good melody and a very interesting chord sequence.
Yeah it gives an added dimension to the album as well, like most Harrison tracks
Way back then, though I always played an album as one piece, start to finish, I always looked forward to that track. The songs they 'let George have' as a vocalist are often among my favorites.
I like don't bother me it's one of my favorites off the album
Most of the songs George disliked were ok but I do agree with some of his feelings toward Sgt. Peppers album and Abby Road though I liked a few of the songs on each one. However the best songs on Abby Road were were contributions by George. . I've just never much appeal in Sgt. Peppers very appealing appealing except for the ballad by Paul called Shes Leaving home
yes, I have always loved that song -- wasn't it his first song for the Beatles?
When the Beatles were new to us in 1963, and fans were picking their favorite Beatle, I favored George mainly because he played LEAD guitar. Rest his soul.💖 I've been a Beatles fan ever since and always will be.
I was glad to hear George say he could look back on his life and remember the good things God Bless Him, he was a good man!
He did a great job on 'Do you want to know a secret?'
Georges masterpieces, like Something, While My Guitar..., Within You...etc. are my most favourite Beatles songs. Among the best ever written.
Piggies is underrated.
@@xanderk84 Something, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Here Comes The Sun, Within You - I’d rate Something as the best song they did and Here Comes The Sun as fourth, and While My Guitar … in the top 10. Piggies is an underrated masterpiece that should be in their top ten. Within You … stands right with A Day In The Life at second.
Savoy truffle is my favorite George song
Long Long Long is magic
I adore most of these. Only "Piggies" i'm not as mad on, but "Savoy Truffle" and "Long, Long, Long" are great.
I love George. His song "Long, Long, Long" from the White Album is simply haunting, specially the remixed version. I also love this deepcut "This Guitar (Can't Keep From Crying") [Platinum Weird Version] from his Extra Texture album.
Yeah it's a cool tune, very ethereal and moody
Platinum Weird Version goes haaaaard
I love "Long, Long, Long". It's the best song of white album, it's a very dreamlike song
Gotta give Ringo props on “Long,…” His drumming delivers the perfect counterpoint.
I like "Dear Prudence"#1, but "Long Long Long" a close second. @@Menestro de gustibus es non disputantem est (or something like that - meaning 'what you like can not be disputed.' lol
The song Do you want to know a secret is one of my all time favorites.. It was played on the Beatles cartoons with the follow by lyrics on the screen. Absolutely one of my fondest musical memories as a 6 or 7 year old. Having George on lead vocals ??? and John n Paul on backing or harmony, just added a new and wider appeal and appreciation for their music. Dont bother me is great in my mind as well. But didn't increase the Beatlemania in my mind as much as the impact of Do you want to know a Secret? Which still today 60 years later is dear to my heart. Your comment about it being innocent couldn't be more accurate, because its takes me back to the innocence of my childhood.
That's great to read. I'm 42 and this song also is a musical memory of when i had 7 years old
That was the biggest surprise for me from these 6 songs, even more so than "Not Guilty" or "Don't Bother Me", two of George's songs... I'd consider "Do You Wanna Know A Secret" as one of the best from their debut album, tying with "PS. I Love You"
Wait Lennon sang that song not Harrison.
@@billwren5033lol no it's George lol John does the do da do's 😊 top song
George's singing style is slightly detached and slightly irreverent. It's perfect! That detachment is what made George the coolest Beatle of all. His version of Roll Over Beethoven shines for almost the same reason - but it's more excited detachment, like he's just having fun with it.
When the rest of the world got to know about them, these guys had been in each other's pockets for years. The madness that ensued upon said discovery only made the situation even more claustrophobic for them. I'm amazed that they were able to keep it together as long as they did, not to mention thankful for their incredible output.
Best comment I've ever read about the Beatles and I believe it to be accurate
Don't Bother Me is one of my favorite Beatles songs. I have found that I have a tendency to gravitate towards George's songs more. I never knew for many years that he wrote the song "Badge" for Eric Clapton and Cream. He was a much better song writer than people gave him credit for. Case in point, "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" was huge and Frank Sinatra said that the song "Something" was one of the greatest love songs.
It didn't dawn on me until a few years ago that George's songs always stood out more than John's and Paul's. In my youth I never looked at the credits on an album. But years after I realized it was George's songs I liked to most
"You're asking me will my love grow/I don't know. You stick around now it may show/I don't know". How romantic!
He also nainly wrote the music for It to It Don’t Cone Easy, which is obvious really, basically sounds like a Harrison track with Ringo singing lead
He also mainly wrote the music for It to It Don’t Come Easy, which is obvious really, basically sounds like a Harrison track with Ringo singing lead
Say what? George gets PLENTY of credit for being a brilliant songwriter!
George may have hated Maxwell’s Silver Hammer, but he was a professional and recorded some excellent guitar and bass on it!
My least favourite Beatles song. Awful oompah music, as I observed when watching Get Back (again) with a bandmate yesterday. What was Paul thinking? For the greatest of the four genii who made up the greatest band in history, he couldn't half back a stinker once in a while.
@@gavinbrockis Most of his solo career stinks. It's clear he needed Lennon and co around him to keep him in check, but in the last couple of years they all gave up and just let him do what he wanted.
@@gavinbrockis100%. Yes, what was Paul thinking? He’s a strange man.
@@gavinbrockis The Benefit Of Mr Kite sounds pretty cheesy to me and it's a Lennon song.
@@John-k6f9k did you think I was implying that Lennon was immune? Absolutely not. Paul is (as in my original comment) the greatest of all the Beatles, but (as in my original comment) had a blind spot for some dodgy stuff on occasion. Having said that, Mr Kite is clearly 'in character' and even then is not half the stinker that MSH is 😉 IMO obvs!
As a solo artist, George was my favorite.
If I had to pick the ten best post-Beatles songs by the four of them, they would all be Lennon and Harrison ones.
George was A Legend! Sadly missed!
@@TibetanFox68 One Lennon, 9 George.
Say what you will, but "Long, Long, Long" is still one of my favorited Beatle's songs. Always has been.....always will be. Top five for sure.
Its superb i agree. 👍
One of mine as well, it's gorgeous!
One of the best songs on the White Album
It's a choon
Agreed. The anti-religion bias in many critics has caused them to be dismissive of some of George's work. It's a beautiful song.
I've absolutely adored Within You Without You since I was 7 years old. My mum bought Sgt Peppers when it was released and it seemed she played it all day long. The mysterious sounds, lyrics and the luscious arrangement always enchanted me. I still find it magical to this day and is my favourite track on the album.
Yeah its a really great song.. the whole LP is indeed magical still
Have you ever heard the demos of that song? It was nothing, the final production including the idea of the sitar made the song. And that was all done by George Martin. George had ideas but wasn't able to execute them. Also with Something and All Things must pass he struggled for days. Without the help from John and Paul we never would have known these songs.
Vietnam was going on at the time fighting in the far east George in effect was introducing the world to an instrument from the east the sitar.
the Sitar has a percussive quality that's irresistible. in 'GET BACK' on DISNEY+, Lennon's sharp mind reacts when someone says "we were talking last night,,," where John inserts "about the space between us all, and the people who.. ..?" the guy was sharp. another gem is in the 'Anthology' DVD, where Lennon is trying to accommodate Paul's dictatorial ways, and says, " really, anything you'd like..., Any time at all, really. ".making reference to an old BEATLE song, sarcastically. these guys were the best. when they had a meeting in Sept. '69, on tape, for Ringo, whose absent, Lennon declares out of the blue, that George, going forward, should have 4 songs on any LP's to come. so, he really wasn't totally ready to hang it up, and did, in fact appreciate George's talent. so don't believe the crap that's out there. w/ a 3rd songwriter taken seriously, they realistically, could've gone on for another couple years. they were not by any means, washed up.
Not true! If you read about the Wonderwall soundtrack, George produced, worked out all the arrangements (with a collaborator), and wrote most - if not all - of that album. He worked directly with the Indian musicians, explaining what he wanted verbally or by singing the melodies. This is an indication that Harrison was really stretching and learning as a composer, but it was certainly his effort that made it possible.
Of the four new songs on the YELLOW SUBMARINE album, George’s two tracks hold their own against the Lennon-McCartney pair. “It’s All Too Much” in particular is underrated.
"It's All Too Much" is probably the closest thing on a recording that one can get to an LSD trip. I rate it as one of the very best songs of the entire Beatles catalog.
Yup. It's All Too Much & Hey Bulldog are definitely underrated.
@@sdql_observer9811 I love that song. It was recorded around the same time as "All you need is love."
I also think "Only a Northern Song" is one of Harrison's and the Beatles' greats. It's so sarcastic and grounded in the reality of their everyday lives than most of their latter-day songs were and it is more psychedelic than anything recorded for "Pepper", which it was actually recorded for. I'm glad it was left off "Pepper" though.
Hey Bulldog ranks with the best of the Beatles rockers. So John Lennon!
It's Only A Northern Song was supposed to be on Sgt Pepper, I read somewhere. I'm glad Within You Without You is one there - it fits perfectly.
There's no band I respect more as songwriters and performers but I would like to mention that other than interesting anecdotes it doesn't matter whether any of them liked particular songs or albums. When music is released it belongs to the listeners as much or more than those who wrote or performed it.
@@commanderdancody But he's absolutely right. The artist is rarely the best judge of their own work. They can't be. And besides, there might be millions of others that house a different opinion to the artist. Millions of different angles that no one artist can possibly encompass.
That's art. Once it's out there in the public domain, the artist's view may be interesting {it usually is}, but they have to share that piece of art with all those that engage with it.
@@commanderdancodyJohn actually had this belief too, one of his famous quotes was how the ownership of music was a false idea created by corporations but once a song or songs are released it belongs to everyone. Yoko Ono still believes that, she encouraged DJ to take her songs and remix them freely with no input or interference from her.
@@commanderdancody a lot of musical artists hold this view. Some don't
@@grimtraveller7923 You're using public domain wrong. Public domain is when an artist loses the right of ownership to the work, meaning anyone can copy and monetarily profit from it. Usually the copyright lasts for the lifespan of the artist plus 70 years. I think you mean under public scrutiny or public inspection or exposure.
@@Crunkboy415 No Crunk, I'm not using "public domain" wrongly. I'm not using it in its legal sense {I do know about copyright _ I'm a musician}, I used it in its literal sense - the domain of the public.
For example, this quote of mine is now going into the public domain. That is, it is now out there for everyone to read.
"Don't Bother Me" is a great song.
John singing Maxwell's Silver Hammer just shows that he could have been a perfect fit on Monty Python's Flying Circus.
Monty Python surely took a lot of influence from Beatles (and of course both groups leaned heavily on The Goons).
I prefer John's version to the original. I'm serious!
Yet it was George who was so close to the Pythons that he funded their fantastic movie The Life of Brian.
I love George Harrison songs even the underrated ones including don’t bother me which is a fantastic song and it’s too bad that not guilty was not included on the white album I think it would’ve been great if it had been.
He sings incredibly out of tune in Dont bother me
@@leonardoiglesias2394 He's not out of tune at all. He's just nasally George !
@@leonardoiglesias2394 That George sings out of tune here and there doesn't matter one bit. The human element of soul comes through in it and all of the Beatles recordings. That's what made their records magical.
@@SoLaRe60 yes, true. I have to admit. Still, there are a couple of terrible songs in the album All things must pass…
'All Things Must Pass' is another great George song that they should have finished I think it's better than about half of the rest of the stuff on the White Album.
I love "Within You Without You." I've always liked George's Beatle songs. He was an awesome harmonizer.
It took me a while to warm up to "Within You, Without You". But I did learn to love it.
@@beatleographer_10-51øqqqq
@@beatleographer_10-51 I was nine when Sgt. Pepper was released in 1967 and at the time I didn't like "Within You Without You" because I didn't understand it. It was long and I thought sitars had an annoying sound. Because I was so young in the 60s, I took another look at The Beatles in 1977 at 19 and bought all of their albums. It gave me an appreciation for a lot of material I didn't understand as a kid. Tracks like "I Want You (She's So Heavy,)" "Across The Universe,"
" Helter Skelter, " " While My Guitar Gently Weeps." and The White Album in general. It's the one Beatles album I never get tired of.
I didn't care for that one at all.
@@DesertScorpionKSA Are you hiding yourself behind a wall of illusion? Having trouble glimpsing the truth? Is it far too late?
Not if you realize that life flows wthin you without you. (Hippies laughing like donkeys)
Great video about George, he is one of my favorites right behind Ringo who is #1. The Beatles inspired so many musicians in 1964. I was one of them. Thanks friend
Dont bother me is good along with I need you (guitar reverb), If I needed someone, My guitar gently sleeps are his best song. THERE IS A GOOD REASON WHY MORE OF GEORGE'S MUSIC are not on more Beatles albums. Never will get the George love but he is right about Abbey Road not being good. Also John is the best writer and Paul songs are often too lame, silly.
I know Paul's the best musician and has the highest IQ and is a nice guy whereas John often wasn't - but what does that have to do with the price of tea in China?
I'm glad to see so many other people liking Don't Bother Me. I always loved that song. I can understand where George was coming from but to me, it kind of stood out and fit in at the same time. I love the vibe - it's very deliberate.
I definitely like it. Also Do You Want to Know a Secret. 😊
@@Mick_Ts_Chick Yes. I’ve always loved that song too and thought George sang it really well.
@@Mick_Ts_Chick BTW, love Sweet too!
@@solfly6 Nice! They're my second favorite group after the Beatles.
@@solfly6 I'm definitely a George girl!
I'll go on record saying I always thought "Don't bother Me" was marvelous. I was delighted when it was selected as one of the dance club songs in A Hard Day's Night because that's what it is, a hyper though controlled dance club song. George's singing in a lower key, use of tonic chords and Ringo's frenetic, jazz-style drumming create a dark and anxious atmosphere of someone on the edge of losing love, not knowing what can be done and otherwise just wanting to be left alone to brood.
George's lyrics are also great, employing opposites which he was always good at doing. First time around the track he says "So go away leave me alone don't bother me." Next time around he says "I've got no time for you right now, don't bother me." In the middle he simply wails the basics, "I know I'll never be the same if i don't gert her back again. Because I know she'll always be the only girl for me." Then he reverts to telling the listener to "... please don't come near just stay away."
Simply a well crafted story that delivers with clarity an urgent message to the listener.
I agree with you. Don't Bother Me is a great song and original and distinctive. I listened to it nearly every morning of elementary school
@@ephraimlessellI agree with you both. Don't bother me is one of my early Beatles favorites.
Finally someone to see things as I do. Don't bother me is a moody Beat-Punker of the highest order and showed early what he was capable of and in stark contrast to the often saccarine stuff John & McCartney were churning out.
This is one of the only early Beatles song I love.
@@b0ttermanearly Beatles is miles better than their psychedelic stuff
Read through most of the comments below and I'm a bit surprised that no one mentioned George's "Taxman", it was one of the coolest sounding Beatle songs ever and contained some of the best lead guitar in any of their songs (though ironically it was Paul, not George who was playing it). Great tune regardless.
Always in my top 10
Lennon loved Within You Without You. If I’m not mistaken he considered it one of the best things the Beatles ever released
No he thought Maxwells Silverhammer, Obladi Bla da and Lady Madonna were the best ones
Your right
Wow! Life in a fishbowl, must have been nightmareish. It's amazing the "lads" kept their sanity and still wrote classic songs I still listen to today.
lol
You can see that George and especially John hated Pauls Granny music. But the catchy Granny music and even John’s Revolution 9 is what I think made The Beatles what they are today. THEY COVERED EVERYTHING!
The granny music made Paul's solo career what it is. Mostly terrible.
Diversity is strength
@@TibetanFox68 people like to sing along. Paul's deal with devil expired in 1986. All the albums and sing since are worse then rings rotcrapiture
Granny music lol
The Beatles were all professionals. Although George, Ringo and John stated they didn't like the song, they were all there to give it a go. The only reason John wasn't on the final released version of Maxwell's SH was because he was in a car accident and was in the hospital when the song was finalized for the Abbey Road lp. John was apart of the many takes they did durning the Let It Be sessions. And FYI, My Sweet Lord was not even started until after the Beatles broke up, as George first started My Sweet Lord while on tour with Delany & Bonnie after the Beatles broke up so it could not have been on the Abbey Road lp.
I've heard that they all hated Maxwell's Silver Hammer but it wasn't John who was in the accident. I'll leave it there.
That's a good point about John being literally unavailable to work on "Maxwell."
I think you will find he copied My Sweet Lord from The Chiffons.
@@puckf17yes, John and Yoko were in a car accident. Google it.
I disagree. He did not consciously copy anything. He took some melodic elements and the call-and-response format - possibly subconsciously remembered - from a trivial pop tune and made an artistic statement on a much higher level. He should have won that court case.@@dj71162
Just recently I started listening to Harrison's solo alguns. They are amazing.
São espetaculares! 👏👏👏💖💖💖
I prefer Paul's alguns
Forget his "alguns" and try some of his albums.
@@harvey1954 I tried them all
Here Comes The Sun is still one of my favorite Beatles songs even all these years later. Good songs don't stop being good because they are dated.
Couldn't agree more !! When I was 8yrs old my Dad would play my brothers Abbey Rd album, starting with 'Here Comes The Sun' every Saturday & Sunday morning !!
It's a 'forever' song 😊
That's a good news for Johann Sebastian Bach. He feared people would end up forgetting him over time.
As well as "Something" and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." These were The Beatles, but George & Ringo were treated like side men. It reminds me of the way Don Felder was treated by The Eagles, appearing by album #3 and a part of the corporation by #4. But Frey and Henley cut him out in the 90s. The industry is ugly.
I saw somewhere that Here Comes The Sun is the #1 most downloaded Beatles song.
George was a really essential part of the Beatles Chemistry. His early 'Carl Perkins' style solos are great. He never became a twiddly-twiddly rock guitar player and was therefore less of a musical factor in the later years. Paul played a lot of the guitar parts on the more rocking songs. But from 68 on, George really came into his own and has, for me, become a favorite. As I get older I want to hear music and lyrics with more depth. George was'older' than his age when he was young and is now getting his due from more and more muscians. God Bless him.
Another thing about George Harrison that many seem to have forgotten was what a talented vocalist he was while still with the Beatles. His compositions were very thoughtful & unpretentious, which it why it was a shame they weren’t supported in a unified spirit! But it speaks volumes about greed, control-freakishness, & secret deals between “partners” and other parties as inevitable sources of division.
I’m glad he had his own opportunities to stand in his own right-however short-lived. Palace might be considered “fruity” by some today. 🥰 But I loved every note. 🎼🎶🎤
Long-live George & John’s memories-but especially George’s. (John’s a big boy, he’s always had willful independence! Both departures left big voids.💐) 🌸♥️❤️🩹🧡💛❤️🩹 🌼
Well they were VERY unified early on but John and Paul had no secret deal, they just emerged as the natural songwriters because they took it upon themselves to do it. George probably would have never written songs if it wasn't for their model. But George did come into his own in that environment and ended up being an equal. By the late period of the Beatles, a pecking order had been established. George got some due but too bad a few gems like All Things Must Pass were passed over for fare such as Why don''t We Do it in the Road, Happiness is a Warm Gun, Maxwell's Silver Hammer, etc. But I feel so fortunate to have been around at a time where those 4 guys came together and created so much great music, together and independently. @@ahnraemenkhera7451
George was early adopter of using synthesizers in rock/pop music, he added Moog synthesizer parts (and played it himself) on Abby Road album
@@ahnraemenkhera7451 Listen more closely to George's vocals. They are not smooth. There are small gaps in between words. John and Paul were much smoother.
Personally I Iove Don't Bother Me, Within You, and Not Guilty. I love what he did with it in 1979. When ... Secret 1st came out all my friends and I loved it, just hearing his voice do a new song. I still like it a lot. Well done video. Thanks.
George was right! They should have listened to him
To me George’s songs always rocked
I was too young in the 60's to think about how songwriters felt about their own creations, but i can imagine the pressures they felt due to contract obligations. Back then, i'm guessing they had to come up with "hit songs" at a very fast pace. Sometimes the B side was as good or better. I loved "Don't let me down", "Help", Eight days a week, Do you want to know a secret, i loved all their music. It's all in the musical taste of the listener. It's amazing to me that the USA heard the first Beatles songs in 1963 and just 7 years later they broke up as a band. Think of the discography they accomplished in those great years.
Don't Bother Me is the coolest song on With The Beatles. Fine first composition. And his singing wasn't bad either. He took a third of the lead vocals during their bar band era, and his vocals were the most confident on the Decca Audition. Every artist has a right to shit on their own work, doesn't mean they're right about their own opinions.
Totally agree! Not a typical love song like many of the other original (non-cover) songs on that record... for his first released song, it is pretty amazing!
I was like the George of one of my previous bands (except that I was writing far more music than the other two, but they had a closer bond like Lennon-McCartney and would co-write hits, whereas I was far more experimental in my writing)... one of the many reasons I left to form my own band, and eventually went solo
@@thomascraymer8712neither is little child or not a second time or all I’ve got to do or any of the covers on the album
@@Monkforilla I'd consider "Little Child" and "All I've Gotta Do" as love songs, maybe just "Not A Second Time" from the three you mentioned is not a typical love song... and yeah I was just referring to the original songs on that album, not the covers (obviously "Money" or "Roll Over Beethoven" are not love songs)
@@thomascraymer8712 little child ain’t typical, all I’ve got to do was innovative as it talked about “calling on the phone” which landline phones didn’t even become common in England until 1971 even then it was less than 50% of households that had them
@@Monkforilla Ok in that context I guess "All I've Got To Do" wasn't common for the time, of course since then there have been many songs about calling on the phone
Harrison's bass playing on Maxwell's Silver Hammer is simply great. Love it!
I'm not even convinced that he didn't like the song. 'Fruity' isn't necessarily an insult, and it seems to me that it was more a case that he was annoyed with the amount of time they had to spend on it.
Yes, Paul could write some childish songs.
Obladi oblada...always hated it.
John hated Maxwell s Silver Hammer. He died stating this.
Er...fruity is an insult. It was then and is now. @@elvisleeboy
@@colinjames2469 Not at all. George was English, and the English often use the term 'fruity' to describe something that is 'bouncy', suggestive or twee. Innuendo is often described as 'fruity language'. Honey Pie and When I'm Sixty Four are examples of songs designed to evoke the fruity songs of the twenties and thirties. The dictionary definitions are easily available to you.
I'm 71 now, The Beatles came out when I was in 5Th grade & brought with them all their British Buddies from The Animals to The Zombies.
They were either 4 or 5 piece band, there were 2 duels & 2 female singers & they all made out good because music was looking for a new
direction & the British people provided that entertainment. The music industry can thank Ed Sullivan for his variety show at that time. Oher
British acts followed later that were just as good. American artists soon joined in, in the 1960's movement, then into the psychedelic time
not only with their music, but with their clothes. The world was slowly changing as the music industry was leading the way to all sorts of
new talent, even the German people got into it & very talented too. My interest & collection was really growing, all thanks to music.
Don't Bother me was one of my favorites off the album. One that I actually learned to play.
Ive had a pet theory that, amongst all the other things driving the Beatles apart in those last days, that with the final Abbey Road album recordings, John and Paul realized that George had completely blown them away with his two contributions to same.
I've heard.that John was very complimentary of George's contributions to the White Album, as well. To my ears, George put out the best of the band from '68 onward into their first prominent solo albums.
"Don't Bother Me" is my favourite track on "With The Beatles". It has a different 'sound' and feel to all the other tracks. George's songwriting always seemed distinct from what Lennon and McCartney were doing. I personally don't have a problem with "Maxwell" or "Ob-La-Di" either, but then I didn't sit through endless hours of McCartney's drilling just to get it 'right'.
@alanlake4614 Abbey was the finest finally a Band could Ever ask for, George had arguable the best 2 songs on the Album. Oh my, there are people out there that this would be their desert isle album. It also showed that they were able to use Modern recording techniques and sound quality is top notch. but you are entitled to YOUR opinion. Of course I like 95 precent of all their stuff, and esp. like the early Beatles, but I lived thru that time period. I remember Abbeys release like OCT. of 69. The White album other than my Guitar gently weeps would be my least listened to album.
Agree completely don’t bother me is my fav to
No you are wrong it's shite
I personally would nominate Don't Bother Me on a list of underrated Beatles tracks. Its minor chords and chord progressions were different from Lennon-McCartney compositions and showed he had the ideas, even if he wasn't sure of his own abilities.
The greatest critic any of us ever face is ourselves. You couple that with drugs, Paul's domineering, John's bitterness from childhood traumas which led him to be bitterly snarky, which grew even more bitter once Yoko entered the picture, and all of that added to George's bruised egos. It's sad he had millions upon millions of fans, yet he was made to feel if unintentionally, like he was the lesser Beatle. Paul and Ringo are in their 80's ( as would John and George be too now) and are still first and foremost treated like a Beatle. Despite all the great songs Paul wrote and sang with Wings, and at other times, he and Ringo will when they die, be thought of as a Beatle. People will always want hear "I love you" before Hey Jude"or "Michelle". Newscasts around the globe will show the clip of the Beatles on Ed Sullivan. So if George or the others, had songs they hated from 60 years ago, more power to them, we all have things we would change if we could, but when you are World famous that is even harder, because what you hate millions of others love.
.
George Harrison did NOT hate Not Guilty. What he hated was the memory of it being rejected by Lennon and McCartney. If he “hated” it, he never would’ve made the acoustic remake in the late 70’s.
Don't Bother Me sounded like it was written by a veteran songwriter(s). Edgier than what L&M were doing back in 1963.
I like when John impersonated Yoko singing Maxwell Silver Hammer.
Painful.
I still listen to "Don't Bother Me" , great song.
I'm glad to see that 'Don't Bother Me' is as well liked by others as it was one of my favorite songs off an album of great songs. And I love Ob La Di because it is so HAPPY! I like Maxwell's Hammer but I can see that spending so much time on was a downer, but if they hadn't it wouldn't have evolved into such a good song. 'Within You, Without You"....somewhat interesting. To me it's mostly the percussion that makes is.
The best Beatles albums are the ones where he was most engaged and interested- Rubber Soul, Revolver, Abbey Road. Some of the weakest when he wasn't- Pepper, White album, Let it Be. Music is chemistry and he had a way of just adding a touch or idea to a J or P song that crystalized it- as with Eleanor Rigby and And I love her and who knows how many others. That's why although publicly seen as secondary, he was highly valued in the band. J and P just didn't t think much of his songs. Until he EXCEEDED the greatest songwriters of the century on Abbey Road w Sun and Something. Astounding if you think about it. And for the first few years after the breakup, he was actually the MOST successful solo- until Paul found his stride. And he produced huge hits for Ringo. I suppose his modest, introverted and unassuming personality led to less public recognition. Hated touring and doing press promotion. A very interesting and wildly funny guy.
Sgt Pepper and White Album weakest? Along with Abbey Road I think these are two of their best
I wouldn't say he wasn't interested in White Album. I believe he said on Get Back that he liked the way they approached and recorded it.
@@oscarNL I meant on a relative basis, per album. he was pretty checked out by WA time, with Paul issues, india interests, etc.
@@progfellow cool. it's all subjective, I mean its music right? I think the general consensus would mostly agree with me.
@@timothysullysullivan2571Music taste truly is subjective, yes, but considering how often Sgt Pepper and Abbey Road make “best ever” lists (and I mean “best album ever” lists, not just “best Beatles” lists), I don’t believe the general consensus does agree with you
My favorite Beatles songs were George Harrison’s.
After all of this years,nobody talk about I Need You by George Harrison. This is my favorite George song in early years.
Whoa! "Hated?" He wrote the soundtrack for Time Bandits. The songwriting there and production value is off the charts! PLUS! He's the main man who, as a friend to the Pythons, [Monty Python] He established a company, Handmade Films, which distributed *The Life of Brian* AND *Time Bandits* for the sake of good passion projects. For shame that he be "Hated" as the title of anything would dare imply! We all know that it was John that was at least publicly and privately *both* loved and hated. His songwriting skills on one hand, politics on the other. George? Come on man!!!!! No George, no Monty Python's Life of Brian! He's got my vote for Best Beatle!
I knew only myself and four others felt the vibe. Here's to the Dark Horses.
I think the song “Don’t Bother Me” sums up George’s attitude about a lot of things.
George was the one who really came into his own after the break-up. He was much better as a solo artist than the other three.
no
he was arguably the best, but don’t discount McCartney and Lennon. I think McCartney’s RAM album was fantastic and rivaled All Things Must Pass.
Don't think I would rank his solo work as better than Paul's, but would say its as good or better than johns. Definitely proved he could hold his own with those guys and his songwriting talents were underutilized in the beatles.
George came into his own but his solo career isn’t as good as Paul’s imo.
George has ATMP which is top tier but Paul has Ram. Imo Ram is better but they’re both rated similarly with critics.
After that George has Brainwashed, LITMW, Cloud Nine, and his Self Titled which are good to great. The rest of his albums aren’t that good and for the most part boring.
After Ram, Paul has Band on the Run, Chaos and Creation, Flaming Pie, Venus and Mars, Tug of War, McCartney II, Electric Arguments, etc. Paul has way more good to great albums and I could have listed more.
Paul also experimented more than George and influenced indie pop, lofi, DIY, electronica, and bedroom pop.
Its all subjective, of course. And sometimes hard to compare, since paul and ringo put out a lot more. But I would kund of agree that paul doesn't get enough credit for his artistic risks. We think of him as the pop music beatle, but even his pop stuff is subtley experimental if you listen carefully.
One reason George didn't like Sgt Pepper Is that most of the lead guitar parts were played by Paul
Strictly speaking, Paul only plays lead guitar on the title track and "Good morning, good morning." And "She's leaving home" is the only track Harrison doesn't appear on. There again, McCartney isn't on "Within you Without you" except for a piece of dubbed laughter on the end. And that was from a 1965 session.
George said it was the concept of Pepper that didn't interest him. He felt that they weren't playing as a band, rather it would be Paul playing piano and Ringo keeping the tempo then lots of overdubs. As he put it "For me it became a bit tiring and a bit boring. I had a few moments in there that I enjoyed, but generally I didn't really like making the album much."
Maybe he just didn't like many of the songs. It is nowhere near as good an album as the critics and the diehard fans make it out to be. Being first to do something (and sometimes other groups like the Byrds, the Kinks or the Yardbirds got there quicker anyway) doesn't make that something the best.
@@TibetanFox68 It wasn't even the best album of 1967, let alone the best of all time, or even the Beatles' best. That would be Revolver.
George was the X factor in the Beatles: he wasn't a major creative song writer, he was like
the magician's apprentice. He had to vie with two of the most creative song writers in pop and rock, and he was learning( in a more spiritual way) on the job. His guitar playing was
a very considerable part of Beatle music. He had a wry humour and honesty, a quietness of
presence, lack of ego, which was its own magical function. Some of his early tracks like Don't Bother Me were pretty good. Taxman was incredible. His break a way Indian sound, tied to his Hindu spirituality, produced a good sound, off to the back of the Beatles' music.
I think Maxwell showed off Paul at his weakest: churning out mechanically music, as he
directed the other boys to get this track done after x no. of takes. I think George himself
didn't have the energy of the two dominant personalities. His creativity after All Things Must Past( all his pent-up emotions, creativity), seemed to peter out . He was better at these
gatherings of other musicians like Concert for Bangladesh, or the Travelling Wilburys. The 4 boys together made up the magic of The Beatles: George being intimate to that.
Maybe George had less energy than John and Paul but he did write some of their best songs: While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Something, Here Comes the Sun, and Taxman. I Love Piggies too.
@@xanderk84 you're so right.
@@xanderk84 George certainly had less of an ego as the other two had.
"Not Guilty" was a very good song. When I first heard it on the Beatles Anthology, I was shocked that they didn't put it on the "White Album". There were a few less that spectacular songs that were included on the "White Album".
More than a few, mostly penned by Paul. No one would have missed "Why Don't We Do It in the Road" or "Wild Honey Pie."
I agree with you about "Not Guilty". My takeaway from this video is that George didn't like recording it over and over again in numerous takes and then it not getting on the White Album. He must have liked it enough to record it again for his 1979 "George Harrison" album, although this version is bland and not a patch on the Anthology 3 version.
@@Stanvansandt Or that Revolution 9 'thing'.
I don't consider that a song. It's an avant garde art piece. It takes a real connoisseur of post modern art to appreciate that - that's not me. @@robertcapek2425
@@StanvansandtI would totally have missed Why Don't We do it in the Road. But Wild Honey Pie? Yeah, I'm with you there. I could also have done without Glass Onion & Revolution #9. On a 30 track album 2-4 filler tracks is not bad at all. Any album that has more than 2-4 non-filler tracks is a good album!
I KNEW "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" was gonna turn up here - it's often cited as one of the few real off's and subpar songs in the discography of the Fab Four. :)
"Within you without you" was very important to me at the age of 13/14. Still as a dull feeling an important step of my spiritual search happened. As a catholic girl I felt that there must be something very deep with the spirituality of India. Thank you George.
Within You Without You changed my life when I heard it as a 14 year old! I had never heard anything like it. I became enamored with Indian Classical music.
They all had their various opinions, but to most of us everything they did was great and we're lucky to have that music in our world for over a half-century now.
George had the two hits on Abbey Road-m John pointed that out in several places. Something and wHere Comes the Sun were the best tracks.
This is why I really ended up loving George so much. He was only getting two songs on every album. Maxwells Silver hammer crap was put on the Album over "My Sweet Lord", a clearly superior song. This was disgraceful and disrespectful. This is why Georges debut solo album "All Things Must Pass" was a 3 record album. George had tons of songs written which were excluded from the Beatles albums and ended up on his first solo album.
The melody of "My Sweet Lord" was copied. A U.S. circuit court judge ruled and wrote: "Did Harrison deliberately use the music of "He's So Fine"? I do not believe he did so deliberately. Nevertheless, it is clear that "My Sweet Lord" is the very same song as "He's So Fine" with different words, and Harrison had access to "He's So Fine". This is, under the law, infringement of copyright." George then wrote a self-righteous follow-up: "This Song".
Come on, if My sweet lord was on Abbey Road, than what would be the fate of the album after all those legal problems the song created?
He was also not fond of the song Help, not because he didn't like the song, but for the guitar run he had to learn to pick that happens right before the first verse.
Wait. In Martin Scoecese's documentary about George Living In The Material World, George Martin says he was indeed quite keen on "Within You, Without You" for Pepper. It was a different song George had previously submitted for the album (presumably "Northern Song") that Martin said he didn't like (he said he found it "a bit boring").
I went to see George Martin speak at Berklee College Of Music in Boston and he told the same story and yes, it WAS Only A Northern Song.
A big part of this and his minor sway: George came to rest badly towards Paul. I don't think he ever got over him and his greater talent/yes, possibly ego also (but who wouldn't have if you were that great?) until the day he died...7-hrs to the very same day that my only child, a daughter, was born.
Within You Without You is a masterpiece. John said it was one of his best.
I love Maxwell.
I'm sure he loves you too
Hard to believe “Not Guilty “ didn’t make it onto a Beatles album. It is one of my favorites off Anthology 3 ( the other 2 being George solo on “All things must pass” and while my Guitar gently Weeps”
No wonder George was p**sed off
Agreed. When I heard it on Anthology 3, I couldn’t believe it hadn’t made it onto and album.
The Beatles sure added something grand to my life , and I'm certainly gratefull.....it is hard to thank you guys enough.
The white album would have been better if they had cut many tracks and released a single record rather than a double album.
Totally agree
The white album was huge as it was.
Actually, I like what George did at the later part of the Beatles by showing all of his feelings of discontent before leaving the band rather than just being silent all the time. It only means George is man enough to have a balls to show his true feelings and not pretending to be naive of his discontent about the Beatles especially Paul telling George when to play guitar or not to play guitar to a certain song .
I love Don't Bother Me!!! The guitar solo rocks!
Now and Then is a great song
All the Beatles hated Maxwell Silver Hammer, my grandkids live it through. George Harrison had a sense of humor that you had to know to love. My sweet lord was a great song but George really paid for that one.
How did he pay?
@SarahPalmer-e2k he was sued. By Allen Klein, the Beatles last manager, no less! Klein was an evil piece of work.
It appears George and John resented Paul's ambitious song writing and album theme ideas after Brian Epstein's death. We all love the Sgt. Peppers Album, Critics lauded the album for its innovations in songwriting, production and graphic design, for bridging a cultural divide between popular music and high art, and for reflecting the interests of contemporary youth and the counterculture. Paul McCartney wrote the most tracks for Sgt. Pepper's album because he was the one who came up with the idea to make the Sgt. Pepper's album. John Lennon felt The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band didn't “go anywhere.” He felt only a few tunes on the album connected to each other. George Harrison contributed “Within You Without You” and John Lennon had four songs including “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds”, “Getting Better”, “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!” and “A Day in the Life”
Not Guilty wasn't rejected by John and Paul, they were more than happy to put it on the album. But I believe the day before the albums release, George was going on a holiday. He told his band mates: "Don't put Not Guilty on the album.". He said nothing more about it and left. George decided it wouldn't go on. Not John and Paul.
Just a slight error! Have a good one!
I don't care what anyone likes or dislikes. I have listened to it a thousand times both up and down. and I will as long as I live.
The very few George Harrison songs are among the very best Beatles songs (Here comes the sun, Something, While my guitar...).
And how right was he about Maxwell Silver Hammer and Obladi blada!
Whether a song is "good" or "bad" is totally up to the listener, and a very personal decision. You shouldn't be persuaded one way or the other by someone else's opinion. George Harrison had a much broader style of writing than either Lennon or McCartney, yet his contributions were often ignored. I really like "Not Guilty" which happens to be an actual song, unlike some of the ridiculous album filler that made its way onto The White Album.
One could say George traipse around California in the 60s as a huge Celeb because of Sgt Pepper. Too easy to pick faults in George, best to leave it alone. He was my favorite Beatle as a teen.
Don't Bother Me is one of my favorite George songs. Nice chord progression and melody not to mention a driving groove.
Maxwell's Silverhammer is a classic though. It has stood well against time.
Seeing Ringo in those aviator shades makes me think he really was the coolest of them all.
HATED is really too strong of a word. You are putting this into their mouths. I don't think George or the others said or felt this. Not really thinking a song is worth recording or placing on an album is different to HATING it. It's just clickbaity to say that.
Fair enough.
Pretty sure they did hate Maxwell’s Silver Hammer.
They are all on the record saying they hated Maxwell! John eventually refused to be involved
@@WeirdScienceComics show me the quotes where they ALL used the word "hated" regarding this...easy for you to find and present this. As you claim to know...
@@SoupA150 Ok...
John Playboy Interview 1980 - "I hate it! He made us do it a hundred million times. He did everything to make it into a single and it never was and it never could've been… we spent more money on that song than any of them in the whole album."
Ringo told Rolling Stone in 2008: "The worst session ever was 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer.' It was the worst track we ever had to record.
George told Crawdaddy Magazine in 1977 "Sometimes Paul would make us do these really fruity songs. I mean, my God, 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer' was so fruity. The rest of us hated it...John hated it so much he skipped out on recording"
Obla-di is a classic to me. I love love love love that song because its just so fun and easy to sing and grove to it.
the commentary on "Now and Then" is particularly interesting since it was officially released today, and the video about it indicates that both Paul and Ringo were enthusiastic about the opportunity to remaster John's vocals using new technology. That George didn't think much of it makes one wonder if he'd have been as enthusiastic as Paul and Ringo if he were still alive now.
I'd say the answer would be a resounding 'yes'! George's objection was with the quality of the source tape, not the song itself. The technology is now able to separate John's vocals and a remixing was done. The result is undeniable. I think that both John and George would be pleased with the result.
Within you, without you is very underrated, for the time it was influential, still relevant today
Man Not Guilty is one of my fav Beatles songs ever. Can’t believe it didn’t make the album
Over 100 takes were tried, but George was not satisfied. It would surely have been better than Piggies. However, I like Sour Milk Sea more than Not Quilty.
Rejected by Lennon as he didnt want that level of tedious negativity on the album
@reddwood4971
"Can’t believe it didn’t make the album"
I can. It should have been a Beatle classic, it has all the ingredients of one but it's just tuneless and arrangement-less. It's all over the place. Piggies and Savoy Truffle knock it out of the park, back in again, then back out of the same park !
Hey there everyone! I (as a person who was in the music industry then) would say that it's mostly just down to people's moods & personality foibles. And all the complications which come along with being a living human, and a conscious one at that. I know (through personal *and* second-hand contact) the George was honestly a really great person and someone who when he was in the mood to socialize or have visits was really fun to be around! And he was also a gardener which I think is great, which people don't talk about much. And also the fact that he really mastered the sitar is amazing because it's an incredibly difficult instrument to learn and to play. And lastly, as a tiny bit of trivia... People have often wondered what George was saying at the very intro to his song *IT'S ALL TOO MUCH* (which was written to Patti) on the Beatles Yellow Submarine album. I think it's a psychedelic masterpiece and it's too bad it doesn't get mentioned more (or get airplay) but anyway... At the very intro it sounds like George is saying "To your *Ma"* rather emphatically. Well...At least soundwise he is saying that. *BUT* what George actually said was "To Jorma!" Jorma Kaukonen (it's pronounced YORMA) was the amazing and very experimental lead guitarist for the band The Jefferson Airplane. In the 1966-1967 he'd be experimenting (along with their bassist Jack Casady) with some really 'bad' and loud Jimi Hendrix type feedback techniques, mainly generated by turning the amps up really loud and getting really close to them with a hollow body guitar or bass. The best example of this technique where he really let it go was on their third (and most psychedelic/experimental) 1967 album "After Bathing at Baxter's". At the intro of the song "The Ballad of You and Me and Pooneil", Jorma cranked his amp up really loud, using his red Gibson ES-345 guitar. And then, he really let the first chord rip, and it's pretty darn amazing to hear. George Harrison become a fan at least by their second album and ended up meeting Jorma in person when he went to San Francisco in the early summer of 1967. He met with Jorma, and actually hung out with the Airplane briefly, which he was very happy about. And so then, back in England, during the post-Sgt. Pepper sessions, when recording "It's All Too Much", George used the technique and turned his amp really loud and slammed the famous power chord (on his Epiphone Casino 335) and let it really rip, and that became the intro of "It's All Too Much." And of course as a tribute to his new friend, he enthusiastically said, "TO JORMA!" just before slamming the chord. I absolutely love this story! It belongs in more Beatles books and documentaries. And also I truly really miss George. Talking about things like this seems to bring him closer again. What can I say? Peace everyone! ☮️☯️🔯🕉️✝️
I actually loved, "Don't bother Me."
I certainly thought it was a better song than George apparently did. lol
It's better than anything popular today.
@codetech5598 it's not.
I s'pose there's a certain songwriting naïveté about 'Don't Bother Me' but it also has a way ahead of its time post-punk vibe about it too. And I love it.
Lennon didn’t refuse, he was recovering from an automobile accident during the initial recording of Maxwell.
Maxwell's Silver Hammer is living proof that you can make a nursery rhyme dark, yet catchy
I imagine a fair amount of George's resentment toward particular tracks was based on how he was treated during the recording of those songs. You get a sense that George felt John and Paul treated him and Ringo like hired hands and I imagine there is some justification for that. But George wrote a fair number of dogs. There is a line in the beginning of the movie Field of Dreams where Kevin Costner reminisces about his time as a college student in the 60s and how he smoked pot and tried to like sitar music. George liked the sitar, I'm sure a lot of Beatle fans liked the sitar, I just was never in that camp. And if you look at the lyrics for songs like Within Without You or The Inner Light they really lack depth. I get it, the whole Eastern religious bit was new to him and he was a neophyte but lines like "The further one travels, the less one really knows" could have come from a fortune cookie. Then there are songs like Blue Jay Way and Only a Northern Song that, in my opinion, just flat out suck. The band cut him some slack allowing those songs to be released, they just weren't in the same league as the stuff John and Paul were writing.
I know I am probably being a bit overly critical of George, and he did write some great songs like While my Guitar Gently Weeps, For You Blue, and Here Comes the Sun. I'm also a big fan of Taxman. But as John put it, for a long time he wasn't in the same class as Lennon/McCartney. That is why I take his criticism with a grain of salt. I will say I agree with George where Sgt. Pepper is concerned. I think it is over produced and it clearly is a George Martin Paul McCartney project. But as the commentator points out, you got varying levels of criticism depending on when you asked the band members about their work in the post-Beatle days. Gorge probably said the least about the band as a whole. He just seemed to want to move on and he did a good job of it. Still love that band and George was an integral part of it so I have nothing but love for him too. RIP George. I'm sure none of that matters to you anymore.
"The Inner Light" certainly didn't lack depth. It's the only indian song of there's I liked because it's packed with beautiful melodies. To us these days a line like "The further one travels, the less one really knows" sounds like a fortune cookie because eastern philosophy has bcome almost a meme by now with simple but supposedly meaningful aphorisms. But in the 60s this way of thinking was brand new and very foreign, and people were really exploring new ideas through music which I find fascinating. These days nobody tries to explore anything philosophical through music songs either complain about broken hearts or boast about female conquests, but rarely talk about bigger philosophical ideas.
I agree with you. George had the misfortune to be in a band where he was the third best songwriter. John and Paul competed with each other and in doing so maintained a level of originality and quality (mostly). Paul’s attraction to the 20’s style of music irritated the other lads, but it is no more aberrant than George’s forays into Eastern mysticism or John’s avant-garde crap. Anyways, you made a good argument and I enjoyed it
@@johnnyfever3832 Thank you for the compliment and for reading the post. It's a bit long but like that crack from the movie Lincoln, I could write shorter sermons but once I get started I'm too lazy to stop. I do try to explain my position though.
"Don't Bother Me" is actually a very Beatles song from that time.
Im sorry but you have George's personality all wrong. I have a family member who spent time with him and he is very humble and never spoke bad about any members of the band. Yes he was quiet person, but very, very friendly and never ever did he have a big head. Maybe he didn't like some songs, but everyone is entitled to their own opinion!
He literally talked shit about Paul in TV interviews lmao he was a very bitter person
No. Neither of you knew him, so stop.
Thank you
I'm just finishing "WONDERFUL TONIGHT", Pattie Boyd's book and George could be quite the a-hole, which surprised me. You wouldn't have wanted to be married to the guy.
Absolutely correct! George knew a great song and some of them weren't great.
@@metoo6507lots of people talked crap about Paul, Eric Clapton for one, Paul never showed George and respect
Do you have a quote from George about "bitterly putting Not Guilty aside"? Because the George biography Behind the Locked Door has testimony and from people present, possibly Chris Thomas, that George himself took Not Guilty off that album. Chris (i think it was Chris) said that after the album was done, he, George Martin, Paul, John and Ringo were
working out the track order. George H. wasn't there because he was going on vacation. But George did pop his head in the door to tell them he'd changed his mind and he wasn't happy with the song after all, and he wanted to take it off.
The author thinks George did that because the song is all about his grievances against Paul and John, but normally George kept band conflicts private. So maybe at the last minute he decided he didn't want to go public with internal band problems. Eleven years later, it didn't matter so much, and that version was much gentler, as you pointed out.
This sounds much more in line with reality. This idea that John & Paul thought of George as a child and overlooked his contributions, while it has some truth to it, is quite overblown.
MSH was better than either George song mentioned. Plain fact. That, and Ob La Di were beaten to death in recording, to be sure. I can't fault George for taking that away as the final verdict, but the songs were good (MSH) and fairly good (ObLaDi).
Do You Want to Know a Secret is flat-out a good song.
Paul was the limbs,
Ringo was the torso (gut, spine, ribs)
John was the head (central nervous system, one that over-thinks everything),
George was the heart and blood ( vascular system)... of the Beatles.
They produced a lot of boppy songs with mechanical rhythm, without heart, totally inanimate.
George must have been quite frustrated, at times bemused, to discover whatever his kindergarten colleagues had constructed. He must have been quite baffled too, that their lyrical farces and farts actually became hits, Top of the charts.
...credit is due to
Fifth Beatle, publicity and marketing manager