George
Harrison was born on February, 25, 1943, in Liverpool, England. As
the youngest member of the Beatles, Harrison was constantly overshadowed
by John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
Although 'Don't Bother Me' ( With The Beatles ), 'I Need
You' ( Help! ) and 'If I Needed Someone' ( Rubber Soul ) revealed
a considerable compositional talent, such contributions were swamped
by his colleagues' prodigious output. Instead, Harrison honed a distinctive
guitar style, modelled on rockabilly mentor Carl Perkins, and was
responsible for adding the sitar into the pop lexicon through its
complementary use on 'Norwegian Wood'. Harrison's infatuation with
India was the first outward sign of his growing independence, while
his three contributions to Revolver, noticeably 'Taxman' and 'I Want
To Tell You', showed a newfound musical maturity. The Indian influence
continued on the reflective 'Within You, Without You'. He flexed solo
ambitions with the would-be film soundtrack, Wonderwall and the trite
Electronic Sounds, but enhanced his stature as a skilled songwriter
with the majestic 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' ( The Beatles ) and
'Something' ( Abbey Road ). Sales of the latter composition exceeded
one million when issued as a single in 1969. Harrison also produced
releases for Billy Preston, Jackie Lomax and the Radha Krishna Temple
and performed on the concurrent Delaney And Bonnie tour before commencing
work on All Things Must Pass. This treble album consisted of material
stockpiled over the years and featured several high quality compositions
including 'Awaiting On You All', 'I'd Have You Anytime' (co-written
with Bob Dylan ) and 'Beware Of Darkness'.
These
selections were, however, eclipsed by 'My Sweet Lord', which deftly
combined melody with mantra and deservedly soared to the top of the
US and UK charts. Its lustre was sadly removed in later years when
the publishers of the Chiffons' 1964 hit, 'She's So Fine', successfully
sued for plagiarism. Harrison's next project was 'Bangla Desh', a
single inspired by a plea from master musician Ravi Shankar to aid
famine relief in the Indian subcontinent. Charity concerts, featuring
Harrison, Dylan, Preston, Eric Clapton and Leon Russell, were held
at New York's Madison Square Gardens in August 1971, which in turn
generated a film and boxed-set. Legal wrangles blighted Harrison's
altruism and it was 1973 before he resumed recording. Whereas All
Things Must Pass boasted support from Derek And The Dominos, Badfinger
and producer Phil Spector, Living In The Material World was more modest
and consequently lacked verve. The album nonetheless reached number
1 in the US, as did an attendant single, 'Give Me Love (Give Me Peace
On Earth)', but critical reaction was noticeably muted. A disastrous
US tour was the unfortunate prelude to Dark Horse, the title of which
was inspired by Harrison's new record label. His marriage to Patti
Boyd now over, the set reflected its creator's depression and remains
his artistic nadir. Although poorly received, Extra Texture partially
redressed the balance, but the fact that its strongest track, 'You',
dated from 1971, did not escape attention. Thirty-Three And A Third
and George Harrison continued this regeneration; the latter was a
particularly buoyant collection, but the quality still fell short
of his initial recordings.
During
this period Harrison became involved with his personal heroes, the
Monty Python comedy team, in the production of Life Of Brian. His
financing of the film ensured its success and cemented a long-lasting
relationship with the troupe. In 1980 the artist's parent label, Warner
Brothers Records, rejected the first version of Somewhere In England,
deeming its content below standard. The reshaped collection included
'All Those Years Ago', Harrison's homage to the murdered John Lennon,
which featured contributions from Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.
The song reached the UK Top 3 when issued as a single, a position
reflecting the subject matter rather than faith in the artist. Gone
Troppo was issued to minimal fanfare from both outlet and creator,
and rumours flourished that it marked the end of Harrison's recording
career. He pursued other interests, notably with his company Handmade
Films which included such productions as Time Bandits (1981), The
Long Good Friday (1982), Water (1985), Mona Lisa (1986) and Shanghai
Surprise (1986), occasionally contributing to the soundtracks. During
this time Harrison cultivated two hobbies which took up a great deal
of his life: motor racing and gardening. He was tempted back into
the studio to answer several low-key requests, including Mike Batt
's adaptation of The Hunting Of The Snark and the Greenpeace benefit
album. He joined the all-star cast saluting Carl Perkins on the television
tribute Blue Suede Shoes, and in 1986 commenced work on a projected
new album. Production chores were shared with Jeff Lynne, and the
care lavished on the sessions was rewarded the following year when
Harrison's version of Rudy Clark's 'Got My Mind Set On You' reached
number 2 in the UK and number 1 in the US. The intentionally Beatles-influenced
'When We Was Fab' was another major success, while Cloud Nine itself
proved equally popular, with Lynne's grasp of commerciality enhancing
Harrison's newfound optimism. Its release completed outstanding contracts
and left this unpredictable artist free of obligations, although several
impromptu live appearances suggest his interest in music was now rekindled.
This revitalization also saw Harrison play a pivotal role within the
Traveling Wilburys, an ad hoc 'supergroup' initially comprising himself,
Lynne, Dylan, Tom Petty and Roy Orbison. Harrison made his first tour
for many years in Japan during January 1992 with his long-time friend
Eric Clapton giving him support. He reappeared onstage in England
at a one-off benefit concert in April 1992. In 1995 the UK press seemed
to delight in the fact that had hit hard times caused by various business
ventures and ill advice from people he used as advisors. The Beatles
reunion in 1995 for the Anthology series banished any thoughts of
bankrupcy. A further bonus came in January 1996 when he was awarded
$11.6 million following litigation against Denis O'Brien and his mishandling
of Harrison's finances. Harrision's tact and the way he has dealt
with his inner self should not be underestimated; the 'quiet' Beatle
does seem to have this part of his life totally sorted out.
