Imagining SCOTIA! SCOTTISH ARTS & MUSIC since 2007. Photographer and Blogger - Music-notes, Poetry-notes, Histories, Celtic Connections, Edinburgh festivals.
Viking Galaxy played King Tuts
on 17th May to a packed and enthusiastic crowd it was all very exciting
really! I go to many fun gigs - yet it is hard to explain what its like when it is your son's gig at such an iconic venue as King Tuts
Glasgow. On the stairs are painted the lists of top bands who have performed
here over the years. Simply ultra cool! : ))
Emeli Sande sang at the White House for a
tribute to the incredible singer songwriter Cariole King!How amazing that must have been for her.
Some exciting new music releases in 2013
- Biffy Clyro, Haim, James Blake, Laura Marling - who has taken things back to
guitar, voice and song (minus band) which perfectly showcases her intimate
sound.
Copyright. I try to be
patient when I find my images being used on any major websites or for other
promotions such as flyers without requesting my permission for the use of the
images…? Most media people are fully aware they should contact the author in
the first instance. One site using my image was the Arts Council of England!Very strange really. Links are always appreciated, but for all my efforts to get the image not really enough. Music and Portrait Photography. Celtic Connections, Edinburgh
Festival.
I first got inspired by photography through
the amazing images in Life magazine, Vogue and later in Vanity Fair. I
can’t remember exactly when, but I don’t remember a time that I wasn’t
drawing either fashion, ballet or portraits - http://musicfootnote.blogspot.co.uk/2012/photographyinspirations
I visited
the recently refurbished Scottish
Portrait Gallery a month
back and left somewhat disappointed. It is housed in an imposing sandstone
building that sits on the corner of Queen
street and down from George Street.The gallery
owns 3,000 paintings and sculptures, 25,000 prints and drawings and 38,000
historic and modern photographs.
I can’t
help but wonder that it’s location amidst the Hanoverian Edinburgh
new town has affected the choice over whose portrait is considered
important enough to be displayed in the new collection – rather than be stashed
in it’s rather full basement. I wasn’t sure what I had expected after reading
the hype but certainly a gallery proud of Scottish heritage and reflecting
both Scottish traditions and Scottish contemporary artists with the main focus
on portraiture. However many of the inclusions appear obscure.
I went with
my two older children and they were not impressed either. They thought the
boring dark images of past kings and queen, who all look the same strangely,
held no interest for them. My son was puzzled by the inclusion of a whole
section of shiny and not very good photos of Asian families which he said seemed rather
incongruous.
The
photographic images that stood out were - Mark
Neville - Port Glasgow Town Hall Christmas Party 2004; Oscar Marzoroli - The
Castlemilk Lads 1963, an iconic image by an Italian photographer; A Photo of Bob
Dylan in Princes Street; the portrait of Robert Burns and of Mary Queen of
Scots on the third floor.
The gallery
celebrates many respected photographers, which is fine, but there lacks an
emphasis on portraiture. Many of the most significant Scottish writers, poets,
artists, and musicians appeared to be missing and the displays seemed ill
thought out. I was puzzled by some of the inclusions as to why they were
considered portraits at all.
Scottish Writers, Poets, Artists and
Politicians Not on Display - Liz Lochead
(Scottish Makar), Carol Ann Duffy, Hamish Henderson, Norman McCaig, Sorely
MacLean, Iain Crichton Smith, Jim Kelman, Alex Salmond, Gordon Brown...
Today I
read an article in the Scotsman (below ) and agreed with so much of it.
(Extract below) Lesley Riddoch points out that the Portrait gallery
appears to focus on the Upper Classes and in this sense does not represent the
inclusive forward thinking Scotland of today.
THE National Portrait Gallery lacks
images of Scots the general public would recognise or could name, writes Lesley
Riddoch, May 2012
Is the Scottish Portrait Gallery capturing the zeitgeist of modern Scotland?
Is it meant to? Reaction to the gallery’s renovation has been overwhelmingly
positive since it reopened at Christmas. There’s no question the building’s
interior looks splendid – but what about the contents? I found myself mightily
disappointed by the relative absence of modern Scots on display and slightly
bored by the much larger areas given over to “imperial history.” Hey ho, I
thought. That’s just me. But then last week, the genial giant and subversive sculptor
George Wyllie died and I found myself thinking about his curious absence from
our National Portrait Gallery. George was universally popular. With the Straw
Locomotive, 80-foot Paper Boat, giant nappy pin outside the Glasgow Maternity
Hospital and Walking Clock outside the bus station, George fused everyday life,
industrial heritage and Glasgow humour together like a master welder.
For a while
‘disco’ went out of fashion and so did the Bee Gees songs. They drew a lot of
attention for their songs for the cult movie Saturday Night Fever in 1977 (Night Fever, More Than A Woman, Jive Talking, You Should be Dancing) and also for the movie Staying
Alive in 1983.
But the
caricature of Travolta in his white suit, while successful did little for the
Bee Gees image, as Disco fever became passé with the advent of punk.
And so the
Bee Gees began writing songs for other artists – the incredible ‘Islands in the Stream’ was covered by
Dolly Parton and Kenny Rodgers. Yet check the BeeGees own version which I much
prefer.
I first
heard the Bee Gees songs when Massachusetts, How Deep is Your Love, Gotta Get a Message
To You were played at the end of Disco dance nights and I thought the close
harmonies and powerful emotions of the songs really stood out.
If you
check their back catalogue they have written so many unforgettable songs.
Recently on YouTube I discovered some amazing clips from a concert the Bee Gees
did in Las Vegas in 1997.
Just two
weeks back I found this song they wrote for Celine Dion ‘Immortality’, yet again I thought wow.
They always
knew the heart of the song, and they never over sang or over played their
songs. Robin Gibb sang Massachusetts and he had an awesome falsetto voice.
He was such a great and unassuming talent.
(Robin's
twin Maurice died in 2003. Robin is survived by older brother Barry Gibb.)
For such a
small country Scotland has had an amazing number of very creative artists and scientists.
People in countries like Japan
think a lot of our indie music. Here are some
great Scottish bands in no particular order. These bands are still out there touring the world.
I took photos of this up and coming Scottish
band Admiral Fallow at King Tuts Glasgow - and I noticed how much fun they
were having on stage. Oddly. I was
checking through my images of new Scottish musicians and posted this blog last
night - and low and behold they are releasing their second album "Tree Bursts
In Snow" Monday 21st and getting
good reviews. I'm getting psychic now!? Admiral Fallow formed in
2007 and is led by singer song-writer Louis Abbott and based in Glasgow. They write and
perform folk/ pop. Their first album “Boots Met My Face” was released in
the UK
and worldwide in 2011. Their song "Squealing Pigs" was used on
NBC's Chuck, featured in a commercial and was performed live on BBC
television's Hogmanay Live 2011.In July 2009 the band headlined the Sunday
night T Break stage at T in the Park. They have also played at the Wee Chill,
Rockness, Loopallu Festival and Insider festivals. The band has supported many
artists - including Guillemots, King Creosote, the Futureheads, Paolo
Nutini, Frightened Rabbit, Belle and Sebastian, The Low Anthem. In 2011 the
band played a UK headline
tour and also attended Austin,
Texas for SxSW 2011. Shows
followed in New York.
UK summer 2011 festivals
included Glastonbury,
Latitude, Cambridge Folk Festival, Green Man, End of The Road. They co-headlined
the HMV Next Big Thing Festival 2012 and are touring for their next album
release 21 May 2012 of Tree Bursts In Snow. The band members are -.
Louis Abbott, Kevin Brolly, Philip Hauge, Sarah Hayes, Joe Rattray. www.admiralfallow.com.
Singer songwriter legend John Martyn, famous for 'May You Never'
'The highlight of my
career? That's easy, Elvis recording one of my songs.' Bob Dylan.
Our most loved singer
song writers become like our best friends.
In ages past there
were Troubadours who toured their songs. It used to
be (not so long ago too) that young artists would get out and perform on the circuit of live folk
clubs, uni refectories and local bars in the UK
and Europe and elsewhere. It used to be not so
long ago that creativity was alive and well in the world of music. Back then it
was all more organic rather than a production line. Musicians then
played 'residencies' where they might hone their song craftsmanship through the varied experience of playing to a live audience. In the 50s singers toured with the Big
bands and money was made through the Publishers Sheet music.
Since the advent of recorded music the
Studio (and therefore Radio too) has taken precedence in music. Recorded music has led to a break down of boundaries of place and time and has also brought about vast changes to
our tastes. The drums of Africa have mixed with the European folk tunes, the
sitar with pop, the jazz clarinet with the violin solo, the rock of The Who
with modern electronica.The advent of
the iPod broadened our taste yet again with thousands of instant tracks. Of
course 'quantity is the opposite of 'quality.'
There are problems
now over who should define or select the great from the average. Who are the
'experts' in music anymore? There are the taste
makers the Labels, the music reviewers and music websites. It used to be that
the Royal Court
would decide which artists to commission - who decides today?
I
read about writers and producers Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.
They
wrote - HoundDog, Stand By Me and many other great rock and roll hits. Yet how
many have heard of these incredibly gifted artists? I don't understand the
system at all and I am not an Elvis fan for a start - give me the singer
songwriter any time. Apparently Elvis added the line to HoundDog 'Aint' nothing
but a rabbit and he ain't no friend of mine.'
For
me the voice of the writer of the song simply has more to say to me.
Quote from Mike
Stoller, 'Beyond the brilliance of his mind and the mastery of his story telling, Jerry had in abundance two beautiful
qualities that guaranteed his immortality. Jerry had spirit and Jerry had soul.
'
'He could sing - and
man, he sang as midnight. By the way he interpreted lyrics, we were sure he'd
grown up in the same ghetto as us,' Quote vocalist Carl Gardener.
It
is only through knowing the 'knowledge' of the 'old' that the young can build
something great. There are still some great Troubadours here in Scotland, who have great individual strength of character and something that matters to say in their voice, music and songs - Dick Gaughan, Michael Marra, Rab Noakes.... I'm just not sure where the young Troubadours are though?
Folk songs
may not grab you first time- but they get under your skin in a more subtle way
and you never tire of them - unlike the simple pop tune.
I'm
always rather puzzled by the loosely defined definitions regarding songs or
tunes between the genres. A song sung by a folk balladeer is a 'folk song'
wheras a song sung by a pop star is a 'pop ballad.'
Folk
singers
and Dylan wrote and sang highly memorable 'folk ballads'. Some pop
singers sing formulaic and forgettable 'ballads'. What is
the difference though, after all I hear some dull
folk songs as well as dull pop songs?
The dictionary
defines the Ballad as - a narrative song
with a recurrent refrain; a slow sentimental song, especially a pop song.
The folk song as - a
song that has been handed down the generations; a modern song that reflects the
folk idiom.
I
was sitting at Prestwick airport and heard
this truly awful whiny song. I asked my
son who it was, he said that ridiculous Justin
Beiber. I said that he reminded me of 'Donny
Osmond' in the 70s and his soppy ballad 'They
Call this Puppy Love'!
Well
that's the difference to me between the folk ballad and the 'soppy pop ballad'? That
song by Beiber is a soppy shallow empty pop Ballad. By comparison Someone Like You by Adele is heart
wrenching with it's honesty of emotion.
Awful
ballads? An example might be James
Blunt's cheesy ballad song 'You Are
Beautiful.' It is so hackneyed and
has those over-used tired old clichés and song formulas. My ears would feel ill on hearing this song
and need to listen to some Dylan to
feel better!
Westlife ballads use those
predictable key changes when the boys manage to rise up off their tall
stools..... oh dear...
The
soppy pop ballad is written to a formula
and lacks emotional realness or any credibility. To
me the difference is 'substance' and having something to say. Those unforgettable folk ballads offer new
insights with imaginative and creative melodies and words. It
is also in the music production.
And
sometimes 'cheesy' can be good too!
The Best Songs
Occasionally a song
comes along that transcend the personal as it has a universal emotion we can
all recognise an share in.
Good Examples - Let
It Be, Imagine, Stand By Me, Here Comes The Sun, Case of You, Something,
Islands in the Stream, Reason to Believe, Sound of Silence,
This photo of Gaughan was taken at Milngavie Folk Club in 2011
Dick Gaughan
Interview with Phil Cunningham Radio Scotland March 2012
Dick chose
five songs that have influenced him –
(1) Big Bill
Broonzy – Glory of Love
(2) The
Shadows – Apache
(3) The
Beatles – Love Me Do
(4) Bob Dylan – Subterranean Homesick Blues
(5) Davy Graham – 67
Gaughan
talked about his musical influences. His chat is often profound, sometimes
humorous and always entertaining.
He said
that The Shadows were the first eclectic guitar group and that back then we were discovering all these new
sounds for the first time. Before that
nearly every American singer seemed to
be called ‘Frankie’ and sang songs about what it was like ‘to be a young lad at
summer camp!’
Gaughan
said that ‘Love Me Do’ from the
Beatles was another defining song.
He became
obsessed with songs - he was like a magpie and studied songs at the National
Library. In 1979 the Thatcher government
made him first think about ‘why’ he
was singing the songs and he became a political artist then. He said that Traditional music is about fair play, the
totality of life and about the community.
Nowadays the barrage of media attempts to put forwards ‘one’ message he claimed and he likes to be part of
what he calls the ‘awkward squad’ who are the grain of sand in the ointment and
have other ways of looking at reality - and try to at least think about it!
He spoke
about Dylan’s beautifully crafted songs that punched out images such as ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’. Gaughan played
with Aly Bain’s Boys of the Lough and
a punk band called Five Hand Reel. Like
many others on the folkscene back then he developed a drink problem and then he
had a breakdown. He had to clean up and dry up.
Lastly he
talked about Davy Graham’s guitar
which was tuned differently. His musical ideas were unbelievably creative - he
was predictably unpredictable! Hearing
Graham's guitar it becomes clear where Gaughan had learned his distinctive playing style
from. His list of favourite song choices is interesting too and shows the
breadth of his roots in both traditions and more contemporary musical
styles.
Gaughan is
best known for singing the songs Both
Sides the Tweed and Westlin’ Winds.
Some very few artists have the ability to transport and
transcend the moment, and Dick does so with forceful guitar playing and classic
traditional songs with a strong message and a deep expressive, growling
voice. He draws from both Irish and Scottish folk traditions. I first
heard Gaughan play in the 70s in Edinburgh
when I was dating a folk guitarist who raved about how incredible and very
distinctive his playing was. Many years later (after being in America for
nearly ten years and having three children) I heard Dick again at Milngavie
Folk club in 2007, and this was an intimate gig where his chat between songs
was worth going for alone. In his own so distinctive style, Gaughan hammers and
speaks with his acoustic guitar. He performs traditional folk tunes, Robert
Burns, favourite cover songs and his own songs.
He doesn't play the predictable
smoothed-over sugar box 'tartan shortbread' songs - and he may not be to everyone's
taste. Gaughan is plain spoken and holds firmly held beliefs on the rights of
everyman and at one time he took past folk stories and songs from the library
archives and put new melodies to them. You come away from his gigs questioning
butultimately renewed in the faith of our
shared humanity. Dick Gaughan is a Scottish living legend, and he usually
performs every January at 'Celtic Connections' Glasgow.
Listen to
some of the greatest recorded singers – singers that use the magnetism, the
tones, and the soft and harder edged subtleties of voice...Billie Holliday, Sinatra,
Otis Redding, Johnny Cash, Joni Mitchell, Dylan, Buckley, Lennon – and one
thing is clear, great art is about character.
The voice
is one of the best instruments when used well, while beautiful songs matter
too….
Mostly I love the voices of singer songwriters and the passion and edge in
singers like Otis Redding or Dylan. It is not simply about perfect technique of
voice. Some use inspired phrasing and subtle tones and interpretations of the
song. A hypnotic voice means you can be lost in the moment. Some voices simply
grab our attention with a magnetism of voice – they make it all seem effortless
yet full of passions, moving edge and depth.
QUOTES Jeff Buckley -
‘Music comes from a primal place…
I’ve
always felt that the quality of the voice is where the real content of a song
lies. Words only suggest an experience, but the voice is that experience.’
She sings with conviction and
hope. What is so cool with Sande is that she keeps it real and
old fashioned and about heart and the song.
Emeli
Sande held court at the old worldly Old Fruitmarket Glasgow in April. She is
from Aberdeen and previously studied
medicine at Glasgow
university. Emily
Sande headlined her return gig to Glasgow
and she performed songs from her Platinum number one selling debut album, Our Version of Events, which was released
in February 2012. Sandé has had two number-one UK charts singles “Read All About
It” and “Next To Me” and released her debut single “Heaven” in 2011 which made
No 2 in the UK Singles Chart and was also a worldwide hit. Sande has been
writing songs for other singers the past years and she has also performed as a
guest singer on other artist's albums. There
appeared to be an agenda for big uplifted hairstyles at this gig – re the support
acts Seye and Manchester
singer Daley! Sande
owned the stage and she moved around so much when she performed with her band it
was hard going for the press photographers to keep up with her! The excitement before the gig waiting in the
pit was palpable and it is intense work at this kind of gig – I have to let my
camera do the work....I hope. She
began the set with her forte the 'power ballad with a message' and the song Daddy, followed by dramatic thoughtful
songs with Tiger, Suitcase and This Is
Where I Sleep. After which Emeli took to piano where her journey began to
take the set down for the moving song Clown,
followed by Breaking The Law which
was also acoustically performed with backing guitar and gave her the chance to
express her voice clearly. Before
singing Mountains she said this song
was written for her parents. She then took the pace up again with surging new single
My Kind of Love. Her
new song Wonder struck many chords
with one of those singable choruses she does so well, there were some shades of
Coldplay in the chorus and this new songs is surely another hit for her. 'We are
all wonderfulpeople/ Why are we so fearful/ Finally finding our voices' - she sang in her hit song with Professor Green.
Sande states that her songs are about world peace and political issues. Emeli finished her gig with a flourish and many in the
lively crowd sang along to her songs Wonder,
Heaven and Next To Me.
The
strongest parts of the concert were Read
all About It, her latest single My
Kind of Love and new song Wonder. One tip - She has a band of excellent musicians with her and one might
have wished for them to have been given more opportunities to add to the music. She has a powerhouse emotional voice that
smashes her memorable songs. All in all a most heartfelt, warm and enjoyable
feel good gig. She sings with conviction and hope. In a world full of
shallow celebrities, here is a woman of some character and substance. There are
not so many strong singers these days who can also write quality songs. What is
so cool with Sande is that she keeps it real and old fashioned and about heart
and the song.
It
was good to meet her very proud parents. I have met Sande too and she has a
warm sincere smile and she spoke of her musical influences with great
earnestness. She said she also missed her days in the library, and it cannot
have been an easy decision for her to take the risks of pursuing music and to
forsake the more regular career path of medicine. Sande will again be supporting Coldplay on
tour. Her next single My Kind of Love will
have a tear jerker video. Her album is due for release in America in June
and I’d expect her to get good vibes there. Emeli Sandé is a Scottish R and B
and soul artist and songwriter. Sande won the 'Brits
Critics' Choice award 2012. Set List - Daddy/ Tiger/ Suitcase/ This Is
Where I Sleep/ Clown(piano)/ Breaking The Law/ Mountains/ My Kind of love/ Read
all About It (Professor Green)/ Maybe/ River(piano)/ Hope/ Wonder/ Heaven/ Next
To Me. MORE PHOTOS - http://pkimage.co.uk/emelisande
I took photos of Katie Sutherland at the Oran Mor Glasgow in April 2012. She was with a band called Pearl and the Puppets who played several big support slots and had songs picked up with commercials and films. I've taken photos of Pearl since 2009 and she is fun to take photos of with her expressive doe eyes.
I took photos of Katie Sutherland last week at the Oran Mor Glasgow in April 2012. She was with a band called Pearl and the Puppets who played several big support slots and had songs picked up with commercials and films. I've taken photos of Pearl since 2009 and she is fun to take photos of with her expressive voice. Katie and her band gave us an entertaining set of quality songs. Singer songwriter Katie Sutherland introduced her band as now simply her ‘band’ and not the ‘Puppets’ anymore – they consist of Blair McMillan (drums), Gordon Turner (guitar), Scott Clark (bass) and Michael Abubakar (keyboard). Set List: I hope you like It, I Can Drive,
Complicated, I Love You So Much, I Do Like You, This Is What Its all About, How
lucky I Am, Sinner, Let It In,
Katie supplies the lead vocal and also plays guitar and mandolin. Her voice is engaging, natural and soothing. She thanked all those who have pledged for her new album – and she sang several songs from the album including Sinner, That’s What It’s all About and more, and she said she would be recording the album in June. Several of her songs have positive themes with titles such as "Because I Do" and "Make Me Smile" In 2009 she drew attention for her music and was signed by Universal. She played some big gigs that included the BBC One Scotland Hogmanay Live, supporting Elton John and The Hoosiers and main stages at music festivals Rockness and Wickerman.
Pearl and the Puppets were a band led by singer songwriter Katie Sutherland (vocals/guitar), Blair McMillan (drums), Gordon Turner (guitar), Scott Clark (bass) and Michael Abubakar (keyboard). In 2008, the band's song "Because I Do" was featured on a Vodaphone advertisement. Their song "Make Me Smile" was featured in a Victoria Secret advertisement in the USA and an Orange advertisement in Romania.
Crosby, Stills and Nash; Neil Young; Joni Mitchell; David Geffen. And The Laid back acoustic sound of Laurel Canyon - All about the SONG
In the early 70s LA became the centre of the music business as young artists moved there rather than to New York city. Artists came to play the well renowned LA Troubadour venue.
The artist was the centre of the business, which was driven by the songwriter and by self publishing singer songwriters. Crosby, Stills and Nash were known for their beautiful 3 part harmonies and exquisitely roving melodies. Then we had flower power and hippies.
Carole King and James Taylor moved there from New York and King’s Tapestry album spent15 weeks at no 1.
Ambition and idealism ‘counter culture' was the name of the game.
However.....eventually the business men moved in and it became more about managers and lawyers - more about business and less about the music. The Corporation of Rock.
Recently I thought... where are the great songs of today?
And so I begin to wonder about the cheap club nights and that's what ears get used to.... and that it is it simply not about THE SONG anymore?
In my view the cheapening of music has led to some kind of diluted commodity with no thought about quality anymore.
Unbelievable clip -
John Lennon and Paul Simon present the Best Song Award 1975 at the Grammy's when Olivia Newton John beats icons - Elton John, Joni Mitchell and Roberta Flack!!
The Industry never ceases to amaze me!
Most amazing CLIP of Judy Blue Eyes ( Joni mitchell)
I took this photo of Barry at Edinburgh Book Festival 2011. Some of the characters there are so strong and simply wonderful for photographing. It is as if they express their stories through the lens. Barry was certainly one of them and he fixed you with his Irish eyes.
Barry won the Sunday Times Short Story Award 2012 for his story Beer Trip to Llandudno.
He says that he writes best early in the morning when he is ‘half asleep and half awake. You are less self conscious and your not afraid to embarrass yourself, and that’s the good stuff.‘ He writes the first draft longhand, ‘It’s to slow down the rate at which the sentences are emerging. It is easy to mistake fluency for inspiration.’
‘If you can get how a character speaks, you get their soul.’ ..For me the imperative is to get characters speaking and to listen to what they are not saying as much as what they are.’
His literary heroes include VS Prichard ; ‘He worked form the ear, from the way people speak and I felt an affinity with that.’
Barry advocates keeping it real, ‘I’m old school. Never in my life have I attended a creative writing class, I kind of react against it. I think it’s a bit of an industry.’
‘I write 10 or so a year and only one or two that will be any cop at all.’ It’s an art form that takes a lot of work and a lot go practice. ‘
‘Sense never gratified/ Only swelling like a tide/ That could drown me in the material world.’
' George didn’t see black and white, up and down as different things. He didn’t compartmentalize his moods or his life. People think he was this or that or really extreme, But these extremes are all within one circle.’ Olivia Harrison
Harrison, the often overlooked Beatle, wrote some of the most loved Beatles songs - 'Something', 'All Things Must Pass' and 'Here Comes the Sun'. His guitar playing was highly expressive and admired by other guitarists. He added more to the Beatles sound than many realized. And my guitar gently weeps.....
I’ve been curious about Harrison since my twenties when this rhythm guitarist to my surprise said he was the most talented of the Beatles. After all it was always Paul and John in the spotlight. I watched Scorsese’s documentary ‘Living in the Material World’ recently and I enjoyed the way he is able to get under the skin of artists that he portrays, as he did in his documentary on Bob Dylan entitled 'No Direction Home'.
From the start George was the little brother, brought in by John and Paul to play the guitar riffs. He didn’t enjoy the teen worship and out of control screaming hoards of girls swooning for the band, and after a bit it became over whelming to him.
However anyone who studies the Beatles back catalogue will discover that some of their best songs were written by Harrison. He gave the Beatles a ‘lyrical’ style of playing. He is listed at number 11 in Rolling Stone magazine's list of "100 Greatest Guitarist of All Time". He drew from the records of Carl Perkins, Duanne Eddy, Chat Atkins, Buddy Holly and Eddie Cochran.There was his prominent rhythm guitar on 1966 Taxman, Love You Too on Revolver; This Is Love, When We Was Fab on Cloud Nine. Eventually Harrison developed his own skills and he submitted his songs for Let It Be and Abbey Road albums – songs such as All Things Must Pass. Then he wrote one of the best love songs ever written ‘Something’ which was Harrison's first Beatles single (a double A side with Come Together).
George the Innovator. He was an innovator, an observer who was endlessly curious. He was a free agent and he didn’t like the rules yet he was also very much a team player.
Concert for Bangladesh(1971) – Held at Madison Square this was the first large scale concert by pop musicians to support a charity and led to Geldof's Live Aid. Even today sales of the CD raise money for UNICEF.
George the Mystic. His spiritual journey meant everything. He had money at an early age yet there was still something missing for him. He married blond model Patti Boyd after filming Hard Days Night and she led him to an interest in Eastern philosophies. Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar became his mentor and he believed you needed to have direct experience of god in whatever form to believe. ‘ Look we’re not these bodies lets not get hung up on that.’ Patti inspired two of the greatest love songs ever written - Something by Harrison and Layla by Eric Clapton. She later married Clapton and Harrison married Mexican Olivia Arias.
Post Beatles. All Things must Pass is considered to be the best post Beatles solo record with songs such as – Isn’t It a Pity, Beware of Darkness, My Sweet Lord, I’d Have You Anytime (co-written with Dylan) and the Dylan cover If Not for You.
George The Filmmaker. Handmade Films. He paid the largest price ever for a movie ticket when he had his house mortgaged to fund Monty Python’s The Life of Brian.
The Traveling Wilburys (1988). When recording for his album Cloud Nine Harrison so enjoyed working with Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan, Jeff Lyne and Tom Petty(no less!) that he later got them together to tour and record as a super group.
Songs. I Gave My Heart To You, If I Needed Someone, All Things Must Pass, Something, Here Comes the Sun, My Guitar Gently Weeps, Isn’t It A Pity, Within You Without You, What Is Life,
Harrison had a compassionate, spiritual and caring voice that seemed to come from a deep sense of belief and certainly of love. His friend Eric Clapton told of them sitting in the garden at Friar Park one morning when the sun started to come out and suddenly inspired the song .. like a miracle..The Beatles were different they were the first big band of the early 60s and those years 1963 to 1966 transformed the musical landscape forever.
‘Create and preserve the image of your choice.’
‘’You don’t build a garden for yourself right now – you build a garden for future generations.’
He had both grace and humour. He searched for inner light and inner peace …and yes Harrison did make the sunset with his songs.
All Things Must Pass, Concert for Bangladesh, Living in the Material World, Handmade Films, Cloud Nine, Travelling Willburys. It has been a joy reading about Harrison for this blog and listening to his music.
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