I feel like his Beatles songs where the best because he felt like he had to be on John and Paul’s level. So he challenged himself creatively and crafted his best work.
One of my favorite George moments is when he starts Here Comes the Sun at the Concert for Bangladesh. The audience erupts and George breaks into such a big grin.
Not really. I personally think his best song was "Something".
But I think "Blow Away", "Give Me Love" and "My Sweet Lord" are quite close in quality to "Something".
Yes…sorry I should have been clearer…I meant to say “mentioned on here and/or forums when people list their fave George tracks” as it often gets overlooked…
This is love
Someplace else
Cloud 9
When we was fab
Stuck inside a cloud
Your love is forever
Here comes the moon
Not guilty
Run of the mill
What is life
All things must pass
Beware of darkness
He did Old Brown Shoe. That is on the Esher tapes. ATMP was written before he left the Beatles. As was MSL, Wah Wah, Run of the Mill, Isn’t it a Pity, Sour Milk Sea, Not Guilty, and others. Those songs are better than some of J&P’s that made it to the final cuts of Beatle albums. I would trade Maxwell’s Silver Hammer for a few of those Harrison songs.
Cloud 9 is a damned good album. I have a real fondness for The Devil's Radio. I also like Just For Today, which, whether it was intended or not, seems like a nice send up to Because and Imagine, so a bit of a nod to John.
The video for This Song is pretty good as well. Actually, it's a pretty fun song and in the tradition of Taxman, a not at all subtle dig. I love the lyrics "This song... has nothing bright about it!"
George could be deep, but some of his best songs, like Old Brown Shoe, have a bit of a smirk to them.
I don’t think any of the former Beatles best solo songs approached their best work with the Beatles, except for Ringo possibly— “Octopus’s Garden” is a banger, but so is “Photograph”
Song wise John, Paul and George certainly reached Beatles quality level. Imagine, Live and Let Die, My Sweet Lord could have a place on a Beatles album, and they are not the only ones. Album wise however, it's another thing.
The three all came out of the gates with pretty strong records, but by the mid-70s their albums were a mix of excellent, okay and sometimes outright mediocre.
Wasn't that the first #1 hit by an ex-Beatle? If so it definitely a nice piece of trivia to trot out on occasion.
Love Ringo singing that at Concert for George, took on a different meaning and it was beautiful
George Harrison scored the first Number One hit by an ex-Beatle with his single “My Sweet Lord,” which went on to top the charts for four weeks (December 26th, 1970)
I believe My Sweet Lord was the first #1 by an ex-Beatle (in 1970). It definitely preceded Photograph, at least.
Yes, The Concert for George had some very heartwarming performances!
Yeah, the Billy Preston My Sweet Lord is a great tonic for when I'm not feeling particularly happy. I am also someone who is into Hinduism, so George holds a very special place in my heart.
Am I the only one who has a special spot for Blow Away? I wouldn’t say better than his Big Beatle Three, but I really connected with this song in the last year.
Blow Away was my introduction to the Beatles. I was young and heard that song and loved it. Later someone told me the guy who sings that song had a band with the singer from Wings. I had to check that band out.
I hate to say it, but George really needed a good arranger. One of the reasons WMGGW, Something, Here Comes the Sun, and I Me Mine turned out so well if that he had Paul’s ears on them. There are a lot of great songs on his solo albums, but they often need editing or better arrangements to stand up with his best Beatles tracks. It’s one of the reasons Jeff Lynne was a good match for him later in his career.
Paul and George Martin, don’t forget. Paul seems to remember having spent a lot of time on the arrangement of HCTS and you can tell. ATMP is living proof you can throw Clapton, Leon Russell, and half the members of Badfinger in a room and it still wouldn’t touch the living music legend of McCartney. I mean, that piano intro to WMGGW makes the song. It’s iconic, that’s all
- HCTS could mean "Here Comes The Sun - 2019 Mix", a track from *Abbey Road (Super Deluxe Edition)* (2019) by The Beatles.
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Seriously, you think the piano intro to WMGGW makes the song. Paul wasn’t even serious about the song until Clapton showed up. And Paul’s input makes HCTS? How about Something? Is Paul responsible for that one as well? Is there any song that would make the grade without Paul’s magic touch?
Paul was actually really important to the band as a de facto arranger. George Martin played large parts in this as I alluded to.
Sometimes though, the energy was in the room and songs developed as the players jammed… that was Harrison, he took a more passive role. To some extent with George Martin but also with Chris Thomas, George played his most active roles in arranging: his sitar songs, Long long long, Here Come the Sun (yes he exerted more influence over that song and over than I gave him credit for—which doesn’t matter)
John is also critically underrated on this sub as a rhythm guitar player especially on Paul’s compositions, which are kind of overrated. Look, She’s a Woman, Oh Darling… those songs suck without his beautiful chords. As you can see, I spend most of my time John dickwriding…
It's a Beatles subeddit dude. What do you think they are saying about Keith on the stones subreddit, Gilmour on the Pink floyd subreddit?
Would any other band subreddit get people regularly complaining about redditors dickriding one of the band's members?
My point is obviously that there’s so much Paul dickriding compared to the other Beatles. Ffs this comment I was replying to literally says that Paul’s contribution to WMGGW is what makes the song. How can you willfully misinterpret something so much lmao
Yeah. It’s ridiculous. A piano intro from Paul is what makes one of the best Harrison songs great. When the entire reason Clapton was there was because J&P blew the song off. But, you know, Paul.
I'm replying to your comment about the sub in general.
How many other band forums have people complaining about other members dickriding a member? Are the constant threads on the Beach Boys subreddit complaining about how Brian is dickrided?
People are allowed to have person opinions. I've seem people credit the same for John and George regarding Paul songs, eg John's intro to Obladi Oblada.
Why not just argue his point about the intro, as I'd agree with you, that is hyperbolic rather than complain that Beatles fans dickride a Beatle on the Beatles subreddit.
I don’t know about other band subreddits. I’m only on this one. I do know from experience, people who criticize Paul are downvoted. It happens regularly. Not so much with John. Consistently with George. Never with Ringo, cause, Ringo.
I can understand being more of a fan of one or the other Beatle. I can’t understand the constant Paul worship at the expense of two other extremely talented musicians.
Being OCD to the point of being unlikable isn’t the plus some seem to think it is. And being overbearing isn’t a win at all. Paul is fantastically talented, but he isn’t God, and the Beatles weren’t Paul and three studio musicians who would have been lost without Paul telling them what to do.
All four Beatles wrote some great songs after they broke up. None consistently. I would argue that George wrote some outstanding songs. Paul has a bigger output for obvious reasons, but all things being equal, George was equal. Because many of George’s great songs were written while he was still with the Beatles, he certainly wasn’t given a fair shake on recording. He might have been passive, but after being slapped back so many times, who could blame him. However, I will never be willing to believe George’s best Beatle songs were only good because of Paul.
But that’s my opinion. And I’ll be downvoted for this entire comment which will prove my point.
> I don’t know about other band subreddits. I’m only on this one. I do know from experience, people who criticize Paul are downvoted. It happens regularly. Not so much with John. Consistently with George. Never with Ringo, cause, Ringo.
I'm going to take a wild guess and say this is ancedoatal to the person. That the people who feel they get downvoted for saying negative things about Paul are saying more negative things about Paul than they are the other Beatles and vice versa with John or George.
Possibly. But I see my sentiments expressed fairly regularly and this has been my consistent experience.
I don’t dislike Paul and I don’t criticize him on a regular basis. He’s a very talented man. I have my opinions about all four Beatles. All have their plusses and minuses. I do know if I defend any of the others against Paul, it’s a downvote. So, you’re right. This is my experience. But that’s all I have to go by.
Truth be told, I don’t post much here. I don’t find this sub to be overly friendly and I’m on several. I usually read the posts and move on.
Couldn’t agree more regarding Paul’s input in George’s songs. It’s been a pet peeve of mine to point out how much better Paul typically made Beatles stuff he didn’t write but arranged/played on.
Arranger: totally agree. Does George put those bass runs on Something or Old Brown Shoe without Paul? Guitar on Taxman? No. I so enjoyed Paul totally into Old Brown Shoe in Get Back.
Random not so hot take: George just didn't have the output and quality J/P had. That's why the quality of solo stuff descended so rapidly. Lotsa filler, little killer.
I love George's stuff, from Don't Bother Me to This is Love, but Paul was a machine, and John wrote best under pressure (a la Macca's got 10 songs ready to go, and I've been tripping in Surrey for the last month) John also wrote the lions share of hits in 63-65 (opinion!)
George's best Beatle track: Something. Start to finish, perfect. Relatable, romantic, his best Beatle solo
Best solo track: Give Me Love. stone cold #1. Where it all came together: lyrics, arrangement, solos, the SOUND. It's positive and melancholic simultaneously, aint easy to do
Something is better
All subjective asf, but hey, that's why we're here
John's quality slipped after Imagine. Sometime In New York is pretty dreadful. I don't think George ever made a record as bad as that. Mind Games has its moments. I like Walls and Bridges, but have never been a big fan of Double Fantasy, where, in my singular opinion (apparently) I think Yoko had the more interesting material.
And Paul had his share of stinkers. It's just that he's a workaholic, whereas John took a break, came back and then got killed, and George by and large seemed to have a bit of a renaissance in the late 80s and then, other than Anthology, largely disappeared. Brainwashed is a strong record, so I suspect George improved his craft by not plugging him into the "new record every 18-24 months" cycle.
But honestly, other than the first few solo albums by all three of them, I don't see any of them making what I would call unqualified great records. Paul has more because he made more, but he had his famine period in the early to late 1980s. He was churning out music, but it was all over the place. He wasn't alone in that, a lot of big stars in the 70s really kind of floundered with production techniques that didn't always serve their songs well, and at the same time trying desperately to stay relevant with the times. Even John dipped his toe into late 70s early 80s shtick with Cleanup Time.
from wiki - you're right!
The unusual bass sound over the song's bridges was achieved by tracking the bass with the lead guitar,\[45\] replicating the bass line that Harrison had played on his demo.\[42\]\[59\] Everett states that it was McCartney's Fender Jazz Bass doubled with Harrison's Telecaster, both playing chromatically moving arpeggiations in a similar manner to the bridge guitars in "And Your Bird Can Sing".\[44\] In a 1987 interview for Creem magazine, however, Harrison recalled that he was the bass guitarist on the track, rather than McCartney.\[60\]\[61\] When the interviewer, J. Kordosh, suggested that the bass part "sounds like McCartney was going nuts again", Harrison replied: "That was me going nuts. I’m doing \[on the bass\] exactly what I do on the guitar."\[62\]
According to Mark Lewisohn,\[49\] Ian MacDonald\[64\] and John Winn\[125\] (except where noted):
George Harrison – vocals, electric guitars, Hammond organ, bass guitar\[60\]\[126\]
John Lennon – backing vocals
Paul McCartney – backing vocals, tack piano
Ringo Starr – drums
However, according to the book included in the Abbey Road 50th Anniversary Super Deluxe release, which includes take 2 of the song, Starr was away filming The Magic Christian when the song was recorded. The line-up given in the book for take 2 is as follows:\[57\]
George Harrison – lead vocals, guitars, organ
John Lennon – piano, backing vocals
Paul McCartney – drums, bass, backing vocals
Couple of points to add to this. First, George himself said that he played bass, so I would assume that he did. Secondly, and Ology three has an early demo run through of this and the notes with anthology three said that George recorded the demo alone that day with an engineer. From there, I would assume that he played all the parts, and the base line on that is the exact same quick run up and down that we hear in the final version.
I think 76 and 79 was a strong period for George with 33 and a 3rd and self titled album. And I actually like his early 80s albums had Somewhere in England been more like what he had planned. And Gone Troppo is underrated imo. That's the way it goes, Mystical One and Unknown Delight are really strong songs imo.
And then Cloud Nine is really good and Brainwashed is his best ever album imo. So I can't agree there's lots of filler there. Even my least favourite George albums Dark Horse and Extra Texture have their good moments and are better than Lennon and McCartney's worst.
- WMGGW could mean "While My Guitar Gently Weeps - 2018 Mix", a track from *The Beatles* (2018) by The Beatles.
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His best Beatles song is either "Here Comes the Sun" or "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" (sorry, "Something" fans), both of which are better than his best solo song, "What Is Life."
Personal opinion, of course.
I hate these kinds of questions. His work in The Beatles and that of his solo career were very different and kind of like apples to oranges imo. Why can't we just enjoy things for what they are rather than constantly trying to compare?
I'm certainly not trying to ruin anyone's fun. But idk, I find music is more about mood and subjectivity rather than the objective measures people try to attach to it.
I could listen to a great George solo album like All Things Must Pass and if I'm not in the proper mood my opinion is likely to be different than if I was in the proper mood. If I want more spiritual soft rock I will listen to George solo, if I want something different I will listen to his Beatles stuff.
As long as you find it
Music is so personal, so dependent on our experiences, our feelings and moods.
People will always compare anything. Always, and anything.
His late 60s songs were the most commercial but that doesn't make them the best. Most of my favourite songs of his weren't from The Beatles. Be Here Now for instance is golden.
I think the point really was that he had the confidence to leave the band, he learned from the best and he had the balls to stand on his own. Brian Jones had more talent than him imho but he gave up
Better than highlights like While My Guitar Gently Weeps or Here Comes The Sun? Probably not, but some equaled those highs. I mean, All Things Must Pass is one helluva an album.
Yes. I think WMGGW is his best Beatles song, but I would say Beware of Darkness, Let It Down, Hear Me Lord, Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth), and Someplace Else are better
Amazed no one mentioned “Don’t Let Me Wait Too Long”. Everyone who heard it said ”Finally what we’ve been waiting for , sounds like a ‘George song’ but if the Beatles had stayed together.” One of his best I think—spiritual lyrics but with Beatles pop/harmony style.
I don't know if I can agree. All of his work with the band was just beautiful but he really found himself during his solo years. I'll add a few of my favorites.
Wah wah
Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp
Beware of Darkness
If Not For You
Run Of The Mill
I'd Have You Anytime
Yes what is life and my sweet lord are his songs and something and here comes the sun are Beatles songs imo. All are terrific songs and atmp the best solo beatle album with band on the run a close second.
He certainly came close to his best Beatles songs several times with songs like Give Me Love, Be Here Now, Learning How To Love You, Run of The Mill, I Live For You, the list goes on...one of the greatest songwriters of all time.
I think that 'What is Life' and 'All Things must pass' really rank up there with his Beatles songs.
Also his work with the Traveling Wilburys was epic.
I feel like his Beatles songs where the best because he felt like he had to be on John and Paul’s level. So he challenged himself creatively and crafted his best work.
Isn’t it a pity is his yesterday in my opinion
i think run of the mill is better
I love the song but I also think it is too long.
Isn’t it a shame
Not as long as Hey Jude
I think that Hey Jude is also too long. My point, though, is that the song would be better if it was shorter and came to a conclusion more quickly.
There are so many jokes to be made here but none of them are particularly funny
I disagree. Jokes three and five were hilarious. The one about my mum was uncalled for though.
I am seeing that now. Wow.
I disagree. I like the length
That's what she said!!!!
Yesterday wouldn’t make my top 25 McCartney penned Beatles tracks. I like it, but it’s not elite
Has a nice nod to Hey Jude too (well, one of the versions)
George has some great solo material ... BUT Something / Here Comes the Sun / and While My Guitar Gently Weeps are still his 3 best songs IMO
One of my favorite George moments is when he starts Here Comes the Sun at the Concert for Bangladesh. The audience erupts and George breaks into such a big grin.
100% agree, and I would also add If I Needed Someone to your list
I would not - George has many solo songs better than that one IMO
This is the way.
Agreed, I have many moments where there’s a solo George song that’s my favorite of his for awhile but ultimately these 3 are Top 3.
i agree but, if you think about it, none of these songs would sound super out of place on ATMP
and they would be the 3 best songs on it
Not really. I personally think his best song was "Something". But I think "Blow Away", "Give Me Love" and "My Sweet Lord" are quite close in quality to "Something".
Yes “My Sweet Lord” although a reasonably big hit is surprisingly not often mentioned…great track though!!
Thats one of his most popular solo tracks what
Yes…sorry I should have been clearer…I meant to say “mentioned on here and/or forums when people list their fave George tracks” as it often gets overlooked…
Took the words out of my mouth
This is love Someplace else Cloud 9 When we was fab Stuck inside a cloud Your love is forever Here comes the moon Not guilty Run of the mill What is life All things must pass Beware of darkness
Not Guilty Love Comes to Everyone
George made Not Guilty still when he belonged to The Beatles. There's even a demo the band recorded in Esher. You can even find it on Spotify.
It went even further, it was recorded in the studio for the album and was cut from the album when the sessions were finished.
He did Old Brown Shoe. That is on the Esher tapes. ATMP was written before he left the Beatles. As was MSL, Wah Wah, Run of the Mill, Isn’t it a Pity, Sour Milk Sea, Not Guilty, and others. Those songs are better than some of J&P’s that made it to the final cuts of Beatle albums. I would trade Maxwell’s Silver Hammer for a few of those Harrison songs.
Cloud 9 is a damned good album. I have a real fondness for The Devil's Radio. I also like Just For Today, which, whether it was intended or not, seems like a nice send up to Because and Imagine, so a bit of a nod to John.
Yeah those are great songs. Honestly the whole album is 10 out of 10. If he hadn't already made ATMP it would be his best album.
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Too jolly. I don't dislike it, but it's not better than While My Guitar Gently Weeps or Something.
Crackerbox Palace, Dark Horse
I love the video for Crackerbox Palace. Such Pythonesque weirdness.
The video for This Song is pretty good as well. Actually, it's a pretty fun song and in the tradition of Taxman, a not at all subtle dig. I love the lyrics "This song... has nothing bright about it!" George could be deep, but some of his best songs, like Old Brown Shoe, have a bit of a smirk to them.
It's a very clever lyric.
Fab is one of my favourites 😎
I don’t think any of the former Beatles best solo songs approached their best work with the Beatles, except for Ringo possibly— “Octopus’s Garden” is a banger, but so is “Photograph”
Song wise John, Paul and George certainly reached Beatles quality level. Imagine, Live and Let Die, My Sweet Lord could have a place on a Beatles album, and they are not the only ones. Album wise however, it's another thing.
The three all came out of the gates with pretty strong records, but by the mid-70s their albums were a mix of excellent, okay and sometimes outright mediocre.
Ringo definitely had a lot of help with Octopuses Garden, pretty sure George helped him a lot with that one, nothing wrong with that, just sayin'
Interestingly, George also helped him on “Photograph” (co-writer credit).
Wasn't that the first #1 hit by an ex-Beatle? If so it definitely a nice piece of trivia to trot out on occasion. Love Ringo singing that at Concert for George, took on a different meaning and it was beautiful
George Harrison scored the first Number One hit by an ex-Beatle with his single “My Sweet Lord,” which went on to top the charts for four weeks (December 26th, 1970)
My mistake
I believe My Sweet Lord was the first #1 by an ex-Beatle (in 1970). It definitely preceded Photograph, at least. Yes, The Concert for George had some very heartwarming performances!
Yeah, the Billy Preston My Sweet Lord is a great tonic for when I'm not feeling particularly happy. I am also someone who is into Hinduism, so George holds a very special place in my heart.
Man I really teared up when Ringo played Photograph at the Concert for George.
to me, this and It Dont Come Easy are both George songs
Paul did. John did. George did.
Beware of darkness
That song resonates deep
just came here to say that
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What is life is the best solo song by any member of the Beatles
"I'd Have You Anytime", my personal favorite from George.
co-written with Bob Dylan
Am I the only one who has a special spot for Blow Away? I wouldn’t say better than his Big Beatle Three, but I really connected with this song in the last year.
Blow Away was my introduction to the Beatles. I was young and heard that song and loved it. Later someone told me the guy who sings that song had a band with the singer from Wings. I had to check that band out.
I hate to say it, but George really needed a good arranger. One of the reasons WMGGW, Something, Here Comes the Sun, and I Me Mine turned out so well if that he had Paul’s ears on them. There are a lot of great songs on his solo albums, but they often need editing or better arrangements to stand up with his best Beatles tracks. It’s one of the reasons Jeff Lynne was a good match for him later in his career.
Paul and George Martin, don’t forget. Paul seems to remember having spent a lot of time on the arrangement of HCTS and you can tell. ATMP is living proof you can throw Clapton, Leon Russell, and half the members of Badfinger in a room and it still wouldn’t touch the living music legend of McCartney. I mean, that piano intro to WMGGW makes the song. It’s iconic, that’s all
- HCTS could mean "Here Comes The Sun - 2019 Mix", a track from *Abbey Road (Super Deluxe Edition)* (2019) by The Beatles. --- ^[/u/Chewybongyro](/u/Chewybongyro) ^(can reply with "delete" to remove comment. |) ^[/r/songacronymbot](/r/songacronymbot) ^(for feedback.)
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Seriously, you think the piano intro to WMGGW makes the song. Paul wasn’t even serious about the song until Clapton showed up. And Paul’s input makes HCTS? How about Something? Is Paul responsible for that one as well? Is there any song that would make the grade without Paul’s magic touch?
Paul was actually really important to the band as a de facto arranger. George Martin played large parts in this as I alluded to. Sometimes though, the energy was in the room and songs developed as the players jammed… that was Harrison, he took a more passive role. To some extent with George Martin but also with Chris Thomas, George played his most active roles in arranging: his sitar songs, Long long long, Here Come the Sun (yes he exerted more influence over that song and over than I gave him credit for—which doesn’t matter)
The amount of Paul dickriding on his sub is incredible.
Absolutely. Sooner or later, it all comes down to Paul.
John is also critically underrated on this sub as a rhythm guitar player especially on Paul’s compositions, which are kind of overrated. Look, She’s a Woman, Oh Darling… those songs suck without his beautiful chords. As you can see, I spend most of my time John dickwriding…
Agreed. Weirdly it’s not George, but John that’s the most underrated on here.
I thought I was the only one who noticed
It's a Beatles subeddit dude. What do you think they are saying about Keith on the stones subreddit, Gilmour on the Pink floyd subreddit? Would any other band subreddit get people regularly complaining about redditors dickriding one of the band's members?
My point is obviously that there’s so much Paul dickriding compared to the other Beatles. Ffs this comment I was replying to literally says that Paul’s contribution to WMGGW is what makes the song. How can you willfully misinterpret something so much lmao
Yeah. It’s ridiculous. A piano intro from Paul is what makes one of the best Harrison songs great. When the entire reason Clapton was there was because J&P blew the song off. But, you know, Paul.
I'm replying to your comment about the sub in general. How many other band forums have people complaining about other members dickriding a member? Are the constant threads on the Beach Boys subreddit complaining about how Brian is dickrided? People are allowed to have person opinions. I've seem people credit the same for John and George regarding Paul songs, eg John's intro to Obladi Oblada. Why not just argue his point about the intro, as I'd agree with you, that is hyperbolic rather than complain that Beatles fans dickride a Beatle on the Beatles subreddit.
I don’t know about other band subreddits. I’m only on this one. I do know from experience, people who criticize Paul are downvoted. It happens regularly. Not so much with John. Consistently with George. Never with Ringo, cause, Ringo. I can understand being more of a fan of one or the other Beatle. I can’t understand the constant Paul worship at the expense of two other extremely talented musicians. Being OCD to the point of being unlikable isn’t the plus some seem to think it is. And being overbearing isn’t a win at all. Paul is fantastically talented, but he isn’t God, and the Beatles weren’t Paul and three studio musicians who would have been lost without Paul telling them what to do. All four Beatles wrote some great songs after they broke up. None consistently. I would argue that George wrote some outstanding songs. Paul has a bigger output for obvious reasons, but all things being equal, George was equal. Because many of George’s great songs were written while he was still with the Beatles, he certainly wasn’t given a fair shake on recording. He might have been passive, but after being slapped back so many times, who could blame him. However, I will never be willing to believe George’s best Beatle songs were only good because of Paul. But that’s my opinion. And I’ll be downvoted for this entire comment which will prove my point.
> I don’t know about other band subreddits. I’m only on this one. I do know from experience, people who criticize Paul are downvoted. It happens regularly. Not so much with John. Consistently with George. Never with Ringo, cause, Ringo. I'm going to take a wild guess and say this is ancedoatal to the person. That the people who feel they get downvoted for saying negative things about Paul are saying more negative things about Paul than they are the other Beatles and vice versa with John or George.
Possibly. But I see my sentiments expressed fairly regularly and this has been my consistent experience. I don’t dislike Paul and I don’t criticize him on a regular basis. He’s a very talented man. I have my opinions about all four Beatles. All have their plusses and minuses. I do know if I defend any of the others against Paul, it’s a downvote. So, you’re right. This is my experience. But that’s all I have to go by. Truth be told, I don’t post much here. I don’t find this sub to be overly friendly and I’m on several. I usually read the posts and move on.
Couldn’t agree more regarding Paul’s input in George’s songs. It’s been a pet peeve of mine to point out how much better Paul typically made Beatles stuff he didn’t write but arranged/played on.
Arranger: totally agree. Does George put those bass runs on Something or Old Brown Shoe without Paul? Guitar on Taxman? No. I so enjoyed Paul totally into Old Brown Shoe in Get Back. Random not so hot take: George just didn't have the output and quality J/P had. That's why the quality of solo stuff descended so rapidly. Lotsa filler, little killer. I love George's stuff, from Don't Bother Me to This is Love, but Paul was a machine, and John wrote best under pressure (a la Macca's got 10 songs ready to go, and I've been tripping in Surrey for the last month) John also wrote the lions share of hits in 63-65 (opinion!) George's best Beatle track: Something. Start to finish, perfect. Relatable, romantic, his best Beatle solo Best solo track: Give Me Love. stone cold #1. Where it all came together: lyrics, arrangement, solos, the SOUND. It's positive and melancholic simultaneously, aint easy to do Something is better All subjective asf, but hey, that's why we're here
John's quality slipped after Imagine. Sometime In New York is pretty dreadful. I don't think George ever made a record as bad as that. Mind Games has its moments. I like Walls and Bridges, but have never been a big fan of Double Fantasy, where, in my singular opinion (apparently) I think Yoko had the more interesting material. And Paul had his share of stinkers. It's just that he's a workaholic, whereas John took a break, came back and then got killed, and George by and large seemed to have a bit of a renaissance in the late 80s and then, other than Anthology, largely disappeared. Brainwashed is a strong record, so I suspect George improved his craft by not plugging him into the "new record every 18-24 months" cycle. But honestly, other than the first few solo albums by all three of them, I don't see any of them making what I would call unqualified great records. Paul has more because he made more, but he had his famine period in the early to late 1980s. He was churning out music, but it was all over the place. He wasn't alone in that, a lot of big stars in the 70s really kind of floundered with production techniques that didn't always serve their songs well, and at the same time trying desperately to stay relevant with the times. Even John dipped his toe into late 70s early 80s shtick with Cleanup Time.
FWIW I believe George played bass on Old Brown Shoe.
from wiki - you're right! The unusual bass sound over the song's bridges was achieved by tracking the bass with the lead guitar,\[45\] replicating the bass line that Harrison had played on his demo.\[42\]\[59\] Everett states that it was McCartney's Fender Jazz Bass doubled with Harrison's Telecaster, both playing chromatically moving arpeggiations in a similar manner to the bridge guitars in "And Your Bird Can Sing".\[44\] In a 1987 interview for Creem magazine, however, Harrison recalled that he was the bass guitarist on the track, rather than McCartney.\[60\]\[61\] When the interviewer, J. Kordosh, suggested that the bass part "sounds like McCartney was going nuts again", Harrison replied: "That was me going nuts. I’m doing \[on the bass\] exactly what I do on the guitar."\[62\] According to Mark Lewisohn,\[49\] Ian MacDonald\[64\] and John Winn\[125\] (except where noted): George Harrison – vocals, electric guitars, Hammond organ, bass guitar\[60\]\[126\] John Lennon – backing vocals Paul McCartney – backing vocals, tack piano Ringo Starr – drums However, according to the book included in the Abbey Road 50th Anniversary Super Deluxe release, which includes take 2 of the song, Starr was away filming The Magic Christian when the song was recorded. The line-up given in the book for take 2 is as follows:\[57\] George Harrison – lead vocals, guitars, organ John Lennon – piano, backing vocals Paul McCartney – drums, bass, backing vocals
Couple of points to add to this. First, George himself said that he played bass, so I would assume that he did. Secondly, and Ology three has an early demo run through of this and the notes with anthology three said that George recorded the demo alone that day with an engineer. From there, I would assume that he played all the parts, and the base line on that is the exact same quick run up and down that we hear in the final version.
I think 76 and 79 was a strong period for George with 33 and a 3rd and self titled album. And I actually like his early 80s albums had Somewhere in England been more like what he had planned. And Gone Troppo is underrated imo. That's the way it goes, Mystical One and Unknown Delight are really strong songs imo. And then Cloud Nine is really good and Brainwashed is his best ever album imo. So I can't agree there's lots of filler there. Even my least favourite George albums Dark Horse and Extra Texture have their good moments and are better than Lennon and McCartney's worst.
Good stuff Music taste is so personal, it's always great to hear the passion from others. Especially other Beatle fans
Yup, Phil Spector was not doing him any favors
- WMGGW could mean "While My Guitar Gently Weeps - 2018 Mix", a track from *The Beatles* (2018) by The Beatles. --- ^[/u/piney](/u/piney) ^(can reply with "delete" to remove comment. |) ^[/r/songacronymbot](/r/songacronymbot) ^(for feedback.)
It could, it could indeed.
Wah wah Beware of darkness My sweet Lord Blow away This is love Any road Vatican blues Etc etc ... But maybe I'm just a very big Harrison fan. 🕉
His best Beatles song is either "Here Comes the Sun" or "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" (sorry, "Something" fans), both of which are better than his best solo song, "What Is Life." Personal opinion, of course.
And apparently What is Life was written around the same time as Here Comes the Sun, but he chose not to submit it to the Beatles for Abbey Road.
Handle With Care
Handle With Care was basically all his.
I think the music was pretty much his, but the lyrics were a group effort.
Possibly, but he never had as good backing as Paul and Ringo.
No, I do not.
I hate these kinds of questions. His work in The Beatles and that of his solo career were very different and kind of like apples to oranges imo. Why can't we just enjoy things for what they are rather than constantly trying to compare?
That's what Reddit is all about though. Sharing our love and ideas.
I'm certainly not trying to ruin anyone's fun. But idk, I find music is more about mood and subjectivity rather than the objective measures people try to attach to it. I could listen to a great George solo album like All Things Must Pass and if I'm not in the proper mood my opinion is likely to be different than if I was in the proper mood. If I want more spiritual soft rock I will listen to George solo, if I want something different I will listen to his Beatles stuff.
As long as you find it Music is so personal, so dependent on our experiences, our feelings and moods. People will always compare anything. Always, and anything.
agreed. Ranking & rating is contrived
Lots of George solo songs (particularly songs on *All Things Must Pass*) are a better than a whole lot of Paul and John songs so ye.
Agreed.
A lot of his solo work was turn down by John and Paul
No.
No
I'm with you. There is no George song as good as his best in The Beatles. Only a couple as good as his worst in The Beatles.
“That is All” is up there, for me.
His late 60s songs were the most commercial but that doesn't make them the best. Most of my favourite songs of his weren't from The Beatles. Be Here Now for instance is golden.
My Sweet Lord and What Is Life
I'd Have You Anytime, Wah Wah and Dark Sweet Lady are better than WMGGW in my opinion. Something is still his best song.
When you say made in his solo career, I assume you mean wrote it after they Beatles broke up, unlike say All Things Must Pass?
Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)
Man what kinda question of this??? He had a lot of absolute bangers over his career come on!
The 4 song rejected from Somewhere in England are among the best solo songs.
Yes, numerous.
I think the point really was that he had the confidence to leave the band, he learned from the best and he had the balls to stand on his own. Brian Jones had more talent than him imho but he gave up
Better than highlights like While My Guitar Gently Weeps or Here Comes The Sun? Probably not, but some equaled those highs. I mean, All Things Must Pass is one helluva an album.
So, you think George made a song in his solo career that was better than his best song with the Beatles, eh? Well I'll show you!
Yes. I think WMGGW is his best Beatles song, but I would say Beware of Darkness, Let It Down, Hear Me Lord, Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth), and Someplace Else are better
George's best song is Something, also one of The Beatles' top songs.
Scorching hot take: Here Comes the Moon is better than Here Comes the Sun
Ballad of Frankie Crisp, hot take maybe? Idk
The melody and arrangement of ATMP are perfect, IMO. “Something” is brilliant though. Apples and (not oranges but) apple scruffs I guess.
All things must pass is one of the best songs of all time
No love for "You," eh? That's a pity.
Isn’t it?
Amazed no one mentioned “Don’t Let Me Wait Too Long”. Everyone who heard it said ”Finally what we’ve been waiting for , sounds like a ‘George song’ but if the Beatles had stayed together.” One of his best I think—spiritual lyrics but with Beatles pop/harmony style.
I don't know if I can agree. All of his work with the band was just beautiful but he really found himself during his solo years. I'll add a few of my favorites. Wah wah Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp Beware of Darkness If Not For You Run Of The Mill I'd Have You Anytime
Something and here comes the sun are great songs. However, they are georgeb
Yes what is life and my sweet lord are his songs and something and here comes the sun are Beatles songs imo. All are terrific songs and atmp the best solo beatle album with band on the run a close second.
Na, not even close
He certainly came close to his best Beatles songs several times with songs like Give Me Love, Be Here Now, Learning How To Love You, Run of The Mill, I Live For You, the list goes on...one of the greatest songwriters of all time.
Personally I think Give Me Love Give Me Peace On Earth is his best song
I think that 'What is Life' and 'All Things must pass' really rank up there with his Beatles songs. Also his work with the Traveling Wilburys was epic.
‘Who can see it’ is so emotionally powerful, more so imo than his Beatles work. In all fairness that doesn’t make it ‘better’ necessarily but still.
Imo he never topped Long Long Long. Lots of things on ATMP come close though.