The Concert for Bangladesh
Capitol recently reissued George Harrison's The Concert for Bangladesh. They were touting the new digital-remix-mastering-blah-blah-blah, and for once, it's not hype. This disc sounds absolutely phenomenal--crystal clear. It's an amazing technical achievement, and the music, of course, is fantastic.If you're not familiar with this concert, it was held in Madison Square Garden in 1971, and here are some of the artists involved: George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Billy Preson, Ringo Starr, Leon Russell, and Klaus Voorman. Oh, and Ravi Shankar was in there, too.
I always liked George Harrison the best. I know--heresy--but I think his best work is every bit as good or better than Lennon or McCartney's best work. He just wasn't as prolific. And I think he wrote the greatest love song ever written--"Old Brown Shoe." If you have that song and have never listened to it with headphones on, it's just incredible--Harrison sings the lyrics with this shouting, growling edge that makes it both fierce and beautiful.
I listened to that song for years and never understood until I happened to have headphones on one day. It was the first time I heard what was really going on inside the song, and it was so stunning that I must have hit "repeat" ten times. I know I've mentioned this before, but every time Harrison comes up, I'm reminded.
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