Episode Ep 695 November 9, 2024 39 min 55s

The genius of George Harrison and why he’s still underrated

From Word In Your Ear Mark Ellen, David Hepworth and Alex Gold

The most streamed Beatles song – 700 million plays more than any other – is not by Lennon/McCartney but George who, as author Seth Rogovoy points out, is still widely considered “an economy-class Beatle” though his contributions were central to the success of their records. Seth’s new book ‘Within You Without You: Listening to George Harrison’ sets out to right this monstrous wrong! As does this conversation with the two of us which covers …

… did My Sweet Lord’s court case puncture his sense of ambition?

… how he changed Taxman for American audiences.

… the statement made by starting All Things Must Pass with a Dylan/Harrison composition.

… how he was fleeced by not one but two managers - Allen Klein and Denis O’Brien.

… what we learnt from watching ‘Get Back’.

… Broadway ballads, Vaudeville, jazz and the solo on ‘Til There Was You.

… remortgaging Friar Park for Life Of Brian and pushing for the Anthology “payday”.

… his glorious spiritual/material contradiction – “the Pisces sign is two fish going in opposite directions”.

… a social mobility that John and Paul both envied.

… falling out of love with live performance.

… the beliefs of his early ‘20s he sustained all his life.

… and the staples of George Harrison’s Jukebox.