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George Harrison
George Harrison was the youngest of the Beatles, he was private, shy and very spiritual. Throughout most of his Beatles career he was, as he called himself, “the Economy Class” Beatle. Cynthia Lennon described him as "a thin gangly kid who used to tag along with John and I, constantly being the third wheel". Since he didn’t start writing songs until after John & Paul had amassed a number of big hits, his contribution was limited to just one or two songs per album. He also did not have the luxury of a brilliant composer as his partner. George would often complain that his songs were not taken very seriously in the studio and that the apathy from John & Paul was quite evident. Despite his late blooming songwriting talent and the other “First Class” Beatles lack of interest in his material, he did manage to write a few good songs like:
George Harrison said that “This unlocked an enormous big door in the back on my consciousness.” He was the one who brought Indian music to the Beatles, his sitar work on "Norwegian Wood" is the first time that instrument has been used on a rock song. After the break- up of the Beatles, George said “The biggest break in my career was getting into the Beatles in 1963. The second biggest break was getting out of them.” George Harrison was the first member of the Beatles to release a Number #1 hit in “My Sweet Lord” and his solo debut album All Things Must Pass was Number 1 for 7 weeks, in the Top Ten for 14 weeks and remained on Billboard’s Album chart for an incredible 40 weeks. Here are the musicians who worked with George Harrison on that album. It reads like the Who’s Who of Rock Musicians for this time.
George always said that "after the Beatles I had this huge back log of songs that I had written and a triple album was the only way to get it done". Above all George Harrison will be remembered for his music. He once said: "I think people who can live their life in music are telling the world: 'You can have my love, you can have my smiles. Forget the bad parts, you don't need them. Just take the music, the goodness, because it's the very best,' and it's the part I give most willingly.'”
George Harrison - In His Own Words
George Harrison on the White Album: "I think it was a double album because there were so many songs, but it was a period that had started a bit negative. It was a bit difficult and we got through it and it was fine. We finally got through the album and everybody was pleased because the tracks were good. Then I worked on an album with Jackie Lomax on an Apple record and I spent a long time in the States, and I had such a good time working with all these different musicians and different people. Then I hung out at Woodstock for Thanksgiving and, you know, I felt really good at that time. I got back to England for Christmas and then on January 1st we were to start on the thing which turned into 'Let It Be.' And straight away, again, it was just weird vibes. You know, I found I was starting to be able to enjoy being a musician, but the moment I got back with the Beatles it was just too difficult. There were just too many limitations based upon our being together for so long. Everybody was sort of pigeon-holed. It was frustrating." "The problem was that John and Paul had written songs for so long it was difficult-- First of all because they had such alot of tunes and they automatically thought that theirs should be priority. So for me, I'd always have to wait through ten of their songs before they'd even listen to one of mine. That was why 'All Things Must Pass' had so many songs, because it was like I'd been constipated. I had a little encouragement from time to time, but it was very little. It was like they were doing me a favor. I didn't have much confidence in writing songs because of that. Because they never said, 'Yeah that's a good song.' When we got into things like "While My Guitar Gently Weeps,' we recorded it one night and there was such a lack of enthusiasm. So I went home really disappointed because I knew the song was good." "The next day I brought Eric Clapton with me. He was really nervous. I was saying, 'Just come and play on the session, then I can sing and play acoustic guitar.' Because what happened when Eric was there on that day, and later on when Billy Preston... I pulled in Billy Preston on Let It Be... it helped, because the others would have to control themselves a bit more. John and Paul mainly because they had to, you know, act more handsomely. Eric was nervous saying, 'No, what will they say?' And I was saying, 'Fuck 'em, that's my song.' You know, he was the first non-Beatle person who'd ever played on anything." * Sorry George but the 1st outsider to play on a Beatles track was Johnny Scott who played the flute on You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away. George in his own words 12/88What do you think about the "Revolution" commercial? (12/88) "Well, that’s something that is a problem, inasmuch as they, whoever wanted it... see, you’ve got these people who own copyrights of things. How they obtained them is a different business. Talking personally about the songs I wrote when I was very young, this guy came up to me and said, "Well, you’ve got to have your music published." I go, "What’s that?" "So that when it goes out you can get some money for it. So, here, why don’t you sign this form and I’ll publish your music for you." They forget to say, "And, incidentally, I’m gonna steal your song and I will own it for the rest of my life, and you don’t own that song even though you just wrote it." George Harrison on Savoy Truffle (2/77)"'Savoy Truffle' on The White Album was written for Eric Clapton. He's got this real sweet tooth and he'd just had his mouth worked on. His dentist said he was through with candy. So as a tribute I wrote, 'You'll have to have them all pulled out after the Savoy Truffle.' The truffle was some kind of sweet, just like all the rest-- cream tangerine, ginger sling-- just candy, to tease Eric." George Harrison on Hamburg (2/77)"In Hamburg, we were living right in the middle of St Paulie, which is right in the middle of the Reeperbahn district in Hamburg. All the club owners were like gangsters, and all the waiters had tear-gas guns, truncheons, knuckle-dusters. They were a heavy crew. Everybody around that district were homosexuals, pimps, hookers. You know, being in the middle of that when I was 17. It was good fun. But when we moved into our second club we were becoming so popular with the crowd of regulars that we never got in any problems with all these gangster sort of people. They never tried to beat us up because they knew the Beatles. And you know, they'd say 'Pedels' (pronounced, Peedles), that's German for prick." George on his allotment of Songs (4/70)Q: "I didn't know you were that prolific as a writer because there's so few of your songs on Beatles albums." GEORGE: "Yeah, well, I wrote some songs-- in fact some songs which I feel are quite nice which I'll use on this album-- I wrote about four years ago. But, uhh, it was more difficult for me then to, you know, get in there to do it. It was the way the Beatles took off with Paul and John's songs, and it made it very difficult for me get in. And also, I suppose at that time I didn't have as much confidence when it came down to pushing my own material as I have now. So it took a while. You know, I think the first... I did write one song on about the second album, and I left it and didn't write any more. That was just an exercise to see if I could write. About two years later I recorded a couple more songs-- I think 'Rubber Soul.' And then I've had one or two songs on each album. Well, there are four songs of mine on the double White Album. But now, uhh, the output of songs is too much to be able to just sit around, you know, waiting to put two songs on an album. I've got to get 'em out, you know." Q: "How was it decided how many songs you would have on a Beatles album? Is it, like, just whoever pushed and shoved the hardest?" GEORGE: "Yeah. It's always... it was whoever would be the heaviest would get the most songs done. So consequently, I couldn't be bothered pushing, like, that much. You know, even on 'Abbey Road' for instance, we'd record about eight tracks before I got 'round to doing one of mine. Because uhh, you know, you say 'Well, I've got a song,' and then with Paul-- 'Well I've got a song as well and mine goes like this-- diddle-diddle-diddle-duh,' and away you go! You know, it was just difficult to get in there, and I wasn't gonna push and shout. But it was just over the last year or so we worked something out, which is still a joke really-- Three songs for me, three songs for Paul, three songs for John, and two for Ringo."
George Harrison Biography
George Harrison attended Dovedale Primary school, two forms behind John Lennon, and then Liverpool Institute, one form below Paul McCartney. He showed his independant nature at an early age, defying his school's age-old dress code by wearing jeans and growing long hair. His strict parents did not condone his disrespectful attitude and George soon learned to tone down his rebellion. When the skiffle craze hit Liverpool, George and his brother Peter formed a Skiffle band, but because they were so young, they had to sneak out of the house to play their first engagement.
George and Paul took the same bus to school, and soon found they had music and guitars in common. They spent many hours together at each other's homes practicing guitar. In 1956, Paul introduced the skinny and pimple-faced George to the Quarrymen. George was only 14 at the time. Not old enough to join the group, George hung around with the boys, and came to idolize John, doing everything he could to emulate him. George stood in the back of the room at all their shows with his guitar. A few times he filled in for the regular guitarist who didn't show up, and the boys were also welcomed in George's house by his mother to practice and for an occasional "jam buttie", encouragement which infuriated John's Aunt Mimi. Gradually, George became a member of the group, which by then had come to be called Johnny and the Moondogs. George almost missed the Beatles' biggest appearance in America, the Ed Sullivan Show, on February 9, 1964, because of a sore throat. He met teenage model Patty Boyd while filming A Hard Day's Night and they got married on January 21, 1966. Other Members of The Beatles include:
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George Harrison was one hell of a songwriter & guitarist and over all musician. Did you know he played the bass on a number of Beatles songs? On this page I’ll bring you some of the things George said about the Beatles music, and the Eric & Pattie love triangle…In His Own Words…a video or two and a complete dictionary-type biography.
He was also the most spiritual of the Beatles and after being turned onto to the 
At their first session, when the Beatles were asked by George Martin if there wasn't anything they didn't like, George replied: 
George Harrison was born February 25, 1943, making him the youngest Beatle. The only Beatle who's childhood was not marred by divorce or death, he had two brothers, Harold Jr. and Peter, and a sister, Louise. His father, Harold, was a bus driver, and his mother a housewife, who all the kids in the neighborhood knew and liked. 
From the very start of the Beatles' popularity, George Harrison was as major a vocalist as John and Paul. As the songwriting of Lennon and McCartney became world-known, George started to concentrate more on writing songs as well, although many of the early songs written while with the Beatles went unrecorded. The first Beatles song written by George Harrison was Don't Bother Me. George became a very serious musician who worked diligently to perfect his playing. His concentration to his playing was apparent while on stage, especially compared to the wild antics of John and Paul. 
