George Harrison's early solo stuff (1 Viewer)

[Grant B]

Having a couple of hundred beatle records, sometimes it takes a while to get to some of the more obscure stuff.

Put on george's electronic sounds and wonderwall for my wife.. she was blown away on how bad it was (wait till I put on the wedding album someday)

most discographies I saw in the past few days , left these off (both pre-dated all things must pass by years)

dammit can't even find my ommmmmmmmm button

bye george, your music lives on (even electronic sounds!)

 

[Keith Paynter]

Remember, Electronic Sounds along with Lennon's Unfinished Music No. 2 - Life With The Lions were the product of the Beatles short-lived Apple spinoff label for experimental music - ZAPPLE Records (The label features the classic Granny Smith with a big 'Zapple' written over top).

No other titles were released on the label. I still have both of them on vinyl and E.S. on Apple CD. LWTL was released on CD by Rykodisc, but featured a label stencil in the booklet.

 

[Grant B]

yes i remember seeing the zapple when i pulled it out of the sleeve. iam pretty suprised that they were ever released on cd...not really something to pull out and listen too unless you are heavily sedated

always thought the wedding album was on zapple too? I have the japanese pressing of it with the cardboard cake and marriage certificate

life with the lions is the only beatles solo record I could never find, i looked for years.

i stopped collecting years ago but kept all the rare stuff...only about 12 feet of lps (it took up rooms once upon a time)some day when i need a few bucks i'll flood ebay

oh well well well

 

[Anthony Hom]

I have Electonic Sound on an imported CD. The point of Zapple is right. It is avante garde sounds. I'm not surprised if you don't like it all. The whole point of Avante garde is not to be mainstream. If it sounded catchy and normal, it wouldn't be AG.

I had my doubts about ES until I read a review of the disc. It is likely to be appreciated not for George Harrison, but for electronic synthesizer audiophiles, with the likes of artists like Wendy Carlos (Clockwork Orange). The reviewer put ES up there with the best synthesizer pieces ever done. The best part of the disc is the piece mostly done by Bernie Krause (No time or space). You can actually hear snippets on one of Harrisons Apple Jams on ATMP.

The recording is amazing because it was all done on a moog sytnthesizer circa 1968. No memory to save or sample, only plays one note at a time and each piece is over 10 minutes in length.

IMO, ES is a tough recording to appreciate, especially if you are used to having a backbeat, a rhythm, and guitar hooks. It an experimental piece and should be treated that way.

Wonderwall Music is a collection of incidental music from a film and does not hold up well without the film.

 

[Grant B]

true enough and it was experimental to say the least. It's nice to know a few people have it and listened too it. Never would have guessed it was thought of so highly. I played a Moog in college in 79 and it was at least 5 years old at the time. Did a version of Cream's Tales of brave Ulysses for my final....guess it was a lot more sophisticated then 'the wall of pots' that George played

I recently bought the rhino release of the DVD of wonderwall and was pleasently suprised. Actually entertaining and funny in a Austin Powers way.

 

[MikeAW]

In retrospect, the whole of the Beatles solo recordings are mediocre and very spotty at best, and only proved they were most successfull as a whole unit. For most musicians, the group experience produces the best overall results, and even they were not excepted from this maxim.

In reality, Good old George's catalog only has several quality songs that can stand the test of time, and stand up under repeated plays. I mean "Ding Dong"...come on ?!

Paul fares the worse. His approach is like The Shotgun Effect...expending a high amount of product into the marketplace, in various media, and hope some of it sticks. When you're a Beatle you're one forever, and he, above them all, borrowed heavily on his fame as a Beatle. As he has produced the highest output of overall product in the marketplace, he has consistently left himself more vulnerable aesthetically. Nonetheless, and because of his astute business knowledge and high public profile, he was always able to turn, even the worst of his recordings into Anticipated Media Events and profitable ventures.

John was the most adventurous as a conventional Musician and Artist, but even he couldn't force us to digest what he released most of the time, though his releases were good for a consistent number of unit sales.

Ringo was Ringo and never claimed any artistic pretentions that he was anything that he was not it in his public persona. Unfortunately likability doesn't translate well into producing good music and music sales.

 

[Grant B]

Back when I was much younger and had actual freetime, I made tapes for the car. Taking 6 or 7 lennon solo stuff, 5 or so by paul, 3/4 from george and a couple Ringo singles and you would have a great "beatles' tape. No George Martin to make it all work as one but much better than a solo effort

 

[Anthony Hom]

One of the reasons for the breakup, and they all emphasized this, was being the Beatles was like living in a box. It's amazing after all their disputes they could put a halfway decent album like Abbey Road together, knowing they were going to break up.

One thing all four agreed was a minimum quality standard on all Beatle albums, which is reflected in comparison to the solo stuff relased before the breakup. The solo stuff may be sub par, but any true artist in his own right wants to hit or miss in their own way sometimes. Being the Beatles made them color between the lines all the time (which resulted in great music). But as artists, they wanted some new direction, reagrdless of whether it worked or not. They also didn't want to be scrutinized for their music had to follow a formula. They distanced themselves from the Beatles on purpose in the 70's for that very reason. I think they felt they had nothing to prove anymore and wanted to do music they wanted to hear that they liked. They didn't care if no one liked it (except for Paul). It wasn't until the 80's that some better solo stuff came out. (Double Fantasy, Tug of War, Cloud 9).

If one thing best describes their solo careers, it's self indulgent, but didn't they deserve that? After giving all they had to give on god's green earth to quote John?

 

[Grant B]

True enough...and in a weird way I do like Ding Dong...and now that they are gone, I am much happier that they put even the crap out then 'censor themselves'.

Sad that you know there will never be another Harrison or Lennon album (new recordings -not lets clear out the archives and make a few $$)

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Paul fares the worse. His approach is like The Shotgun Effect...expending a high amount of product into the marketplace, in various media, and hope some of it sticks.

Personally, I think Paul fares BEST of the ex-Beatles - at least he was out there and tried to maintain his standing as a working musician. Today, John's five-year break would be nothing, but at the time, it was an eternity; in the current marketplace, I'd think it equals a 10 to 12 year absence. Of course, we have no idea what would have happened had he not died, but I don't think an extended break makes one more of an artist.

As for George, he was fairly active from 1970 through 1982, when he dropped off the earth for all intents and purposes. His material was occasionally good, but very spotty as a whole. Again, a lack of new material doesn't seem to be a virtue to me.

And Ringo... to be brutally honest, who cares? Somebody, I'm sure, but not me. He generated a few good tunes but ended any notable presence many years ago.

You make it sound as though Paul generates album after album to saturate the marketplace. He's always worked at a normal level based on the conditions of the era. In the Seventies, he put out a little less than an album a year, and in the Eighties, he basically did one full original record every two years. (Five albums in the decade if we don't count Broad Street.) The Nineties only saw two new original albums plus Run Devil Run, which is not atypical for an artist of his stature. The Stones only produced two new albums in the Nineties, and Springsteen had just three.

The revisionist anti-Paul tone that greets him today really needs to go away...

 

[Rachael B]

"It's johnny's birthday..." I like Apple jam on my toast!

 

[MikeAW]

Dear Colin,

To elaborate on my statement on The Shotgun Effect, Paul is/was the most conscious of using...to the point of crass absurdity...the marketing techniques of the New Media Age.

I'm talking about the strategy of the multi-format music release... the "limited" CD single , vinyl 7inch & 12inch single, the multi-7inch release of the whole album, ALL with different bonus tracks which are different dance mixes...the UK, the EC import and the Japanese release of same.

How about releasing a book of "poetry" that is just song lyrics ? Is that crass enough ?

 

[Colin Jacobson]

I don't see that Paul is doing - or has done - anything over the top in regard to releases. The cases to which you refer are unfamiliar to me. I've seen fairly standard single releases but little else, and I haven't witnessed anything that appears extreme or "crass".

My main point addressed the concept that Paul dumps lots of content into the marketplace and uses this to capitalize on his Beatle fame. I don't see that. I DO see the only former Beatle who's really tried to have a consistent solo career. Apparently that makes him crass and excessively commercial. So be it...