CD review: George Harrison, “George Harrison: Let It Roll”
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
Rock
George Harrison “George Harrison: Let It Roll” (Capitol Records)
The so-called “quiet Beatle” continues to make himself heard nearly eight years after his death on “George Harrison: Let It Roll,” the first collection to cover the breadth of his solo career.
The 19-track CD covers both his early post-Beatles years at Apple/Capitol and later albums from his Dark Horse Records. Such a collection is long overdue, since 1976′s “The Best of George Harrison” focused mostly on his Fab Four work, and 1989′s “The Best of Dark Horse” includes only highlights from 1976-89.
An exceptional guitarist, songwriter and singer, Harrison too often was overlooked next to fellow Beatles John Lennon and Paul McCartney, though he contributed some of the band’s greatest songs (“Here Comes the Sun,” “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” “Think for Yourself,” “Taxman” and my personal favorite “It’s All Too Much”). But “Let It Roll” provides the kind of showcase Harrison deserves, spotlighting his lyrical guitar work and canny songwriting.
The CD follows Harrison’s solo career in no particular order, opening with his bouncy 1988 hit “Got My Mind Set on You,” his cover of a 1960s Rudy Clark-James Ray song, and closing with the thoughtfully lovely seven-minute “Isn’t It a Pity,” from his first solo record, 1970′s “All Things Must Pass.”
The beautifully remastered tracks provide a solid overview of Harrison’s post-Beatles career, from the folksy “Any Road” (from his posthumous 2002 album “Brainwashed”) to the ’80s rocker “Cheer Down” to the philosophical “All Things Must Pass.” “Let It Roll” gives a nod to Harrison’s days with the seminal rock band with live versions of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” “Here Comes the Sun” and “Something” from his famed “The Concert for Bangladesh.”
Naturally, “Let It Roll” leaves out some gems, like the humorous “This Song,” (written in response to the legal tangle that ensnared his ubiquitous hit “My Sweet Lord”), the quirky “Crackerbox Palace” (from 1976′s “Thirty Three & 1/3″) and the infectious “Dream Away” (from Terry Gilliam’s 1981 film “Time Bandits”). But the album, which includes rare photos and an essay by singer/songwriter/academic Warren Zanes in the glossy liner notes, fittingly pays tribute to the late Beatle.
- BAM
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