The Best of George Harrison

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What they've done is take a lot of ... my songs which were Beatles songs, when there was really a lot of good songs they could have used of me separately. Solo songs. I don't see why they didn't do that. They did that with Ringo's Blast From Your Past and John's Shaved Fish. [60]

– George Harrison, November 1976, voicing his disapproval of Capitol Records' choice of songs

Aside from the financial benefits of repackaging Beatles-era songs, [43] [61] part of the reason for Capitol reducing Harrison's mostly successful solo years thus far to six album tracks was due to the "lackluster" commercial fate of the Lennon and Starr compilations, author Nicholas Schaffner wrote in 1977. [34] Another factor was Harrison's tendency to limit his single releases to a minimum: he had been reluctant to issue any single from All Things Must Pass originally, [62] and the scheduled second single from Material World, "Don't Let Me Wait Too Long" – a "certain #1", in biographer Simon Leng's opinion [63] – was cancelled altogether. [64] In addition, authors Chip Madinger and Mark Easter write, a potentially offensive reference to the Catholic Church in "Awaiting on You All", from All Things Must Pass, prevented that song from "being the hit single it could have been otherwise". [65] The big-hits requirement was not applied to the Beatles selections, only one of which, "Something", had been issued as the A-side of a single. [34] [66]

In November 1976, while promoting his new album, Thirty Three & ⅓ , [67] Harrison claimed that Capitol had ignored his suggested track list and alternative title for the collection. [34] He compared the format unfavourably with the Starr and Lennon compilations, saying that "a lot of good songs" from his solo career could have appeared, rather than "digging into Beatles records". [60]

Among the notable omissions from The Best of George Harrison, in author Robert Rodriguez's opinion, were "Isn't It a Pity" – one half of the double A-side single with "My Sweet Lord", [68] [69] and a number 1 hit in Canada in its own right [70] – and "Ding Dong, Ding Dong", [59] which charted just inside the top 40 in the main markets of America and Britain [71] but was a top ten hit in Europe. [72] In comparison, Shaved Fish had contained "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)", "Mother" and "Woman Is the Nigger of the World", singles which, on the US Billboard Hot 100, respectively: did not chart at all; peaked at number 43; and reached number 57. [73] [nb 2] On Blast from Your Past, the non-album B-side "Early 1970" was included, as were "I'm the Greatest" (an album track never released as a single) and "Beaucoups of Blues", which peaked at number 87 in the United States. [75] [76] On those terms, Harrison had the popular 1971 B-sides "Apple Scruffs" [65] and "Deep Blue"; [77] "Ding Dong", which peaked at number 36 on Billboard; [78] [79] and highly regarded album tracks such as "All Things Must Pass", "Beware of Darkness" [80] and "Living in the Material World". [81] [nb 3] Commentators have remarked also on the brevity of Starr's album, [84] at just 30 minutes in length, whereas Capitol felt the need to achieve a running time of 45 minutes for the Harrison compilation. [14] [20]

Album artwork

The North American and British versions of the album were released with different covers. [59] In the United States and Canada, the front and back cover had small black-and-white pictures of Harrison against an image of the cosmos; [34] Roy Kohara of Capitol was responsible for art design, as he had been for Extra Texture and the Lennon and Starr compilations, [33] while the illustrations were the work of Michael Bryan. [85] Rodriguez describes this choice of sleeve as "bizarre" and notes the use of an outdated, "rather dour-looking" image of Harrison. [59] Some people have pointed out the resemblance of the line drawing around the photo of Harrison to a middle finger, though it's unclear whether this was intentional. [86]

The UK edition contained Bob Cato's colour photo of Harrison sitting in front of an antique car, with art direction for the package being credited to Cream designs. [85] The international CD release of the album uses the latter cover. [59] The inner sleeve of the original LP in Britain contained a picture by Michael Putland, showing Harrison on a wintry beach in Cannes, where he was attending the Midem music-industry trade fair in January 1976. [87] [88] A third front-cover option came with MFP's budget reissue during the 1980s, which reproduced Harrison's 1968 White Album portrait. [89]

Release

Capitol Records released The Best of George Harrison on 8 November 1976 in America, [60] with the catalogue number Capitol ST 11578. [90] The UK issue, as PAS 10011 on EMI's Parlophone label, [91] followed on 20 November. [60] Among Beatles-related releases at the time, the compilation's arrival coincided not only with that of Thirty Three & ⅓, but also with McCartney's Wings over America triple live album; [92] in addition, EMI belatedly issued the Beatles' 1967 Capitol release Magical Mystery Tour in December 1976, after that album had long proved a popular import in Britain. [93] Writing in the NME in November, [94] Bob Woffinden commented that sales of Thirty Three & ⅓ were sure to be "adversely affected by the almost simultaneous release – next week in fact – of [The Best of George Harrison]". [95] According to author Peter Doggett, this calculated scheduling by Capitol/EMI meant that Harrison "would remain a staunch opponent" of the record companies in the concurrent litigation between Apple and its former manager, Allen Klein. [96]

In the US, with Harrison actively promoting Thirty Three & ⅓ [97] and enjoying some of his best reviews in years, [98] [99] the compilation reached number 31 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart. [78] It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on 15 February 1977, for sales of over 500,000 units. [100] [101] By the end of 1977, it was the only one of the three former Beatles' compilation albums to have received gold certification by the RIAA. [101]

Like Starr's 1975 compilation, The Best of George Harrison failed to place on the UK's Top 60 Albums Chart. [102] EMI, in an attempt to capitalise on recent publicity from the ruling on Bright Tunes' plagiarism suit against Harrison, [103] reissued "My Sweet Lord" (backed with "What Is Life") as a single on 24 December 1976. [104]

CD release and demand following Harrison's death

Together with All Things Must Pass, The Best of George Harrison was among the first of Harrison's albums to be issued on compact disc, in 1987. [105] [nb 4] According to Madinger and Easter, the UK edition of the CD was sonically superior to the US issue, due to the application of No-Noise processing on the remasters for the American market. [109]

Following Harrison's death in November 2001 – and with little of his back catalogue readily available apart from the recently issued All Things Must Pass: 30th Anniversary Edition [110] – the compilation became highly sought-after by fans of the artist. [111] [112] In America, it peaked at number 9 on Billboard 's Top Pop Catalog listings, on 29 December 2001, [113] and number 15 on the magazine's Top Internet Albums. [114] It also belatedly placed on the UK Albums Chart, at number 100, in January 2002. [115]

Despite the 2009 compilation Let It Roll: Songs by George Harrison and the 2005 reissue of the Concert for Bangladesh live album, The Best of George Harrison remained the only CD release featuring pop's first-ever charity single, [116] "Bangla Desh", until 2014. [117] [nb 5] In September that year, the song appeared as a bonus track on the Apple Years 1968–75 reissue of Living in the Material World. [120] [121]

Critical reception

Contemporary reviews

The Best of George Harrison
BestofGHCover.jpg
Compilation album by
George Harrison
Released8 November 1976 (1976-11-08)
Recorded1965–1975
Genre Rock, pop
Length45:04
Label Parlophone (UK), Capitol (US)
Producer
George Harrison chronology
Extra Texture (Read All About It)
(1975)		The Best of George Harrison
(1976)		 Thirty Three & ⅓
(1976)
Singles from The Best of George Harrison
  1. "My Sweet Lord"
    Released: 24 December 1976
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Sounds Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [122]

[The Best of George Harrison] was just a slick marketing ploy, but hits packages flooded the market in 1976 ... In fact, Paul McCartney is now the only solo Beatle without such an album to his credit. The only reason is that he's the one Beatle still signed to Capitol, and thus still in charge of what they do and don't release. [66]

– Michael Gross, Swank , May 1977

On release, Billboard's reviewer welcomed the compilation, writing: "Harrison's remarkable emergence to full artistic recognition after starting off as the most anonymous Beatle is documented right on this album of memorably beautiful hits." [123] In Melody Maker, on the same page as his mixed review of Wings over America (which featured live versions of five of McCartney's Beatles-era songs), [124] Ray Coleman provided another favourable assessment: "[Harrison is] a highly individual artist who always keeps creative musical company; it's a good album, essential for Harrison students who may not have all the records ..." [1]

Writing in Swank magazine, Michael Gross recognised Capitol Records' "slick marketing ploy" but admired the music, the "final treat" being the availability of "Bangla Desh" for the first time on an album. [66] In a review subtitled "All I Want for Christmas is No. 11578" (referring to the Capitol catalogue number), Larry Rohter of The Washington Post described the collection as "an absolute delight". [125]

Although the album was generally well received, [126] its content drew criticism from fans, who felt the overall effect diminished the significance of Harrison's solo career. [34] [43] In the 1977 edition of their book The Beatles: An Illustrated Record , Roy Carr and Tony Tyler summed up the implication: "George's 'Best Of'. Half Beatle, half Harisongs. But will there be a Volume II?" [103] Nicholas Schaffner observed a couple of minor positives on this "half-baked" collection: "The Best of George Harrison does confirm that George's big production numbers from All Things Must Pass more than hold their own alongside the seven featured Beatles tunes ... And the album is undeniably better looking than Rock 'n' Roll Music." [34] Bob Woffinden similarly found that Harrison's solo recordings matched the standard of the Beatles' tracks while noting that "Capitol's half-and-half arrangement ... made it look as though he was the only one of the four [former Beatles] with insufficient clout to warrant a 'Greatest Hits' comprised entirely of his own work." [127] In his 1981 book Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies , Robert Christgau said the first side of "impressive" Beatles songs nonetheless revealed how Harrison's "voice begins to betray its weaknesses after a while", and he deemed the solo side "remarkably shoddy". [128]

Retrospective assessment and legacy

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [129]
Blender Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [130]
Christgau's Record Guide B− [128]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [131]
MusicHound Rock 3/5 [132]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [133]
Uncut Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [134]

Reviewing the compilation for AllMusic in 2001, Bruce Eder described it as "a good but routine collection", [135] while three years later Mac Randall wrote in The Rolling Stone Album Guide : "The Best of George Harrison takes half its contents from Beatles albums, which is a little insulting." [136] In his April 2004 article on Harrison's solo releases, for Blender magazine, Paul Du Noyer said of the compilation: "Hard to fault so far as it goes and a good place to get the fine 1971 single 'Bangla Desh'." [130]

Although compromises to the hits-only formula had been permitted on the Lennon and Starr albums, [137] [138] AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine comments on the controversial choice of tracks: "But all this is down to a matter of timing and circumstance: Harrison needed to have a hits collection out in 1976, he didn't have enough big hits to fill out 13 tracks (even if he certainly had enough great album tracks to do so), and so the Fabs were brought in to fill in the cracks." Erlewine adds that "The result might be a little underwhelming in retrospect, but it's undeniably entertaining." [129]

Writing for Rough Guides in 2006, Chris Ingham said Harrison was "rightly annoyed" with his former record company. Ingham added that, with the "excellent Volume II" ( Best of Dark Horse 1976–1989 ) no longer in print, The Best of George Harrison was therefore the artist's only available compilation album and "hardly a satisfying one-stop sampler". [139] Reviewing Let It Roll for the music website Popdose, in 2009, Jon Cummings wrote that "the compilation gods have never been kind to [Harrison]" and described the 1976 album as "downright insulting". [140] In her role as compiler of Let It Roll, [141] Harrison's widow Olivia said of The Best of George Harrison: "That album always bothered me ... I just thought that is really not fair and I think we have to put something in that place, and that's really what this [2009 compilation] is." [142] In a 2018 review for Uncut , Peter Watts described the 1976 album as "pretty good listening, containing a stack of classic songs and demonstrating a seamless transition from Beatles to solo work (something that works best on the original vinyl) with no diminished quality across the whole". While commenting that it pales against the "stunning posthumous collections" subsequently issued by the Harrison estate, Watts recognises "deliberate sabotage" on EMI/Capitol's part in their timing the release to coincide with that of Thirty Three & ⅓ as well as Wings Over America and the UK release of the Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour LP. [134]

Harrison biographer Elliot Huntley is scathing in his opinion of The Best of George Harrison, writing: "Had EMI [and Capitol] forgotten the great songs on All Things Must Pass?" [102] The inclusion of Beatles material was a "completely unnecessary public humiliation" for Harrison, Huntley continues, giving the impression that Starr and Lennon's solo careers up to the end of 1975 had been more successful than his – "when, in reality, the opposite was the case". [102] [nb 6] In his book Fab Four FAQ 2.0, Robert Rodriguez likewise bemoans what he saw as EMI/Capitol's attempt to humiliate Harrison with a compilation that failed to reflect his standing as the most accomplished ex-Beatle during 1970–73. [143] Rodriguez describes the company's efforts to "effectively sabotag[e]" Harrison's Thirty Three & ⅓ chart run as "a final touch worthy of Allen Klein". [59]

Track listing

All songs written by George Harrison.

Side one

All tracks performed by the Beatles and produced by George Martin, except track 6, which was produced by Phil Spector.

No.TitleOriginal albumLength
1."Something" Abbey Road , 19693:01
2."If I Needed Someone" Rubber Soul , 19652:22
3."Here Comes the Sun"Abbey Road3:05
4."Taxman" Revolver , 19662:37
5."Think for Yourself"Rubber Soul2:18
6."For You Blue" Let It Be , 19702:31
7."While My Guitar Gently Weeps" The Beatles , 19684:45

Side two

All tracks performed by George Harrison and produced either by himself or with Phil Spector.

No.TitleOriginal albumLength
1."My Sweet Lord" All Things Must Pass , 19704:38
2."Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)" Living in the Material World , 19733:35
3."You" Extra Texture (Read All About It) , 19753:41
4."Bangla Desh"Non-album single, 19713:57
5."Dark Horse" Dark Horse , 19743:53
6."What Is Life"All Things Must Pass4:17

Charts and certifications

Chart positions

Notes

  1. ↑ Beatles biographer Peter Doggett writes of the insufficient advance offered to Harrison in 1972 for his next album, Living in the Material World . [8] In a postcard addressed to the managing director of "EMI Wreckords", an irritated Harrison asked, with reference to the commercial success of his previous studio releases: "How much did EMI make from All Things Must Pass/My Sweet Lord?" [9]
  2. ↑ "Happy Xmas" did place on America's other national singles charts over the 1971–72 holiday season, however. Cashbox listed the song at number 36 and Record World at number 28. [74]
  3. ↑ In the case of "Apple Scruffs" and "Deep Blue" (B-sides, respectively, to "What Is Life" and "Bangla Desh"), [82] each song had gained further notice when radio programmers "flipped" the single and opted to play the secondary side. [65] [77] In addition, "Apple Scruffs" and "What Is Life" were listed as a double A-side when the single topped Australia's Go-Set National Top 60 in May 1971. [83]
  4. ↑ The release took place on 18 May that year in Britain, but was delayed until March 1988 in the United States. [91] [106] Due to this delay, Cloud Nine in fact became the first Harrison album to appear on CD in the US, [107] following that studio album's release in November 1987. [108]
  5. ↑ In July 2011, the song was made available as an iTunes-exclusive download as part of The Concert for Bangladesh, however. [118] [119]
  6. ↑ In Huntley's view, the record companies should have "gone the whole hog" and released a compilation dedicated to Harrison's Beatle songs, a collection that would have "certified how underrated Harrison's talent had been" within his former band. [102]

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"I'll Still Love You" is a song written by English rock musician George Harrison and first released in 1976 by his former Beatles bandmate Ringo Starr. Produced by Arif Mardin, the track appeared on Starr's debut album for Atlantic Records and Polydor, Ringo's Rotogravure. The composition had a long recording history before then, having been written in 1970 as "Whenever", after which it was copyrighted with the title "When Every Song Is Sung".

Ring O' Records was a record label founded by former Beatle Ringo Starr in 1975. The label's formation coincided with the winding down of the Beatles' Apple Records and allowed Starr to continue supporting other artists' projects while maintaining his solo career. The label was shut down in 1978, having failed to achieve commercial success with a roster of artists that included David Hentschel, Bobby Keys, Graham Bonnet and Rab Noakes. Starr himself never recorded for Ring O' Records, although, following the expiration of his contract with Apple in January 1976, he signed with Polydor, which distributed his label throughout Europe. From 1977, Ring O' was distributed in some territories by Mercury Records.

References

  1. 1 2 Ray Coleman, "George's Best", Melody Maker , 18 December 1976, p. 16.
  2. ↑ The Editors of Rolling Stone, p. 44.
  3. ↑ Clayson, George Harrison, p. 345.
  4. ↑ Badman, p. 58.
  5. ↑ Leng, p. 121.
  6. ↑ Richard Williams, "The Concert for Bangla Desh (album review)", Melody Maker , 1 January 1972; available at Rock's Backpages Archived 6 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine (subscription required; retrieved 10 August 2012).
  7. ↑ Madinger & Easter, p. 436.
  8. ↑ Doggett, p. 192.
  9. ↑ Doggett, pp. 148, 192.
  10. ↑ Badman, p. 175.
  11. ↑ Woffinden, p. 93.
  12. 1 2 Schaffner, pp. 186, 188.
  13. ↑ Spizer, p. 194.
  14. 1 2 Rodriguez, pp. 124, 126.
  15. ↑ Woffinden, p. 94.
  16. 1 2 3 Schaffner, pp. 186–87.
  17. 1 2 Badman, p. 186.
  18. ↑ Woffinden, pp. 94–95.
  19. ↑ Badman, p. 195.
  20. 1 2 3 Clayson, Ringo Starr, p. 262.
  21. 1 2 3 4 Rodriguez, p. 126.
  22. ↑ Schaffner, p. 182.
  23. 1 2 Doggett, p. 252.
  24. ↑ Rodriguez, pp. 122–23.
  25. ↑ Schaffner, pp. 182, 188.
  26. ↑ Spizer, pp. 109, 335.
  27. ↑ Woffinden, pp. 72, 83.
  28. ↑ Clayson, George Harrison, pp. 315–16.
  29. ↑ Rodriguez, p. 51.
  30. ↑ Anne Moore, "George Harrison on Tour – Press Conference Q&A", Valley Advocate , 13 November 1974; available at Rock's Backpages Archived 14 May 2021 at the Wayback Machine (subscription required; retrieved 28 November 2012).
  31. ↑ Madinger & Easter, p. 442.
  32. ↑ Leng, p. 178.
  33. 1 2 Spizer, p. 275.
  34. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Schaffner, p. 188.
  35. ↑ Badman, pp. 190–91.
  36. ↑ Carr & Tyler, pp. 118, 122.
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