Is Alice Cooper Right About George Harrison?

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[walterbriggs]

It was the same with Ringo, as he didn’t flaunt his drum playing, it was what was needed. These men, the Beatles, were of an earlier time, style of music. Their mentor at the studio helped in that way. That they were musically playing off each other, I think, is a result of both friendship, and learning

[thomastimlin]

George knew fully diminished chords etc that most other guitar players had no clue about [3 chord wonders] were not using in pop or rock except the Wrecking Crew types.. He used them in the Beatles and he used them in his solo works. The thing is, he also knew how and when to use them.

[alvillanueva]

His slide playing was incredible. I don't think he gets enough credit for that.

[mycake]

Players like George understood the mantra, "Serve the Song."

[PaisleyPatchouli]

A couple comments on this: You mentioned "Taxman" in the context of George's guitar parts, and even though George composed and sang the song, from what I understand it was actually Paul who came up with that guitar hook and also the frenetic solo (and he played them on the record!). So we also have Paul contributing guitar parts (and solos) in the studio, and then John, although primarily considered the rhythm guitarist, also contributing solos and signature lines (hooks). We have three very competent and unique guitar players in the Beatles, whom I believe were not ever really 'in competition', but rather were inspiring each other, or at any rate in a healthy competition working together to come up with the best parts. Especially as the recording studios improved over that time from 4 track to 8 and 16, and with improved mixers, outboard effects, and methods of doing 'bounces' or sub-mixes (or whatever the nomenclature was back in those days) in order to expand the number of overdubs which were possible.
What made George particularly shine in his contributions, especially in the early and middle days (say up until Revolver or Sgt. Pepper) was his ability to create guitar solos that were like 'a song within the song', with memorable melodies on their own, that you would retain and have playing in your head; almost a sort of crystallization of the song's mood and theme. For sure, he was a minimalist, (although he had chops; he was 'no slouch', ) but he also had an impeccable ear for contributing hooks and counter-melodies.
For example, Paul tells the story of how during the recording of the song "And I Love Her" (from the Hard Day's Night album), George came up with the pickup line B E D# C# on his Ramirez nylon string classical guitar. Paul comments how that line just set the melody up perfectly, that the song wouldn't have been the same without it. And I think that this was likely the case for a lot of "Paul's and John's" songs, that George was just outside of their writing process enough to be able to contribute his unique perspective that was often precisely what was needed. (I think that likewise George Martin fulfilled the same function with his contribution of orchestral instruments such as French Horns, Flutes, String Quartets, also studio tricks and techniques such as tape looping, and the like.) As the Beatles progressed in their studio and overall playing experience, they each became more adept in their own way, of coming up with these ideas. Of course, George H. was certainly 'held back' to a great extent as a writer, so his head would be jammed full of interesting creative ideas for consideration during those recording sessions! As we all now know, what 'came to pass' was that he had 'stockpiled' such an extensive back catalog of great songs that his triple LP "All Things Must Pass" became the best selling of all the post-Beatle solo records at the time! (You couldn't write such a terrific story!)

[eerievon]

George was serving the song. Knowing when to stay quiet is very important. If a solo, or instrument isn't adding to a song, it is taking away from it. The song tells you what it wants. With that being said, songwriting royalties is where the big money comes from; Even if a band or artist isn't due royalties from sales, the writer(s) still get paid for writing the songs. John & Paul could have been reluctant to split that 3 ways.

[ebethbarr]

Very interesting video I hadn’t thought about it like this. Thanks for posting!

[chopsieflores]

I was five when the Beatles broke in the US. What attracted me to the songs were vocal harmonies and the guitar. Without George's guitar, they wouldn't have been Beatle songs.

[DarkHorse-]

Listen to the Brianwahsed album if you have any doubts on his skill

[nigelliam]

If you listen to Status Quo they made a life long career and multiple albums with 3 chords.
With George to get from Something to Atracts me like no other lover takes about 10 chords but they’re not normal chords it’s like F major sus 7th with a backflip and a twist of lemon.

[charleslanphier]

I didn't learn anything new but it was still fun to watch.

[blackjackmusic]

I'd say IF anyone were overshadowed in The Beatles, it would have been Ringo, but he did his job to a T. Also, a thing about George, the way the songs were structured, it left little room for too much more. I think we can see the same thing in Heart Breakers songs. The way Mike Campbell kept things short and sweet, for the songs. Speaking of both, Tom and George. In The Traveling Wilburys, they were such a great fit.

[tunafish]

Look, Harrison was so much of a better guitar players than his contemporaries at the time. Early on he could play rock and roll, Chet Atkins style, rockabilly, and pop guitar music. Later in his career he developed such a unique slide guitar style that when you hear it you KNOW it is Harrison. Harrison was good.

[robbiegarnz]

I think it’s a little column an and a little column b. If you listen to his solo stuff, there’s more guitar parts but nothing too shreddy. He’s doing exactly what God put him on earth to do.. play kick ass minimalist guitar parts that are unforgettable!

[kitdewd]

George was only repressed in contributing songs. As a lead guitarist, he was respected by the other Beatles and has no equal when it comes to taste. Paul was right about Hey Jude. It’s a long song and call and response throughout would eventually sound silly. I think George would’ve agreed had they recorded it that way, and decided to leave it out. When you realize just how much George contributed to the Beatles as a soloist, it becomes harder to claim that he was repressed. Think of all his little licks towards the ending of Come Together, You Never Give Me Your Money, Don’t Let Me Down and his solos in Octopuses Garden and I Dig A Pony. His minimalist sensibilities continued in his solo work after the Beatles and demonstrates that that’s who he really was as a Beatle and as a solo artist. And if you are not aware, years later we have learned that there was a solo recorded for his own song Here Comes The Sun but left out of the final version. George very well understood what was needed and what wasn’t. He was dedicated to creating music and songs, not a showcase for anyone’s ego including his own.

[rexdiamond]

I think his minimalist style was reflective of him as a musician and not bullying by John and Paul. One reason I'm confident in this assessment is he continued his minimalist playing during his solo career and his collaborations with other artists.

Harrison understood that space between notes and riffs was just as or more important than seeing how many notes per second he could manage or showboating just to impress...each note had meaning and was sublimely executed. One of my favorites is his slide on Lennon's song "how do you sleep".

[ili]

McCartney and Lennon shared that sensibility. They would give George feedback. I recall McCartney asking George to lay off all the fills in a tune .. Can’t recall what demo that was. And McCartney and Lennon both played guitar solos with that same sensibility — McCartney on Taxman and Lennon on Honey Pie.. for just two examples. It was a Beatles’ sensibility, not George’s alone.. even keyboard solos had that sensibility — In My Life (George Martin).. Lovely Rita (McCartney’s piano).. the list goes on and on

[scottstambaugh]

My understanding, and this just feels true to me, is that George was a very good guitar player in the Beatles' early years, then discovered the sitar and poured his time and passion into Indian music just when rock guitar was making a giant progression with players like Jimi and Clapton. So, there was a crucial year or two where he let his skills atrophy a bit, and then had to play catch up in the final year or two. He was an excellent player again by Abbey Road.

Everyone talks about how tasteful his solos were, but nobody mentions how rare his solos were in those middle years from Revolver through Magical Mystery Tour. There are not a lot of guitar solos in that period, and some of them were not particularly great.

[STARRYKNlGHTS]

You certainly can’t blame the others for Georges decision to concentrate on the sitar over the guitar.

[Neil-Aspinall]

Something (pun not intended) that's never spoken about is George's unique slide playing?