George
Harrison is possibly the most underrated musician there is. Now
that’s quite a huge statement, but during his career with the
Beatles he was known as the quiet Beatle, and generally did not have
a lot to say. He was the quiet achiever who flew underneath the radar
while Paul McCartney and John Lennon largely took centre-stage.
There
is absolutely no doubt about Harrison’s overwhelming talent given
what he achieved as lead guitarist with the Beatles and his
subsequent career after the Beatles split up. He kept to himself and
did not make lots of headlines in the newspapers. Throughout the
Beatles career it was often mentioned in the press how quiet George
actually was.
As a
lead guitarist, some Beatles fans and music critics regard him as one
of the best lead guitarists the world has ever seen. Lead guitar is
one of the most difficult instruments to play in a band, and despite
his singing and writing talent, he was lucky to have two tracks on
each Beatle’s album that was released. Even “The White Album”
and “Let it Be” had more material from McCartney and Lennon, than
Harrison and the “White Album” was supposed to be contributions
from all four Beatles.
George
Harrison wrote and performed two of the best Beatles songs ever
released; "Something" and "While My Guitar Gently
Weeps." He is also responsible for "Taxman," "Here
Comes the Sun" and many other fabulous tracks. His contribution
to the Beatles catalogue resulted in some really great music.
He was
also the first Beatle to release a solo album. “All Things Must
Pass” was a three disc album set which was released shortly before
the Beatles parted ways. Critics doubted that this album would do
well for Harrison; however they so wrong. This album; now a double CD
package sold a huge amount of copies. “All Things Must Pass” went
platinum six times and is the most successful album released by a
Beatle.
George
Harrison later teamed up with Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne and
best friend Eric Clapton when the Travelling Wilburies was formed in
the last 1980’s. These five great musicians went on to produce some
really great music. As a musician his talent knew no bounds. His solo
albums did well on the charts. He also had a career in film-making
where he formed “Handmade” which went on to produce the Monty
Python movies.
Given
the overwhelming talent of McCartney and Lennon and the fact that
Harrison was not the type of person to blow his own trumpet, George
Harrison’s talent was not as obvious to everyone. His quietness and
preference to operate under the radar is largely the reason this was
so. While George Harrison may have never gotten the recognition that
his talent so deserved; his closest friends, Paul, John and Ringo and
his family would have been well aware that he was one special man.
His life cut so tragically short in 2001, with the illness that
Harrison attributed to cigarette smoking. George Harrison came to be
known (at least by me) as one of the most underrated rock and roll
artists of all-time.
You
Might Like:
Is
My Spouse Cheating?
- On Beyond Jane
Is
My Partner A Control Freak
– On Bubblews
Does
My Boyfriend Still Love His Ex
– On Bubblews
When
Should You Hire A Lawyer
– On Socyberty
Further Reading:
All Photos are credited to Deviant Art and Wikimedia Commons
Copyright
© 2013 Janelle Coulton
