George Harrison - Let It Roll Review
Posted by Paul Hollingsworth on 06.28.2009
The 'Quiet Beatle' finally gets a career-spanning greatest hits collection. It's about time, but was it worth the wait?
Track Listing: (iTunes Bonus Track Version)
1. Got My Mind Set On You
2. Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)
3. Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll)
4. My Sweet Lord
5. While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Live At Madison Square Garden)
6. All Things Must Pass
7. Any Road
8. This Is Love
9. All Those Years Ago
10. Marwa Blues
11. What Is Life
12. Rising Sun
13. When We Was Fab
14. Something (Live At Madison Square Garden)
15. Blow Away
16. Cheer Down
17. Here Comes The Sun (Live At Madison Square Garden)
18. I Don't Want To Do It
19. Isn't It A Pity
Usually, the third best songwriter in a four man band writes a few forgettable tunes to fill out album space. These songs seldom are performed live, seldom become hits, and are forgotten by all but the most obscure track obsessed fans of the band. George Harrison ,however, wasn't a typical third best songwriter, and his work with The Beatles was never filler. On Let It Roll: Songs of George Harrison , three songs he wrote while one of the Fab Four are included, ("While My Guitar Gently Weeps", "Something" and "Here Comes The Sun") but it's rightly the work from his solo albums which take center stage.
The album opens with Harrison's late 80's hit, "Got My Mind Set On You", which reintroduced the former Beatle to the MTV generation, (me included.) It maybe Harrison's most well known solo tune, but it's seemingly endless repeating chorus, simplistic arrangement and overbearing production bear very little resemblance to the depth, range and talent Harrison possessed.
"Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)" and "Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll)", which follow, immediately give a fuller picture of Harrison's talent, both as a songwriter and a guitarist. "Give Me Love", a somber piece of early 70's pessimism, was a number one hit, and reflected Harrison's disillusionment with the ideals of the 60's. "Ballad" tells the story of Sir Frank Crisp, a 19th century botanist and lawyer and whose house Harrison lived in during the 1970's. (It also bears a somewhat striking resemblance to She & Him's recent hit, "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?") Harrison's guitar shines on "Ballad" which manages to bridge the more melody minded Beatles sound while moving off in it's own unique direction.
"All Things Must Pass", which was rejected as a Beatles tune, (ironically during the Let It Be sessions) is one of the highlights of the album and of Harrison's career. The title comes from the words of the Buddha, from which Harrison drew much of his inspiration. (His Concert For Bangladesh , from which the live versions on this album of his Beatles tunes are taken, is another obvious reflection of his interest in Far East culture and religion.) This song, in my mind, is equal to anything the Beatles ever did, and is by far the best solo work of any former Beatle. (Yes, even "Imagine") Harrison spent his years in the Beatles in the shadow of the Lennon-McCartney tandem, but his songwriting, at his best, was as good, if not better, than his band mates.
"Marwa Blues" from his posthumous released Brainwashed , is another highlight, an instrumental which moves seamlessly between this world and the next. It's an almost perfect musical epitaph to Harrison's musical career, and is about as bittersweet and moving as a song can be. Soul and emotion fill every nook and cranny of the song and every moment is a pure expression of a man's heart laid bare.
The only problem with the collection is it's length. While 19 songs may seem like enough for most musicians, this collection only hits the high points. I'd love to have heard some of his work with his other group, The Traveling Wilburys as well as some deeper album cuts from both his solo and Beatles work. ('Deep Blue" for instance, or "Faster".) All of the songs are newly remastered versions, and with the possible exceptions of the live Beatles tunes, they've never sounded better. I would have preferred the album versions of the Beatles songs, but with all the legal tomfoolery surrounding the Beatles original recordings, I understand why they weren't used.
The 411: If you're unfamiliar with Harrison's solo work, this album is a good starting place. Harrison's songs have never sounded better, not even on well worn vinyl copies of All Things Must Pass and Thirty Three & 1/3 . However, If you're already well-versed in Harrison's work, you're not going to find anything new here. I only hope there's a volume two in the works.
