Alan Freeman interviews George Harrison for Let It Rock Around the World (1974)

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by bewareofchairs, May 14, 2020.

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  1. bewareofchairs

    bewareofchairs Forum Resident Thread Starter

    This interview was done on the 18th of October, just before the Dark Horse tour, but it didn't air until the following October in 1975.

    I thought I'd share it because even though parts of it are well-known (it was used in the Living in the Material World documentary), I couldn't find the whole thing anywhere. It gives great insight into George's mindset at the time. I don't know about anyone else, but to me it's very obvious he was already in an extremely low place even before the tour.

    He also performs acoustic versions of Dark Horse, Awaiting On You All, Far East Man, and I Don't Care Anymore (with improvised lyrics).

     
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  2. Maranatha5585

    Maranatha5585 BELLA + RIP In Memoriam

    Location:
    Down South
    Great! Thanks for sharing.
     
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  3. vitorbastos123

    vitorbastos123 Forum Resident

    Thank you so much!
     
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  4. Lord Hawthorne

    Lord Hawthorne Currently Untitled

    Location:
    Portland, Oregon
    I think the whole show was two hours long, but minus the music, probably less than an hour. I have a tape I recorded off the radio at 3.75 ips.
     
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  5. vitorbastos123

    vitorbastos123 Forum Resident

    His voice was great. Wish he did a acoustic tour, just his voice and a guitar. Just amazing to think about it really. Him doing Far East Man was great.
     
  6. bewareofchairs

    bewareofchairs Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Yeah, I decided to edit out the music. I was wondering if there was anything missing from the version I had because the conversation seems kinda spliced together at the end.
     
  7. bewareofchairs

    bewareofchairs Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Right?! It makes me so sad he didn't do an acoustic tour. I think it would've given people more appreciation for those early 70s albums post-ATMP.
     
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  8. tages

    tages Senior Member

    Location:
    Seattle
    Great stuff - thanks for sharing.

    The only period I find more fascinating than this is the next one (1975 and “Extra Texture”).

    I actually like the sound of his voice here.

    1974 - what a crazy time!
    [​IMG]
     
  9. Cocaine! Look at Andy Newmark, only 6 years to go before playing with JL on Double Fantasy.
     
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  10. 2141

    2141 Forum Resident

    Interesting interview. When George says he was basically a victim of circumstance, it sounds like he's saying it was all fate regarding he and The Beatles, and everything that happened. I've always wondered if they felt that way, and here is the closest I've heard to any of them saying it.
     
    Last edited: May 15, 2020
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  11. Haristar

    Haristar Apollo C. Vermouth

    Location:
    Hampshire, UK
    That performance of "Far East Man" was so good. Is there a full version of it somewhere?

    Dark Horse is such an underrated album. I think it would really benefit from a deluxe set with demos and live versions.
     
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  12. bewareofchairs

    bewareofchairs Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Not that I know of, unfortunately.
     
  13. bewareofchairs

    bewareofchairs Forum Resident Thread Starter

    I definitely believe George at least felt that way. I think that's a major part of why got so into spirituality. It gave him some explanation for his extraordinary circumstances.
     
  14. 2141

    2141 Forum Resident

    Very good point. I think you're right, George would be the most likely to feel that way and his spirituality certainly plays into that. I can't help but think the other 3 must have had/have those thoughts as well. Yet I've never heard the question asked in any interviews. I wonder if there are any old or newer interviews where this topic is touched on?
     
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  15. Haristar

    Haristar Apollo C. Vermouth

    Location:
    Hampshire, UK
    He talks about spirituality a lot in this 1997 interview.

     
  16. willy

    willy hooga hagga hooga

    Who are the people in this photo... I only recognize George, Billy Preston and Ravi.


     
  17. Haristar

    Haristar Apollo C. Vermouth

    Location:
    Hampshire, UK
    Ravi Shankar, Billy Preston, Willie Weeks, Tom Scott, Robben Ford, Emil Richards, & Kumar Shankar
     
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  18. 2141

    2141 Forum Resident

    This is such a great interview. It's outstanding that George went on VH1 of all things, and just let it rip with some very deep thoughts! I'm sure the teenage, 20-something audience of the time (if they were listening), would have had minds thoroughly blown. What an eye-opener if you'd never even given thought to these concepts and realities. Some really good stuff that no one (celebrities on not) ever talks about on TV (or pretty much anywhere). But George did! Total respect. :agree:
     
    Last edited: May 15, 2020
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  19. Chris O'Dell too
     
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  20. bewareofchairs

    bewareofchairs Forum Resident Thread Starter

    I get why interviewers would've mainly been concerned about The Beatles at the time, but it's unfortunate how many were wasted on those sort of boring questions when George was a really interesting person and had valuable things to say about a variety of topics. I wish he could've been on a few podcasts.
     
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  21. Haristar

    Haristar Apollo C. Vermouth

    Location:
    Hampshire, UK
    He would have been great on podcasts. He's the kind of guy I could listen to for hours. And there's so much he could talk about - music, spirituality, Monty Python, films, gardening, etc.
     
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  22. Nodrog96

    Nodrog96 Forum Resident

    Location:
    NE Scotland
    Good to hear Fluff.
     
  23. Arnold Grove

    Arnold Grove Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Excellent interview.

    EXCEPT around the 18:30 mark, when George says that Paul ruined him (George) and Henry McCullough as a guitar player. Yes, George had difficulty with Paul's bossiness when in the studio, but George's guitar playing was never ruined. In fact, George's confidence and guitar work on Abbey Road (the last album that the band did, with Paul and George really working together wonderfully) contradict that statement. Selective memory on George's part.
     
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  24. graystoke

    graystoke Forum Resident

    "I had no confidence in myself as a guitar player, having spent so many years with Paul McCartney, 'cos he ruined me as a guitar player." George at the 18.26 mark of the interview. Not jokingly either.

    Wow!
     
  25. graystoke

    graystoke Forum Resident

    I don't think so, Arnie. As a guitar player myself I can see what he's talking about. Confidence is a big part of playing any instrument. To be in a band with someone like Paul must've been very hard. I'm not knocking Paul, I'm talking about his talent, drive and forceful personality. Very easy to feel overshadowed and given the chops that Henry himself had and the sentiment he expressed that George refers to, it certainly points to someone feeling as though they weren't good enough, even though they actually were.

    And this ties into what George also said on other occasions when asked about working with John, Paul and Ringo again. He said he'd happily be in a band with John and Ringo but he could never be in a band with Paul again. So even though he went on to regain a mastery of his instrument and blossom into a great songwriter, the spectre of Paul still seemed to loom large in his psyche.
     
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