Talk:George Harrison (album)

Not Guilty

The article says that "Not Guilty" was "written in India in 1968", but I think it would be more accurate to say that it was drafted at time, but not finished. I think that he must have revised it later, because I've listened to both George's solo version from 1979 and the "Beatles version" recorded in 1968 and released on Anthology 3, although there's no real Beatles version of the song, because all there really is basically recordings of the group practicing the song, doing some takes of it, but they were never really happy with how they did it, and never decided on a finished version, and however you'd like to describe it, it certainly never got on any of their studio albums.... The Beatles Anthology CDs are basically just from-the-archives alternate takes and unfinished materials that are amusing for purposes of comparison, (an expanded version of the practise of releasing little extra tracks on remastered CDs as a bonus, even though they're not a core, integral part of the original album) but not anything that any group would ever release as a regular, finished studio album. So just because the group did a little studio work on a song doesn't mean George had a completely final version of the song set in stone. And in fact the two versions do differ significantly, and not just because there are different performers: it really does sound like some of the actual writing is different.

So does anyone else agree that we should change that note to "drafted in India in 1968"? Knightofcups89 (talk) 15:44, 28 January 2015 (UTC)

The Beatles' version was complete with overdubs and only lacked a final mix, and the lyrics in the 1979 version are identical to the original 1968 demo. The only change needed is that the song wasn't written in India. Piriczki (talk) 17:06, 28 January 2015 (UTC)

Release date

What was wrong with the release date of February 14? That is the date given in The Beatles Ultimate Recording Guide which has been around since 1986 and it's the date given at georgeharrison.com. The album also first appeared in the Billboard FM Radio Action survey ending February 14th. Piriczki (talk) 20:21, 3 November 2016 (UTC)

Ah, thanks for starting this – I know I'd said I would add something here. It's a confusing issue (to me), and the situation's similar with release dates for Gone Troppo and Back to the Egg.

The change I made to 20 Feb 1979 is supported by Madinger & Easter, whose book, Eight Arms to Hold You, I consider exceptionally well researched. This date, along with 23 Feb for the album's UK release, also happens to be consistent with what we currently have at George Harrison discography. I've also read, in a Harrison biography or two, and in a contemporary review or feature article (I can't remember which, from memory it was in the NME Originals solo Beatles publication) that the album's release was timed to coincide with Harrison's birthday – as much as was possible, given that releases occurred back then on a specific day of the week.

But against that, admittedly, Badman's Beatles Diary gives 14 Feb (US)/16 Feb (UK), i.e. the same dates as for the "Blow Away" single. As is common in his George Harrison Encyclopedia (and in all his Beatles-related titles in that series, so I understand), Bill Harry gives different information depending on which listing in the alphabetical order one turns to. In his entry for George Harrison, Harry gives 20 Feb (US) and 23 Feb (UK). But under "Chronology", it's 14 Feb (US)/16 Feb (UK), and under "Discography" we get something else: 16 Feb (UK) but 20 Feb (US).

I mention the similarity with Troppo and Egg because in both those cases, Badman gives release dates that mean the album was issued before its lead single – which, I would think, was extremely unlikely. Again, the (slightly later) dates in Madinger & Easter make sense in that regard. Unfortunately, there's no Bruce Spizer-type book for solo Beatles post-Apple releases; I've found his Solo Beatles on Apple Records to be very useful in a couple of instances, as far as identifying a commercial release date vs an advance release to radio. Given what you say about 14 Feb/Billboard FM Radio Action, I'm wondering whether it might be a case of promo copies of the LP being released to DJs in advance, in both the US and the UK?

Another thing that makes me go with Madinger & Easter's version is the dates of some of the contemporary reviews for George Harrison. Although I appreciate that the publication dates are often out vs the actual street date, they were always pretty close – just a matter of a few days' difference – in the case of Billboard and UK mags such as Melody Maker and NME. BB reviewed the album in its issue dated 24 February, and MM also. (I haven't been able to find anything on NME's review.) And, I'm taking it that in those same publications, an album release date usually nominally matched the given pub. date, give or take. For instance, with Back to the Egg, the UK release date was 8 June 1979 and a review appeared in MM in the issue dated 9 June. (Quick aside on Egg: What also throws me re that album's release date being, apparently, two weeks in advance of the lead single, is that Billboard's reviewers would therefore seem to have ignored it for a full month. That is, if we go with Badman's information rather than Madinger & Easter's – which that article currently does, I've just noticed.)

It's not as if I'm wedded to the idea of M & E's version and only their version, but it appeals because their dates do seem logical each time, whereas I'd put Badman and Harry in with those authors whose work often repeats others' errors, helps the myths to snowball ever more, etc. At the same time, I admit I'm not familiar with the book you mention, The Beatles Ultimate Recording Guide …

Anyway, that's where I am on this. What do you think? JG66 (talk) 03:16, 4 November 2016 (UTC)

Regarding Back to the Egg, here's a Billboard article [1] about its release in Canada which sort of explains how release dates worked back then in the U.S. as well. There was the release date where radio stations could begin playing the album, although some stations wouldn't have the record yet, then there was the date it was available in stores which varied depending on what part of the country you were in. There wasn't really a "street date" as it is known now. Piriczki (talk) 16:55, 4 November 2016 (UTC)

By street date I was actually referring to the date magazines were available vs the issue date on the cover and running heads – I don't know if we perhaps got our wires crossed there slightly(?) … Anyway, I get your point, of course. So with what you're saying about Egg in Canada, do you agree that the later, Madinger & Easter dates for the release of George Harrison are more likely? JG66 (talk) 17:10, 4 November 2016 (UTC)

My point is that the release dates shown in sources may be the date the album was shipped and released for airplay. When it was available in stores depended on the city and the store. The album George Harrison was all over the radio airplay charts nationally in the February 24th issues of Billboard, Cash Box and Record World. Those magazine were published a week prior to the cover date and surveys were completed a few days before that so a February 20th release date is highly unlikely. Piriczki (talk) 19:29, 4 November 2016 (UTC)

Well, I guess I'm thinking that DJs got advance – promo – copies ahead of the commercial release date. I'll change the release dates for GH back if you want, and maybe add a note in the infobox. But I still struggle with the idea that lead singles appear to have been issued after an album's release (going by dates for "Getting Closer" vs Back to the Egg; "Wake Up My Love" vs Troppo), and the situation regarding 14/20 Feb (US) and 16/23 Feb (UK) for George Harrison would seem to be linked to that, partly. JG66 (talk) 04:56, 5 November 2016 (UTC)

The copyright registration shows a publication date of February 9th, 1979. The album entered the Cash Box and Record World album charts the week ending March 3rd, the sales week for those charts, assuming they are the same as Billboard, was Monday, February 12th to Sunday, February 18th. Piriczki (talk) 15:19, 6 November 2016 (UTC)

Blow Away - The Music Video

The reason for the duck imagery in the music video is that it was directed by Neil Innes - He of the Bonzo Dog Band / The Rutles, etc. - as ducks loom rather large in his career. According to Innes - at several Beatlefests - George offered to let him direct the video, but, to avoid all sorts of paperwork, Neil's name could not appear on the final result. Innes agreed, because he wanted the experience. 75.104.182.200 (talk) 00:54, 5 November 2021 (UTC)

Thanks for that – the Innes connection dovetails nicely with Harrison's connection with the Rutles, of course, during his year off from music-making in 1977. But we need a reliable source to recognise this before it can be included. JG66 (talk) 01:23, 5 November 2021 (UTC)

Yeah ... I realise THAT, being that both Innes and Harrison are no longer around to confirm it. Who knows, maybe some Beatlefest attendee has footage ... somewhere. < sigh! > 75.104.182.200 (talk) 23:44, 17 July 2022 (UTC)