As a teenager I was pretty obsessed by The Beatles, and still
am today. I always thought George
Harrison was underrated, which is understandable as he was in a group with two
of the greatest songwriters of the 20th Century. However towards the end of the 1960s he became
more prolific and several of his songs were comparable to Lennon and McCartney.
Choosing a single Harrison song is difficult. I was tempted
by the acoustic version of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" (brownie
points for an obscure Anthology track), of course "Something" is a great love song ("a great song by Lennon / McCartney"
- Frank Sinatra), "Here Comes the
Sun" is appropriate at this time of year, "Taxman" has a great
sound (we noticed, Mr Weller), and even the
Indian songs grow on you - The Inner Light is a classic Beatles B side.
However it was the
1968 Beatles ("White") double album that allowed more of his songs and show his burgeoning talent, so I have plumped for "Long Long
Long". I love the eerie and haunting sound, maybe similar to Bon Iver or
ambient music today. In many ways - world music, veganism, ecology - Harrison
was ahead of his times.
It starts so quietly with Harrison playing acoustic guitar
and McCartney on a Hammond organ, a slow mournful fade in. George's first vocals, understated and unsure. It builds in the middle, as Ringo's drums enter. This is one of the few times that the drums
are so prominent in a Beatles mix, and it dispels the "Ringo wasn't even
the best drummer in the Beatles" rubbish.
Harrison voice rises too, stronger and more certain.
The end is more chaotic, the organ whirls, Harrison wails
and the drums crash. There is also the sound of bottle of a "Blue Nun"
wine vibrating on a speaker cabinet. A
happy accident they noticed when Paul hit the high notes on the organ.
The lyrics are simple, no more than two syllables, short phrases like "I love you". It is a song of reconciliation with a great
love ("How could I have ever lost you"). As with many of Harrison's songs of this
period, it is a hymn of devotion to his God. However it effectively doubles as a touching love
song to a partner ("Now I'm so happy I found you").
It was written in Rishikesh in India during the Beatles 1968
meditation retreat. Harrison confessed
that he used the same chords as Bob Dylan's "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands",
but it also seems to have a similar mood to the Band's debut "Songs from
the Big Pink". The recording seems to have been tortuous with 67 attempts
at the backing track over a long night session, but then it was worth it.
"Long Long Long" was placed as the closer to the
third side of the Beatles album (when people had records), immediately after
the contrasting "Helter Skelter". It can seem a slight song that is easily
missed, but it repays further
investigation. Maybe not one of his most
famous songs, but one of his best.
Hear Now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yp5elOxcT34
Hear Next - There are some excellent Harrison Beatles songs (don't forget the Yellow Submarine album) but undoubtedly
his finest hour is "All Things Must
Pass" - the first great solo Beatles album.
** The book of "Song from a Quarantine" is now available on all Amazon sites in paperback and ebook formats.
