George Harrison

OBAL A DESKA VYBORNY STAV

A1  Microbes  3:39
A2  Red Lady Too  1:58
A3  Tabla And Pakavaj  1:04
A4  In The Park  4:05
A5  Drilling A Home  3:08
A6  Guru Vandana  1:02
A7  Greasy Legs  1:27
A8  Ski-ing  1:37
A9  Gat Kirwani  1:15
A10  Dream Scene  5:33
B1  Party Seacombe  4:20
B2  Love Scene  4:15
B3  Crying  1:12
B4  Cowboy Music  1:22
B5  Fantasy Sequins  1:43
B6  On The Bed  1:03
B7  Glass Box  2:15
B8  Wonderwall To Be Here  1:23
B9  Singing Om  1:53
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I like this more than his pop stuff, i wish he made more Raga music. The best song is "In The Park"
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Wonderwall( Apple Records 1968) A Seminal debut LP from a prolific artist finding his own path.
Wonderwall( Apple Records 1968)
A Seminal debut LP from a prolific artist finding his own path.


Background

Finding the original Vinyl has been a delight, it may have cost, more than a few quid but finally having it is pure delight. A lot of things can be said about the very existence of this LP. In truth as some 60’s anoraks know this album was Composed, Written and Arranges by a certain Mr. George Harrison, who debuted with this album on Apple Records in 1968. The album was recorded partly in London and partly in E.M.I Mumbai in a studio without proper sound proofing. Knowing that Apple and it’s avant Garde  subdivision Zapple was perhaps the first Indie Label of the time, way before other labels like Sub Pop and the like. You should know already that the aim of releasing this album was never to meant to make it a show stopper or a chart topper. No ‘singles’ as far as I know of were released from these sessions, although it is generally know for having Clapton contributing a ‘striking” guitar part and Tork contributing banjo, you might ask is the album worth listening to as more than a 60’s curiosity? My firm answer is this is not a album only to LISTEN to all the way and in it’s complete form it is an artist delicate and  complete vision it is something  you must EXPERIENCE, for it is both of it’s time and way beyond it’s time. 

Taken the understanding that this is Harrison’s first album and first self production. It is eclectic in the same way as delicately handled sophisticatedly edited musical numbers with a true organic and actually spiritual core, come of somewhat like a diamond in the rough here, He knew he wasn’t Phil Spector, but his vision for Wonderwall was beyond that sort of stuff. The main stress is not pop - it is art and a sophisticated if somewhat delicate presentation of Indian folk music, in it’s most organic form. This is not a far out one off project, George Harrison was dead serious and so into it, physically as well as spiritually. If you expect Mr Fantasy era Traffic(I know ‘Paper Sun’ is on your mind right now. Head era Monkees ( No ‘Can You Dig it’  here or Satanic Majesties era Stones(no it’s nothing like ‘Gomper’), Wonderwall is way beyond that, it’s even if you even could call it Psychedelic.

It is not about jumping the band wagon of using eastern ‘spices’ here and there – as there are  no gimmicks - this is not  Tremeloes l’ive at cabaret 1969’ . Even if vary speed effects and tape looping is present on ‘Wonderwall’ it is most sophisticated and never the main point of the presentation.

Actual review

All of the above are but elements to create a wholesome picture and so tracks like “Dream scene”, ‘Crying’ or ‘Love Scene’ and the like thusly remain self explanatory.  In stressing this point I must proclaim that it is not ‘Clapton’s guitar’ or ‘Torks banjo’ that makes this album so fascinating, the players could be anybody, what is really the strong point in ‘Wonderwall’ lies in how delicately and focused the production and arranging has been made, it is most sophisticated for a late 60’s debut album at that. People might frown upon the inconsistent use of Indian folk I western pop and maybe they are right to write of songs like “This bird has flown”
or ‘love you to’ along with other 60’s records mention above as being a little more than mere gimmicks for people who have grown tired of working in the studio. However this may be partly true, Wonderwall is not at all about that, and it’s not about being an obscure album by an ‘ex beatle’ This is all about Harrison bloming as a visionary artist and producer, as noted above both spiritually and physically, with no boss or  star struck colleges telling him what to do and what not to do, Here Geoge Harrison is 100% in charge.

So you want to experience Wonderwall?

Know you must that it is a record that in all it’s delicacy takes you places, it works out somewhat shy in manner from the opening microbes, but develops in time through many  a sophisticated and telling arrangements, although mostly a subdued affair, there are part time ventures into Charleston(Drilling a Home and C&W( Cowboy Museum) this should not me misunderstood as far out or directionless. It is all a part of the Producers plan, the Album culminates in the mournful and subdued title track ‘ Wonderwall’ before it rounds of with the ethereal ‘Singing Om’ it’s all well and calculated as it was always meant to end of this way. With singing Om, so recognise that the performer, composer, arranger as producer fearlessly expresses his spiritual commitment in the most candid and modest of terms, in realising this you may not be as surprised to find he showed full commitment into producing music and hymns for the Radha Krsna Temple in London, not long after this.

In between all this the artist has worked to fulfil the ambition of building bridges between the east and the west and filtered through his own vision.

Thusly ‘Wonderall’ is a masterpiece in the very true sense of the world and there are few albums as intimate as this one. If you want to experience it, you may very well get the digital re-master. Problem is however that if you want to sense the delicate nature of Wonderwall in full bloom finding the original vinyl is the best path, how long this may take, because with the cd other than being self-explanatory digital (I know from experience) it is easy that you will make the mistake of singling out ‘best bits’.  Or that you start skipping back and forth between certain segments or upload some of them to itunes, just to give a glimpse of this stuff to your acquaintances, this may always hinder you from experiencing Wonderwall in it’ essence from side one to  side two, which would be unfortunate.

[i]The Final say
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If you must see a Beatles connection please relate it only to the fact it was initially released on apple, in reality this has nothing to do with Beatle-mania or ‘the Quiet Beatle’ it is  nothing other than a showcase of a mature and visionary artist making his full-length debut on the said label, his merits are all on Wonderwall, so it is easier for you to access it, if you take the fact he was an ex-Beatle out of the picture. ‘Wonderwall’ is in every sense of the word , Harrisons masterpiece, and it remains as such after all these years, while ‘Sgt Pepper’ was sold on Ebay all these years ago after the initial fascination met it’s demise.
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This soundtrack is George Harrison's first piece of solo material, and the first of any Beatle (though Paul McCartney collaborated with George Martin in 1966). This was also Apple's first release, SAPCOR 1.

Eight of the tracks were recorded in England in 1967, the other eleven in India in 1968. The English tracks were recorded with a bunch of session musicians, including Eric Clapton and Ringo Starr. The Indian tracks were recorded using traditional Indian musicians and instrumentation. The Beatles' song "The Inner Light" was recorded during the Indian sessions.

Tracks 2, 5, 8, 10, 11, 14, 17, & 18 were recorded in 1967. The rest were recorded in 1968. I suggest sorting the songs by year, and listening to the album as two separate records. The Indian side would work really well as a fine George Harrison "Raga Rock" EP.

"Party Seacombe" and "On the Bed" both remind me of "Flying" from the Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour. Coupling the three tracks together shows a nice glimpse into the mind of George Harrison in 1967, and the types of sounds and vibes going on his head.

"Singing Om" is sort of a preview of George's Radha Krishna Temple production from 1971.
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