Two new box sets illuminate the moment
Forget the Stones:The Beach Boyswere theBeatles' true rivals.
Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band arguably the apex of their respective careers.
Ultimately, one remained intact while the other disintegrated in effect ending their seemingly similar trajectories.
Credit: mptvimages.com
Both projects serve as fascinating inverse parallels of each other.
Creatively free at last, Harrison unleashed a torrent of pent-up music.
Over two days he demoed some 30 tracks for co-producer Phil Spector.
George Harrison in an outtake from his ‘All Things Pass’ shoot.Barry Feinstein
Harrison initially hated the effect,bluntly tellingSpector it was “horrible” on his first listen.
The forthcoming set fulfills that wish, revealing Harrison’s meticulous guitar and vocal arrangements.
He was an apt pupil, ultimately surpassing his teacher in terms of musical sophistication and chart success.
The original covers of ‘Sunflower’ and ‘All Things Must Pass’.Capitol/UME; EMI
The cavernous echo that had so irritated Harrison soothed Brian’s tortured psyche.
At a commercial low-ebb, a new record deal with Warner Brothers/Reprise offered a glimmer of hope.
Dennis Wilson had morphed from the band’s party-boy drummer into their secret songwriting weapon.
Echoing Harrison’s deluge of material, more than three dozen songs were left off the final version ofSunflower.
Many of the strongest were penned by Dennis.
(Perhaps Harrison’s scatological description of his first post-Beatles solo venture had resonated with Dennis.)
The answer was, in short, no.
Even the album’s cover seemed to confuse people.
The sleeve forAll Things Must Passwas also set on a lawn.
But unlikeSunflower, Harrison’s record was an instant smash.
It held the top spot for seven weeks and sold over six million copies.
“My Sweet Lord” was the gutsy choice for a lead single.
Harrison was initially nervous about releasing such an overtly religious song.
Despite his misgivings, “My Sweet Lord” became the first solo Beatles track to scale the charts.
With over 10 million copies sold it remains one of the best-selling singles of all time.
A pair of New York gigs capped this period for both the Beach Boys and Harrison.
The benefit extravaganza became the high-water mark of Harrison’s public profile.
From now on, his attention became more diffuse.
But a cosign from Jerry Garcia went a long way with the crowd and the show was a triumph.
Thus began a lengthy image rehab for the Beach Boys.
During the sessions that June, the Quiet Beatle dropped by to visit.
No doubt they had a lot to talk about.
This story appears inthe September issueofEntertainment Weekly.
You find it on newsstands beginning Aug. 20.
