The cover of the new George Harrison
compilation "Let It Roll: Songs By George
Harrison" as pictured on Amazon.com.
(Copyright Capitol Records/EMI.)
Amazon.com has a track list for the new single disc "Let It Roll: Songs By George Harrison" compilation.
UPDATE: A spokesman for Capitol/EMI told us this is not the final track list and said the final version will be released soon.
1. Got My Mind Set On You
2. Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)
3. The Ballad Of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll)
4. My Sweet Lord
5. While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Live - "Concert For Bangladesh" Soundtrack)
6. All Things Must Pass
7. Any Road
8. This Is Love
9. All Those Years Ago
10. Marwa Blues
11. What Is Life
12. Rising Sun
13. When We Was Fab
14. Something (Live - "Concert For Bangladesh" Soundtrack)
15. Blow Away
16. Cheer Down
17. Here Comes The Sun (Live - "Concert For Bangladesh" Soundtrack)
18. I Don't Want To Do It
19. Isn't It A Pity
The disc will be released June 16. You can see the press release announcing this here.
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Comments
almost nothing from 1974 (Dark Horse) until we get to 1987 (Cloud Nine) - Just TWO songs from those Six Albums ! Plus "Bangla Desh" - studio version not on ANY current CD . . . *sigh*
Well, I was hoping for two discs (maybe more) with Beatles and Harrison songs, like "The Best of George Harrison," which does have "Bangla Desh." There are so many other songs I would have included if I was up to me.
i didn't realize the Capitol Hits set was still in print - my guess is that it won't be for long
Thank you for the track listing. Now I can see there is absolutely no reason to buy this cd. This is for the casual listener. Unless someone is "completist", I'd put this right up there with the "Best of George Harrison"-from the 70's? which was quickly put out as GH's contract with Capitol was expiring. Unless I missed something, there's NOTHING here that hasn't already appeared in remastered fashion on a complete cd-with the exception perhaps of "Cheer Down"-the studio version of which only appeared on the Best of Dark Horse and the soundtrack of "Lethal Weapon 2"(1989). Just another way to "capitolize"(intentional) on people who think their getting something new. PM
Phil: The one possible benefit from this disc will be the "digitally remastered tracks" and the booklet, as mentioned in the press release. (See the link to the other column on this.)
Love the cover though! One of my favourite pics ever is being used. Nice!
I will buy this - 'cause I buy all of George's stuff - but I can understand that some people are disappointed. Me...? well I'm just greateful for any George release :-)
Thanks for the news Steve.
It's the money list, I guess.
There are so many other really worthwhile tracks that are not well known. I find it difficult to fathom why George Harrison didn't merit a double disc set.
The clone watchers are still at work.
RE: "digitally remastered tracks" - this could be a trick - almost all of these tracks have been released as "digitally remastered" -
there are no tracks from "Dark Horse" or "Extra Texture" - these have never been digitally remastered . . . it's an old marketing trick :-D
I'm very disappointed, same old stuff, nothing new here to make me want to purchase this, although it has a nice album cover but I don't purchase CD because of the cover, it's always about the music.
Glad to see My sweet lord,What is life,Give me love,Blow away,All those years ago,Got my mind set on you,When we was fab,Cheer down and Any road, but I sure miss Crackerbox palace and Dark horse a little bit too.
As far as the Wilburys,there's the Wilbury's collection box.
I still hope for a double disc version with a dvd included.
A fan can wish can't they ?
UPDATE: A spokesman for Capitol/EMI told us this is not the final track list and said the final version will be released "soon."
That's great news, hope there's some changes.
There must be issues with the original Beatles recordings as all the ones on here are the live versions, and where is Beware of Darkness for goodness sake!
Surprised to see Marwa Blues as the choice from Brainwashed instead of Stuck inside a Cloud.
Marwa Blues won a Grammy or two.
If this is 1 CD, then that list is just about complete....they can't add many more songs to it if they list 19 songs. Strange that "Marwa Blues" and "The Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp" are on this and "This Song" and "Crackerbox Palace" are not. Strange collection.
Why use a Beatles' image of George on the cover for a solo compilation? That looks like a 1968 photo? If Beatles' tracks must be used(I ask why?), I'm glad that they are live versions from the solo years. I still feel sorry for Geoge that at his posthumous induction to the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist the big number honoring him was "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." I always thought that George would have been displeased as he felt that he had many worthy solo songs. I'll buy this comp as will all the other hardcore fans but don't expect it to bring new fans. Ringo was sure disappointed when "Photograph" tanked.
Wow. Looking forward to it.
Thanks Steve for the Capitol/EMI information.
There is btw also a tracklist mentioned on the Tower Records Japan website which is close to the Amazon list.
S. Wilbury - regarding The Ballad Of Sir Frankie Crisp being on it, think of the album title :)
Well Steve, if your update is correct and the final track listing isn't ready, why was it leaked to Amazon? Was it to gauge response?
Savvy if that's the case. On the other hand, maybe they didn't expect this level of criticism and now want to tweak it (it had better include This Song, at least, since it was not on the 1989 comp.)
And what happened to that second Let It Roll? It vanished from sight. Could they be making it a 2-disc set?
It just seems everything Capitol-EMI-Apple does is haphazard. Not just this.
And to Phil, I think this will do OK sales-wise since it will be in the shops when the Scorsese documentary comes out. You can't expect it to sell like the 1970s, but it should do at least OK. At least I hope it does.
This is what a George Harrison greatest hits should look like...
George Harrison - Greatest Hits
01. Blow Away (4:00)
02. Dark Horse (3:55)
03. This Song (4:14)
04. What Is Life (4:27)
05. Crackerbox Palace (3:58)
06. This Is Love (3:49)
07. My Sweet Lord (4:44)
08. When We Was Fab (3:58)
09. Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth) (3:39)
10. All Those Years Ago (3:45)
11. Cheer Down (4:08)
12. Bangla Desh (3:59)
13. Teardrops (4:10)
14. True Love (2:45)
15. I'd Have You Anytime (3:01)
16. Got My Mind Set On You (3:55)
17. Stuck Inside A Cloud (4:05)
18. Living In The Material World (5:30)
19. Awaiting on You All (2:51)
20. Any Road (3:52)
If live versions are to be used, the ones from the tour in Japan with Eric Capton's band are much better. While I think "Dark Horse" is a classy song, hearing his hoarse voice would be difficult.
No matter what is on here people will complain. I see that "I Don't Want To Do It" is included, I'm hoping for the SINGLE version with all the Harrison Lead Guitar added, otherwise unless it is REMIXED, I'm not interested. I have all of the songs and can make a far better compilation myself.
There are lots of obvious issues with this release. Here's one that hasn't been mentioned yet: If the album is called "the songs of George Harrison" that should immediately rule out '...Set On You', 'True Love' (and half of 'I'd Have You Anytime').
Note to EMI: You can do better than this.
If the newly posted listing on AMAZON can be relied upon, "Let It Roll - The Songs Of George Harrison" - the highly touted "first ever solo career spanning solo hits collection" - appears to be a SINGLE disc. That's right. The work of this beloved twice-inducted Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, who now is commemorated on the Hollywood Walk of Fame to boot, is going to have three decades of work neatly packaged in under an hour and a half. While AMAZON has a tentative track list (the EMI folks swear it's not final), consider this:
The press release for the album noted that it will have three Beatle tracks performed live at the Concert For Bangla Desh ("Here Comes The Sun", "Something", and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"). Look at that - EMI feeling the need to have Beatle tracks on a Harrison solo set ... My ! How original ! In case you forgot George was in the Fab Four, they've even slapped a Beatle-era photo on the front sleeve, leaving no room for doubt.
The press release goes on to say it will have George's four #1 hits: "My Sweet Lord", "Give Me Love", "Got My Mind Set On You", and ... "Isn't It A Pity". Now, we all know that last title was the flipside of "My Sweet Lord" (I was careful to say "flipside", not "B-Side", as yes, it was listed in the Billboard charts as a double-A sided single. Hell, Apple Records even used green labels on both sides of the record to make that point. So we'll give the benefit of the doubt here, but we all know "My Sweet Lord" was the "lead" track on that 7-incher. I would maintain this single was a double-A in name only (hmmmm .... so was "Long And Winding Road / For You Blue" and I didn't see the latter title on that Beatles 1 collection, even though that single was released AFTER Billboard changed their chart system to count both sides. But I digress). Back to George Harrison.
So - four #1's and three live versions of Beatles songs. With the length of some of these predestined titles ("Isn't It A Pity" alone is 7+ minutes), this would leave room for a dozen more songs (trust me, I've timed it out). Coincidentally, besides the aforementioned chart-toppers, George has had exactly eleven other Top-40 hits (determined by the Billboard Pop / Hot 100 and the UK Record Retailer charts, as were the standard used on Beatles 1 ): "What Is Life", "Bangla Desh", "Dark Horse", "Ding Dong Ding Dong", "You", "This Song", "Crackerbox Palace", "Blow Away", "All Those Years Ago", "When We Was Fab", and "Any Road" (which is the lone UK-only chart hit here, peaking at #37). The twelfth, by all rights, should be his lone track ever to win a Grammy, "Marwa Blues", from the posthumous release Brainwashed album. All together now ... CHECK PLEASE !
Ultimately, as a "hits" set, the single disc would write itself, if this were the path EMI was to take this time around. In that regard, the only possible - POSSIBLE - swap that might dignify this lineup a bit would be dropping "Ding Dong Ding Dong", as it's really a novelty associated with the holiday season (though it did chart in the US and UK) in favor of the epic "All Things Must Pass".
BUT NO .... if the initial tracklist posted on Amazon comes to fruition, gaps in the Harrison story will be as large as three albums worth, with no songs from Dark Horse, Extra Texture and 33 1/3. That encompasses no fewer than FIVE top-40 hits. Further, if one were to logically assume Let It Roll were to supplant the hideous 1976 Best Of collection currently in print, the non-LP single "Bangla Desh" (I swear no pun is intended here) would be orphaned as well.
In any event, fans hoping for a double or triple disc set to truly celebrate George's bountiful solo career will be disappointed again, much as we were in 1976 with that previously mentioned embarrassment of a retrospective EMI dumped on us. It's high time for EMI to celebrate George's rich catalog with a meaningful retrospective. Sure, all the hits should be there, but inasmuch as George was not a "singles" artist, the examination should dig considerably deeper. This is to say nothing of the LONG overdue and much talked about rarities / archival box set. George's music - and his fans - deserve better.
Having said all that, here are my suggestions for both single and double disc Harrison collections. General parameters are -
- no Beatles songs
- no Wilburys records
- for the single disc - only "released" material
- for the double disc - ok to toss in a few rarities for the collectors
- cover sleeve would NOT be a Beatle-Era photo (for the love of God ...)
SINGLE DISC EDITION
All Things Must Pass
My Sweet Lord
What Is Life
Bangla Desh
Give Me Love
Dark Horse
Ding Dong Ding Dong
This Guitar Can't Keep From Crying (the remake with Platinum Weird - technically available via their website. A beautiful recording, nod to its better known predecessor from the White Album, and a nice treat for the collectors)
You
This Song
Crackerbox Palace
Blow Away
All Those Years Ago
Got My Mind Set On You
When We Was Fab
Cheer Down
(The GRAMMY-winning) Marwa Blues
Any Road
Horse To The Water (with the Jools Holland Band. His final recording)
DOUBLE DISC EDITION - all of the above PLUS:
Isn't It A Pity
It Don't Come Easy (unreleased alternate version with George's vocal)
If Not For You (with Bob Dylan, from the Concert for Bangla Desh DVD)
Don't Let Me Wait Too Long
Living In The Material World
Beautiful Girl
See Yourself
Here Comes The Moon (intriguing enough for the Beatle-peoples)
Love Comes To Everyone
Blood From A Clone (call a spade a spade. One of the most pivotal songs he ever wrote)
Flying Hour (kinda released via Genesis Publications, but still a rarity. See previous note)
Teardrops
Gone Troppo
Only A Dream Away
Wake Up My Love
I Don't Want To Do It (from Porky's Revenge)
Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby (from Carl Perkins Rockabilly Session CD/DVD)
This Is Love
Devil's Radio
Rising Sun
How is it that nothing has ever been released from the 74 Tour???? (Aside from the lone Genesis "In My Life" track). It's unfathomable that some of those performances wouldn't be natural additions to a companion disc to "Hits". I know at the time the quality of performance was considered sub-par, but with the passing of all this time, that material needs to be released for historical context if nothing else.
Steve,
While we love the idea of the “career spanning” George Harrison collection, is there anything from Extra Texture or Dark Horse…what about the single “BaglaDesh”?
A lot of holes….I like Sean Murdoch’s comments on your blog:
To do justice to George's entire solo career, it needs to be two discs and should go something like this:
01. My Sweet Lord
02. Isn't It A Pity
03. What is Life
04. All Things Must Pass
05. Bangla Desh (single)
06. Give Me Love
07. Be Here Now
08. Don't Let Me Wait Too Long
09. Dark Horse
10. So Sad
11. You
12. This Guitar (Can't Keep From Crying)
13. This Song
14. Beautiful Girl
15. Crackerbox Palace
16. Learning How To Love You
17. Blow Away
18. Your Love Is Forever
19. Soft Touch
20. If You Believe
01. All Those Years Ago
02. Life Itself
03. That Which I Have Lost
04. Save The World
05. Mystical One
06. That's The Way It Goes
07. Dream Away
08. I Don't Want To Do It
09. Cloud Nine
10. When We Was Fab
11. Got My Mind Set On You
12. Cheer Down
13. Poor Little Girl
14. Cockamamie Business
15. Ride Rajbun
16. Any Road
17. Looking For My Life
18. Stuck Inside A Cloud
19. Brainwashed
20. Horse To The Water
All albums are represented, all phases are represented, and key rarities fill in the blanks.
01. My Sweet Lord
02. Beware of darkness
03. What Is life
04. Isn't It a Pity
05. All Things Must Pass
06. Bangla Desh
07. Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)
08. Don't Let Me Wait too Long
09. Dark Horse (3:55)
10. Ding Dong, Ding Dong
11. You
12. This Guitar (Can't Keep from Crying)
13. This Song
14. Crackerbox Palace
15. True Love
16. Blow Away
17. Not Guilty
18. Love Comes to Everyone
19. All Those Years Ago
20. Life Itself
01. That's the waY iT Goes
02. Gone Troppo
03. I Don't Want to Do It
04. Got My Mind Set on You
05. When We Was Fab
06. This Is Love
07. Cockamamie Business
08. Poor Little Girl
09.
04. What Is Life (4:27)
05. Crackerbox Palace (3:58)
06. This Is Love (3:49)
07. (4:44)
08. When We Was Fab (3:58)
09. Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)
10. All Those Years Ago (3:45)
11. Cheer Down (4:08)
12. Bangla Desh (3:59)
13. Teardrops (4:10)
14. True Love (2:45)
15. Horse to the Water(3:01)
16. Got My Mind Set On You (3:55)
17. Stuck Inside A Cloud (4:05)
18. Living In The Material World (5:30)
19. Beware of Darkness
20. Any Road (3:52)
This Doublediscset will do George justice. Just about. But I guess that’s not really what EMI are looking for, doing justice to anybody. Here are all the hits collected, some key album tracks, and a fair amount of rarities.
And this is very possible, eveyrone will be satisfied, and it's a very good listen, just try. I'll stick to this, and stay clear of this ridicolus "Let It Roll" collection.
Disc One:
1. My Sweet Lord
2. Beware of Darkness
3. What Is Life?
4. Isn’t It a Pity?
5. All Things Must Pass
6. Bangla Desh
7. Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)
8. Don’t Let Me Wait too Long
9. Living in the Material World
10. Ding Dong Ding Dong
11. Dark Horse
12. You
13. This Guitar (Can’t Keep from Crying)
14. This Song
15. Crackerbox Palace
16. True Love
17. Love Comes to Everyone
18. Blow Away
19. Not Guilty
Disc Two:
1. Here Comes the Moon
2. All Those Years Ago
3. Teardrops
4. That’s the Way It Goes
5. Wake up My Love
6. Gone Troppo
7. I Don’t Want to Do It
8. Got My Mind Set on You
9. When We Was Fab
10. This Is Love
11. Cheer Down
12. Poor Little Girl
13. Cockamami Business
14. Absolutely Sweet Marie
15. Any Road
16. Stuck inside a Cloud
17. Marwa Blues
18. Horse to the Water
19. My Sweet Lord 2000
By the way, I'm prettuy sure that there won't be any sensible linernotes either, afterr all, weære talking about EMI, as usual trying to make things as cheap and easy as possible...
Thank God for CD-R
I enjoy reading your blog. Thanks.
George's greatest hits collection have always been a sad point in his career - we have had that horrible "Best of George Harrison" album now for 33 years (hard to believe almost as long as between when George was born and the album 33 and 1/3).
Yet no matter what is released, there will be many people out there who don't get the tracks what they want, so stop complaining. The purpose of this single album apparently is for the casual fan to show them the "best songs of George" from today's viewpoint, not for someone who already has all the albums.
The tracks that are misisng aren't all that good - the studio version of Bangla Desh is weak compared to the live version, the studio version of Dark Horse sounds horrible, and You scares off a lot of people. My guess is Dhani is involved and is embarrased for some of these songs (witness leaving off the very tacky videos for Blow Away and True Love off the Best of Dark Horse DVD).
Let's hope they do a two album version, with Hits and History, and maybe that will please everybody.
I like the Hits and History idea for this, but I doubt it's a two-disc set. I just really think that would be known at this point. Part of me wants to believe the leaked track list is probably pretty close to what we are going to get on "Let it Roll." Maybe a few tracks will be different, but I expect most of what is listed to be there. I don't have any problems with the cover, although I really thought the b&w picture of a serious-looking George with guitar would be a good choice too. Perhaps that will be the picture on the back side. Hopefully we will get the official track list soon.
If it were one CD, I'd favor this:
1. Wonderwall To Be Here [Wonderwall]
2. I'd Have You Any Time [ATMP]
3. Isn't It a Pity (Version 1)
4. Beware of Darkness
5. Awaiting On You All
6. Bangladesh [CfB]
7. Living in the Material World [LitMW]
8. Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)
9. Far East Man [Dark Horse]
10. Tired of Midnight Blue
11. Woman Don't You Cry For Me [33 1/3]
12. Soft Touch [GH]
13. That Which I Have Lost [SiE]
14. Wake Up My Love [GT]
15. Cloud Nine [C9]
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