George Harrison
The Reluctant Beatle
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4.1 • 35 Ratings
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- $16.99
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
From the premiere Beatles biographer—author of the New York Times bestseller John Lennon: The Life and Shout!: The Beatles in Their Generation—a rare and “absorbing biography” (Wall Street Journal) of George Harrison, the most misunderstood and mysterious Beatle, based on decades-long research and unparalleled access to inside sources.
Despite being hailed as one of the best guitarists of his era, George Harrison, particularly in his early decades, battled feelings of inferiority. He was often the butt of jokes from his bandmates owing to his lower-class background and, typically, was allowed to contribute only one or two songs per Beatles album out of the dozens he wrote.
Now, Philip Norman examines Harrison through the lens of his numerous self-contradictions in this “keen and lovely tribute” (Booklist, starred review). Compared to songwriting luminaries John Lennon and Paul McCartney he was considered a minor talent, yet he composed such masterpieces as “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” and “Here Comes the Sun,” and his solo debut album All Things Must Pass appears on many lists of the 100 best rock albums ever. Modern music critics place him in the pantheon of sixties guitar gods alongside Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Keith Richards, and Jimmy Page.
Harrison railed against the material world yet wrote the first pop song complaining about income tax. He spent years lovingly restoring his Friar Park estate as a spiritual journey, but quickly mortgaged the property to help rescue a film project that would be widely banned as sacrilegious, Monty Python’s Life of Brian. Harrison could be fiercely jealous, but not only did he stay friends with Eric Clapton when Clapton fell in love with Harrison’s wife, Pattie Boyd, the two men grew even closer after Clapton walked away with her.
Unprecedented in scope and filled with numerous color photos, this rich biography captures George Harrison at his most multi-faceted: devoted friend, loyal son, master guitar player, brilliant songwriter, cocaine addict, serial philanderer, global philanthropist, student of Indian mysticism, self-deprecating comedian, and, ultimately, iconic artist and man beloved by millions.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Following up biographies of two of the Fab Four (Paul McCartney and John Lennon), Norman turns his attention to George Harrison in this uneven and exhausting account. Self-described as "the quiet Beatle," Harrison was a musician with a keen ear rather than a penchant for flashy guitar solos—an understated quality that sometimes left him devalued by the group and its fans, according to Norman. After the band met with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the head of the Spiritual Regeneration movement, in 1967, Harrison grew enamored with meditation and began to feel the Beatles were holding him back spiritually. Once the group split, he became famously reclusive—gardening and meditating, but also producing solo albums, including 1970's All Things Must Pass, that sold better than those of John and Paul. Norman rushes through Harrison's solo career, his divorce from Pattie Boyd, and his later marriage to Olivia Arias, while rehashing familiar stories and piling on laborious detail (as when describing the apartment that John shared with Stu Sutcliffe, where " ‘college band' rehearsal would often turn into one of John's informal tutorials from Stu on anything from van Gogh and Benvenuto Cellini to Jack Kerouac, James Joyce, Kierkegaard or Sartre, and George, with his abhorrence of book learning, would feel himself excluded in yet another way"). This bloated biography is nonessential for all but the most devoted Beatles fans.
Customer Reviews
George Harrison review
This book on George Harrison's life including the time with the Beatles and his solo career was extremely enlightening. He was a complicated and troubled genius and a significant influence of the Beatle groups greatest achievements and this book gives validation to him.
Questionable
Many factual errors of well known Beatles lore; it was “I Should Have Known Better,” not “If I Fell” sung in the train car in AHDN. Makes one question the veracity of the research.
Awesome book
I loved every minute of it, George Harrison was one of my idols I started playing guitar because of him and he had an awesome life. Rest in peace George. Hare Krishna