George Harrison

George Harrison – If Not For You – The Best Dylan Covers

Posted on by Hallgeir Olsen
photo: Henry Diltz

George Harrison – If Not For You – The Best Dylan Covers

“If Not for You” is a song by Bob Dylan, recorded for his 1970 album New Morning. Dylan recorded the album version in August 1970, having first recorded the song in a session with George Harrison on May 1 of that year. In addition to appearing on the album in October 1970, the August recording was released as a single in Europe; the May recording remained unreleased until its inclusion on The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 (Rare & Unreleased) in 1991.

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September 26: Abbey Road by The Beatles was released in 1969

Posted on by Hallgeir Olsen

Released 26 September 1969
Recorded 22 February – 20 August 1969,EMI, Olympic and Trident Studios,London
Genre Rock
Length 47:23
Label Apple
Producer George Martin


Abbey Road is the 11th studio album released by the English rock band The Beatles. It is their last recorded album, although Let It Be was the last album released before the band’s dissolution in 1970. Work on Abbey Road began in April 1969, and the album was released on 26 September 1969 in the United Kingdom, and 1 October 1969 in the United States.

Abbey Road is widely regarded as one of The Beatles’ most tightly constructed albums, although the band was barely operating as a functioning unit at the time. Despite the tensions within the band, Abbey Road was released to near universal acclaim and is considered to be one of the greatest albums of all time. In 2012, Abbey Road was voted 14th on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”. In 2009, readers of the magazine also named Abbey Road the greatest Beatles album.

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The story of how John Lennon’s Beatles demo Child of Nature became Jealous Guy

Posted on by Hallgeir Olsen

During the Beatles’ stay in Rishikesh in 1968 studying transcendental meditation under the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the members of the fab four wrote ca. 30 songs. It was a creative boost.

A lot of them ended up on “the white album”.

Lennon wrote “Julia,” “Dear Prudence,” “Sexy Sadie,” and more. McCartney wrote “Rocky Raccoon,” “Why Don’t We Do It in the Road,” and “Back in the U.S.S.R,” among them. Harrison wrote “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” “Sour Milk Sea,”and a few others.

The period was so productive that John Lennon and Paul McCartney each wrote a song following the same lecture by the Maharishi.

Paul wrote Mother’s Nature Son (that ended up on “the white album”), John wrote the song Child of Nature ( or I’m just a child of nature that it was called first). John’s song did not end up on any Beatles albums, but was part of the so called Esher demos:

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The story of the unreleased Beatles medley Black Dog Blues / Right String Wrong Yo Yo

Posted on by Hallgeir Olsen

This is a traditional country blues that dates back to the1920s. It has been recorded a lot of  times under several names, including Daddy Where You Been Gone So Long, Black Dog, Black Dog Blues, Call Me A Dog and Honey Where You Been So Long.

It is however NOT the same song as the Blind Blake song called Black Dog Blues. It also has nothing to do with the Led Zeppelin song.

Beatles recorded this “jam” on the last day of the so called Get Back sessions, 31st of January 1969. I don’t think it should be released as such, but I do think it’s interesting to see (hear) what was floating around in the studio. And to speculate what it resulted in or inspired the Beatles to create on a later stage, together or as solo artists. Also I like to find out why these songs were chosen to run through.

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The Story of the unreleased Now and Then by John Lennon and The Beatles

Posted on by Hallgeir Olsen

“Now and Then” (sometimes referred to as “I Don’t Want to Lose You” or “Miss You”) is an unfinished song by John Lennon, recorded in 1978 as a solo piano/vocal demo. After his death, it was considered as a third possible reunion single by his former band, the Beatles, for their 1995 autobiographical project The Beatles Anthology, following “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love”.

Lennon wrote “Now and Then” in the late 1970s. He recorded the unfinished piece of music in a demo form at his home at the Dakota Building, New York City, 1978. The lyrics are typical of the apologetic love songs that Lennon wrote in the latter half of his career. Despite reports, for the most part the verses are nearly complete, though there are still a few lines that Lennon did not flesh out on the demo tape performance


I think it’s already, in this form, a beautiful melancholic ballad. Full of sadness about estranged friends and lost possibilities, and hope.

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Listen to Bob Dylan’s Recording Session With George Harrison in 1970 (56 min audio)

Posted on by Egil Mosbron

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_message message_box_color=”mulled_wine” icon_fontawesome=”fa fa-quote-left”]New York — Bob Dylan snuck into Columbia’s Studio B in New York on May Day and recorded for 12 hours with George Harrison, lead guitarist for a reportedly defunct British rock and roll group, the Beatles.
-Rolling Stone Magazine (May 28, 1970) [/vc_message][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Wikipedia:
After work on Self Portrait was virtually completed, Dylan held more sessions at Columbia’s recording studios in the Columbia Studio Building at 49 East 52nd Street in New York, beginning May 1, 1970. Held in Studio B, the first session was accompanied by George Harrison, bassist Charlie Daniels, and drummer Russ Kunkel. A large number of covers and old compositions were recorded in addition to several new compositions. The results were rejected, although “Working on a Guru” and alternate versions of “Time Passes Slowly” and “If Not For You” have since been released.

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