George Harrison
The Reluctant Beatle
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Narrated by:
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David Holt
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Written by:
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Philip Norman
About this listen
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.
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What listeners say about George Harrison
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
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Performance
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- David Finestone
- 2024-07-20
Nothing new or worthwhile here, move along please.
Two thirds of the way through and I'm going to return this because of the judgemental and historical inaccuracies, mispronunciations and general negativity that the prose produces. Having been a fan and seen the Beatles live twice as well as many times solo, i've witnessed a majority of what the storyteller makes references and too having reviewed the video records, his interpretations are far from what the world perceived the images to portray. a pdf with the pictures included in the book would have been a nice addition. Although I do agree with Philip Norman's claim that Paul McCartney 'rewrites history', Norman is doing much the same with this effort at biography. Now, more than a half century since "Abbey Road", I'd been voracious in consuming the first 30 years of media surrounding the band, when memories were fresh and the circle of protagonists were alive to tell the tale, but once the books and interview quotes began coming from those at least thrice times removed from the people or circumstance, I'd had enough. To my mind, memory and observations the only Beatles author worth investing time and money in is Mark Lewisohn. Sorry Philip, but then, who am I to judge. I just don't agree with the reportage or appreciate the feeling this audiobook leave with me.
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