Live in Japan

by

George Harrison

Edit

Some 10 years ago, I wandered into a junk store in San Antonio and picked up this CD for $5. What a bargain! Often seemingly a sideman for Paul & John, George was in fact a respectable singer, good songwriter, and remarkably versatile guitarist. This album bears witness to that.

Harrison toured Japan with Eric Clapton and his band, and "Live" aptly reflects the set he played. Given the song selection, it could just as well be called "The Best of George Harrison, But Played Live". The album opens with a rousing version of "I Want to Tell You" (from Revolver), then moves energically through a list of songs carefully selected from his Beatle and solo eras. Interspersed, of course, are featured guitar and keyboard solos from Clapton and band. As you would expect, the backing band is high-powered and first-rate. Additionally, there's lots of good acoustic guitar work, well played even if the sound from those earlier guitar pickups is a bit brittle.

"If I Needed Someone" (Rubber Soul) is beautifully nailed, and is a prime example of the Beatles' transition into 4-track recording and more complex music. "Piggies" (white album) gets points for sheer audacity, and is actually quite well played. "Taxman" (Revolver) gets a political facelift. "Something" (Abbey Road) is nice, but Clapton should have mimicked the original guitar solo, instead of exploring. "Got My Mind Set on You" is a clone of the radio hit -- that's a compliment, by the way, although this always seemed a strange song coming from a guy who urged us to shun worldy possessions. "Here Comes the Sun" (Abbey Road) and "My Sweet Lord" are, in my mind, the true highlights of the entire set, and "All Those Years Ago" ranks highly. Although "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" (white album) is the album climax, I found the guitar licks somewhat unfulfilling. Clapton is in much better form on the new Tribute CD. Finally, the album exits with an enthusiastic version of "Roll Over Beethoven" (Beatles' Second Album), a staple from the Hamburg and Cavern Club days.

This is a wonderful album in terms of song selection, musicianship, and recording quality. And purists won't have to worry about the songs having been significantly changed. In my opinion, it's the best "best of..." George Harrison album out there. Thank goodness it's being re-released. With all due respect to the current "Tribute" CD, "Live in Japan" is an even better tribute.

Released as a SACD hybrid disk as part of the recent Dark Horse reissues, this two-CD set mixes a pretty decent overview of George Harrison's solo career with nice versions of some of his Beatles highlights.

I don't have a SACD player, but other hybrid disks I've bought sound pretty good on a standard player. However, "Live in Japan" doesn't offer that extra "oomph" on a standard system -- it just sounds, well, standard.

Aside from that, the concert is excellent: Eric Clapton lends his guitar wizardry to some of the set's highlights, such as "What Is Life" and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." George is in fine voice throughout -- the version here of "Dark Horse" is light years better than the studio cut -- and Harrison isn't afraid to dip deeply into his Beatles catalog. It's kind of a nice surprise to hear "Piggies," alongside his more familiar "Here Comes the Sun" and "Something."

If there is a complaint, it might be that this set is maybe a bit too slick. They don't mess around with the original arrangements of the songs too much, and some of the extra touches might be a bit much at times. For example: the background "doo wop" singers on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" are totally unnecessary.

All in all, a good set.