On January 16, 2021, Harvey Phillip Spector died aged 81. He was musician (guitar, piano), vocalist, songwriter and music producer. He developed music production “Wall of Sound”, he described as “Wagnerian approach to rock and roll”. Spector started the music career as member of the band Teddy Bears, at age of 21 he co-founded “Philles Records” and became the youngest ever US label owner to that point. In the 60’s he wrote songs or produced music for The Ronettes, The Crystals, Ike & Tina Turner, produced Beatles album “Let It Be”, and few solo John Lennon and George Harrison recordings. He also worked with Leonard Cohen, Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans, Darlene Love, Ronnie Spector, The Wrecking Crew, The Righteous Brothers, and The Ramones. In 1973 Spector won “Grammy Award for Album of the Year” for co-producing Harrison’s “Concert for Bangladesh”, in 1989 he was inducted into the “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame”, and in 1997 he was inducted into the “Songwriters Hall of Fame”. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him at number 63 on their list of “The Greatest Artists in History”.In 2009, he was convicted for the 2003 murder of the actress Lana Clarkson and sentenced to 19 years to life in prison, where he died.
Tag Archives: Concert for Bangladesh
George Harrison
On November 29, 2001, George Harrison died aged 58. He was musician (guitar), singer, songwriter, and music and movie producer, lead guitarist and occasional lead vocalist of The Beatles. His interest in folk music and especially in Indian music had serious influence on the band’s Hindu-aligned spirituality in the later years. Some of his songs composed for the band include “Here Comes the Sun”, “Something”, “Taxman”, “Within You Without You”, and “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”. After The Beatles broke-up in 1970, Harrison released the album “All Things Must Pass” which included the track “My Sweet Lord”, his most successful single, and the first solo single by any member of The Beatles that sold over million copies. In 1971, together with Ravi Shankar he organized “Concert for Bangladesh”, the first big benefit concert in the music history. In 1974, Harrison founded the music label “Dark Horse Records”, and co-founded movie label “Hand Made Films” in 1978. In 1988, with Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, and Roy Orbison, he co-founded the supergroup The Travelling Wilburys. As a guitarist he recorded for Badfinger, Billy Preston, Bob Dylan, Duane Eddy, Randy Newman, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Ronnie Wood, and Tom Petty. “Rolling Stone” magazine ranked Harrison at number 11 in their list of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time”. In 1988, as a member of The Beatles he was inducted in the “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame”, and in 2004, posthumously for his solo career. As leader, Harrison released twelve studio and two live albums.
George Harrison & Frineds: The Concert for Bangladesh
On December 20, 1971, “Apple” label released “The Concert for Bangladesh” a live triple album by George Harrison and his friends. The album is recording from the concert on August 1, 1971, at “Madison Square Garden” in New York, held in aid of the homeless Bengali refugees of the Bangladesh Liberation War. This was the first big humanitarian concert with international music stars and was the model for future big rock benefits events such as “Live Aid” (1985). The album was produced by George Harrison and Phil Spector. The box set included a 64-page book containing concert photos. ”The Concert for Bangladesh” won “Grammy Award” for “Album of the Year”.
Personnel:
- George Harrison – vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, backing vocals
- Ravi Shankar– sitar
- Bob Dylan– vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica
- Leon Russell– piano, vocals, bass, backing vocals
- Ringo Starr– drums, vocals, tambourine
- Billy Preston– Hammond organ, vocals
- Eric Clapton– electric guitar
- Ali Akbar Khan– sarod
- Alla Rakha– tabla
- Kamala Chakravarty– tambura
- Jesse Ed Davis– electric guitar
- Klaus Voormann– bass
- Jim Keltner– drums
- Pete Ham– acoustic guitar
- Tom Evans– twelve-string acoustic guitar
- Joey Molland– acoustic guitar
- Mike Gibbins– tambourine, maracas
- Don Preston– electric guitar, vocals, percussion
- Carl Radle– bass
- Jim Horn– saxophones, horn arrangements
- Chuck Findley– trumpet
- Jackie Kelso– saxophones
- Allan Beutler – saxophones
- Lou McCreary – trombone
- Ollie Mitchell– trumpet
- Claudia Linnear, Jo Green, Jeanie Greene, Marlin Greene, Dolores Hall, Don Nix – backing vocals
- Tom Wilkes – design
Track listing:
- George Harrison/Ravi Shankar Introduction – George Harrison, Ravi Shankar
- Bangla Dhun – Ravi Shankar
- Wah-Wah – George Harrison
- My Sweet Lord – George Harrison
- Awaiting on You All – George Harrison
- That’s the Way God Planned It – Billy Preston
- It Don’t Come Easy – Richard Starkey
- Beware of Darkness – George Harrison
- Band Introduction
- While My Guitar Gently Weeps – George Harrison
- Medley: Jumpin’ Jack Flash/Youngblood – Mick Jagger, Keith Richards/Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, Doc Pomus
- Here Comes the Sun – George Harrison
- A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall – Bob Dylan
- It Takes A Lot to Laugh It – Bob Dylan
- Blowin’ in the Wind – Bob Dylan
- Mr. Tambourine Man – Bob Dylan
- Just Like A Woman – Bob Dylan
- Something – George Harrison
- Bangla Desh – George Harrison
Eric Clapton’s Rainbow Concert
On January 13, 1973, Eric Clapton held a concert at the “London’s Rainbow Theatre”. The concert was organised by Pete Townshend and marked Clapton’s comeback after two years of inactivity caused by drug addiction and,broken only by his performance at the “Concert for Bangladesh” in August 1971. Along with Townshend, the musicians supporting Clapton include Steve Winwood, Ronnie Wood and Jim Capaldi. On September 10, 1973, “RSO” label released album titled “Eric Clapton’s Rainbow concert”.
The Concert for Bangladesh
“The Concert for Bangladesh” were actually two benefit concerts organized by George Harrison and Ravi Shankar, held at 2.30 and 8 pm on Sunday, August 1, 1971, playing to a total of 40,000 people at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The shows were organized to raise international awareness and fund relief efforts for refugees from East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), following the Bangladesh Liberation War-related Bangladesh atrocities. The concerts were followed by a live album, a boxed three-record set, and “Apple Films” concert documentary, which opened in cinemas in the spring of 1972. The event was the first-ever benefit concert of such a magnitude and featured a supergroup of performers that included Harrison, Ringo Starr, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, Leon Russell and the Badfinger. In addition, Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan – both of whom had ancestral roots in Bangladesh – performed an opening set of Indian classical music. Decades later, Shankar would say of the overwhelming success of the event: “In one day, the whole world knew the name of Bangladesh. It was a fantastic occasion”.
The concerts raised close to US$250,000 for Bangladesh relief, which was administered by UNICEF. Although the project was subsequently marred by financial problems – a result of the pioneering nature of the venture – the “Concert for Bangladesh” is recognized as a highly successful and influential humanitarian aid project, generating both awareness and considerable funds as well as providing valuable lessons and inspiration for projects that followed, notably Live Aid. By 1985, through revenue raised from the “Concert for Bangladesh” live album and film, an estimated $12 million had been sent to Bangladesh in relief. Sales of the live album and DVD release of the film continue to benefit the George Harrison Fund for UNICEF.
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