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1.24pm
Moderators
15 February 2015
Offline
…And because I can’t seem to stop creating new Harrisong topics, and you’ve not tired of my very presence yet… here’s another! 
I think I’ve made it pretty clear that I love this song– I’m partial to instrumentals, adore George’s slide guitar, and think Jeff Lynne is cool (so 
, mmm). It’s a great meditation track: to meditate to, or as a meditation in itself; the so-called Mystic Beatle at his most mystic. And it does conjure up images of a dense cool mist: everything still and hushed, with that slide penetrating the fog.
After I heard what Jeff had to say about it, I appreciated his and Dhani’s fine work even more– I realised how much his production makes the song. Really, it’s a proper collaboration between George and Jeff (so what if George wasn’t actually there? Minor details). Not just the string parts where the violins are sort of playing off of the guitar melody– like they’re in the same room, jamming, or whatever you call jamming when violins do it– but finding that guitar melody in the first place. (As a side note, I’d really like to hear what it originally sounded like with five different guitar parts all going at the same time.)
Now that I know, I can hear the differences between the different guitar tracks. The first one that comes in has a certain sound, clear and crisp and full; there’s another one that plays sort of over it that sounds a little less full, somehow, and lower. (Can you tell I’ve listened to this a lot on headphones?) As a result it sounds like there are two Georges playing off each other. 
I remember once, we were driving somewhere and Silly Mum may have been nagging at me or something, or there was some altercation with Little Girl, or one of those silly little things that happens, and I was feeling all rumpled-up and stroppy, and I knew I needed a soothing Harrisong. So I nabbed Silly Mum’s electronic device of a mobile nature and played Marwa Blues very quietly in my ear, and it was wondrous. After the song was over I felt fully centered. It was beautiful.
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1.55pm
Reviewers
Moderators
1 May 2011
Offline 
Its a really nice tune. Its the same with most on ‘Brainwashed‘ where individually they are really good songs, its when they are played in a group it becomes so apparent that they all sound the damn same with the same production applied to nearly every damn song. And the same sound can be heard in ‘You Got It’, ‘Poor Little Girl’ and so many others that Jeff is involved with. Incidentally listen to Ringo’s timpani on ‘Every Little Thing ‘ and then ‘You Got It’ and ‘Poor Little Girl’.
I will sound like a broken record but it really irks me that there is so much potential that is never met.
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Beatlebug"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
1.53am
3 August 2012
Offline I have to say that to me, this is the best song George did on Brainwashed (even if it was a complete mess before Jeff and Dhani fixed it up).
I agree with @meanmistermustard about the production although it works pretty well for this song as a standalone.
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BeatlebugTimes I find it hard to say / With useless words getting in my way
2.49pm
Moderators
15 February 2015
Offline I saaaaaaaaaid
After I heard what Jeff had to say about it, I appreciated his and Dhani’s fine work even more– I realised how much his production makes the song. Really, it’s a proper collaboration between George and Jeff (so what if George wasn’t actually there? Minor details). Not just the string parts where the violins are sort of playing off of the guitar melody– like they’re in the same room, jamming, or whatever you call jamming when violins do it-–
I have decided to call it jamming, as that’s what my band does, and we have a violinist.
(As a side note, I’d really like to hear what it originally sounded like with five different guitar parts all going at the same time.)
This. Whoever has the original tapes I shall blackmail into giving me a copy of the full thing. Why did he have to fade it out?! What if we wanted to hear MORE?!
Last night, I listened to it in bed (which is a favourite soothing sleepytime ritual of mine, that I haven’t done in a while cause reasons), and it was DIVINE– I ended up hitting repeat about half a dozen times. I realised that I could appreciate so much more since slide-guitar-ing myself. It’s just so amazingly simple, almost offhand, and yet perfect, just George noodling around on his guitar, and this amazing piece — not even atmospheric anymore but creates a whole realm apart from everything — comes out of the other end. 
If you asked me, right now, what my favourite Harrisong was, I’d say Marwa Blues. 
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3.26pm
Reviewers
Moderators
1 May 2011
Offline Silly Girl said
I saaaaaaaaaid
After I heard what Jeff had to say about it, I appreciated his and Dhani’s fine work even more– I realised how much his production makes the song. Really, it’s a proper collaboration between George and Jeff (so what if George wasn’t actually there? Minor details). Not just the string parts where the violins are sort of playing off of the guitar melody– like they’re in the same room, jamming, or whatever you call jamming when violins do it-–I have decided to call it jamming, as that’s what my band does, and we have a violinist.
(As a side note, I’d really like to hear what it originally sounded like with five different guitar parts all going at the same time.)
This. Whoever has the original tapes I shall blackmail into giving me a copy of the full thing. Why did he have to fade it out?! What if we wanted to hear MORE?!
Last night, I listened to it in bed (which is a favourite soothing sleepytime ritual of mine, that I haven’t done in a while cause reasons), and it was DIVINE– I ended up hitting repeat about half a dozen times. I realised that I could appreciate so much more since slide-guitar-ing myself. It’s just so amazingly simple, almost offhand, and yet perfect, just George noodling around on his guitar, and this amazing piece — not even atmospheric anymore but creates a whole realm apart from everything — comes out of the other end.
Can you use your blackmailing to get us the Harrison outtakes and demos box set that occasionally gets a mention by Olivia before vanishing for another 6 years.
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Beatlebug, pepperland"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
4.50pm
Reviewers
14 April 2010
Offline I know the spelling is different, but I think of this song every time I drive up to NY to visit my family and pass by this exit.
To the fountain of perpetual mirth, let it roll for all its worth. And all the children boogie.
3.06am
Moderators
15 February 2015
Offline 
Do we…. do we wanna break it to them? 
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5.50am
7 November 2022
Offline Beatlebug said
Do we…. do we wanna break it to them?
I’m listening to it now and I read your description. Were you saying that Jeff Lynne also plays slide guitar and is adding stuff around George’s “noodling”? So basically Jeff played along to the recording George had left long ago? Is there a way to listen to it without Jeff Lynne’s contributions? It would be interesting to hear also.
Now today I find, you have changed your mind
10.05pm
Moderators
15 February 2015
Offline @Sea Belt said
I’m listening to it now and I read your description. Were you saying that Jeff Lynne also plays slide guitar and is adding stuff around George’s “noodling”? So basically Jeff played along to the recording George had left long ago? Is there a way to listen to it without Jeff Lynne’s contributions? It would be interesting to hear also.
You mean upthread? Phew, that was a long time ago haha. Ummm I think I was talking about Jeff Lynne’s scoring for strings and whatnot – all the slide guitar is George’s. And yeah I was wishing there was some way to hear Marwa Blues with just George’s slide guitar tracks and nothing else.
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11.32pm
7 November 2022
Offline Beatlebug said
@Sea Belt said
I’m listening to it now and I read your description. Were you saying that Jeff Lynne also plays slide guitar and is adding stuff around George’s “noodling”? So basically Jeff played along to the recording George had left long ago? Is there a way to listen to it without Jeff Lynne’s contributions? It would be interesting to hear also.
You mean upthread? Phew, that was a long time ago haha. Ummm I think I was talking about Jeff Lynne’s scoring for strings and whatnot – all the slide guitar is George’s. And yeah I was wishing there was some way to hear Marwa Blues with just George’s slide guitar tracks and nothing else.
Oh I didn’t check the date! Thanks — to my ear it sounds like if all the slide is George, it sounds like he’s tracking over with extra licks on top of what he recorded. Another thing I noticed is it’s very subtle slide. Most people when they play it they exaggerate the sliding effect, but he’s minimizing that — it’s a nice effect.
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Beatlebug, RubeNow today I find, you have changed your mind
10.59pm
Moderators
15 February 2015
Offline Yes, he had a very clean and soft touch with slide guitar, very pure. It’s what makes his playing unique. And yeah, if you watch the Brainwashed promo thing, Jeff and Dhani talk about how George had five or six tracks of slide guitar all going at once, and it was just kind of a mess, and they sort of did some judicious editing to pull what they took to be the main train of melodic thought out of it.
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5.38am
7 November 2022
Offline Beatlebug said
Yes, he had a very clean and soft touch with slide guitar, very pure. It’s what makes his playing unique. And yeah, if you watch the Brainwashed promo thing, Jeff and Dhani talk about how George had five or six tracks of slide guitar all going at once, and it was just kind of a mess, and they sort of did some judicious editing to pull what they took to be the main train of melodic thought out of it.
That was cool. I wish George had thought to take notes (written or recorder) about his vision or plans for the song — but of course he had no way of knowing it would be needed. They did a good job nevertheless.
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Beatlebug, RubeNow today I find, you have changed your mind
3.35pm
Moderators
15 February 2015
Offline He did leave some notes and instructions behind, but I suppose you can’t think of/plan for everything. (Unless you’re David Bowie, that is. )
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