Please consider registering
Guest
sp_LogInOut Log Insp_Registration Register
Register | Lost password?
Advanced Search
Forum Scope


Match



Forum Options



Minimum search word length is 3 characters - maximum search word length is 84 characters
sp_Feed sp_TopicIcon
George Under rated
21 June 2017
3.12pm
Kite
Casbah Coffee Club
Members
Forum Posts: 17
Member Since:
21 June 2017
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

Personally, I feel George despite having been part of the world famous Beatles, is still under- rated as a guitarist; people are more interested in the sounds made by Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jeff and Led Zep’s Page who started at around the same period. You can still see that in the music media.

Examples are his solos/intros in  All My Loving ‘, Ticket To Ride ;’And Your Bird Can Sing ‘; the solo on A hard Days night, ( the closing riff also is very evocative for me);Drive My Car .    Then there was his playing on Abbey Road .

I recently saw him say in an old video interview that in the early days he actually yearned for a Sratocaster and having missed out on buying one he went for the Gretsch he became so famous for. I dont understand that as I thought they avoided Strats because of it’s association with The Shadows…it would have been interesting though. a-hard-days-night-george-4

The following people thank Kite for this post:

SgtPeppersBulldog
21 June 2017
6.46pm
Avatar
Dark Overlord
Nowhere Land
Rishikesh
Members
Forum Posts: 4470
Member Since:
9 March 2017
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

I couldn’t agree more with you, George is an underrated guitarist, he had a lot of chordal knowledge and Something is such a great solo, so is Octopus’s Garden , Let It Be (the last solo he ever recorded with the group for 25 years), And Your Bird Can Sing , Till There Was You , the list is endless.

If you're reading this, you are looking for something to do.

22 June 2017
3.07am
Avatar
sir walter raleigh
In our yellow (IN OUR YELLOW) submarine (SUBMARINE AHA!)
Apple rooftop
Members
Forum Posts: 5777
Member Since:
26 January 2017
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

Nobody can play like him. Although some can write and play hard, faster, and more complicated guitar parts, not one guitarist could please the ear as much as George did. Except maybe Jerry Garcia.

He is totally underrated.

The following people thank sir walter raleigh for this post:

Beatlebug, WeepingAtlasCedars

"The pump don't work cause the vandals took the handles!"

-Bob Dylan, Subterranean Homesick Blues

"We could ride and surf together while our love would grow"

-Brian Wilson, Surfer Girl

24 June 2017
2.01am
Kite
Casbah Coffee Club
Members
Forum Posts: 17
Member Since:
21 June 2017
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

Another one that comes to mind is his playing on  ‘I feel fine‘; a great song all round that. You can hear the rockabilly influences on the early records; i.e; Carl Perkins and Eddie Cochran, but  his playing moved with the times. 

I’m not sure if the Stratocaster that he later took up, would have been right for the Beatles sound. the Gretsch and Rickenbacker guitars somehow sounded right for the Beatles sound up to around 1966 along with Vox amps. 

24 June 2017
2.04am
Avatar
The Hole Got Fixed
A Dock at Southampton
Moderator

Moderators
Forum Posts: 8410
Member Since:
27 November 2016
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

Kite said
…the solo on A hard Days night, ( the closing riff also is very evocative for me)…

Actually, he recorded that solo at half speed, and down the octave, then GM sped it up.

But otherwise, he was such a great guitarist who could communicate his feelings via his guitar playing.

#AppleHoley2024: Make America Great For The First Time
2016 awards: Username-Badge.png 2017 awards: The-Hole-Got-Fixed-2017.png 2018 awards:The-Hole-Got-Fixed-2018.png 2019 awards: Ringo-2019.png 2020 awards:The-Hole-Got-Fixed-2020.png 2021 awards:The-Hole-Got-Fixed-2021.png
aus-flag-v-small.png

24 June 2017
8.20am
Avatar
Dark Overlord
Nowhere Land
Rishikesh
Members
Forum Posts: 4470
Member Since:
9 March 2017
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

Welcome to the forum Kite. Anyways, John and George both shared lead guitar on I Feel Fine , John on his acoustic Gibson plugged in (he did this on a few songs, She Loves You is another example) and George on his Gretsch, although George is the one playing the solo.

As for the Fender not being a good sound for The Beatles, I couldn’t disagree more, I love George’s Strat sound on songs like Nowhere Man , Taxman , and All You Need Is Love .

If you're reading this, you are looking for something to do.

30 June 2017
3.19am
Avatar
QuarryMan
Rishikesh
Members
Forum Posts: 3759
Member Since:
26 January 2017
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

Unpopular opinion: I don’t think George (as a beatle anyway) was as good a guitarist as people are making him out to be. It’s one of those cases where something gets cited as underrated so much that they become overrated. 

Lets be honest, while George developed into a fantastic songwriter, his playing always left something to be desired. He often sounds hesitant and awkward in his playing, and he couldn’t improvise very well. For example, the solo on Something is incredible and beautiful right until one of the last phrases where he does some really awkward and badly played bends. And his earlier Beatles solos are also not great, with exceptions like AHDN . He sounds like he’s just choosing notes at random and he doesn’t sustain them at all – the notes end just as they begin leaving a stunted kind of sound. 

To summarise: while George is truly a great guitarist, don’t be too over enthusiastic in praising him, for he is far from an Eric Clapton or Stevie Ray Vaughn. 

I've been up on the mountain, and I've seen his wondrous grace,
I've sat there on the barstool and I've looked him in the face.
He seemed a little haggard, but it did not slow him down,
he was humming to the neon of the universal sound. 

30 June 2017
4.11am
Avatar
Flyingbrians
Robin Hood Country
Paris Olympia
Members
Forum Posts: 363
Member Since:
19 January 2017
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

QuarryMan said
Unpopular opinion: I don’t think George (as a beatle anyway) was as good a guitarist as people are making him out to be. It’s one of those cases where something gets cited as underrated so much that they become overrated. 

Lets be honest, while George developed into a fantastic songwriter, his playing always left something to be desired. He often sounds hesitant and awkward in his playing, and he couldn’t improvise very well. For example, the solo on Something is incredible and beautiful right until one of the last phrases where he does some really awkward and badly played bends. And his earlier Beatles solos are also not great, with exceptions like AHDN . He sounds like he’s just choosing notes at random and he doesn’t sustain them at all – the notes end just as they begin leaving a stunted kind of sound. 

To summarise: while George is truly a great guitarist, don’t be too over enthusiastic in praising him, for he is far from an Eric Clapton or Stevie Ray Vaughn.   

I actually don’t hear anything bad about the last phrase in the Something solo, the bending sounds fine to me and it works sonically.

In regards to that stunted sound to his solos and choosing notes at random, I think it was just his style to play solos like that. I don’t think he picked notes at random at all since melodically they fit the songs, they were clearly well though out solos. He had his own style at the end of the day which worked wonders for the Beatles, so yes I’d argue that he is great and underrated. 

No he wasn’t as technically proficient as someone like Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page or Eric Clapton but he wasn’t really required to play like that. This is why I find it hard to define what a great guitarist is and it’s the same for any other instrument (Ringo). George had a major impact on guitar playing like all the other ‘great’ guitarists.

Jimi Hendrix is a god though paul-mccartney-thumb_gif

The following people thank Flyingbrians for this post:

sir walter raleigh, Martha, WeepingAtlasCedars, Beatlebug

"And life flows on within you and without you" - George Harrison

30 June 2017
8.14am
Avatar
QuarryMan
Rishikesh
Members
Forum Posts: 3759
Member Since:
26 January 2017
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

Flyingbrians said

I actually don’t hear anything bad about the last phrase in the Something solo, the bending sounds fine to me and it works sonically.

In regards to that stunted sound to his solos and choosing notes at random, I think it was just his style to play solos like that. I don’t think he picked notes at random at all since melodically they fit the songs, they were clearly well though out solos. He had his own style at the end of the day which worked wonders for the Beatles, so yes I’d argue that he is great and underrated. 

No he wasn’t as technically proficient as someone like Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page or Eric Clapton but he wasn’t really required to play like that. This is why I find it hard to define what a great guitarist is and it’s the same for any other instrument (Ringo). George had a major impact on guitar playing like all the other ‘great’ guitarists.

Jimi Hendrix is a god though paul-mccartney-thumb_gif  

Most of his earlier solos before CBML were improvised I believe, and as I said his improvisation was sloppy. Either way, his early playing is messy and awkward and only on a few songs (Fixing A Hole , Let It Be , Octopus’ Garden amongst others) was his playing worthy of being counted among the greats. Obviously George’s status means he is a great, but I don’t think his playing is anything special. 

I've been up on the mountain, and I've seen his wondrous grace,
I've sat there on the barstool and I've looked him in the face.
He seemed a little haggard, but it did not slow him down,
he was humming to the neon of the universal sound. 

30 June 2017
8.25am
Avatar
Dark Overlord
Nowhere Land
Rishikesh
Members
Forum Posts: 4470
Member Since:
9 March 2017
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

While i think that there are better guitarists out there, i don’t even think George would be in my top 5 to be honest, i think he is a great guitarist, not just in the sense that he can do great solos like Something and Let It Be but also that he’s very versatile, able to play in many genres of music and he has a great amount of chord and scale knowledge, just listen to the solo on Till There Was You , it’s such a great solo and is all over the place or Michelle where he is able to throw in both the minor and major third without the solo sounding terrible.

The following people thank Dark Overlord for this post:

sir walter raleigh, Martha, Beatlebug

If you're reading this, you are looking for something to do.

30 June 2017
11.41am
Avatar
sir walter raleigh
In our yellow (IN OUR YELLOW) submarine (SUBMARINE AHA!)
Apple rooftop
Members
Forum Posts: 5777
Member Since:
26 January 2017
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

The bends at the end of Something are creative and interesting and they go into the ending phrase perfectly. It sounds a little awkward, but I fee that is intentional and George is in control the whole time of the sound. I personally love that part. 

The following people thank sir walter raleigh for this post:

Dark Overlord, WeepingAtlasCedars, Beatlebug, SgtPeppersBulldog

"The pump don't work cause the vandals took the handles!"

-Bob Dylan, Subterranean Homesick Blues

"We could ride and surf together while our love would grow"

-Brian Wilson, Surfer Girl

1 July 2017
4.20pm
Kite
Casbah Coffee Club
Members
Forum Posts: 17
Member Since:
21 June 2017
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

The main issue here is that  he was a good player, but also the right player for the Beatles. I dont believe the other names mentioned would have fitted in musically regardless of their playing ability, because of their different backgrounds and personalities. 

The following people thank Kite for this post:

Beatlebug
1 July 2017
5.20pm
Avatar
Dark Overlord
Nowhere Land
Rishikesh
Members
Forum Posts: 4470
Member Since:
9 March 2017
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

I agree with you there Kite. Guitarists like Eddie Van Halen and Brian May may be superior to George in every way but they’d suck in The Beatles because they don’t musically fit with them.

If you're reading this, you are looking for something to do.

1 July 2017
10.41pm
Avatar
A Soap Impression
A Beginning
Members
Forum Posts: 3
Member Since:
16 June 2017
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

Even if his guitar playing wasn’t the greatest ever, his playing still has a certain feel or style to it, which I think is just as important as his playing abilities. 

I love hearing the slide guitar in his solo songs, and Marwa Blues is a masterpiece because of his playing.

The following people thank A Soap Impression for this post:

SgtPeppersBulldog, Dark Overlord, Beatlebug, WeepingAtlasCedars
15 August 2017
4.54am
Avatar
bewareofchairs
London Palladium
Members
Forum Posts: 166
Member Since:
18 December 2012
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

I don’t really get why whenever people compliment George they have to do it in a backhanded way. George was a genuinely great guitarist, and the way he used his influence from the sitar to play was incredibly unique. Not only that, his solos were like songs in themselves. Being a talented guitarist isn’t all about how fast you can play a lot of notes. Actual guitarists like Brian May and Johnny Marr deeply admire George, and you can hear his influence in indie music.

As for those early days, keep in mind how fast those albums were recorded and how quickly George had to come up with those solos. The other Beatles aren’t perfect on those songs either. Then later on he became a fantastic slide player.

The following people thank bewareofchairs for this post:

Flyingbrians, Martha, Beatlebug, Shamrock Womlbs, meanmistermustard, Ahhh Girl, sir walter raleigh, Zig
16 August 2017
2.50am
Avatar
Shamrock Womlbs
Waiting for the van to come
Rishikesh
Members
Forum Posts: 3968
Member Since:
24 March 2014
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

His work in “I Saw Her Standing There ” is gorgeous. That really is another song in itself.

The following people thank Shamrock Womlbs for this post:

bewareofchairs

"I Need You by George Harrison"

16 August 2017
8.20am
Avatar
Beatlebug
Find me where ye echo lays
Moderator

Moderators
Forum Posts: 18181
Member Since:
15 February 2015
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

bewareofchairs said
I don’t really get why whenever people compliment George they have to do it in a backhanded way.  

Well, George wasn’t good, but he was good, you know a-hard-days-night-george-4

The following people thank Beatlebug for this post:

bewareofchairs

([{BRACKETS!}])
New to Forumpool? You can introduce yourself here.
If you love The Beatles Bible, and you have adblock, don't forget to white-list this site!
whiteheart.png
avatar_creative_signature_Hmm.pngStarSpangledBanner.png

16 August 2017
8.22am
Avatar
meanmistermustard
Thankfully not where I am.
Moderator
Members

Reviewers


Moderators
Forum Posts: 24950
Member Since:
1 May 2011
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

Nice to see you around, @bewareofchairs.

Image result for hello gifImage Enlarger

The following people thank meanmistermustard for this post:

Beatlebug, The Hole Got Fixed, bewareofchairs

"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)

17 August 2017
3.02pm
Avatar
Zig
The Toppermost of the Poppermost
Apple rooftop
Members

Reviewers
Forum Posts: 9832
Member Since:
14 April 2010
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

bewareofchairs said
I don’t really get why whenever people compliment George they have to do it in a backhanded way. George was a genuinely great guitarist, and the way he used his influence from the sitar to play was incredibly unique. Not only that, his solos were like songs in themselves. Being a talented guitarist isn’t all about how fast you can play a lot of notes. Actual guitarists like Brian May and Johnny Marr deeply admire George, and you can hear his influence in indie music.

As for those early days, keep in mind how fast those albums were recorded and how quickly George had to come up with those solos. The other Beatles aren’t perfect on those songs either. Then later on he became a fantastic slide player.  

I can think of some songs in which Paul and John sang at least one different word in the same line.

Backhanded compliment: They sang pretty well for guys who couldn’t remember the words. ahdn_paul_01

The following people thank Zig for this post:

Beatlebug, bewareofchairs

To the fountain of perpetual mirth, let it roll for all its worth. And all the children boogie.

26 August 2017
3.12am
Avatar
bewareofchairs
London Palladium
Members
Forum Posts: 166
Member Since:
18 December 2012
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

meanmistermustard said
Nice to see you around, @bewareofchairs.

Image result for hello gifImage Enlarger

  

Aw thank you @meanmistermustard. Nice to be around. 🙂

The following people thank bewareofchairs for this post:

Beatlebug
Forum Timezone: Europe/London
Most Users Ever Online: 700
Currently Online:
Guest(s) 1
Top Posters:
Starr Shine?: 16105
Ron Nasty: 12534
Zig: 9832
50yearslate: 8759
Necko: 8043
AppleScruffJunior: 7583
parlance: 7111
mr. Sun king coming together: 6402
Mr. Kite: 6147
trcanberra: 6064
Member Stats:
Guest Posters: 88
Members: 2859
Moderators: 5
Admins: 1
Forum Stats:
Groups: 3
Forums: 44
Topics: 5509
Posts: 380341
Newest Members:
frankc, viv@nelsontraining.co.uk, bornhairyman, frankkilmore123@gmail.com, onlyanorthernsong
Moderators: Joe: 5691, meanmistermustard: 24950, Ahhh Girl: 22213, Beatlebug: 18181, The Hole Got Fixed: 8410
Administrators: Joe: 5691