Written by: Harrison
Recorded: 12 January; 6, 8 February 1968
Producer: George Martin
Engineers: Geoff Emerick, JP Sen, SN Gupta
Released: 15 March 1968 (UK), 18 March 1968 (US)
George Harrison: vocals
John Lennon: backing vocals
Paul McCartney: backing vocals
Sharad Ghosh/Hanuman Jadev: shehnai
Hariprasad Chaurasia/SR Kenkare: flute
Ashish Khan: sarod
Mahapurush Misra: tabla, pakavaj…
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2.46am

8 January 2015

Beautiful and underrated, I'm glad George was pushed to do it.
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11.29am

1 January 2017

8.40pm


Moderators
15 February 2015

I didn't really hear it until I got Past Masters , quite late into my (The faaarther one traaavels, the lesss one knooows... the less one really knoooooows). I was fair enraptured by the flute and the vocal melody -- it's my favourite of his Indian trilogy.
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4.57pm

22 December 2013

5.33pm

1 December 2009

Great song. I love George hauling John and Paul into the studio to contribute a two-second, 4-word vocal overdub.
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50yearslate, BeatlebugGEORGE: In fact, The Detroit Sound. JOHN: In fact, yes. GEORGE: In fact, yeah. Tamla-Motown artists are our favorites. The Miracles. JOHN: We like Marvin Gaye. GEORGE: The Impressions, Marvin Gaye. PAUL & GEORGE: Mary Wells. GEORGE: The Exciters. RINGO: Chuck Jackson. JOHN: To name but eighty.
11.29pm

13 January 2019

I LOVE this song so much and I hate how underrated it is. The lyrics are wonderful. And one of the instruments (the trumpet thing- I forgot what it's called) is used in Indian weddings, so I feel nostalgic when I hear it.
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12.39am

29 April 2019

4.51am

Reviewers

Moderators
1 May 2011

Another of those 50th-anniversary book differences in the recording line-up where it omit's John's backing vocals.
Which account is therefore gone with? Do we stick to what's been recorded for five decades or go with what is reported in the newest official source which has studied the original tapes again?
"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
8.06am

11 September 2018

meanmistermustard said
Another of those 50th-anniversary book differences in the recording line-up where it omit's John's backing vocals.Which account is therefore gone with? Do we stick to what's been recorded for five decades or go with what is reported in the newest official source which has studied the original tapes again?
What do your ears tell you?
11.46pm

22 July 2019

I must say this is a good song, with in my opinion some of George's most profound lyrics. I really enjoyed the sitar work, as well as all the other backing instruments. It's a shame that this song is forever banished to the B-Side.
Also, I must say that this song is better than "Within You Without You ". Apologies to Scarlett Fields Forever.
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1.54pm

15 November 2018

I like the lyrics of the other ones better, but this one might have the best melody. Then again, Within You Without You might also have the best melody. I’m not sure. I’d have to listen.
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2.53am

1 December 2009

QuarryMan said
Bold take ^^ Personally, this is my least favourite of the heavily Indian-influenced songs, but it's still enjoyable. I like the title.
I like to think of this one as George's exercise in Indian-"jazz", following his "-"classical" and "-rock" efforts. It's got the addition of wind instruments, and guys trading little instrumental bits around, and that same overall peace-and-love-and-percussion vibe as those Pharoah Sanders albums we all love.
("Wonderwall Music " has touches of jazz too, come to think of it, a nice solo trumpet, at least)
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QuarryManGEORGE: In fact, The Detroit Sound. JOHN: In fact, yes. GEORGE: In fact, yeah. Tamla-Motown artists are our favorites. The Miracles. JOHN: We like Marvin Gaye. GEORGE: The Impressions, Marvin Gaye. PAUL & GEORGE: Mary Wells. GEORGE: The Exciters. RINGO: Chuck Jackson. JOHN: To name but eighty.
5.53am

26 January 2017

Which ones would you say are the classical and rock ones, @Wigwam ? I've not yet heard Wonderwall Music but if it's anything like Pharoah Sanders then I should probably check it out..
¡No pasarán!
6.12am

17 October 2013

QuarryMan said
Which ones would you say are the classical and rock ones, @Wigwam ? I've not yet heard Wonderwall Music but if it's anything like Pharoah Sanders then I should probably check it out..
I think you're addressing VB.........
10.52am

1 December 2009

Wigwam said
QuarryMan said
Which ones would you say are the classical and rock ones, @Wigwam ? I've not yet heard Wonderwall Music but if it's anything like Pharoah Sanders then I should probably check it out..
I think you're addressing VB.........
Thanks, wigwam!
The music of "Wonderwall" (and "Inner Light") isn't jazz per se, and doesn't SOUND much like it really, any more than "Within You Without You " sounds like classical music. What it does is remind me of the overall spiritual/spacey aura that surrounds certain "exotic" recordings of the era, such as Pharaoh's. But on the whole, if you acquire it in hopes of hearing "Karma II", you'll be disappointed, sorry.
...but it's still a cool assortment of sounds, including a couple of acid-rocking instrumentals featuring guests Eric Clapton and Ringo! (Both sonically identifiable)
GEORGE: In fact, The Detroit Sound. JOHN: In fact, yes. GEORGE: In fact, yeah. Tamla-Motown artists are our favorites. The Miracles. JOHN: We like Marvin Gaye. GEORGE: The Impressions, Marvin Gaye. PAUL & GEORGE: Mary Wells. GEORGE: The Exciters. RINGO: Chuck Jackson. JOHN: To name but eighty.
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