New George Harrison Compilation Coming

Press release:

GEORGE HARRISON’S FIRST-EVER CAREER-SPANNING SOLO HITS COLLECTION, ‘LET IT ROLL: SONGS BY GEORGE HARRISON,’
TO BE RELEASED JUNE 16 BY CAPITOL/EMI

Collection Features Harrison’s Solo Hits from 1970’s All Things Must Pass Through 2002’s Brainwashed, Remastered, Plus Live Recordings from 1971 Concert For Bangladesh

Hollywood, California – May 5, 2009 – Capitol/EMI confirms the tracklist for George Harrison’s first-ever career-spanning solo hits collection, Let It Roll: Songs by George Harrison. To be released June 16 (June 15 internationally), the CD’s special packaging includes a 28-page booklet featuring previously unseen and rare photos, and newly-written liner notes by Warren Zanes. The collection’s 19 tracks have been digitally remastered by Giles Martin at EMI’s Abbey Road Studios, and will be available in CD and digital formats.

“Let It Roll: Songs by George Harrison is a gathering of material that takes us far into the territory that was ultimately a place unique to George Harrison,” writes Warren Zanes in his liner notes essay for the new collection.

This collection is the first to span Harrison’s entire solo recording career, including the #1 Billboard Pop singles “My Sweet Lord,” “Isn’t It A Pity,” “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth),” and “Got My Mind Set On You." Let It Roll also features live recordings of three timeless Harrison-penned Beatles songs, “Something,” “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” and “Here Comes The Sun,” from his 1971 all-star Concert For Bangladesh benefit at Madison Square Garden.

“The keyhole into the world of George Harrison is the music itself. Yet his songs and the accomplishments for which he’s remembered are inextricably bound—and those accomplishments are, without question, eclectic in scope,” Zanes writes.

George Harrison is a twice-inducted member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as a solo artist and as a member of The Beatles, and an 11-time Grammy Award winner for his recordings with The Beatles, Traveling Wilburys, and as a solo artist. On April 14, Harrison was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles.

www.georgeharrison.com

Let It Roll: Songs by George Harrison (CD, digital)

1. Got My Mind Set On You
2. Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)
3. The Ballad Of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll)
4. My Sweet Lord
5. While My Guitar Gently Weeps [Live] - Concert For Bangladesh
6. All Things Must Pass
7. Any Road
8. This Is Love
9. All Those Years Ago
10. Marwa Blues
11. What Is Life
12. Rising Sun
13. When We Was Fab
14. Something [Live] - Concert For Bangladesh
15. Blow Away
16. Cheer Down
17. Here Comes The Sun [Live] - Concert For Bangladesh
18. I Don’t Want To Do It
19. Isn’t It A Pity



Edited by Bill Cahill

It's a shame it doesn't have "You", "This Song", "Ding Dong; Ding Dong" and "Crackerbox Palace!" And all were top 40 hits - more succesful than several of the songs on the comp.

Another good one missing!

On the plus side, the CD does contain "I Don't Want to Do It", which if I recall was an off-label 45 (Warner Brothers), and I think this may be the 1st CD release of this song.

I have an advance copy of the CD and it matches the list in the press release. The notes say "remastered by Giles Martin at Abby Road Studios". At least my copy doesn't really seem to be an improvement on any of the tracks, at least in comparison to the remasters that have been done already.

But, my advance looks like a CDR, so either some digital compression might have happened along the way to production of the advance CD, or Giles went a little further than I would have on the noise reduction. Seems to lack a bit of punch on the older material.

I guess that means that's another single version that's never been on CD.