Concert for George
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Movie Reviews of Concert for George
Movie Review: A must-see for any Beatles or George fan
Summary: 5 Stars
The entire production of this concert and the elegant DVD glows with love. This is the warmest, most heartfelt tribute to a great musician and humanitarian that one could wish. The discs are presented in the absolutely correct order. I played through Disc 1 the first night-- the concert as the audience saw it. I laughed and cried (and rocked) as George's friends, led by the absolutely sincere Eric Clapton, paid him tribute in their unique way. The second night I savored the behind-the-scenes interviews, and finally played the theatrical version of the concert on the second disc, which presents the songs in a different order interspersed with commentary. A wonderful supplement to the emotional concert, with some delightful anecdotes.
Apart from the movingness of the tribute, the music is fantastic. Watching the disc 1 concert as it was performed, I clapped with joy as more and more people--artists, friends, musicians--kept crowding onto the stage. At one point there were guitars lined up three rows deep--a truly awesome sight. All these wonderful players, grooving on George's music. The only thing that could overshadow it was the sight of _four_ drummers, all pounding away in complimentary unison--and this rhythmic horsepower doesn't even include the percussionists and keyboardists! (Or the classical section chiming in occasionally from the rear.) It was magnificent and slightly overpowering to see and hear, and truly uplifting.
Clearly the band was well rehearsed. Everyone was in sync; their absolute focus, heart, and intent was to present this music in the most polished, beautiful way they could. In this they succeeded, brilliantly. If you didn't love George before, you will by the end of this concert. The love his friends have for him is positively contagious. If you did love George, you will treasure this tribute to him for the rest of your life. It is a masterful celebration of a gifted man's life work. We should all have the fruit of such good friendships to show as the sum of our own lives. Well done, George's family and friends. Your love honors him, and you... and us. Thank you.
Movie Review: While my guitar gently weeps ...
Summary: 5 Stars
A year after george harrison died, his friend eric clapton assembled a host of musicians for a evening tribute to his late friend.
george harrison's indian/hindu connections are on display with the show opening to the reverbation of vedic chants. sitar maestro ravi shankar shares the opening address with eric clapton in a moving show of affection for "his son" harrison. his daughter anoushka begins the concert with a sitar piece dedicated to the memory of harrison. it is followed by another indian set (with vishva mohan bhatt of indian slide guitar fame being part of the indian group). eric clapton joins in with some tasteful acoustic soloing at the end of the set.
harrison's travelling wilburys bandmate jeff lyne (of ELO fame) sings most of the songs which follow. it is a wise choice and most of harrison's compositions go very well with lyne's smooth nasal vocals. From then on it is a star parade with one star friend after another trooping in to perform their favorite harrison number : clapton's emotional delivery of 'if i needed someone', gary brooker's 'old brown shoe', jools holland's rousing 'horse to the water', billy preston's soulful 'my sweet lord', tom petty's 'tax man' and the travelling wilburys number 'handle with care', joe brown's 'here comes the sun', ringo starr's 'photograph', paul mccartney's 'while my guitar ...' (clapton does NOT replicate the solo as in the studio version).
paul mccartney tries a funky 'something' which is dreadful to say the least, where clapton steps in to the rescue (after all harrison's song was directed at his then wife patti boyd, who was also clapton's 'layla') and winds it up well. the assembled musicians also play other notable harrison compositions like "beware of darkness", "all things must pass" etc.
it is a pity that the camera man can only show clapton playing rhythm, when most of the (slide) guitar parts are played beautifully by marc mann of ELO who stands in the background. that's the only negative here.
it is a great show - once in a lifetime offering ...
GET IT!
Movie Review: Aqui LLego el Sol (Here Came The Sun)
Summary: 5 Stars
Cuando uno piensa que George Harrison era la 3er. opcion compositiva de Los Beatles, ahi uno puede tener una pista de porque eran tan gigantescos. George nos dio canciones que mueven a la alegria, al llanto emocionado o a la sonrisa complice, en La Banda de Todos o como solista. Este Dvd, se acerca a la perfeccion auditiva, de imagen , interepretativa y desde el punto de vista de la emocion. El buen gusto impera . Siendo facil caer en el golpe bajo, apenas tenemos imagenes de George, solo presentes en un cuadro sobre el escenario, mirando al publico y mirando a sus amigos reproducir SU (nuestra) musica de manera maravillosa. Cuando hoy todos se acuerdan de George, y hablan maravillas de su carrera como musico, tras haberlo ignorado por años, me deja pensando cuan injusta (y poco veraz) han sido gran parte de los " criticos musicales" con los Beatles solistas (excepto con John). Quiza dejen de una vez por todas que el amor por Lennon no los enceguezca mas y hablen maravillas de Paul mientras este vivo. Y no que lo hagan cuando ya no este, como siempre. Como con el Gran George.When you realized that George Harrison was 'just" the third composer of The Beatles, you can understand why there were so gigantic. George gaves us songs full of joy & emotion being in The Most Beloved Band or during his solo years. This DVD gets close to perfection, from a musical, visual, and emotional point of view. The songs are played in the same way: perfect. The nice taste is present all the time. George appears (let's say,.. physically) in a big photo over the stage, and that's it. Watching the public and his friends, playing HIS (ours ) music. Today, everybody talks about how great GH was, after almost ignoring him for years. The " musical critics" always preferred John to the other beatles, during the solo years, and have been very unfaithfull and unfair with the other Beatles. Maybe, one day, this love for Lennon don't blind them and will allow them to talk great things about Paul, for example, without waiting that he passed away, like with Dear george.
Movie Review: Let Me Tell You How It Will Be
Summary: 5 Stars
This DVD is a must for any true Beatle/George fan. This ranks right up there with the Last Waltz as one of the great concert films of all time. The sight and sound is phenomenal and the performances are absolutely stunning. You can really feel that they are all truly playing out of love and respect for a friend and fellow artist that they, and we, truly miss. There are so many highlights that you will enjoy watching it over and over. From the initial audience recognition of the opening strains of "The Inner Light" by Jeff Lynne to McCartney beginning "Something" just strumming on the ukelele to the full band joining in with Clapton and McCartney harmonizing on the chorus, well, to quote George, "It's All Too Much". The heart-warming performance by Ringo is just lovely. The recognition between Ringo and Paul on "For You Blue" when in unison they acknowledge the "twelve bar blues" that George had sung on the original is delightful to see that the two remaining Beatles still enjoy performing together. Some other standouts that deserve mention are Gary Brooker on keyboards and vocals on "Old Brown Shoe" and Billy Preston on Hammond B-3 and vocals on "My Sweet Lord" w/Eric Clapton and "Isn't It A Pity". "Isn't It A Pity" also gets an interesting re-working as the chorus is joined with the chorus from "Hey Jude" which make for interesting counterpoints. This band truly puts in a spectacular performance. Being able to watch all these people on stage, together, and with the benefit of history, knowing the contributions all of them made to rock and roll as well as humanitarian causes makes it all the more incredible. And behind it all was Eric Clapton. He truly puts on a remarkable performance and appears to be truly inspired by being able to perform his friend's music and keeping it true. This DVD is a classic concert film that should go into your collection along with such features as The Last Waltz and Gimme Shelter.Movie Review: A Wonderful Tribute
Summary: 5 Stars
I first knew of George Harrison when I was seven years old. My older brothers were thrilled that a British band called the "Beatles" (in my mind, the name still was an insect reference; I recall thinking how strange!) was to appear on the Ed Sullivan show. I quickly picked my Beatle (something of the rage in those days), and it was George. Don't know exactly what the attraction was, but something about this guy who played in the shadows of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, that black as night Gretsch, caught my eye. He will always be imprinted on my life as my first admiration.This concert is fitting to the man. His life is represented in all of its complexity and harmony. Ravi Shankar (a name that came familiar to us all because of George) offers a marvelous elegy to George in "Arpan," the piece that begins the concert--a tribute to his spirituality. Then comes Monty Python, augmented by Tom Hanks, and the outrageous humor of the "Lumberjack Song." An elegy to the humor of the man. And then there are the many songs of his, sung with love and quite a bit of admiration by those who loved the man: Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, and Joe Brown. All through the concert is Dhani Harrison, George's son, looking every bit like his father in youth. To Dhani--what a joyous occasion, to see you among so many of your father's friends.
Credit must be given to Eric Clapton, the musical director, for making the most important side, the music, work. There are so many who played with George, and there are so many of them up on stage, it could have been a cacophony of drums and guitars if it weren't for his guidance, all for the love of the music.
Notice that I refer to the first name "George." It is only fitting. There are few musicians who have struck any of us so deeply that we can only know them by their given name. George, wherever you may be, God speed!