Northern Songs from a Dark Horse

There is a whole industry of thought around The Beatles and the “genius” of John and Paul in particular. This industry is so strong and prevelant, that any discussion of George Harrison’s contributions – as loved as they are by so many fans around the world – seem almost a moot point, as they inevitably stand in the shadows. But one has to wonder how much of a hand Harrison had in the creative output of the band just from his sheer personality. I am not talking about who really wrote what song and that whole bit, but about the chemistry of the band itself as it developed in the presence of a character like Harrison, the musical and spiritual journeyman. Imagine The Beatles as a trio with John, Paul and Ringo. Unthinkable!? Perhaps.

Thinking is the pivot upon which much of Harrison’s work is based. Rather than take the more direct path of musical outreach taken by John and Paul, Harrison’s lifelong work seemed to parallel the somewhat mystical methods of minds like Frank Zappa – a project object if you will. The object not being to bring the listener to a particular point of understanding per se, but to help them on the path of understanding itself. Thus it is no coincidence that a dying Harrison chose “Brainwashed” as the title and focus of his last album, which was finished after his death by longtime friend and musical collaborator Jeff Lynne, and his son, Dhani Harrison.

“All Things Must Pass.” This, I think, is the one kernel of ultimate truth that George left us with. Even as he encouraged his bandmates to move in bold new directions (especially John’s growth and movement away from stardom and towards social justice causes starting in the 1970s), he seemed to become increasingly at ease with himself as an artist. This might seem like an odd contrast to some, but it seems that George was willing to let go of his musical “career” in order to better fulfil other parts of his life. To do this he had to leave the cult of fame behind. Apparently he was just as content to spend his days in his garden in a pair of rubber boots as he was to take the stage somewhere and play a concert. So it took people like Eric Clapton and Jeff Lynne to coax him out of retirement in the 1980s to share his music with the world again.

Northern Songs from a Dark Horse is a celebration of the music of George Harrison [25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001] that he produced with The Beatles. For the Harrison neophytes out there, Northern Songs was Harrison’s own publishing company for his music and Dark Horse was the record label he put together after The Beatles dissolved. Unlike his bandmates, Harrison retained the publishing rights to his music through his Northern Songs company.

Track Listing:

1) Roll Over Beethoven [With the Beatles] – 2:48
2) Don’t Bother Me [With the Beatles] – 2:29
3) I Need You [Help!] – 2:31
4) You Like Me Too Much [Help!] – 2:38
5) Think for Yourself [Rubber Soul] – 2:19
6) If I Needed Someone [Rubber Soul] – 2:23
7) Taxman [Revolver] – 2:39
Love You To [Revolver] – 3:01
9) I Want to Tell You [Revolver] – 2:29
10) Within You Without You [Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band] – 5:05
11) Flying [Magical Mystery Tour] – 2:16
12) Blue Jay Way [Magical Mystery Tour] – 3:56
13) While My Guitar Gently Weeps [The Beatles] – 4:45
14) Piggies [The Beatles] – 2:04
15) Long, Long, Long [The Beatles] – 3:04
16) Savoy Truffle [The Beatles] – 2:54
17) Only a Northern Song [Yellow Submarine] – 3:27
18) It’s All Too Much [Yellow Submarine] – 6:28
19) Something [Abbey Road] – 3:03
20) Here Comes the Sun [Abbey Road] – 3:05
21) I Me Mine [Let it Be] – 2:25
22) Dig It [Let it Be] – :50
23) For You Blue [Let it Be] – 2:32
24) The Inner Light [Past Master's Volume 2] – 2:36
25) Old Brown Shoe [Past Master's Volume 2] – 3:18