George Harrison
Yesterday was George Harrison’s birthday. If he were
alive he would be 69 years old. I
recently saw Martin Scorcese’s Harrison
bio-pic, Living in the Material World,
which had nary a dull moment in the entire three and half hours. As a kid I thought George to be the most handsome Beatle. His chiseled features, full moustache and
long hair reminded me of my eldest brother and it was a look I tried to emulate
for (too) many years. But beyond his
good looks I had little appreciation for him as a musician and man. By the end of the film I was deeply impressed
not just with his ace guitar playing but his spirituality, which he approached
with seriousness and good humor, and his catholic interests. Everything from Formula 1 to filmmaking, to
gardening and Monty Python.
In honor of the Quiet Beatle
I post two albums that reflect two different sides of his personality.
When the producers of Monty
Python’s Life of Brian pulled out of
the project at the final moment, George
Harrison came to the rescue, mortgaged his house and started a long and
successful career as a film producer. He loved the Python’s and before them, he
and his Beatle mates were pally with the Bonzo
Dog Doo Dah Band, the musical equivalent of the Pythons.
Besides, perhaps, the Mothers of Invention (with whom they were sometimes
compared), the Bonzo Dog Band
were the most successful group to combine rock music and comedy. Starting off
as the Bonzo Dog Dada Band, then becoming the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band,
and then finally just the Bonzo Dog Band,
the group was started by British art college students in the mid-'60s.
Initially they were inclined toward trad jazz and vaudevillian routines, but by
the time of their 1967 debut album, they were leaning further in pop and rock
directions. A brief appearance in the
Beatles' Magical Mystery
Tour film bolstered their visibility, and Paul McCartney (under the pseudonym Apollo C. Vermouth) produced their single "I'm the
Urban Spaceman," which reached the British Top Five in 1968. The Bonzos
really hit their stride with their second and third albums, which found
them adding elements of psychedelia to their already-absurdist mix of pop,
cabaret, and Dada. The Bonzos could be
side-splitting, but their records held up well because they were also capable
musicians and songwriters, paced by Neil
Innes and Viv Stanshall (both of whom wrote the lion's share of
their best material). The group attempted to move into more serious and musical
realms with their 1969 LP Keynsham,
which, unsurprisingly, was acclaimed as their weakest effort. They broke up
shortly afterward; Viv Stanshall made some obscure solo recordings (he was
also the grandstanding narrator on Mike Oldfield's "Tubular Bells"). Neil
Innes collaborated with members of Monty
Python, upon whom the Bonzos
were a large influence, as well as writing the songs for and performing in the Beatles
documentary spoof, The Rutles. (AMG)
This
collection includes many (not all, sadly) of their best sides and from the
opening track to the end you’ll be guffawing, smiling and snickering. My faves: Shirt,
Intro and Outro, Hunting Tigers Out in INDIAH and Can
Blue Men Sing the Whites? But so many great songs here.
Track Listing:
01
The Intro And The Outro
02 Ali Baba's Camel
03 Hello Mabel
04 Kama Sutra
05 Hunting Tigers Out In
'INDIAH'
06 Shirt
07 I'm Bored
08 Rockaliser Baby
09 Rhinocratic Oaths
10 Tent
11 Beautiful Zelda
12 Can Blue Men Sing The
Whites
13 The Bride Stripped
Bare By 'Bachelors'
14 Look At Me, I'm
Wonderful
15 Canyons Of Your Mind
16 Mr. Apollo
17 Trouser Press
18 Ready-Mades
19 We Are Normal
20 I'm The Urban Spaceman
21 Trouser Freak
22 The Sound Of Music
23 Suspicion
24 Big Shot
Listen here
George Harrison’s life long commitment to Hindu
philosophy and mystical practice is honored by a collection of Krishna bhajans by the Malayali singer K.S. Chitra. Born on July 27, 1963, in Thiruvananthapuram,
Kerala, into a family of musicians, Chitra’s
talent was recognized and nurtured from an early age by her father, the late Krishnan Nair. He was also her first guru
(teacher). Her elder sister K. S. Beena
is also a singer who has performed in many films as a playback singer.
Chitra
received her extensive training in Carnatic music from Dr. K. Omanakutty, and got a Masters in
Music from the University of
Kerala. She was selected for the
National Talent Search Scholarship from the Central Government from 1978–1984.
Chitra has
enjoyed a strong career as a playback singer in South Indian films but is
equally recognized for her devotional and classical repertoire. This record is
from a live concert and gives an excellent demonstration of her beautiful
vocals.
Track Listing:
Bhavayami
Chitha Chora
Ganesha Sloka Madhuramu Kada
Jai Jai Jai Sai Janani
Koi Kahio Re
Krishna Nee Begane Baro
Mhara Re Giridhar Gopal
Nach Rahi Meera
Pashupati Tanaya
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Sunday, February 26, 2012
Happy Birthday Songs for George Harrison: Bonzo Dog Band and K.S. Chitra
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