George Harrison’s handwritten lyrics for ‘Art of Dying’
‘Art Of Dying’ is believed to have been written by George Harrison in 1966, but was not recorded until 1970.
Harrison’s original handwritten lyrics reveal mentions of Brian Epstein. In the final version, released on Harrison’s 1970 triple album All Things Must Pass, ‘Mr Epstein’ was reborn as ‘Sister Mary.’
The Basement Tapes (Trailer, 2015)
George Harrison & John Lennon at Dromoland Castle in Ireland | 27 March 1964 (II)
Bob & George + yellow flowers 🌼
This is just my 2 cents, but I think the way Get Back is framed as Paul being the only one who cared is incorrect.
It's not that George didn't care. He was in good spirits at the start, offered songs, offered suggestions to make the songs as good as they could be, etc. The others weren't interested.
At one point George mentions Magical Mystery Tour, and I think that's significant. George decided to stay silent and let things play out when MMT was being filmed, and it turned out to be a bit of a disaster. It was like he could see Get Back was going to end the same way unless he spoke up. He was determined to prevent The Beatles from repeating a mistake.
To me, that's the opposite of not caring.
And look what happened as a result. The Beatles did change course, and the Get Back sessions became monumentally better.
Paul said once that George was the one who always got them out of doing things none of them actually wanted to do because he wasn't afraid to put his foot down, and this was one of those cases imo. It might not make him the most popular with fans, but George saved the band a lot of grief by being that person.
The Beatles Reveal Themselves!
While on a recent visit to France, the Fab Four were collared to fill in a special questionnaire based on questions asked by Marcel Proust, a famous French author who died at the beginning of this century. During Proust’s lifetime filling in the questionnaire became a craze among French people, for your answers are supposed to reveal your true character.
On the following pages we’ve reproduced each Beatle answer – in their own handwriting – just as they wrote them. And on page 56 you can read just what was revealed in their character.
Unfortunately, although John also filled in his questionnaire, his answers were unprintable!
- Rave magazine (October 1965) [x] [x]
The Beatles. Magical Mystery Tour. Newquay, Cornwall. 13 September 1967.
A letter to Alistair Taylor from George Harrison, and the photo in question; images courtesy of Heritage Auctions.
“Sometimes, being the Beatles resident Mr Fixit didn’t seem such a great idea. Like the day George sent me a note from America. I’m not sure exactly where it was from, but then neither was he. The address was given as ‘Somewhere in America’ and the date as ‘Sunday the something’. George told me he had seen a great picture of him in the US papers taken in an unguarded moment when he was pulling an angry face and flashing a well-known two-fingered salute. George thought this was the most hilarious photo of him ever taken. He enclosed a scrap of a newspaper with this image on and my task was to track down the original. He wanted to buy the negative, have a lifesize print made of it, and have it mounted on hardboard and have it screwed on the outside of his front door. There are a lot of photographers in America and tracking down the one who had taken this particular snap took a great deal of time and effort. But eventually a friend in Fleet Street provided a vital contact and I managed it. George was delighted with the result, but the lifesize image was so alarming he did relent enough to switch it to his bathroom door. And he had them printed on the front of his Christmas card with the seasonal greeting ‘Why don’t you…?’ George always did have a rather individual sense of humour. George wrote, ‘To Al and Lesley, without whom it would not have been possible.’” - Alistair Taylor, With The Beatles (2003)
This might connect with another anecdote:
“The Beatles don’t collect pin-up photographs of themselves, but love anything a bit off-beat. In the spare bedroom, next to George and Patti[e]’s, there’s a massive 6-ft. high photograph of George, propped up against a wall, looking as though he’s about to hit somebody. George thinks he’s getting a bit tired of it, though, and might throw it out.” - The Beatles Book, January 1967 (x)
btw. something so satisfying? about the fact that john lennon, who never thought much of george and his talent & potential, admired and idolized bob dylan but once they met in person bob wasn't all that impressed by lennon and instead was much more interested in george. Likeeee..... WOAH.
Not used lyrics for i'd have you anytime are insane
"All that i can say is not enough/it comforts me to know we're so much in love" "(without a doubt)"
"Let me hear you" "let me say it to you"
"I've got a song" "it isn't long"(? I think?) "Let me play it to you"
And of course whatever the hell "and i'm so glad that you're my love" is supposed to mean