The Music of George Harrison: While My Guitar Gently Weeps [Hardcover]

Simon Leng (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2002

"George Harrison’s ‘Something’ is the perfect love song."—Frank Sinatra

Viewed by many as hidden in the shadow cast by Lennon and McCartney, Harrison’s songwriting nonetheless stands on its own merits as an impressive body of work. Originally planned as a celebration of Harrison’s music, this is now sadly a commemoration too. Beatles fans the world over will mourn the passing of the "quiet Beatle," and this book is a fitting tribute to a revered musician.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Firefly Publishing (November 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0946719500
• ISBN-13: 978-0946719501
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,881,255 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ring Out The Old, Ring In The New!, March 29, 2003

By 

Joseph Kimsey "Fareastnibelung" (Pac NW) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Music of George Harrison: While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Hardcover)

After some pretty dismal biographies, George Harrison is finally receiving the responsible, in-depth look that he has always deserved. Despite the title, "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" is actually a survey of Harrison's woefully underrated solo career. The Beatles aren't neglected entirely (of course), but fine discs such as 33 1/3, George Harrison and Dark Horse are finally given the attention that they merit. And for fans of All Things Must Pass, this book is a godsend.

The author's love for George's music is obvious from the beginning. Leng makes a strong case for Harrison's influence on the fusion of rock & world music, and proves to my mind that George was the most eclectic Beatle. Rock, jazz, English folk, country, slide blues, electronic, rockabilly, Caribbean, Latin, Polynesian, big band, classical, gospel, Indian, Far Eastern, funk and acoustic pop are all included among the Harrisongs.

As a reviewer pointed out, the only really disappointing aspect of this book is the non-inclusion of most of Brainwashed (Any Road & Run So Far are both given analysis, and some other songs are mentioned)...

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Possibly the best book yet on George Harrison, June 2, 2003

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Music of George Harrison: While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Hardcover)

I agree with the praise given this book by other Amazon reviewers, but would like to add a few points. First, Simon Leng discusses Harrison's musical relationship with pianist, composer & arranger John Barham, ranging from George's first interest in the sitar through their work on Ravi Shankar's "Chants of India" album. I would like to read more about Barham. Secondly, the book gains quite a bit from Klaus Voorman's involvement. Voorman is the artist and bass player who met the Beatles in Hamburg, produced the covers for "Revolver" and the Anthology CDs and played on Harrison's early solo albums. Voorman also contributed two nice sketches of George for this book. There are extensive quotes from others, including Doris Troy and David Bromberg (the latter of whom, although very insightful, may be quoted a bit too much considering his brief acquaintance with Harrison). This book may be the best available work on George Harrison.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Insight, Detail and Passion, May 12, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Music of George Harrison: While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Hardcover)

I had a great time listening to the songs while I read about them. I love the way he describes the songs one by one in detail, the insight he offers that cleared up a lot of guessing (Who played on what etc.) He also has an obvious passion for George's music which probably matters most. His opinions are not typical which is a relief. (i.e. He actually likes "Gone Troppo", me too) It's a great book and a lot of work went into it. This is a George book that I will keep. "I Me Mine" (written by George himself) and "Harrison" from Rolling Stone Publications are the other two.