George Harrison ‘Early Takes’ Confirmed

Solo demos to be compiled

A number of demo recordings by George Harrison are set to be collated on ‘Early Takes Volume 1’.

A quiet, creative soul George Harrison was – for many – the spiritual heart of The Beatles. Martin Scorcese’s fine documentary ‘Living In A Material World’ has shone new light on the guitarist’s career, and now a fresh compilation has been announced which will search through the archives.

‘Early Takes Volume 1’ will be released on April 30th, and is intended as a companion piece of sorts to ‘Living In A Material World’. Containing numerous unreleased demo recordings, the album boasts early takes on ‘My Sweet Lord’, ‘Run Of The Mill’ and ‘I’d Have You Anytime’ – all of which featured on Harrison’s sublime 1970 album ‘All Things Must Pass’.

Elsewhere, fans can find George Harrison performing Bob Dylan’s ‘Mama You’ve Been On My Mind’ and an early take on ‘Woman Don’t You Cry For Me’.

Producer Giles Martin supplies the sleeve notes, here’s a quick quote:
In 2009 I was privileged to be invited by Olivia to listen to tapes that George had stored in his library at FriarPark. In the beautiful setting of George’s studio, overlooking the meticulous gardens that he had created, engineer Paul Hicks and I unboxed forgotten reels to hear the music George had left behind. This first collection provides a glimpse of what we found. From early multi-tracks of live takes of My Sweet Lord and All Things Must Pass to more recent tracks like Mama You’ve Been On My Mind, we hear an intimacy to George’s voice and guitar that can only be achieved with live performance devoid of production. I’d like to thank Olivia and Dhani for the honour of being invited into their home to share the work that George gave us all.

Due for release on April 30th, ‘Early Takes Volume 1’ will be available on CD as original and deluxe editions, while a vinyl pressing is planned on heavyweight 180gram wax.

Tracklisting:
1. My Sweet Lord (demo) (3.33)
2. Run Of The Mill (demo) (1.56)
3. I’d Have You Any Time (early take) (3.06)
4. Mama You’ve Been On My Mind (demo) (3.04)
5. Let It Be Me (demo) (2.56)
6. Woman Don’t You Cry For Me (early take) (2.44)
7. Awaiting On You All (early take) (2.40)
8. Behind That Locked Door (demo) (3.29)
9. All Things Must Pass (demo) (4.38)
10. The Light That Has Lighted The World (demo) (2.23)

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