George Harrison, who was nicknamed “the quiet Beatle,” gives his account of The Beatles’ ups and downs in the revamped Anthology series for Disney+.
He was dubbed ‘the quiet Beatle’ by some, but fans will soon get to hear what George Harrison really thought of the Fab Four, why they split up, and why they still exist in many ways.
Words of wisdom, some unheard before from George, Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney, appear in a new ninth episode of The Beatles Anthology which has been restored and expanded from eight original TV episodes in the Nineties. The trio had worked on the anthology project for around four years and episode nine has unseen footage and interviews from when Paul, Ringo and George got together to make the songs Free As A Bird and Real Love in 1994 with old audio featuring fourth member John Lennon, who died in 1980.
And the new footage effectively means fans have a new interview from George giving his insight into the reunion and the band, and one of the first things he admits is a little sadness that there was one important person missing. “It was interesting to actually get back together,” George says. You may well know that I have feelings for John because, as you may well well know, the Beatles had a lot of positive and negative times. And as everybody knows, you know, when we split up, kind of everybody was a bit fed up with each other.
However, we have had the opportunity to go down the river and under the bridge again and see things differently for Ringo, Paul, and I. I feel a bit sorry that John wasn’t able to do that. He would have really enjoyed having a second chance to join us, in my opinion. We all had enough time to breathe, and now that we are farther away, I find it much simpler.
The reunion saw the three surviving Beatles being interviewed together at George Harrison’s home of Friar Park, whilst they are also seen jamming old rock’n’roll songs. Ringo is steady as ever on drums and relaxed in sunglasses while Paul is grinning from ear to ear. Only George occasionally appears a little more unsure about the situation than George does.
But they still sound great and George admits:” There is a certain harmony. We can easily lock in together. Without much effort, it kind of resembles The Beatles. “Other scenes show them working on the new tracks at Paul McCartney’s home studio with producer Jeff Lynne, and sitting at a mixing desk while George Martin plays them multitrack recordings from the 60s.
Even Paul’s song “You Never Give Me Your Money” is described as cheesy in a George Harrison song, “but Paul doesn’t rise up and keeps on listening.” In another scene, George is reportedly questioned about Paul’s suit’s vegetarian leather jacket and appears to be in good spirits as Ringo bursts into laughter. Paul replies:” Yes it is and the boots are vegetarian”.
He later declares, “Paul and I are going to build some stadiums next year.” I believe we could pull it off by muddle wrestling together. “Ringo adds:” I’ll be the ref. The band’s humor was a constant source of inspiration and a key component of their friendship that first developed when they were formed in 1960.
When asked why they were so successful, George responds, “It was something completely different, even if it was just our attitude.” It’s just some little magic that when you get certain people together, it makes fire or it makes dynamite. I merely wanted to play in the band. I had no idea what I would have done if I hadn’t done this, and I didn’t want a legitimate job. But at the age of 17, I was in Hamburg, and by the time I was 23 we’d done Sgt Pepper. “
In between studio sessions in 1994, George said he didn’t offer to share a room with Ringo because he was the band’s new member. The only person who shared a bed with me, “Ringo jokes,” was Paul.
Paul then remembers the drummer went to bed late and like to sleep with the light on as he was still so young and a bit scared of darkness”. It was a great experience to watch a friend of that interact with him and get to know each other in some ways. “Paul enlarges.
As the band advanced to global fame, there was no longer a need to share rooms or worry about saving money. Love Me Do, the Beatles’ first song, debuted in the UK in 1962 with the release of their third single, From Me To You, which would become their first No. 1 hit. They would end up with 18 number one hits in the UK and 15 number one albums.
The initial UK success sparked Beatlemania and a fanbase of millions making them the most recognisable faces in the world. But the fame was hard on the foursome and so the hits came at a cost. Giving his version of why the band split, George says: “You know, we were so stressed out. We’ve been through every riot and jam. Every city we went to, there was some kind of a jam going on, the noise, people yelling at us all the time and being confined to a little room or a plane or a car, but we never thought about it too much, because it was an ongoing thing.
“It was happening to us, and it was hard to see, you know, we were just in the middle being ushered from room to room. To reduce stress, we all relied on one another. And because we were both born in Liverpool, we always had a laugh as well. But there was a point where, you know, enough was enough. And stress is what I believe was the main factor in The Beatles splitting up, in my opinion. We all just wanted to leave, to bring us some tranquility, you know what that means.
Ringo adds: “It was just crazy times, but great times. I mean, you know, I had a really good time, but it was crazy. We were lucky that there were four of us to take that pressure. Four of us held each other together, and at certain times, you know, each one of us went mad, but the other three could bring us back. I was an only child, and suddenly I had three brothers. We were all really close.
” Everything we did, I feel we did for good, that still relates to today. It always returns to the personalities and the music. You only need love, “
Paul admits he was thought of as” the work fiend “and tried to hold the band together and keep them going the longest.
Ringo says, “We could sit in the garden for longer than you.” Paul responds, “Yes, I know. I like the Beatles. Working with the Beatles is something I enjoy. That is not something I’m ashamed of. It’s what I love in life that, all that making music. “
The band continues and continues to do so despite their separation and incapacity, according to George, who is known for being a spiritual person.
George says, “Looking forward, The Beatles will continue to exist on those records, films, videos, books, and in people’s memories or minds.” The Beatles has just become its own thing now. And, in my opinion, the Beatles wouldn’t exist without them.
The trio perform together at George Harrison’s house as the ninth episode draws to a close. They are messing around chatting and joking and for fans, and them, it seems like it was a time in June 1994 when three of the fab four could reunite with much of the tension of the Seventies split behind them.
Even George makes fun of Paul by saying that he and Paul are touring the stadium, and Paul responds by saying “mud wrestling.” Ringo says, “I’ll be the ref,” in a flash.
As the day ends in the garden filled with sunshine, Ringo says to Paul and George “This has been a really nice day for me chaps. It has been incredibly beautiful and moving. I enjoy hanging out with you two. Paul says: “It’s been a very nice day, thanks for having us George”.
They would reunite for the last time in November 2001, meeting up for lunch in New York as George battled lung cancer and a tumour. He passed away just a few weeks later at the age of 58.
Disney+ has just released the Beatles Anthology, which has now expanded to nine episodes. Friday is the day of the eighth and ninth episodes.
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Source: Mirror
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