“It was like unraveling a mystery, trying to imagine what George might have meant”: Lost chords that George Harrison wrote down before his passing have been turned into a new song – and it was recorded using three of his famed Beatles guitars

A new George Harrison tribute album that was recorded using some of the late guitar great’s own Beatles electric guitars and acoustic guitars has been released.

Compiled by gypsy jazz virtuoso Robin Nolan, For the Love of George comprises reinterpretations of 10 classic Harrison songs, as well as a new original track that was crafted from chords the Beatles legend once drafted on an envelope before his passing.

As Nolan explains, it was during a trip to Friar Park – Harrison’s home – to celebrate the birthday of George’s widow, Olivia, that the idea of recording a fully fledged tribute album with genuine Beatles guitars first came to mind.

"I was at Friar Park playing for Olivia's birthday,” he recalls. “We were all talking and then George's Ramirez acoustic guitar appeared and I played And I Love Her on it. It was a massive thrill to play the song on the same guitar George originally recorded it on with Olivia and everyone watching.”

Nolan had toyed with the idea of a Harrison tribute album in the past, but his visit to Friar Park – and the experience of playing the Ramirez – all-but-confirmed the project.

“I had already been thinking about how cool it would be to do an album of George's songs, but then to actually be playing one of his songs on that guitar, that’s another level,” Nolan goes on. “That's another layer of awesomeness. So that was where the inspiration for the album was born.”

For the Love Of George - YouTube

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As for the title track, For the Love of George came about after Olivia sent Nolan a picture of an envelope, upon which George wrote some chords before he died. There wasn’t too much to go on, but upon Olivia’s request, Nolan took a look – and ended up turning the note into a full song.

“I stared at the envelope and studied the chords intently that George had written all those years ago and started to feel the magic,” he reflects. “It was like unraveling a mystery, trying to imagine what George might have meant.

“After I’d figured out the chords a melody came to me. In my mind I could hear George humming a tune that sounded really beautiful. That’s when it all came together. The title track of this album For the Love of George.

And I Love Her - YouTube

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“I was really excited so I recorded a simple version on my phone and sent it to Olivia wondering what she might think. She responded, ‘Wow it sounds so much like George!’

“And, of course, it does sound like George, because there's a few chord changes in there which are really unique to him, and then the melody I wrote is so inspired by him.”

To record the track, Nolan used all three of Harrison’s old guitars that were utilized across the rest of the album: the iconic 12-string Rickenbacker from A Hard Day’s Night, the Gibson J-160 that featured on numerous Beatles albums, and the aforementioned Ramirez classical acoustic, which can be heard on And I Love Her.

These guitars were used to record gypsy jazz renditions of tracks such as Wah-Wah, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, All Things Must Pass, Dark Sweet Lady and more.

For the Love of George is available now via Dark Horse Records.