The late George Harrison -- who loved to record and happened to have a top-of-the-line studio in his home for many years -- left behind a wealth of demos and early versions of songs that went on to be considered classics.
Ten of these recordings appear on Early Takes Volume 1, which will be released May 1 by Hip-O Records to coincide with the DVD/Blu-ray release of Martin Scorsese's 2011 Harrison biopic, Living In The Material World. All 10 recordings are featured in Scorsese's documentary.
The album includes early and demo versions of eight songs from Harrison's solo catalog, plus two new additions -- covers of Bob Dylan's "Mama You've Been On My Mind" (which you can check out below) and The Everly Brothers' "Let It Be Me."
The bulk of the music on Early Takes Volume 1 was recorded when Harrison was working on his first solo album, 1970's triple-disc All Things Must Pass. These songs include "My Sweet Lord (Demo)," "Run Of The Mill (Demo)," "Awaiting On You All (Early Take)," "Behind That Locked Door (Demo)," "All Things Must Pass (Demo)" and "I'd Have You Any Time (Early Take)," which Harrison co-wrote with Bob Dylan.
Also featured are demos of "The Light That Has Lighted The World," the final version of which graced Harrison's 1973 solo album, Living In The Material World, and "Woman Don't You Cry For Me," the finished version of which wound up on Harrison's 1976 album, Thirty Three and 1/3.
Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
