The Concert For Bangla Desh
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- This article is about the album. For the actual concert see The Concert for Bangladesh.
The Concert For Bangla Desh is a live triple album and double DVD by George Harrison and celebrity friends performed in aid of the homeless Bengali refugees of the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. Performed on 1 August that year at New York City's Madison Square Garden, The Concert For Bangla Desh was a pioneering charity event - fourteen years before Live Aid.
After being made aware of the gravity of the situation by friend and musician Ravi Shankar, Harrison quickly organized two performances in their aid, in addition to composing and releasing a single called "Bangla Desh" just preceding the event. With Harrison - highly popular following the success of All Things Must Pass - leading the shows, he wanted to surround himself with his closest musician friends, including Eric Clapton and Bob Dylan (both of whom were in reclusive states at that time), in addition to Billy Preston, Badfinger, Leon Russell, Shankar, and Ringo Starr, among others. Both John Lennon and Paul McCartney had been asked by Harrison to join, but while McCartney felt it was too soon for a Beatles reunion and declined, Lennon was keen to take part - only recanting his acceptance once Harrison made it clear that Yoko Ono was not required on stage. To enable Dylan's appearance on the album, his label, Columbia Records, were given the cassette distribution rights. Presently, Sony Music has also assumed the CD rights for the album in Europe.
The two concerts on 1 August 1971 were highly successful - with a cheque for US$243,418.50 being immediately sent to UNICEF for relief - and all involved were pleased with a job well done. However, both the UK and US governments held up the money for years. The proceeds ended up as high as fifteen million dollars after the release of the album with only a small amount actually making its way to those in need, leaving Harrison disgusted.
Shortly before Christmas in 1971, The Concert For Bangla Desh was released in the US, while appearing in the UK shortly after New Year's Day 1972. It was an immediate best-seller, spending several weeks at #2 in the US and becoming Harrison's only #1 UK album. The album's significance was further cemented when it won the coveted Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1973.
Initially reissued on CD in 1991, The Concert For Bangla Desh was remastered and re-released - with some editing of the breaks in between the songs - in October 2005 with the addition of Dylan's rehearsal performance of "Love Minus Zero/No Limit", as well as a simultaneous DVD release of the original 1972 Apple film.
Sales of the remastered album and DVD benefit the George Harrison Fund for UNICEF.
Track listing
All songs by George Harrison, except where noted.- "George Harrison/Ravi Shankar Introduction" - 5:19
- "Bangla Dhun (Ravi Shankar) - 16:40
- * A raga performed by Ravi Shankar
- "Wah-Wah" - 3:30
- "My Sweet Lord" - 4:36
- "Awaiting On You All" - 3:00
- "That's The Way God Planned It" (Billy Preston) - 4:20
- * Performed by Billy Preston
- "It Don't Come Easy" (Ringo Starr) - 3:01
- * Performed by Ringo Starr
- "Beware Of Darkness" - 3:36
- * Featuring Leon Russell on one verse
- "Band Introduction" - 2:39
- "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" - 4:53
- "Medley: Jumpin' Jack Flash/Young Blood" (Mick Jagger/Keith Richards)/(Jerry Lieber/Mike Stoller/Doc Pomus) - 9:27
- * Performed by Leon Russell, with Don Preston on "Youngblood"
- "Here Comes The Sun" - 2:59
- "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" (Bob Dylan) - 5:44
- "It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry" (Bob Dylan) - 3:07
- "Blowin' In The Wind" (Bob Dylan) - 4:07
- "Mr. Tambourine Man" (Bob Dylan) - 4:45
- "Just Like A Woman" (Bob Dylan) - 4:49
- * Tracks 13 - 17 are performed by Bob Dylan, accompanied by Harrison, Ringo Starr and Leon Russell
- "Something" - 3:42
- "Bangla Desh" - 4:55
- * Harrison's studio version of "Bangla Desh" was released as a single just two days before the concerts
- "Love Minus Zero/No Limit" (Bob Dylan) - 4:19
- * A bonus track for the 2005 remaster
Personnel
- George Harrison: Guitars, vocals.
- Eric Clapton: Guitars.
- Bob Dylan: Guitar, harmonica, vocals.
- Klaus Voormann: Bass guitar.
- Billy Preston: Keyboards, vocals
- Leon Russell: Bass, keyboards, vocals.
- Ringo Starr: Drums, tambourine, vocals.
- Ravi Shankar: Sitar, vocals.
- Ali Akbar Khan: Sarod.
- Alla Rakha: Tabla.
- Kamala Chakravarty: Tamboura.
- Don Preston: Guitars, vocals.
- Jesse Ed Davis: Guitar .
- Joey Molland: Guitar.
- Tom Evans: Guitar.
- Pete Ham: Guitar.
- Carl Radle: Bass guitar.
- Mike Gibbins: Percussion.
- Jim Keltner: Drums.
- Jim Horn: Horn.
- Allan Beutler: Horn.
- Chuck Findley: Horn.
- Jackie Kelso: Horn.
- Lou McCreary: Horn.
- Ollie Mitchell: Horn.
- Don Nix: Backing vocals.
- Jo Green: Backing vocals.
- Jeanie Greene: Backing vocals.
- Marlin Greene: Backing vocals.
- Dolores Hall: Backing vocals.
- Claudia Linnear: Backing vocals.
| George Harrison |
|---|
| Studio Albums |
| All Things Must Pass | Living in the Material World | Dark Horse | Extra Texture (Read All About It) Thirty Three & 1/3 | George Harrison | Somewhere in England | Gone Troppo | Cloud Nine | Brainwashed |
| Live Albums |
| The Concert for Bangla Desh | Live in Japan |
| Compilations |
| The Best of George Harrison | Best of Dark Horse 1976-1989 |
| Soundtracks |
| Wonderwall Music | Concert for George |
| Experimental Albums |
| Electronic Sound |
| Box Sets |
| The Dark Horse Years 1976-1992 |
| With Traveling Wilburys |
| Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 | Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3 |
| Related Articles |
| The Beatles |
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