Let It Roll: Songs by George Harrison
Encyclopedia
Let It Roll: Songs by George Harrison is the third compilation of George Harrison
's music, and the first to span his entire solo career after The Beatles
era. The collection was announced on 14 April 2009, the same day Harrison received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
, and was released 16 June 2009, on both Compact Disc
and in digital format
.
The album features songs originally released on EMI
and Harrison's Dark Horse Records
label. All included tracks are presented in digitally remastered form and the collection includes a booklet featuring previously unseen and rare photos.
The album includes all of Harrison's songs that reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100
, including "My Sweet Lord
", "Isn't It a Pity
", "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)
", and "Got My Mind Set on You
".
The track list was selected by George's widow, Olivia Harrison, with some assistance from close friends and family.
iTunes exclusively offers the digital album with a previously unreleased bonus track, Harrison's earliest demo version of "Isn't It a Pity".
Reception to the inclusion of live versions of Beatles-era songs "While My Guitar Gently Weeps
", "Something
", and "Here Comes the Sun
" were mixed. Some welcomed the songs as essential parts of Harrison's songwriting, yet noticed the quality of the live versions paled in comparison to the original studio recordings. Others compared the inclusion of Beatles material to the ill-received 1976 The Best of George Harrison
compilation, of which more than half of the tracks were songs by the Beatles, downplaying the importance of his solo career. Some other critics wondered why Beatles songs were included, yet songs from Harrison's other supergroup Traveling Wilburys
(such as "Handle with Care
") were overlooked.
The album debuted at #4 in the UK (with first week sales of 28,045 copies), becoming Harrison's highest chart position as a solo artist in over 35 years (since 1973's Living in the Material World
). In the US, the album debuted at #24, and as of September 17, 2009, has sold over 68,000 copies.
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
's music, and the first to span his entire solo career after The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
era. The collection was announced on 14 April 2009, the same day Harrison received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
, and was released 16 June 2009, on both Compact Disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
and in digital format
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
.
The album features songs originally released on EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
and Harrison's Dark Horse Records
Dark Horse Records
Dark Horse Records is a record label founded by George Harrison in 1974.-History:Harrison had recorded for EMI under a contract which expired in 1976. All his subsequent recordings were released through Dark Horse Records, starting with Thirty Three & 1/3 in 1976 and ending with Live in Japan in 1992...
label. All included tracks are presented in digitally remastered form and the collection includes a booklet featuring previously unseen and rare photos.
The album includes all of Harrison's songs that reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, including "My Sweet Lord
My Sweet Lord
"My Sweet Lord" is a song by former Beatles lead guitarist George Harrison from his UK number one hit triple album All Things Must Pass. The song was written in praise of the Hindu god Krishna...
", "Isn't It a Pity
Isn't It a Pity
"Isn't It a Pity" is a song by George Harrison from his 1970 solo album All Things Must Pass. It was written in 1966 but was rejected by John Lennon. It was released as the B-side of "My Sweet Lord" in the United States on November 23, 1970....
", "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)
Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)
"Give Me Love " is a song by George Harrison and is the lead track on his 1973 album Living in the Material World. The song was released as a single in May 1973, hitting number one in the US Billboard Hot 100 at the end of June and number eight on the UK Singles Chart...
", and "Got My Mind Set on You
Got My Mind Set on You
"Got My Mind Set on You" is a song written by Rudy Clark and originally recorded by James Ray in 1962.It is best known for the cover version released by George Harrison in 1987.- George Harrison version :...
".
The track list was selected by George's widow, Olivia Harrison, with some assistance from close friends and family.
iTunes exclusively offers the digital album with a previously unreleased bonus track, Harrison's earliest demo version of "Isn't It a Pity".
Reception to the inclusion of live versions of Beatles-era songs "While My Guitar Gently Weeps
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
"While My Guitar Gently Weeps" is a song by George Harrison, first recorded by The Beatles in 1968 for their eponymous double album...
", "Something
Something
"Something" is a song by The Beatles, written by lead guitarist George Harrison in 1969. It was featured on the album Abbey Road, and was also the first song written by Harrison to appear on the A-side of a Beatles' single...
", and "Here Comes the Sun
Here Comes the Sun
"Here Comes the Sun" is a song by George Harrison from The Beatles' 1969 album Abbey Road. It is regarded as one of the most popular Beatles songs. The song was written while Harrison was away from all of these troubles...
" were mixed. Some welcomed the songs as essential parts of Harrison's songwriting, yet noticed the quality of the live versions paled in comparison to the original studio recordings. Others compared the inclusion of Beatles material to the ill-received 1976 The Best of George Harrison
The Best of George Harrison
The Best of George Harrison is the first compilation album of George Harrison's music and was released in 1976, following the expiration of his EMI contract...
compilation, of which more than half of the tracks were songs by the Beatles, downplaying the importance of his solo career. Some other critics wondered why Beatles songs were included, yet songs from Harrison's other supergroup Traveling Wilburys
Traveling Wilburys
The Traveling Wilburys were an English–American supergroup consisting of Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty, accompanied by drummer Jim Keltner...
(such as "Handle with Care
Handle with Care (song)
"Handle with Care" is the first track from the Traveling Wilburys 1988 album, Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1, and the group's biggest hit. Writing credits are shared by all five band members, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, and Bob Dylan....
") were overlooked.
The album debuted at #4 in the UK (with first week sales of 28,045 copies), becoming Harrison's highest chart position as a solo artist in over 35 years (since 1973's Living in the Material World
Living in the Material World
Living in the Material World is a studio album by George Harrison, released in 1973.-Background:As a follow-up to 1970's greatly received All Things Must Pass and his mammoth charity project, The Concert for Bangladesh, Living in the Material World was among the most highly anticipated releases of...
). In the US, the album debuted at #24, and as of September 17, 2009, has sold over 68,000 copies.
Track listing
Album remastered by Giles Martin, individual producer credits are as follows:- Tracks 1, 8, 13, and 16: Jeff Lynne and George Harrison
- Track 2: Harrison
- Tracks 3-6, 11, 14, 17, and 19: Harrison and Phil Spector
- Tracks 7, 10 and 12: George Harrison, Jeff Lynne and Dhani Harrison
- Track 9: Harrison and Ray Cooper
- Track 15: Harrison and Russ Titelman
- Track 18: Dave Edmunds
Chart positions
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
4 |
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
24 |
| Japanese Oricon Weekly Albums Chart Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc... |
40 |
| Mexican Mexican people Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity.... Albums Chart |
41 |
| Spanish Albums Chart | 68 |
| Swiss Music Charts Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
98 |
| Belgian Ultratop Albums Chart Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... |
98 |
External links
- Official Microsite- fragment of Georgeharrison.com