[Slowhand] Re: Concert for George - Random Thoughts

[Mark Zutkoff]

I've been reading the comments on Concert for George with great interest, as
I got to see the film in a theatre, first, and then saw the complete concert
on DVD when it came out a few weeks ago. I had been unprepared for how
emotional I got over it; it's a very affectionate tribute to a great
musician.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned, although some have nearly alluded to
it, is that most of the numbers were attempts to get as close as possible to
the original records in arrangement and solos. "I Want To Tell You," for
instance, dropped the long intro that had been part of George and Eric's
arrangement of the song from the 1991 Japan tour; "Taxman" (played by Tom
Petty and the Heartbreakers) left out all the "new" lyrics added during the
same shows. This didn't always hold true; "Old Brown Shoe" has some
unintelligible lyrics repeated at the end that weren't in the original
record or the Japan arrangement, and "Something" was an amalgam of
McCartney's ukulele performance from his "Back In The U.S." tour and Eric
getting to rock out a bit. But by and large, they stuck by the records,
which could explain why Eric didn't stretch out too much.

I wouldn't fast-forward past the Indian music, by the way. It's superb
stuff, first performed and then conducted by Ravi Shankar's talented
daughter Anoushka. I particularly enjoyed Eric's contribution, because
despite the fact that he's trying to meld with Indian music, much of his
work remains rooted in the blues no matter what. It's also evident that Eric
loved George, despite (or perhaps because of) their checkered history over
the years, and he was trying to keep the group and their various egos (not
to mention any names -- P.McC) in check as well as perform himself. EC's
contribution is less his solos than his achievements as musical director.
And he didn't do too badly singing some of George's songs, either!

By the way, Mark Deavult, what's with a reference to a song called "I Don't
Know"? Unless you're talking about Mark Lewisohn's report of it being a "wor
king title" of "I Want To Tell You" (but then, so was "Laxton's Superb",
wasn't it?). I'd like to know so I can watch the crowd shot you refer to.
Thanks!

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Mark Zutkoff
markz at usagiyojimbo.com
Keyboards / Vocals / Bass / Rhythm Guitar
Blues, Rock, Jazz
Space, Spies, Knights and Samurai