Concert For George

Recorded at the Royal Albert Hall, London, England on November 22, 2002.
George Harrison was always known as the Beatle with the most pronounced interest in spirituality and distaste for earthly contrivances. The intensity of feeling, palpable here in the performances of Harrison's musical friends at his memorial concert, mirrors the depth of emotion on the part of the millions touched by "the quiet Beatle"'s work over the years. The first disc of this live recording features musical tributes from Harrison's Indian mentor Ravi Shankar and Shankar's sitar-virtuoso daughter Anoushka--fitting for a Brit who pioneered the incorporation of Eastern flavors into 1960s rock.
The second disc is a full-on rock-star tribute, but instead of the overkill one might expect with so much rock royalty involved (including musical director Eric Clapton), the result is a straightforward, perfectly rendered, and touchingly sincere program of Harrison's finest compositions. From fellow travelers Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr's respective versions of "All Things Must Pass" and "Photograph" to early British rocker/Beatles influence Joe Brown's humble take on "Here Comes the Sun," CONCERT FOR GEORGE overflows with honest outpourings of love and fine performances in equal measure.