As I write this, it's been less than a week since the death of George Harrison, and as you might expect, a great deal has already been written and said about him. By the time you read this, there's sure to have been a lot more discussion, but I would feel remiss if I didn't put my two cents in and reflect on Harrison as a musician.
When you think about the sheer volume of incredible music that the Beatles produced in a relatively short time, it's staggering. Virtually every cut on every album was memorable, and even though John Lennon and Paul McCartney did most of the songwriting, Harrison was very important to the sound of the band. (He did, of course, write some awesome songs himself, including “Something,” “Taxman,” and “Here Comes the Sun,” but his output was not nearly as prolific as that of Lennon and McCartney.) Although they were certainly all brilliant musicians, Harrison was the “player” in the band, the one that brought some serious chops to the table.
Nevertheless, he was frequently underrated as a guitarist. When you think about it, his riffs and solos were memorable in many Beatles songs, and during the latter days of the band and in his solo career, he developed into a formidable and expressive player. Additionally, his interest in Indian music and the sitar in particular helped push the Beatles' sound in new directions and definitely helped expand his own musical horizons. In the later Beatles years and during his solo career, Harrison also became an accomplished slide player with a melodic approach that was markedly different from the more commonly heard blues-based slide styles.
Harrison should also be given some credit for popularizing the all-star rock-benefit format. His Concert for Bangladesh in 1971 was the forerunner of all the musical benefits that have become commonplace — even before September 11.
I was a little young to have fully experienced the phenomenon of the Beatles, but they still had a major impact on me, and Harrison's death is not only sad but also somewhat disquieting. Although not nearly as tragic as Lennon's assassination at the hands of Mark David Chapman, losing Harrison to cancer at the relatively young age of 58 demonstrates once again that even fame and wealth can't immunize you from reality. Take care, George; we'll certainly miss you.
On a less somber note, you'll notice that the reviews section in this issue has a new addition called “Quick Takes.” These are cut-to-the-chase, short-format reviews that allow us to expand our coverage to products that don't necessarily require full-length treatment. By instituting “Quick Takes,” we can now offer more reviews in each issue.
Although the majority of the reviews will still be in our normal longer format (which lets us tackle the more complex products) expect to see a couple of “Quick Takes” in every issue. This month — in addition to full-length reviews of the Roland V-Club Set, the Yamaha AG Stomp, and the Tech 21 Bass Power Wedge 60 — we're featuring “Quick Takes” of the Sabine RT-7100 rack tuner and the Furman Sound SPB-8 stereo pedalboard.
