George Harrison - Life Itself (Early Take)

A beatiful demo version which was released in the album Somewhere In England.
For those who love good music, especially for Georgie fans...

SOMEWHERE IN ENGLAND
Content to move at his own speed, Harrison began recording Somewhere In England in the autumn of 1979 and continued at a sporadic pace, finally delivering the album to Warner Bros. Records in September 1980. However, the powers that be at Warner Bros. rejected it, ordering Harrison to drop four of its songs ("Tears Of The World", "Sat Singing", "Lay His Head" and "Flying Hour") which they somehow found too downbeat. Harrison's original cover art, featuring his profile against a map of Great Britain was also vetoed by Warner Bros. With Harrison already feeling unable to relate to the current post-punk and New Wave musical climate, he acceded to their requests, but knew that when his recording contract came up for renewal after his next album, he wouldn't bother re-signing.

Interestingly, a survey conducted in 2006 of the top 50 most popular 'Harrisongs' on the official George Harrison.com message boards included only one song from Somewhere in England ("Life Itself," #29), yet included three of the four rejected songs ("Flying Hour" at #14, "Lay His Head" at #27, and "Sat Singing" at #41).

Picking up the project again in November, Harrison was joined in his home studio at Friar Park in Henley-on-Thames by none other than Ringo Starr, who arrived specifically to have Harrison produce some songs for him. They recorded two Harrison originals "Wrack My Brain" and "All Those Years Ago" plus a cover of "You Belong To Me" for Starr's impending album Can't Fight Lightning which was later released as Stop and Smell the Roses. Two songs were finished but "All Those Years Ago" went unadorned. Starr later admitted that the key was too high for him to sing. During this period, Harrison had received word that John Lennon was slightly hurt over his biography I Me Mine, which, in Lennon's estimation, praised every musician Harrison had worked with except him. Unfortunately, Harrison was never able to make amends with Lennon; on 8 December 1980, Lennon was gunned down outside the The Dakota apartment building by Mark David Chapman.

After the shock and devastation of Lennon's murder, Harrison decided to utilise the unfinished recording of "All Those Years Ago". He changed the lyrics of the song to reflect the Lennon tragedy. With Starr's pre-recorded drum track in place, Harrison invited Paul and Linda McCartney, and their fellow Wings band-mate Denny Laine, to record backing vocals in early 1981. Aside "All Those Years Ago", "Blood From A Clone" (a searing indictment of the current music scene), "Teardrops" and "That Which I Have Lost" were added to replace the four discarded songs, and after a new cover was shot in the Tate Gallery in London, Somewhere In England was resubmitted and accepted.

"All Those Years Ago" was released as the lead-off single that May to, hardly surprisingly, a very strong response. Reaching #13 in the UK and #2 in the US, it was Harrison's biggest hit since "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)" in 1973, and Somewhere In England benefited from its placement on the album. Peaking at #13 in the UK and #11 in the US, these chart positions were, superficially, Harrison's best transatlantic album peaks in some time, yet Somewhere In England actually sold less than it would appear, since its chart life in both countries was brief, and it became Harrison's first proper studio album to fail to reach gold status in the US. It was generally overlooked by the public, with follow-up single "Teardrops" reaching only #102 in the US.

In 2004, Somewhere In England was remastered and reissued, both separately and as part of the deluxe box set The Dark Horse Years 1976-1992, on Dark Horse Records with new distribution by EMI, adding the bonus track demo version of "Save The World", recorded in 1980. Specially for this reissue, Harrison's originally rejected artwork was now reinstated

Personnel
George Harrison lead vocals and guitars, plus synthesisers and keyboards
Ringo Starr drums
Paul and Linda McCartney, Denny Laine backing vocals on "All Those Years Ago"
Ray Cooper drums, keyboards, synthesisers, percussion
Jim Keltner, Dave Mattacks drums
Willie Weeks bass
Herbie Flowers bass, tuba
Gary Brooker, Al Kooper, Mike Moran, Neil Larsen keyboards and synthesisers
Tom Scott lyricon, horns
Alla Rakha tabla

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Classic
• Rock
• The
• Beatles
• George
• Harrison
• Somewhere
• In
• England
• Life
• Itself
• Demo
• Version

[NickiCricket]

I so wish that George might know how much his true fans loved his music...we look around on YouTube over and over then find a song like this that we didn't know about and feel like we've found an elusive treasure, which we have. Thank you sooo much for uploading this

song, it's beautiful, as was George.

[Landrew120880]

Somewhere In England is an awesome album. With all of the songs left off, it coulda been a double like "All things must pass". Warner Bros. had huge balls to tell George to record stronger songs.... thanx 4 the post!

[petramc]

<3

[MrRexBailey]

Why did Olivia not put some of the unreleased versions out on the recent dvd box set?

[drutgat2]

This is one of the best songs ever written and recorded. George was such as unique person, songwriter and guitarist.

[lbprodz]

Oh Dios, que canción...!

[Gauraonline]

This is a beautiful demo version. Some record companies , due to their greed, have destoryed ifted artitsts, even to the point of them committing suicide like the two members of Badfinger that Geroge produced. Hey are the scum of the earth.

[Gauraonline]

This is a beautiful demo version. Some record companies , due to their greed, have destoryed ifted artitsts, even to the point of them committing suicide like the two members of Badfinger that Geroge produced. Hey are the scum of the earth.

[slowhand124]

I hope we can all meet him somewhere else. Those 4 guys, the Beatles, all vegetarians, espousing peace, beautiful beautiful souls. I had never heard this version. wow thanks ps warner brothers, ha, george harrison rules.

[carrywet]

I don't know anyone but George Harrison who expressed his eastern philosophy so purely by music.

[TELL51MC]

thanx for the input on this...glad I found your post...

[lovegeorge4ever]

Love all Georgie´s demos...You are the One, Somewhere in England... what a song

and what an album... I remember when I got the album in 1981, only fifteen years old and fully in love with him. I wish our love reaches to you wherever you are, dear George. Beautiful demo.