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George Harrison - 12 Arnold Grove (1992)

Track listing:
  1. Shanghai Surprise
  2. Someplace Else
  3. Breath Away From Heaven
  4. Zig Zag
  5. I Don't Want To Do It
  6. It Don't Come Easy
  7. Got My Mind Set On You
  8. Save The World
  9. Rockline Medley
  10. I Don't Want To Do It
  11. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
  12. Here Comes The Sun
  13. If Not For You
  14. Absolutely Sweet Marie
  15. Abandoned Love
  16. I Don't Want To Do It
  17. Draem Away

Notes

Liner notes:

All right all you hipsters, flipsters and finger poppin daddies, here's another equally exciting collection of outtakes, b-sides, live tracks and general miscellany from our favorite Mystical One. Picking the tracks was easy; however, the title posed a problem. We were thinking of calling it Handmade Fuck-ups, Harri-kiri, F.P.S.H.I.T. or even George Does Bob, but we thought 12 Arnold Grove a.k.a. Pirate Songs 2 gave us the originality we were looking for while increasing the confusion level to acceptable heights.

We'll start in 1986...

Composed as the title track from Handmade Films' disaster of disasters, Shanghai Surprise showcases George duetting with the late Vicki Brown, formerly of Liverpool's own Vernons Girls. The version appearing here is a composite taken from the film soundtrack which is as complete and better sounding than the previously-appearing (on the "Orange" label) version which was taken from a scarce, one-sided U.K. promo 45.

Also recorded for and appearing in the Shanghai Surprise film, Someplace Else was heavily reworked before being commercially released in 1987 on Cloud Nine. The take appearing here is an early rough mix of the basic track, taken from a tape source.

Another Shanghai Surprise film track revived for release on Cloud Nine, Breath Away From Heaven (working title: China Doll) sent Harrison fans fumbling for their Kama Sutra. The version appearing here is a composite taken from the film soundtrack.

Released in the UK on Jan 25, 1988 as the B-side of When We Was Fab, Zig Zag was a last minute fill-in for the original flipside, The Hottest Gong in Town (see Pirate Songs). Composed by George & Jeff Lynne, Zig Zag was arranged by John DuPrez and performed by the Gaslight Orchestra (a.k.a. the Zig-Zaggers) at the Zig Zag club. If all of the prints of Shanghai Surprise haven't been destroyed by now, one could catch a glimpse of the Zig-Zaggers in action during the restaurant scene - rumor has it that the lead guitarist looks a hell of a lot like George.

I Don't Want to Do It is our first Dylan cover version, composed by Bob around the time of Self Portrait, and still unreleased by its composer. When queried about George's version shortly after its appearance, Mr. Dylan replied "he dug that up somewhere." So much for academia. The first version appearing here is the single mix, which was released in the U.S. on April 23, 1985. The soundtrack mix from that other mid-eighties cinema blockbuster, Porky's Revenge, appears later on this collection. On these two versions, George was backed by Dave Edmunds and Jimmie Vaughan on guitars, Check Leavell on keyboards, and Michael Shrieve and Kenny Aaronson bringing a heavy-duty rhythm section as well.

Among the highlights of this collection is the original backing track for Ringo's classic It Don't Come Easy, complete with George on lead vocal. This rough mix of the basic track was recorded in early March, 1970, most likely at Trident Studios. Besides the absence of Ringo's lead vocal, this version also lacks the additional overdubs recorded in October, 1970. Backing up George are Ringo on drums, Stephen Still on guitar, Klaus Voormann on bass and Gary Wright on piano.

Next up are a pair of non-LP remixes from the eighties. First to get the extended treatment is Got My Mind Set On You, as it appeared on the UK 12" released on October 12, 1987. A drastically different mix of the Somewhere in England closer, Save the World, follows. This remix was prepared specifically for the 1985 compilation Greenpeace-The Album. In addition to featuring and alternate lead vocal and some new lyrics, there's a slick slide guitar part not found on the official release.

Fueled by a few rounds of Dos Equis, George and Jeff Lynne weave in and out of a collection of standards and not-so-standards taken from George's Feb. 10, 1988 appearance on Rockline. The medley, which draws from a wide range of influences, contains bits and pieces of: Drive My Car, Here Comes the Sun, Bells of Rhymney, Mr. Tambourine Man, Take Me As I Am, That s All Right (Mama), Let It Be Me, Something and Every Grain of Sand. The version appearing here is a composite of performances from the live broadcast which originated from the LA studios of radio station KLOS. In case you were wondering, the idiotic comments belong to longtime Rockland compere Bob "BC" Coburn.

We continue with a pair of live tracks. While My Guitar Gently Weeps and Here Comes the Sun were recorded at Wembley Arenea on June 6, 1987 as part of the Prince s Trust concert. There are no musical slouches here as we find George backed by Elton John, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, and Jeff Lynne just to name a few.

And it s back to Bob with If Not For You and Absolutely Sweet Marie, both recorded live at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 16, 1992 as part of the Columbia Records Bob Dylan's 30th anniversary celebration. The introduction is by Chrissie Hynde, the backing by Booker T. and the MG's with Jim Keltner and Anton Fig covering for the late Al Jackson on drums. SNL band leader G. E. Smith provided musical direction.

And yet another pair of Dylan covers brings us towards the end of this volume. Abandoned Love and I Don't Want To Do It are studio demos thought to be recorded in the early 1980's. I Don't Want To Do It is obviously a song close to George's heart, as its earliest known appearance was a decade earlier on his collection of demos for the All Things Must Pass LP.

Wrapping things up is Dream way, originally recorded for the Handmade Films production Time Bandits, where it also served as the closing theme. In addition, George also composed some of the incidental music which prefaces the version appearing here. The track was subsequently remixed and issued in unedited form on George's 1982 offering Gone Troppo. Backing was provided by veteran sidemen-Dave Mattacks on drums, Alan Jonse on bass, Mike Moran on pianos and synths, and Ray Cooper on percussion, while joining George on backing vocals were Billy Preston, Syreeta, and Sarah Ricor.

We hope you ve enjoyed the show and remember,
"the bad jazz that a cat blows wails long after he s cut out!"

Brian O'Denis
Somewhere in Ladue
January 1997