Also nominated in the Best Documentary Feature category were “Undefeated,” “Project Nim,” “Page One: Inside the New York Times,” “Cave of Forgotten Dreams,” and “Buck.”

The big winner on the night was the movie “The Artist,” which picked up four awards, including Best Picture, Best Score, Best Costume Design and Best Director for France’s Michel Hazanavicius. George Clooney won Best Actor for his role in “The Descendants.” and Octavia Spencer’s Best Actress award was one of three awards picked up by “The Help.”

Scorsese was also presented with the honorary Music + Film Award by Leonardo DiCaprio and George Harrison’s widow Olivia Harrison.

Olivia Harrison paid the following tribute to Scorsese:

Bob Dylan paid tribute to Scorsese with a performance of “Blind Willie McTell.” Scorsese directed the 2005 documentary “Bob Dylan – No Direction Home.”

There was more good news for Scorsese yesterday, as his work on “George Harrison – Living in the Material World” attracted a Directors’ Guild of America award nomination for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary Film. He is also nominated in the Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film category for “Hugo.”

The Directors’ Guild of America awards ceremony takes place in Los Angeles on January 28 and will be hosted by Kelsey Grammer.

“George Harrison – Living in the Material World” is not yet available on DVD or Blu-ray in the US (what’s the hold up?), but has been available in the UK since last October.

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The concerts will take place at 2:00 PM (GMT) at St George’s Hall, and at 8:00 PM (GMT) at The Cavern Club. Artists scheduled to perform include Brute Force, The Radha Krishna Temple, Jeff Slate, The Mersey Beatles, Singh Strings, The Liverpool Ukulele Orchestra, The Rebels, Tsema and Andre Barreau from The Bootleg Beatles.

Flags will also fly at half-mast at both the Liverpool City Hall and St George’s Hall.

The 10th anniversary is also being marked in Hollywood with a public candlelight memorial from 6:00 PM (PST) until 8:00PM (PST) at George Harrison’s Hollywood Walk of Fame Star, which is located at 1750 N. Vine Street, in front of the Capitol Records Tower Building.

A less conventional memorial will take place at New York City’s City Winery where fans will gather at 8:00 PM (EST) for a wine tasting to George Harrison’s music. The event will feature seven different “flights” with wines paired to three Harrison songs each round.

George Harrison was born in Liverpool on February 25, 1943 and died of lung cancer in Los Angeles on November 29, 2001 aged 58.

“Something” was released on The Beatles’ album “Abbey Road” in September 1969 and as a double A-side single with “Come Together” the following month.

“Something” was written by Harrison at Abbey Road studios in the summer of 1968 when he had some downtime during the sessions for “The White Album.” The original line “Something in the way she moves” was intended to be temporary, as it borrowed from James Taylor’s song “Something In The Way She Moves.”

“Something” has been described as the song that marked Harrison’s coming of age as a songwriter. The song wasn’t a bolt out of the blue though, as he had already proven himself to be a fine songwriter with tracks such as “If I Needed Someone” and “Taxman.” Nevertheless, “Something” was a step up and this was recognised within the band. John Lennon described “Something” as the best song on “Abbey Road” and it was the first Harrison-penned track to be deemed worthy of A-side status on a Beatles single.

The critics agreed with Lennon and “Something” received the Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically in 1970.

“Something” also famously received lofty praise from Frank Sinatra, who described it as one of the best love songs ever written, but unfortunately also referred to it as a Lennon & McCartney composition!

There are conflicting stories regarding the inspiration for the song. Harrison’s then wife, Pattie Boyd, has said that “Something” was written about her, but in a 1996 interview (22 years after the pair divorced), Harrison suggested that the song was about no one in particular and that his main intention had been to replicate some of the power of Ray Charles’ soulful ballads. There are even suggestions that this classic love song was originally envisaged as a devotional song about Krishna.

In his track-by-track review of “Abbey Road” for the October 18, 1969 issue of Rolling Stone, George Harrison described “Something” as follows:

“Something” features an inspired melody; heartfelt lyrics; a perfectly realised guitar solo; arguably the best vocal of Harrison’s Beatles career; McCartney’s classic, busy bass line; and a rousing chorus, with its effective change of pace and unexpected chord sequence. The change of key from C major for the verses to A major for the chorus is a huge factor in this song’s success and it is very intelligent songwriting from Harrison. This musical contrast underpins the emotions communicated by the singer, with the sedate verses containing the dreamy expressions of wonder about the power of his attraction to his partner, and the more high powered chorus breaking the spell as the singer considers whether or not the relationship will thrive.

The Beatles – “Something”

Recording date/location

As good as Harrison’s composition was, the wealth of material already available for “The White Album” meant that months passed between Harrison writing the song and The Beatles recording it.

The classic master was recorded between May and August of 1969 at Abbey Road studios in London. The bulk of the work took place during May, with 36 takes recorded on May 2. Overdubs were then carried out on May 5 and during sessions in July and August. The final session on August 15 saw the overdub of the strings and a re-recording of Harrison’s guitar part.

Demos had already been laid down in February and April, with thoughts of pitching the song to Jackie Lomax. This fell through but the demo was given to Joe Cocker whose recording of the song was released shortly after “Abbey Road.”

Musicians

The following musicians featured on “Something”:

• George Harrison – lead vocals, guitars
• Paul McCartney – bass guitar, backing vocals
• John Lennon – piano
• Ringo Starr – drums
• Billy Preston – Hammond organ.

Beatles producer, George Martin, was responsible for the string arrangement.

Chart performance

“Come Together”, backed with “Something,” reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on November 23, 1969 and stayed on top for one week. In previous weeks, the two songs had charted separately as this was a double-A sided single, but the single hit the top spot after a change to the Billboard rules meant that sales for both were taken into account.

The single peaked at number four on the UK singles chart.

Covers

Joe Cocker – “Something”

Joe Cocker was the first artist to cover “Something,” featuring the song on his album “Joe Cocker!” in November 1969. The song starts off in laidback fashion with Cocker and a solo guitar, but builds effectively as the whole band kicks in and Cocker unleashes his trademark raw vocals. It’s a solid cover, but Cocker doesn’t put his own stamp on the song as successfully as he had with his chart topping cover of the Beatles “With A Little Help From My Friends” earlier in the year.

The album also included a cover of the “Abbey Road” track “She Came In Through the Bathroom Window.”

Shirley Bassey – “Something”

Shirley Bassey hit number four on the UK singles chart with her cover of “Something” in 1970, which also featured on her album of the same name. Bassey is well suited to the material, performing with sensitivity and power. The heavy orchestration works well against Bassey’s powerful voice and the well written organ part adds colour.

Here’s Bassey singing the song live on a television show in 1971.

Ray Charles – “Something”

George Harrison wrote “Something” with Ray Charles in mind and didn’t have to wait long to hear Charles singing it. His soulful cover appeared on the 1971 album “Volcanic Action of My Soul,” along with a cover of the McCartney-penned “The Long And Winding Road.”

There will be a new Song of the Week on October 17.

The Beatles’ “Something” is available on “Abbey Road” and The Beatles 1″, both of which are available in remastered editions.

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The Concert for Bangladesh made its exclusive digital debut on iTunes this week to mark the 40th anniversary of the event.

Proceeds from the album downloads will benefit the George Harrison Fund for UNICEF, which helps to provide emergency relief for children in famine and drought-stricken regions in the Horn of Africa.

The Concert for Bangladesh took place at Madison Square Garden on August 1, 1971 and featured performances by artists such as George Harrison, Ravi Shankar, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, Billy Preston and Leon Russell. A triple-disc concert album was released later in the year and a concert film came out the following year.

The 40th anniversary of the show is also being marked by streaming of the Concert for Bangladesh feature film on GeorgeHarrison.com. It will stream for three days, from 11:59 pm EDT today through to 11:59pm EDT on August 1.

Those who wish to support the George Harrison Fund for UNICEF can find out more at www.theconcertforbangla​desh.com/monthofgiving

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“George Harrison – Living in the Material World” will examine the life of Harrison from his early years in Liverpool, through his time with the Beatles and his solo projects. Viewers will be treated to unseen footage and interviews with many of those closest to the star, including Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, George Martin and Eric Clapton.

The film is a collaboration between Scorsese and Harrison’s widow, Olivia, who has also put together an accompanying book on her late husband, featuring photos, letters, diaries and other memorabilia from their personal archives.

Scorsese is no stranger to musical documentaries, having produced the “The Last Waltz” (1978) about the final concert of The Band, “No Direction Home: Bob Dylan” (2005) and the Rolling Stones documentary “Shine a light” (2008). In a statement on the Harrison movie, he said:

“George Harrison – Living in the Material World” is out on DVD and Blu-ray on October 10 but is not yet available for pre-order. The book is out on September 15 in the US/Canada and on October 3 in the UK, and can be pre-ordered now from:

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The show featured performances from many of George’s close friends and colleagues, including Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, Ravi Shankar, Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne.

“Concert For George” will be released on Blu-ray on March 22 in the US. This will feature the complete concert and theatrical version.

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“All Things Must Pass” was released on November 27, 1970 and reached number one in a number of countries, including the US and the UK.

Recording sessions for “All Things Must Pass” took place from May to August 1970 at Abbey Road Studios, and then from August to September 1970 at Trident Studios. The album was co-produced by Phil Spector and George Harrison, and features an array of talented musicians, including Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Billy Preston and Alan White.

The 40th anniversary edition of “All Things Must Pass” was remastered at Abbey Road Studios from the original master tapes. The triple album retains the original artwork and tracklisting:

LP One

Side One

1. “I’d Have You Anytime”
2. “My Sweet Lord”
3. “Wah-Wah”
4. “Isn’t It a Pity (Version 1)”

Side Two

1. “What Is Life”
2. “If Not For You”
3. “Behind That Locked Door”
4. “Let It Down”
5. “Run of the Mill”

LP Two

Side One

1. “Beware of Darkness”
2. “Apple Scruffs”
3. “Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll)”
4. “Awaiting On You All”
5. “All Things Must Pass”

Side Two

1. “I Dig Love”
2. “Art of Dying”
3. “Isn’t It a Pity (Version 2)”
4. “Hear Me Lord”

LP Three (‘Apple Jam’)

Side One

1. “Out of the Blue”
2. “It’s Johnny’s Birthday”
3. “Plug Me In”

Side Two

1. “I Remember Jeep”
2. “Thanks for the Pepperoni”

“All Things Must Pass” is available at music stores participating in Record Store Day and from georgeharrison.com. The site is also making available a hi-res (96Khz/24 bit) download of the album.

See also:
The Beatles come to iTunes

“Living in the Material World: George Harrison” will deal with George Harrison’s life before, during and after his time with the Beatles. It is named after Harrison’s solo album “Living in the Material World,” which was released in 1973.

The film will feature never before seen footage and interviews with close friends and colleagues, including Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, Phil Spector, Yoko Ono and Eric Idle.

Olivia Harrison said:

Scorsese previously directed the Bob Dylan documentary “No Direction Home” in 2005 and the Rolling Stones documentary “Shine a Light” in 2008. Nigel Sinclair was the producer on “No Direction Home” and returns as producer for the George Harrison film.

The announcement wasn’t a bolt out of the blue as there had been lots of speculation over the fate of the Beatles in the previous 12 months, in light of solo projects that were being undertaken and rumours of increasing disunity within the band. Lennon had made his wishes to leave the band clear to the other members before McCartney’s announcement, so was annoyed when it appeared that Paul had taken the lead in dissolving the band. Paul’s announcement came via a press release for his first solo album “McCartney.”

At this point, it wasn’t clear whether McCartney was signalling a temporary or lasting split. When asked the reason for the split and whether or not it was permanent, he said:

After relations with other members of the band soured further, McCartney made his feelings more clear in a letter to Melody Maker on August 29:

Why did the Beatles break up?

It’s not uncommon for the finger to be pointed at Yoko Ono when this question is asked, but there was no one factor responsible for the breakdown of relations within the band. Ultimately, as happens with many bands, the members simply grew apart over time as their musical visions changed and their egos developed. It was time to move on. It’s probably fair to say that the three main factors that contributed to the disharmony within the group were:

• George Harrison’s frustration at the continuing dominance of the Lennon and McCartney songwriting team. Harrison had grown as a songwriter since the early days of the Beatles and by 1969 was capable of producing songs that matched the quality of some of Lennon and McCartney’s finest efforts. He wasn’t as prolific as Lennon or McCartney, but with “Something” and “Here Comes the Sun” he wrote arguably the best two tracks on “Abbey Road”
• the changing musical directions of the band members and particularly John Lennon becoming more influenced by Yoko Ono, and experimental and avant garde music. John had already released two studio albums with Yoko – “Two Virgins” and “Unfinished Music No.2: Life With The Lions.” He then released the single “Give Peace a Chance” in July 1969 and performed with the Plastic Ono Band in Toronto on September 13, which resulted in the album “Live Peace in Toronto 1969.” The band featured Eric Clapton, Klaus Voorman, Alan White, and John and Yoko. This performance must have been perceived by the other Beatles as a declaration of independence by Lennon, given that they hadn’t toured together since 1966
• the disagreement within the band over who should manage them following Brian Epstein’s death. Paul McCartney wanted his father-in-law Lee Eastmen and the rest of the band wanted Allen Klein. McCartney was outvoted and this led to a significant rift. After this, Paul was no longer the enthusiastic Apple executive that he had been.

Given the enormous ongoing popularity of the Beatles, the band perhaps called it a day at the right time. They went out on two good albums, “Abbey Road,” and “Let It Be,” and with their artistic reputation intact. With the increasing lack of unity within the band, it’s hard to imagine that the quality of the music would have been maintained if they had recorded into the 1970s.

The aftermath

Here’s a quick summary of the first solo projects all four members of the Beatles released around the time of the break up. All were very active.

Paul McCartney

Paul’s album “McCartney” was released just seven days after he announced his split from the Beatles. Paul performed the entire album by himself, apart from some backing vocals from his wife Linda. The most memorable track from the album is “Maybe I’m Amazed,” which McCartney still sings regularly in concert to this day. The album went to number one in the US charts and number two in the UK charts – held off by Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”

John Lennon

John Lennon had already released solo projects before the Beatles split up (as noted above) and would be back in the studio in September to record the Phil Spector-produced album “John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band.” Ringo took on drumming duties, Billy Preston was on piano, Klaus Voorman was on bass and Lennon played guitar and piano. The album is regarded as one of Lennon’s finest solo efforts. Rolling Stone ranked it number 22 in their greatest album of all time list – that’s perhaps a little overzealous! Stand out tracks include “Working Class Hero” and “Mother.”

George Harrison

Not surprisingly, given the dominance of the Lennon/McCartney writing team, George Harrison had accumulated a lot of material by 1970. He took the unusual step of releasing a triple album, “All Things Must Pass,” in 1970, which included the hit singles “My Sweet Lord” and “What is Life.” Eric Clapton, Dave Mason, Billy Preston and Ringo Starr played on the album and Phil Spector produced it. “All Things Must Pass” hit number one in the US and the UK.

Ringo Starr

As well as featuring on Lennon and Harrison’s solo efforts in 1970, Ringo Starr also found time to release two albums of his own by the end of the year. “Sentimental Journey” was an album of pre-rock standards, released shortly before the Beatles broke up, and “Beaucoups of Blues” was a country album released later in the year. McCartney worked as an arranger on the first album, as did Quincy Jones, Maurice Gibb and George Martin. Ringo hit number four on the US and UK singles charts in 1971 with “It Don’t Come Easy” and had two number ones in a row on the US singles chart in 1973 with “Photograph” (co-written with George Harrison) and “You’re Sixteen.”

Three Beatles classics

Let’s enjoy three tracks from very different periods in the Beatles’ career – a high-energy pop classic from “With the Beatles,” Lennon at his introspective best on one of the finest cuts from “Rubber Soul,” and a Harrison-penned beauty from the band’s final studio album “Abbey Road.”

The Beatles – “It Won’t Be Long”

The Beatles – “In My Life”

The Beatles – “Here Comes the Sun”

‘The Beatles Hello… Goodbye’

A new book celebrating the Beatles’ career has been launched to coincide with the forty year anniversary of the group’s split. ‘The Beatles Hello… Goodbye’ tells the band’s story through rare pictures and reproduced articles from the 1960s. Click here for a 25% saving on “The Beatles Hello… Goodbye”

You can still get last year’s brilliant remastered Beatles albums, either individually or in the box sets from Amazon (US) and Amazon (UK). If you haven’t picked them up already, they are highly recommended.

Stars who joined Harrison’s widow, Olivia, and their son, Dhani, at the ceremony on April 14 included Paul McCartney, Tom Hanks, Tom Petty, Eric Idle, Jeff Lynne, Joe Walsh, and T-Bone Burnett.

Watch some clips of the ceremony below:

Coinciding with the ceremony, Capitol-EMI Records announced that a new compilation of Harrison’s post-Beatles recordings will be released June 16. ‘Let It Roll: Songs by George Harrison’ will include solo work as well as three of his Beatles songs – ‘Something’, ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’ and ‘Here Comes the Sun.’