There is only one new one out today worthy of discussion, and it's a compilation at that. George Harrison has never had a solo-career-spanning retrospective before today. Some of you may remember 'The Best of George Harrison' that was released in 1976. To fill it, one side was his best work with The Beatles. Yep, his solo work was one side of one piece of vinyl (six measly songs). On the new 'Let It Roll: Songs by George Harrison', you get 19 remastered songs. A few tunes are, indeed, Beatles songs, but they come from his 1971 'Concert for Bangladesh', one of Harrison's pivotal post-Fab Four moments.
Like most compilations, there are problems. In order to collect songs from his entire career, you get questionable moments from his least inspired years. It seems impossible that Top 40 hits "This Song", Crackerbox Palace", "You" and "Dark Horse" wouldn't make the cut. All of these were released between 1974 and 1977, however, and this time period is well represented on the single CD. On the plus side, "Cheer Down" from the 'Lethal Weapon 2' soundtrack appears here, and that has been a tough tune to find. My favorite Harrison soundtrack moment, however, didn't make it. "Dream Away" from the 1981 Terry Gilliam film 'Time Bandits' (produced by Harrison's Handmade Films) would have been an interesting choice for this collection, but now I'm quibbling.
'Let It Roll' is a must buy for all Harrison fans, including those who already own the six albums these songs are culled from. The superior sound quality and rarely seen photos are real difference makers. After you purchase this one, I'll see you at the record store Sept. 9 for the remastered Beatles catalog.
Cheer Down - George Harrison (mp3)
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