By Bill Harrison from Toronto Sun
Olivia Harrison describes finishing The Concert For Bangladesh as 'bitter and sweet'
Completing the projects George Harrison started before his death is a labour of love for his wife Olivia.
And that's in the truest sense of the words labour and love.
"It's bitter and sweet, I have to say," said Olivia from London, England, in an exclusive interview with the Toronto Sun.
"But George wanted it done. I can't not do it, not when he had his hand on it and was working on it. There were three or four projects -- actually, more like a half-dozen -- that hopefully I'll be able to finish."
One of those finished packages hits stores Tuesday: The first appearance of The Concert For Bangladesh on DVD, along with previously unseen rehearsal and show footage, and a new and fascinating documentary.
A strong argument can be made that George, who died in 2001 at the age of 58, had more of an impact in a worldwide, cultural sense than any rock icon of the 1960s.
There was his obvious musical contribution as one of the Beatles, and with his solo career.
There was his championing of Indian musicians, which opened up the whole "world music" scene.
There was his quiet financial intervention to save what we now consider to be classic comedic films, such as Monty Python's Life Of Brian.
And, of course, there was The Concert For Bangladesh, which took place on Aug. 1, 1971, at Madison Square Garden in New York. It marked the first time rock stars "weren't just thinking about ourselves for five minutes," according to participant Eric Clapton.
It all was organized by Harrison, the quiet ex-Beatle, through personal phone calls and despite tight deadlines in an era when similar charitable forays were not common.
"Things were simpler then," said Olivia, 57. "George was asked by a friend. He hated to see (famous sitar player) Ravi Shankar in distress (about conditions and circumstances in Bangladesh). George said, 'This was happening to people miles and miles away from where I was, and yet it was right there in front of me, because Ravi was in such distress. How can you ignore that?'
"George knew (the concert) had an effect, and he knew it at the time." But it didn't become a model until many years later (with such events as Live Aid in 1985 and Live 8 in 2005). "I think people were slow off the mark, if you ask me."
George had a strong sense of humour, so it is not an insult to his memory to acknowledge The Concert For Bangladesh has been the target of jokes through the years.
For example, during an episode of The Simpsons, Krusty The Klown has overstayed his welcome at the Simpsons residence. As his hosts fight off sleep, Krusty fingers through the family's record collection and exclaims, "Whoa! The Concert For Bangladesh!" The next sound you hear is a sitar playing.
The point being, this is how a boring night gets even worse.
Of course, the concert is not all sitar-heavy. The main ensemble features, among others, Harrison, fellow ex-Beatle Ringo Starr, Clapton, Bob Dylan, Leon Russell and Billy Preston.
Even Olivia admits the average music fan may not have the time to watch the whole concert, at least in one sitting. The real prize is the documentary, which was Olivia's idea.
Among the notable insights: Harrison's reluctance and nervousness about being a front man; Dylan's fear of playing in front of such a big crowd, to the point that Harrison wasn't totally sure Dylan was going to walk onto the stage until moments before it happened; and Clapton's admission that he was so drug-addled, "I was in another world, not really there."
"I thought people would understand more about it, and the importance of it, if we had a documentary," said Olivia, who wed George in 1978. "When you just watch the concert straight through, it might not be so clear in hindsight. I think you need that context."
Olivia appreciated and agreed with the assesment that George became a crucially important figure in pop culture and beyond. But George never thought of it that way.
"George did a lot of different things, but he didn't actually care what the outcome was," Olivia said. "Sure, it would have been nice if everybody said, 'Wow, that's great,' because they enjoyed it. But he didn't need the praise.
"He wanted to share the things he loved so much. Who got it, got it, and who didn't, didn't.
"He always had things going on like this. That's why he was such a fun guy."
And that's why he now is such a missed guy.
The tale of the tapes
Even some of the most important tapes in rock 'n' roll history can wind up gathering dust in somebody's basement.
"Yeah, mostly mine," said Olivia Harrison, wife of late, great Beatle George Harrison. "I have quite a lot. I've been collecting them for 30 years."
However, tracking down the tapes that led to the new DVD release of The Concert For Bangladesh was an ordeal.
"I was helping George in 2001 when he was remastering the audio, hoping to bring it out for the 30th anniversary," Olivia said. "Lo and behold, it had been remastered and somebody had given George the wrong tapes.
"That began a process of tracking down the correct ones. There were so many different versions because they did the film and the album. Everybody seemed to have the wrong ones. Finally we got in touch with (producer Phil Spector, who was involved in the original recording of the show in 1971). We're saying, 'Phil, do you have the tapes?' And he was like, 'Yeah, I got 'em.' 'Well, send 'em over!' "
Still, getting things ready for the 30th anniversary proved to be an unrealistic task.
"DVD was just beginning in 2001, so we had no idea it would take that long," Olivia said.
Royalties donated to UNICEF
The Concert For Bangladesh just keeps on giving.
All artists royalties from the new DVD release of the show will be donated to UNICEF.
The original concert on Aug. 1, 1971, at Madison Square Garden in New York, raised $250,000 US, which went immediately to charitable causes.
Subsequent movie and album sales raised millions of dollars more. But main organizer and ex-Beatle George Harrison was furious that it took so many years for the cash to reach its intended destination.
"The money from the gate went directly to UNICEF, but the royalties took longer to get to UNICEF, because of the way it was structured," said Olivia Harrison, George's wife.
"Eventually it did get there. But in 1973 George set up his own foundation because he was frustrated with all the bureaucracy and the situation with the (tax authorities in the United States).
"George said, 'I'm not going to let that happen again. I'm going to have my own foundation so if I want to give money away, I can do what I want.' "