George Harrison's songwriting was unjustly dismissed by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, something that became almost unbearably frustrating for him towards the end of the Beatles. After all, he had already proved himself.
Tracks such as "If I Needed Someone", "I Need You" and "Within You, Without You" were cleverly crafted and remain recognisably Beatlesque. "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and "Something" confirm his songwriting strength and depth.
While still in the Beatles, Harrison built a catalogue of rejected and backburner material. Some songs such as "All Things Must Pass" and "Isn't It A Pity" were around during the time of Let It Be, but did not make it to the album. Instead, these and others surfaced on his impressive solo debut, All Things Must Pass.
Harrison also helped launch Ringo Starr's solo career, co-writing his hit "Photograph", while our own Olivia Newton-John had a hit with another song from All Things Must Pass, "What Is Life?". It may not have come easy for Harrison, but in many instances it got there in the end. Here are some examples.
1. Something (1969) - Love was central to just about everything Harrison wrote, but hear he struck a chord with a beautifully yearning lyric and a song that was all hooks. This was his most commercially successful work, realeased as a single, covered by many and murdered by nightclub crooners the world over.
2. If I Needed Someone (1965) - Alloted one song per album, Harrison adorned Rubber Soul with 2.21 minutes of gushy sentiment but the winding melody and soaring harmonies were its strength and an indicator of Harrison's capabilities.
3. While My Guitar Gently Weeps (1968) - Critics liked to point out that Eric Clapton who played the guitar solo here, as if Harrison was inadequate. This, however, is one of his finest songs and he also sang, played guitar and organ on it. Its from the The White Album but check out the exquisite acoustic version on the Anthology series.
4. Here Comes The Sun (1969) - From the Abbey Road sessions. Lennon is distinctly absent from the track. What is does have is a nursery rhyme ambiance and distinctive guitar arpeggio. Bright and breezy, if not his most challenging work.
5. Taxman (1966) - With the news that the Fabs were being taxed at 19 shillings (out of 20) to the pound, Harrison knocked at this sarcastic riposte to the government. Its jarring guitar riff kicked off Revolver. The Jam's Paul Weller did a "My Sweet Lord" on it for his song "Start".
6. My Sweet Lord (1971) - If anyone was in doubt as to his spiritual leanings, they were given proof in this pop homage. Some of us didn't notice it sounded like the Chiffons' "She's So Fine". The judge did. Harrison said he didn't mean it but paid substantial damages anyway. "Hare hare," it went and millions joined in.
7. Old Brown Shoe (1969) - B-side of the "The Ballad Of John And Yoko", this was more of a rocker with a driving rhythm punctuated by Harrison's slide guitar.
8. Love You To (1966) - The point on Revolver when thousands of Beatles fans went: "Eh?" His recently acquired Indian influences are writ large, with sitar and other instruments underpinning the writer's pedge to "make love all day long".
9. All Things Must Pass (1970) - Should have, would have been a Beatles song, but instead served as the launch pad as his solo career and, 30 years on his media epitaph. The song, however, is one of hope.
10. This Song (1976) - Sick of his legal wrangle over "My Sweet Lord", this bitter (by his standards) diatribe - "This song ain't black or white and as far as I know don't infringe on anyone's copyright" - served to ease his pain.
11. Within You, Without You (1967) - Harrison's contribution to Sgt Pepper was his greatest exploration thus far of Indian music and mind expansion drugs. Thus the sitar and the inner self were called upon in equal measure. The whole made you wonder how on earth "When I'm Sixty-Four" made it onto the album.
12. When We Was Fab (1987) - Even legends have "what was he thinking" moments and this stands as Harrison's. The lyric was whimsically ironic about the good old days when "income tax was all we had".