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Beatles forums => Songs => Topic started by: Bulldog on March 30, 2019, 08:18:14 PM

Title: George Harrison's rejected song for Sgt Pepper.
Post by: Bulldog on March 30, 2019, 08:18:14 PM

In the 'Living in a material world' documentary, George Martin said he rejected a Harrison song for Sgt Pepper. Saying it was not good enough. Harrison came back later with 'We were talking'.

Anyone know if the rejected song was later released by the Beatles, or Harrison. Or whether it was binned completely ?

Title: Re: George Harrison's rejected song for Sgt Pepper.
Post by: Moogmodule on March 30, 2019, 08:54:05 PM

Quote from: Bulldog on March 30, 2019, 08:18:14 PM

In the 'Living in a material world' documentary, George Martin said he rejected a Harrison song for Sgt Pepper. Saying it was not good enough. Harrison came back later with 'We were talking'.

Anyone know if the rejected song was later released by the Beatles, or Harrison. Or whether it was binned completely ?

Hi Bulldog. It was “Only a Northern Song”.   Later done for Yellow Submarine. Personally I don’t mind it although I think George Martin was right that it wasn’t right for Pepper and it isn’t a great song by any stretch.

Title: Re: George Harrison's rejected song for Sgt Pepper.
Post by: Bulldog on March 30, 2019, 09:05:56 PM

Quote from: Moogmodule on March 30, 2019, 08:54:05 PM

Hi Bulldog. It was “Only a Northern Song”.   Later done for Yellow Submarine. Personally I don’t mind it although I think George Martin was right that it wasn’t right for Pepper and it isn’t a great song by any stretch.

Thanks. Just listened to 'Only a Northern Song' again. Well done to George Martin. He knew Harrison was capable of better & needed something better to get a song on Sgt Pepper.

Title: Re: George Harrison's rejected song for Sgt Pepper.
Post by: Moogmodule on March 30, 2019, 10:01:39 PM

George didn’t seem too invested in Pepper, he said he just wanted to be back in India, and to present Only a Northern Song, which slags off the company that George Martin helped them set up, comes across to me as a deliberate middle finger. Good ol grumpy George.

Title: Re: George Harrison's rejected song for Sgt Pepper.
Post by: Bulldog on March 31, 2019, 08:27:59 AM

Paul also says George was not too invested in Sgt Pepper. Saying George was distracted by a swimming pool being built at his house.

After writing 3 good songs for Revolver, thought George would have been trying to do the same for Sgt Pepper. But he only came up with 'Within without you' after some encouragement from George Martin.

George was known as a slow song writer & his next batch of good songs were on 'The Beatles' album.

Title: Re: George Harrison's rejected song for Sgt Pepper.
Post by: nimrod on March 31, 2019, 10:03:01 PM

Its all subjective but George wrote some stinkers, this being one of them  ;D