I think that George would have been much more paid attention to if he could have written more songs like "Taxman"! This song is prehaps one of the best penned Beatle tunes at the time and often gets overlooked! A full out rock tune which George seldom wrote while in the Beatles.

Quoted from apple_sauce

I think that George would have been much more paid attention to if he could have written more songs like "Taxman"!

And I would have got laid more if I looked more like Brad Pitt.
But there you go.

He did write songs as good as that! But some of them were only Northern Songs. Don't you think that songs like If I Needed Someone, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Something, and Here Comes The Sun were just as good? IMO, even better than Taxman.

And some good songs were hidden: It's All Too Much or not issued: Not Guilty, Sour Milk Sea or All Things Must Pass.  

These are all great examples of songs that george wrote unfortunatley if you read my "post" I was talking about "rock" songs of that era 65, 66? I don't really consider Something, or Here Comes The Sun as being Rock songs? Like Day Tripper, Help, Baby You Can Drive My Car (All rock songs) Which George decided not to write. What I'm saying is if had choosen to write more rock songs Paul and John would have had to of used them because "TAXMAN" is one of the best examples of a Beatle's rock song that's ever been written.

Quoted from apple_sauce

Like Day Tripper, Help, Baby You Can Drive My Car (All rock songs) Which George decided not to write. What I'm saying is if had choosen to write more rock songs Paul and John would have had to of used them because "TAXMAN" is one of the best examples of a Beatle's rock song that's ever been written.

That's an odd choice of words. How do you know he "chose" not to write them. Maybe he couldn't (not being as half as good as Messrs MCCartney and Lennon.)
Face it, he only had to knock up 2/3 songs a year,  was in a real creative hothouse, and could only come up something like  Blue Jay Way? Didn't have the goods I'm afraid.

Quoted from kevin_b

That's an odd choice of words. How do you know he "chose" not to write them. Maybe he couldn't (not being as half as good as Messrs MCCartney and Lennon.)
Face it, he only had to knock up 2/3 songs a year,  was in a real creative hothouse, and could only come up something like  Blue Jay Way? Didn't have the goods I'm afraid.

Well, he didn't become better than good until 68-69, and Blue Jay Way was in 67. He was still in the Indian thing then, and BJW seems to be kind of Indian-inspired. Again, not knocking Indian music, which I like, but, I think that phase limited George a bit. I mean, it's just not rock 'n' roll!

Did the Beatles actually record Sour Milk Sea?

I just don't accept that George thought "bugger writing classic instant-hit rock songs, I'm going Indian."
I didn't cos he couldn't.

I mean, he chose those songs - WYWY, and BJW, for the albums. It seemed to be what he wanted to express at that point. Maybe he had a few good rockers up his sleeve.

I agree the Indian thing was a definate conscious choice. I just don't think he was capable of knocking out great rock songs beyond that which he did.

Think For Yourself is kind of rocky.

A bit before I know. But it's kind of rocky, with the fuzz bass. That was an interesting idea, which would have been good to hear in other songs.

George said once that when he met indian music, occidental pop music seemed less important to him in some way (didn't pay much attention to it), even didn't like his guitar parts in Beatles songs from the same period (he didn't feel capable to play hot riffs in guitar - own songs or Lennon/McCartney ones- so invited Clapton to play in his While My Guitar Gently Weeps).
The guys recorded a demo of Sour Milk Sea in the so-called Esher Demos or Kinfauns Demos (may 1968 ) and was recorded by Jackie Lomax the same year (produced by George) so the guys give the song away (I think is a good rock song).

Quoted from GreenApple

Well, he didn't become better than good until 68-69, and Blue Jay Way was in 67. He was still in the Indian thing then, and BJW seems to be kind of Indian-inspired. Again, not knocking Indian music, which I like, but, I think that phase limited George a bit. I mean, it's just not rock 'n' roll!

"George" was stuck between a rock and a hard place! You have the 2 best composers of songs in the 20th Century in your band and they seem self centered on their own music, but I said he "chose" not to write more songs like "Taxman" because that's the only Rock song he wrote at the time! You can't tell me that a guy that capable of writing a song like Taxman could not have written more pop/rock style songs?