George Harrison's Cloud Nine - Post Beatle High Spot

Of all the late post-Beatle work by the Fab Four, I'm especially impressed with George Harrison's 1987 album, Cloud Nine. Thanks the production (and, likely, encouragement) from Jeff Lynne (Electric Light Orchestra), this disc flows beautifully and captures George in strong voice and big ideas.

This is not like the overwhelming release of All Things Must Pass--in which George gave his fans all the pent-up emotion and material he hadn't been able to squeeze onto Beatles albums. Cloud Nine sounded fresh--and '80s without being trendy. Jeff didn't overdo it.

I especially remember Got My Mind Set On You, because my first son was just five at the time and loved this song. He used to jump up and down and dance to it. I wonder if it helped prepare him for his love of heavy metal music that he acquired in his adolescence.

Jeff Lynne went on to work with George in the Traveling Wilburys and also produce two "new" songs for the Beatles Anthology in 1995. Those songs, Real Love and Free as a Bird, were made from John Lennon tapes, which Lynne carefully mixed with the other three Beatles' new performances. John sounds thin (ghostly?) on these, but it is certainly something I never expected to hear.

Three Beatle Weekend

What a musical/Beatle oriented weekend! Saturday night, I watched both parts of the Martin Scorsese special on George Harrison, Living in the Material World. In it, Scorsese features interviews with those who knew and loved him, including the two surviving Beatles, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, as well as both of his wives and his son, Dhani, who resembles his father a lot. Racecar champ Jackie Stewart spoke of George, too. George, besides spiritual activities, was a racing enthusiast. You may not have known that. There was significant footage of conversations with his friend Eric Clapton and fellow musician Tom Petty (from the Traveling Wilburys period).There were many photos I had never seen, and we gain more insight into George's post-Beatle and nonmusical activities.

Sunday, October 9th was what would have been John Lennon's 71st birthday (imagine an elderly John), which I commemorated by playing "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away in front of a party crowd with my band, Red Paint. The 9th was also the day that Paul married his third wife. We'd gotten word of this in the Spring. I wish him happiness, and things appear to be good so far.

Fab Four forever.

The Beatles Live On Forever in their Music

What did you do today? It was Sunday here--and I spent the afternoon on an outdoor stage playing Beatles songs. We even played some songs the Beatles played before they were well known--in Hamburg and Liverpool. The audience enjoyed it and we certainly did too.

Yes, we're men and women in our middle years, who remember the band when they were young and active. But what could be better than getting to do what you always wanted to do--like your heros?

When I was a teenager I listened to the Beatles on the radio and on records. I saw them on the Ed Sullivan Show. When I was 14 I got my first guitar and started playing their songs in my room on my own. I wanted to be in a band but never quite got it together to do it. But now, I have.

What does it mean to perform like your idol? My son dunks the basketball in our driveway and I'm sure he's thinking about Michael Jordan and, especially his favorite--Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers. Same thing.

Today, as I sang "I'm Down" and "Things We Said Today," I'm playing bass and singing--just like Paul McCartney. It's not easy, you know, to do them both, but Paul did. I also sang and played "Think for Yourself"--a George song, I Should Have Known Better--a John Song, and "Matchbox"--a Ringo song. It doesn't get much better than that.

George Harrison - New Bio this Fall

The Beatles franchise will never die, even though two of the four members are long gone. I grew up with and have always loved the Fab Four, so I was happy to hear today that a George Harrison biography will appear on HBO this fall with new images and material, including interviews with the two surviving Beatles--Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.

I loved the Beatles as a group--their interaction and chemistry--even more than them as individuals. Yes, they are my personal heroes, true, but there was "something" (a George Harrison pun) about the four of them together that didn't work with them as single artists. There has been individual greatness from each - All Things Must Pass and Cloud Nine bracket George's career nicely; Ringo had some great 1970's hits (Photograph is my favorite of them); John had made a fine comeback with Double Fantasy before he was murdered in New York in 1980; and Paul, well, he keeps working, although his best material is probably long behind him. Just having him out there performing keeps the Beatles alive today.

I had a George period in 1968 when I selected his Richard Avedon poster for my wall. I was entranced by "Within You, Without You" from Sgt. Pepper's and his mystical qualities at the time.

In a slightly related note: Ron Grill, the lead singer of the Grass Roots, an iconic 1960's pop band, has died. He suffered a fall (no details provided) and was in a coma. He's been replaced in the 2011 touring version of the Grass Roots but it would be a little like seeing the Rolling Stones without Mick Jagger (unimaginable) or Creedence without John Fogerty (this has actually been done). Lots of neat little numbers from the band--Live for Today, Temptation Eyes and Midnight Confession are among my faves.

Roger Epperson Ridge Dedicated

Roger Epperson was an amazing person. Besides his lifetime of dedication, as Park Supervisor, to increasing, preserving and improving the East Bay Regional Parks (San Francisco Bay Area), he was an accomplished jeweler, musician, camper and great friend and husband. When he died in a rafting accident in December of 2008 it was a shock to everyone.

Today, I attended the dedication of Roger Epperson Ridge, one scenic part in the center of the Morgan Territory Regional Preserve, a place that he transformed, with his crew, into a beautiful natural vista with a stunning view of Mount Diablo. And this place, where he also enjoyed hiking and camping when he wasn't working, contains his ashes, buried beneath a special rock that he declared his burial stone during his lifetime.

Some said that the icy winds and overcast were part of the "Roger weather" (he was rugged and fearless in all conditions), but it made no difference to the dozens of relatives, friends and longtime colleagues who gathered to celebrate his life.

Bob Doyle, Roger's longtime friend and also the General Manager of the East Bay Regional Park District, spoke, as did Beverly Lane, President of the Board of Directors of the district, Doug Fowler, a ranger who worked with and learned much from Roger over 25 years, and Carol Alderdice, Roger's widow--who is also a park ranger. All of the speeches were heartfelt and brought out the essence of this amazing man we lost too soon.

A catered lunch and a guitar and violin duet provided a very pleasant event in an area more sheltered from the wind.

The stone in the photo contains this dedication text:

ROGER EPPERSON RIDGE
PARK SUPERVISOR 1986-2008

This ridge is named in memory of Roger Epperson (1954-2008)
in recognition of his significant and lasting contributions
to the East Bay Regional Park District and
the landscape he loved.

On the back of the rock were words made famous by George Harrison: "All Things Must Pass."