My Encounter w/Dhani Harrison About George

If everything was out

You know Yoko has released the majority of Johns stuff, of course there wasn't as much because he died.

If you released the bulk of the BEatles, Harrison and Mccartney archives, it would make money and mute much of the dissatisfaction.

What could be simpler ? If they just did it, the controversey would be over.
Just do it get it over with let people enjoy it and study it.

 

It is never as simple as you expect. If all the Harrison estate wanted was an increased royalty rate on the newly released material, I am sure they could come to an agreement.

They are probably either asking for an increased royalty rate on his entire catalog or else rights reversion of part/all of his recordings. Either of which would be a deal breaker for just about anyone sitting on EMI's side of the table.

It is not just a matter of getting the music out "so all can enjoy it."

 

Why doesnt someone

Why doesn't someone contact our friend who worked with George and Bowie and ask him about the box set thats been ready for 5 years

 

If I could have asked Dhani two more questions, and they were in my head at the time but I really didn't want to "push it" any further and I thought I'd "pushed" pretty hard as it was, but my other two questions were things that have already been brought up here, namely: 1)If Yoko is able to release so much of John's previously unreleased stuff, then what's the big deal getting George's stuff out, and 2)are you implying [Dhani] that EMI controls the original masters of this unreleased stuff, and is the royality issue the real problem? In addition to Dhani signing my copy of "You Are Here" (Thenewon2), he also graciously signed my Coachella concert ticket, but what he signed on my ticket doesn't match the signature he signed on my CD sleeve at all. The CD sleeve clearly reads: Dhani Harrison, but, on the concert ticket stub, it looks like something like: "Crass Hafon ." I suppose that's Sanskrit [sp] for "a--hole" or something! =:<P

Consequently, it's definately going in a frame and hanging proudly in the "music room".

 

Wow I felt unconfortable just in the two minutes it took to read this. I'm sure it must have been much more so in person.
Ah well it's all a big game of pretend anyway. Not many folks, deep down, really care about his music, so it's probably just best to dispense with the BS and get the dirt.
Kudos for the update
C

 

Fair Enough

But thats whats important here is the music, whether its the Beatles or a solo beatle box, after all these years its just one legal impediment after another. Granted it's not that simple. Whether you sell records , or clothing
or hamburgers whatever it is, get the product to the customers. IN this case their is also the artistic and historical value. Details are important to lawyers
but the people would like the music. Dhani said people will hear the music someday so if we are all going to hear it someday, why drag it out and labor for another decade when it will come out anyway. Certainly five years is enough time to negotiate something so people can hear the music. Its always people saying why we cant hear the music. In the end thats what counts is the music.

 

Thanks for a great thread.... Can't wait for more George... My fav. Beatle...

 

Nice job. It sounds like you have a future in investigative journalism! Does 60 Minutes have any openings?

 

Obviously money is involved.

Dhani could give any or all the tapes to bootleggers if his objective was simply to have the material heard by fans.

Yoko gave away plenty of material for the Lost Lennon Tapes.

 

Perhaps EMi are really as dishonest/bad as various Beatles have claimed. Even with the deal to release remastered Beatles CD's now sealed, EMi still owes Apple Corps enormous amounts of back royalties, and now the surviving members of Pink Floyd are also suing EMI.

 

A great story loved your persistence and his candor.

 

They should really try to get out of the EMI contract and go to another label. Paul McCartney left EMI (again!) because he felt the indie labels had a better understanding of the music.

 

Get it released!

I couldn't care less how they do it. Just long as they get it out there.

Quote" I have stuff in the vault you have no idea about, you have no idea"


presumably something pretty darn good, at least some of it

unbelievable, after all the corderouy those lads sold for Britain you would
think the people at EMI would want to cap George's career with box set
that has been ready for five years! (allegedly)


This is a bombshell, notice he stopped short of revealing anything that is
in the Harrison archive, but by inference and previous rumblings we have some idea. Can you Imagine EMI preventing this or the Harrisons for that
matter. By most indications EMI is looking more and more like something
out of a novel or a bad dream

 

Yes, but historically the company gets the lions share of the profits from the album, and the artist can make a killing by touring. I this case any money to be made is strictly from the music, so it would make sense to want to adjust the pie, so to speak.

 

Being simply a suedo Beatles fan who's only really discovered the band and all their greatness since joining this forum (of course being 40 I was always familiar with the Beatles, but never really cared)... I am extremely happy to hear about more Harrison stuff. Of all the solo material I think his is the most Beatle-like.

 

Are you sure about this?

 

I'm pretty sure Yoko got paid for the Lost Lennon Tapes.

 

I never heard that. Do you have any written source or was it rumor?

 

I'm very interested in what might be in the Dark Horse vaults Re: Indian Music.
Always impressed w/ the sound of Indian instruments recorded at his house.

 

I don't have a source. I just think it's the logical assumption.

Do you have a source that says she authorized a radio series which used her husband's name and unreleased music without getting any money for it?

 

India and More!

The implication from young Harrison is. There is tons of stuff, everything from
alternate versions, home recordings, unknown songs, songs with friends of
Georges like Clapton, Joe Brown, Mccartney, Ringo, who knows, Indian Music
leftover songs from Brainwashed, dozens possibly hundreds of cuts

and that its been offered and ready from the Harrisons for FIVE YEARS

to quote Dhani Harrison "Ask those sons of a bitches at EMI they're the ones who won't put it out"

Makes the mind boggle! We can never get another new album from the late great George Harrison, and yet there must be several albums or more worth of stuff,

EMI hmmmmm

 

Does anyone have an opinion about Dhani's music? Since cdice got him to divulge with some straight dope, the least we can do is discuss the guy's music a little. He looks a lot like George, and sounds a lot like him as well. I'd say he is at least as similar to his father as Julian Lennon was/is to his father. When Dhani overdubs his vocals the mix sounds just like George's vocal mix. I'm not sure what Dhani is going for exactly. I hear a lot of George (of course) and other 90s britpop influences. I like what I hear, but I don't want to like his music because of who he is. I suppose, if I like it then I like it though.

 

Look, you're only re-reporting a single side of the story--the only side we have.

Those "sons of a bitches" (sic) at EMI would UNDOUBTEDLY like to issue this material. It would sell. But they aren't going to release the material if it requires them to relinquish certain rights, or renegotiate certain contracts. If they could confine their negotiations to only the unreleased material, and if the only issue was the royalty rate, then presumably they could come to an understanding where EMI would get a lower return, but they'd get a chance to release some interesting and saleable material.

The fact that they have not been able to reach an agreement suggests--strongly--that the Harrison estate is asking more than just an improved royalty rate on the unreleased material. And if that's true, then that makes EMI not so much SOBs as a corporation concerned with preserving their assets.

 

Yoko gave Westwood One many many recordings to play on their Lost Lennon Tapes series. Whether or not she got any royalties, who really gives a carrot? The point is that she made unreleased tapes available to fans. The other point is that there are facts and there is conjecture.

 

Why stop there? There may be thousands of songs. There may be tens of thousands of songs. All high quality stuff, too, better even than "Save the World."