Concert for Bangladesh (2pc) - Dark Publications

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Product Description
Disc one: concert for bangladesh disc two: concert for bangladesh 2005-special features Studio: Wea-des Moines Video Release Date: 10/25/2005 Starring: Ravi Shankar George Harrison Run time: 171 minutes Rating: Nr Director: Claire Ferguson

Amazon.com
Before We Are the World, before the Amnesty International concerts, before Live Aid, Live 8, 46664, and all the other charitable and/or political events that have used popular music as their principal draw, there was George Harrison's 1971 Concert for Bangladesh, a stirring affair released here in a fine two-disc set. The cause--raising money for the beleaguered people of Bangladesh (formerly East Pakistan), who were ravaged by war, floods, and famine--was enough to attract the support of stars like the former Beatle, who had never fronted a band before, along with Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton, both of whom had been out of the limelight for some years due to various personal problems and choices. Given the little time that Harrison, whose help had been solicited by sitar master Ravi Shankar, had to organize the affair, the results are very impressive indeed: the enormous band, which also features Ringo Starr, Leon Russell, and Billy Preston, is tight, the music (spotlighting tunes from Harrison's All Things Must Pass, along with a few Beatle numbers) inspired, the musicians at the top of their games. (Only Clapton is sub-par; looking out of it and playing weakly, he's a far cry from the guy who, some 30 years later, would spearhead the magnificent Concert for George.) For some, the opportunity to see Dylan onstage with Harrison, Starr, and Russell (playing bass) will be the big attraction. Others will thrill to the remastered DVD sound and restored picture. Still others will revel in an entire disc of bonus material, including three previously-unreleased performances and a documentary featuring new interviews with many of the participants. 1971 was a bleak period in rock history; the Beatles had broken up, Hendrix, Joplin, and Morrison were dead, Woodstock was a distant memory. The Concert for Bangladesh shone like a beacon, a revelation of the better angels that reside within us all. And it still does. --Sam Graham

Customer Reviews: Read 106 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

My Sweet George. January 4, 2006
101 out of 109 found this review helpful

Some year, 1971. The year of the bad rock-star beard. George Harrison had one. Leon Russell had one too, not to mention miles of split ends. Leon! What were you thinking?

It's all evident in the Concert for Bangladesh movie. But that's not what I'm here to discuss.

I first saw it when it was released in the theaters in 1972, that's how old I am. I still have the original vinyl album and the great booklet with all the pictures.

I remember one summer the movie played at the local drive-in and I went with a bunch of buddies, crowded into a lime-green Volkswagen Beetle. When Bob Dylan came on, everyone honked their horns and flashed their lights. It was a cool moment. Of course, one of my cynical friends had to complain. "Look at Dylan! He's a has-been! He's OLD!" What was he, like thirty? I guess that was old back then, wasn't it.

Looking at the film on DVD all these years later, I'm struck by just how much sprituality was in evidence at that show. Harrison was so earnest in his beliefs and it really rang true. It still makes sense to me today. He never sang about subscribing to a certain religion, but simply what you can find inside yourself. You know, The Inner Light and all that.

There was such a heartfelt camaraderie on the stage that night. Ringo Starr looked great behind the skins, alongside future Wilbury Jim Keltner. When those shimmering first chords of It Don't Come Easy come up, so do my goose-bumps. You have to put this in perspective; The Beatles had only broken up a year or so earlier, and these guys were still infallible gods at the time. Not only that, to see Bob Dylan in person was an event; he'd been in exile for several years at this point. When the spotlight hit Harrison for the first time, he was greeted with an extended standing ovation. It was as though the audience just wanted to thank him for all those years as a Beatle. Well, I guess that's what they were doing.

Honorable mention goes to Billy Preston, who delivered a stirring rendition of That's the Way God Planned It, a song that could thaw even the coldest of atheist hearts. The moment he loses control and dances all around the stage is a moment for the ages. Eric Clapton, unfortunately and shamefully, was pretty strung out at the time. It didn't even look like him, and there was certainly no fire in his playing; he just sort of stumbled about. Thank goodness he managed to yank himself out of that deadly haze before he wound up on the cover of Rolling Stone for the wrong reason.

At the Concert for Bangladesh, George Harrison pulled it off. He came out from behind the shadow of Lennon/McCartney, proving himself as an artist to be reckoned with. He also proved himself to be a great humanitarian.

1971 may have been the year of the bad rock-star beard, but it was a good one for the world.

4 out of 5 stars

youngblood October 25, 2005
65 out of 89 found this review helpful

Fascinating. I bought the "Legacy" DVD package of all the great Karloff Frankenstein movies last night, and on a whim, rented the Dick Cavett DVD "Rock Icons #3," which is a collection of his shows from the '70s that featured great rock artists of the day. Lo and behold on the first show was Elsa Lanchester, the Bride of Frankenstein herself. And the second show -- George Harrison! Right when he was battling with Capital Records to get Bangladesh out on album (there was no VHS or DVD, kids, but the film -- the film being reviewed here -- was in the theaters). The Cavett DVD is essential Harrison viewing and shows the whole world at a different time, when people were very much trying to figure themselves out, deal with drugs, women's lib, post-hippie life, etc. The consciousness of every single person in the three shows included on the disc appears a lot more enlightened than we all are now, that's for sure. And while cavett is a bit of constipated host, he is not too too full of himself and sometimes amusing. He doesn't treat women too kindly, so at least we've come a long way in that department. Anyway, talk shows were far far more civilized then; none of the glib crap chat that passes for conversation today. These people talked, intelligently and wittily for hours. So, there was George, and he was his usual self and funny and candid, and there was Ravi Shankar, too, playing, of course and joining the conversation, and much of it is about the concert for bangladesh. And they showed an entire clip from the film of George doing the song "Bangladesh," and it just reminded me that this was a long time ago and concert films just weren't up to snuff. Now, mind you, it's not the deeply distressing herky-jerky MTV type of stuff. The camera stays in one place for the most part, but it is all shot very darkly and there are too many closeups and not enough shots of the band. The music, won the Grammy back then as album of the year, and it is all very, very good, from Leon to Dylan to George and Clapton and badfinger and billy preston, it is all just a joy -- a community of likeminded artists extending the musical vision of all things must pass and bringing their own tangible contributions. When we see the big benefit concerts these days, they trot out one act after another to do their thing, but back in the day, they all actually teamed up and played together -- just like superheroes do in the comics, and in many ways, for a teenager back then, these were the superheroes. Clapton is God, and all that. And, of course, the Beatles. It's a wonder to revisit Bangladesh any old time and if you saw my review on the old album, I've been pleading for this remaster and rerelease for years -- and hoping for it since before George died. So, the concert is certainly worth a revisit, but don't expect a lot from the film. I almost think the album is the better way to go, but it's worth having both if you can afford it. This is Dylan at a live peak, singing the best he ever had and will in his life (Harrison didn't even know he would be performing until very late in the game) and Leon reminds us why he was so big back then -- there is absolute electricity to the duet of "beware of darkness." George, meanwhile, is the best he will ever be live, as his wife Olivia has attested, and Clapton, so low in the hole at the time, is bracing throughout. So much has changed in the world since "Bangladesh" and now there is worry everywhere you look. It is nostalgic, to be sure, to look back on this, but the music, so sterling, remains very vital to this day.

5 out of 5 stars

Concert for Bangladesh (Preview) September 28, 2005
62 out of 63 found this review helpful

The George Harrison-led "Concert for Bangladesh" will make its DVD debut Oct. 25 via Rhino, the same day Capitol releases a remixed, remastered CD of the project. Rhino is also creating a deluxe edition set with a reproduction of Harrison's handwritten lyrics for the then-new song "Bangla Desh," a postcard set, a sticker and a print of the original show poster.

Staged on Aug. 1, 1971, at New York's Madison Square Garden, the show raised funds via UNICEF for Bangladeshi refugees caught in the middle of the country's battle for independence from Pakistan.

It featured Harrison performing alongside Bob Dylan (making a rare public appearance in the wake of a serious motorcycle accident), Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Ravi Shankar, Billy Preston, Badfinger and Leon Russell. The event was chronicled the following year on a triple-LP set and a feature film.

Rhino's DVD restores the original 99-minute movie in 5.1 sound and tacks on a wealth of extras, including a rehearsal performance of "If Not for You" with Harrison and Dylan and a soundcheck take on "Come on in My Kitchen" with Harrison, Clapton and Russell, plus Dylan performing "Love Minus Zero/No Limit," an outtake from the theatrical release.

The DVD will also include a 45-minute documentary, "The Concert for Bangladesh Revisited 2005," which features interviews with Bob Geldof and United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan.

Here is the track list for "The Concert for Bangladesh":

"Bangla Dhun"
"Wah-Wah"
"My Sweet Lord"
"Awaiting on You All"
"That's the Way God Planned It"
"It Don't Come Easy"
"Beware of Darkness"
Band Introduction
"While My Guitar Gently Weeps"
"Jumpin' Jack Flash"
"Youngblood"
"Here Comes the Sun"
"A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall"
"It Takes a Lot To Laugh, It Takes a Train To Cry"
"Blowin' in the Wind"
"Just Like a Woman"
"Something"
"Bangla Desh"

5 out of 5 stars

If not for You... October 26, 2005
25 out of 26 found this review helpful

In writing this review I must complement the Harrison family and the executors of his estate for the marvellous job they have done in preserving and not diminishing George's memory. On the eve of the anniversary of his passing we have a quality product which in keeping with the man and his memory, enables us to help those unfortunate souls in the third world while enjoying this entertainment.

"My friend came to me, sadness in his eyes, told me that he needed help, before his country died". How could someone refuse such a request. This concert reissue comes only days after a major earthquake has brought untold devastation and misery to millions in Southern Asia to whom this concert was first dedicated almost 35 years ago. It is fitting that this coincident release will help some of those affected.

Much has already been said about the concert footage which is reproduced on the first disc of the set although much cleaned up and with better quality sound. It is easy to forget what a task Harrison had in assembling such a troupe of musicians at the time. The difficult separation and divorce of the Beatles added to his own inexperience being the leader and not just the member of a band, Clapton with his ongoing substance abuse problems which had driven him to being a recluse and the shyness of Bob Dylan in front of such a crowd, this in the days before arena rock became the norm rather than the exception. Despite all of this the musicians played well together although the wall of sound approach sounds a little over the top when one compares to the slimdown reunion performance of Cream recently. There is a touch of the democratic approach with most of the artists with the exception of Clapton contributing at least one song to the proceedings.

History cannot show how significant this concert was in the sense that younger viewers will not understand what the big deal was and nor will they be enlightened by this set. Save to say that without the huge efforts of George Harrison, before, during but very mainly after this concert, there would not have been any of the super benefit concerts that we see today. Perhaps one daring film-maker may try to tell the tale of all of the hoops Harrison had to go through to finally get all of the total monies raised to actually go to where it was needed and the years he spent in doing it.

The real gem of this set is the second disc which catalogues the making of the concert. Harrison is heard in voiceovers culled from interviews at regular stages. He emerges as the unassuming leader who calls upon a few palls but does not cut them any breaks if they fall down or give up on them. It includes some footage of some of the remaining participants as well as a brief comment from Kolfi Annan about the importance of this musical event bringing the world's attention to this serious problem in Bangladesh. There are three snippets too which will delight Harrison and Dylan fans the best of which is the duet between the two of "If Not for You" with the contrasting voices and approaches of the two men making for a superb historical and musical gem.

There are many worthy causes out there right now even some in our own backyard worthy of your money and attention. As we approach the season of goodwill this is one excellent way to enjoy great music from the man who brought some light to the world and to help others in the process.

This is one DVD I can heartily recommend.

5 out of 5 stars

george is not dead October 6, 2005
22 out of 94 found this review helpful

I am 1 of the beatles obsess fan in the philippines call me all the beatles fans in the philippine and people in other country if you want beatles companion 09208523855.. Im waiting for this item because Im not able to buy the vhs version of this historic conncert of george harrison,many expectation will come in this dvd special aside from the concert there is a special bonus footage of this collection, rare rehearsal will experience and for the 1st time you will see how george rejoice his own song,if you ask me who is my favorite beatle no other than george harrison,you ask me why, buy this 2dvd set the release of this are great awakening in your beatles happiness.the answers is in the end

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