Written by: Harrison
Recorded: 12 January; 6, 8 February 1968
Producer: George Martin
Engineers: Geoff Emerick, JP Sen, SN Gupta
Released: 15 March 1968 (UK), 18 March 1968 (US)
George Harrison: vocals
John Lennon: backing vocals
Paul McCartney: backing vocals
Sharad Ghosh/Hanuman Jadev: shehnai
Hariprasad Chaurasia/SR Kenkare: flute
Ashish Khan: sarod
Mahapurush Misra: tabla, pakavaj…
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2.46am
8 January 2015
Beautiful and underrated, I’m glad George was pushed to do it.
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11.29am
1 January 2017
8.40pm
Moderators
15 February 2015
I didn’t really hear it until I got Past Masters , quite late into my (The faaarther one traaavels, the lesss one knooows… the less one really knoooooows). I was fair enraptured by the flute and the vocal melody — it’s my favourite of his Indian trilogy.
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4.57pm
22 December 2013
5.33pm
1 December 2009
Great song. I love George hauling John and Paul into the studio to contribute a two-second, 4-word vocal overdub.
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50yearslate, Beatlebug, Vera Chuck and DaveGEORGE: In fact, The Detroit Sound. JOHN: In fact, yes. GEORGE: In fact, yeah. Tamla-Motown artists are our favorites. The Miracles. JOHN: We like Marvin Gaye. GEORGE: The Impressions PAUL & GEORGE: Mary Wells. GEORGE: The Exciters. RINGO: Chuck Jackson. JOHN: To name but eighty.
8.38pm
30 April 2019
11.29pm
13 January 2019
I LOVE this song so much and I hate how underrated it is. The lyrics are wonderful. And one of the instruments (the trumpet thing- I forgot what it’s called) is used in Indian weddings, so I feel nostalgic when I hear it.
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12.39am
30 April 2019
4.51am
Reviewers
Moderators
1 May 2011
Another of those 50th-anniversary book differences in the recording line-up where it omit’s John’s backing vocals.
Which account is therefore gone with? Do we stick to what’s been recorded for five decades or go with what is reported in the newest official source which has studied the original tapes again?
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8.06am
11 September 2018
meanmistermustard said
Another of those 50th-anniversary book differences in the recording line-up where it omit’s John’s backing vocals.Which account is therefore gone with? Do we stick to what’s been recorded for five decades or go with what is reported in the newest official source which has studied the original tapes again?
What do your ears tell you?
11.46pm
22 July 2019
I must say this is a good song, with in my opinion some of George’s most profound lyrics. I really enjoyed the sitar work, as well as all the other backing instruments. It’s a shame that this song is forever banished to the B-Side.
Also, I must say that this song is better than “Within You Without You “. Apologies to Scarlett Fields Forever.
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6.31am
26 January 2017
Bold take ^^ Personally, this is my least favourite of the heavily Indian-influenced songs, but it’s still enjoyable. I like the title.
I've been up on the mountain, and I've seen his wondrous grace,
I've sat there on the barstool and I've looked him in the face.
He seemed a little haggard, but it did not slow him down,
he was humming to the neon of the universal sound.
1.54pm
15 November 2018
I like the lyrics of the other ones better, but this one might have the best melody. Then again, Within You Without You might also have the best melody. I’m not sure. I’d have to listen.
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2.53am
1 December 2009
QuarryMan said
Bold take ^^ Personally, this is my least favourite of the heavily Indian-influenced songs, but it’s still enjoyable. I like the title.
I like to think of this one as George’s exercise in Indian-“jazz”, following his “-“classical” and “-rock” efforts. It’s got the addition of wind instruments, and guys trading little instrumental bits around, and that same overall peace-and-love-and-percussion vibe as those Pharoah Sanders albums we all love.
(“Wonderwall Music ” has touches of jazz too, come to think of it, a nice solo trumpet, at least)
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QuarryManGEORGE: In fact, The Detroit Sound. JOHN: In fact, yes. GEORGE: In fact, yeah. Tamla-Motown artists are our favorites. The Miracles. JOHN: We like Marvin Gaye. GEORGE: The Impressions PAUL & GEORGE: Mary Wells. GEORGE: The Exciters. RINGO: Chuck Jackson. JOHN: To name but eighty.
5.53am
26 January 2017
Which ones would you say are the classical and rock ones, @Wigwam ? I’ve not yet heard Wonderwall Music but if it’s anything like Pharoah Sanders then I should probably check it out..
I've been up on the mountain, and I've seen his wondrous grace,
I've sat there on the barstool and I've looked him in the face.
He seemed a little haggard, but it did not slow him down,
he was humming to the neon of the universal sound.
6.12am
17 October 2013
QuarryMan said
Which ones would you say are the classical and rock ones, @Wigwam ? I’ve not yet heard Wonderwall Music but if it’s anything like Pharoah Sanders then I should probably check it out..
I think you’re addressing VB………
10.52am
1 December 2009
Wigwam said
QuarryMan said
Which ones would you say are the classical and rock ones, @Wigwam ? I’ve not yet heard Wonderwall Music but if it’s anything like Pharoah Sanders then I should probably check it out..
I think you’re addressing VB………
Thanks, wigwam!
The music of “Wonderwall” (and “Inner Light”) isn’t jazz per se, and doesn’t SOUND much like it really, any more than “Within You Without You ” sounds like classical music. What it does is remind me of the overall spiritual/spacey aura that surrounds certain “exotic” recordings of the era, such as Pharaoh’s. But on the whole, if you acquire it in hopes of hearing “Karma II”, you’ll be disappointed, sorry.
…but it’s still a cool assortment of sounds, including a couple of acid-rocking instrumentals featuring guests Eric Clapton and Ringo! (Both sonically identifiable)
GEORGE: In fact, The Detroit Sound. JOHN: In fact, yes. GEORGE: In fact, yeah. Tamla-Motown artists are our favorites. The Miracles. JOHN: We like Marvin Gaye. GEORGE: The Impressions PAUL & GEORGE: Mary Wells. GEORGE: The Exciters. RINGO: Chuck Jackson. JOHN: To name but eighty.
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