 The Concert for Bangladesh
in his eyes.
Told me he wanted to help
before his country dies.
Although i couldn't feel the pain,
I knew I had to try -
Now I am asking all of you
To help us save some lives
The Concert - Introduction by Ravi Shankar:
It makes me so happy that the Concert for Bangladesh is being released again. Hailing from Bengal, my heart went out to the Bengali speaking people of Bangladesh and it was natural for me to reach out and want to help the refugees and the hundreds of thousands of little children.
I expressed my concern to George Harrison. He knew about the turmoil of my mind and a concert to raise funds was initiated. An enormous amount of money was collected and this could never have been achieved without the help of dear George. What happened is now history: it was one of the most moving and intense musical experiences of the century.
Again and again I am asked which concerts stand out in my memory, and it is very difficult to remember all the prominent ones as my career spans over seventy-five years of performances; but the Concert for Bangladesh was very significant to me as the conception of the idea came from me and the people needing aid were very close to my heart; some of them, of course, being distantly related to me. Ali Akbar Khan and Alla Rakha joined me on stage for the first half and George Harrison played the second half, joined by other eminent musicians including Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton. George closed the concert with "Bangla Desh," the special song he wrote for the occasion.
As a result, overnight the name of the country Bangladesh came to be known all over the world. Millions of dollars were raised and given to UNICEF who distributed milk, blankets and clothes to refugees. It touches my heart very deeply to know that this event is not to be forgotten, and that with the re-release of the film and the album people in Bangladesh will continue to be helped. I am sure that the music of this electrifying concert of 1971 will move the listeners even today.
About The Concert:
The Concert for Bangladesh was the first benefit concert of its kind in that it brought together an extraordinary assemblage of major artists collaborating for a common humanitarian cause – setting the precedent that music could be used to serve a higher cause.
The concert sold out Madison Square Garden and along with the Grammy ® Award-winning triple-album boxset, and the feature film, has generated millions of dollars for UNICEF and raised awareness for the organization around the world, as well as among other musicians and their fans. It is therefore acknowledged as the inspiration and forerunner to the major global fundraising events of recent years.
To quote the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, "George and his friends were pioneers."
The Artists:
Eric Clapton — guitars
Bob Dylan — vocals, guitar, harmonica
George Harrison — vocals, guitars
Billy Preston — vocals, keyboards
Leon Russell — bass, keyboards, vocals
Ringo Starr — drums, vocals, tambourine
Ravi Shankar — sitar
Ustad Ali Akbar Khan — sarod
Ustad Alla Rakha — tabla
Kamala Chakravarty — tamboura
The Band
Jesse Ed Davis — rhythm guitar
Tom Evans — acoustic guitar
Pete Ham — acoustic guitar
Mike Gibbins — percussion
Jim Keltner — drums
Joey Molland — acoustic guitar
Don Preston — guitars, backing vocals
Carl Radle — bass guitar
Klaus Voormann — bass guitar
The Hollywood Horns:
Jim Horn, Allan Beutler, Chuck Findley, Jackie Kelso, Lou McCreary, Ollie Mitchell
The Backing Vocalists:
Don Nix, Jo Green, Jeanie Greene, Marlin Greene, Dolores Hall, Claudia Linnear
Performances:
1. INTRODUCTION
George Harrison/Ravi Shankar
2. BANGLA DHUN
(written by Ravi Shankar, published by Harrisongs Ltd)
sitar – Ravi Shankar
sarod – Ustad Ali Akbar Khan
tabla – Ustad Alla Rakha
tamboura – Kamala Chakravarty
Watch The Video: Bangla Dhun
3. WAH-WAH
(written by George Harrison, published by Harrisongs Ltd)
vocals/electric guitar – George Harrison
lead guitar – Eric Clapton
saxophone – Jim Horn
Watch The Video: WAH WAH
4. MY SWEET LORD
(written by George Harrison, published by Harrisongs Ltd)
vocals/6-string guitar – George Harrison
lead guitar – Eric Clapton
Watch The Video: My Sweet Lord
5. AWAITING ON YOU ALL
(written by George Harrison, published by Harrisongs Ltd)
vocals – George Harrison
6. THAT'S THE WAY GOD PLANNED IT
(written by Billy Preston, published by EMI Music Publishing Ltd)
vocals/keyboards – Billy Preston
lead guitar – Eric Clapton
Watch The Video: That's The Way God Planned It
7. IT DON'T COME EASY
(written by Richard Starkey, published by Startling Music Ltd)
vocals/drums – Ringo Starr
8. BEWARE OF DARKNESS
(written by George Harrison, published by Harrisongs Ltd)
vocals – George Harrison, Leon Russell
saxophone – Jim Horn
9. BAND INTRODUCTION
10. WHILE MY GUITAR GENTLY WEEPS
(written by George Harrison, published by Harrisongs Ltd)
vocals/electric guitar – George Harrison
electric guitar – Eric Clapton
11. MEDLEY
JUMPIN' JACK FLASH
(written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, published by ABKCO Music)
vocals – Leon Russell
bass – Carl Radle
lead guitar – Don Preston
Watch The Video: Medley
YOUNG BLOOD
(written by Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, Doc Pomus, published by Jerry Leiber Music/Mike Stoller Music/Mike & Jerry Music LLC)
vocals – Leon Russell
vocals/lead guitar – Don Preston
12. HERE COMES THE SUN
(written by George Harrison, published by Harrisongs Ltd)
vocals/acoustic guitar – George Harrison
acoustic guitar – Pete Ham
Watch The Video: Here Comes The Sun
13. A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL
(written by Bob Dylan, published by Special Rider Music)
vocals/acoustic guitar – Bob Dylan
electric guitar – George Harrison
bass – Leon Russell
tambourine – Ringo Starr
Watch The video: A Hard RAin's - A Gonna Fall
14. IT TAKES A LOT TO LAUGH, IT TAKES A TRAIN TO CRY
(written by Bob Dylan, published by Special Rider Music)
vocals/harmonica/acoustic guitar – Bob Dylan
slide guitar – George Harrison
bass – Leon Russell
tambourine – Ringo Starr
15. BLOWIN' IN THE WIND
(written by Bob Dylan, published by Special Rider Music)
vocals/harmonica/acoustic guitar – Bob Dylan
electric guitar – George Harrison
bass – Leon Russell
tambourine – Ringo Starr
16. JUST LIKE A WOMAN
(written by Bob Dylan, published by Dwarf Music Inc.)
vocals/acoustic guitar – Bob Dylan
vocals/electric guitar – George Harrison
vocals/bass – Leon Russell
tambourine – Ringo Starr
17. SOMETHING
(written by George Harrison, published by Harrisongs Ltd)
vocals/electric guitar – George Harrison
18. BANGLA DESH
(written by George Harrison, published by Harrisongs Ltd)
vocals – George Harrison
saxophone – Jim Horn
(Lyrics reproduced courtesy Harrisongs Ltd.)
Performances from the rehearsals
IF NOT FOR YOU
(written by Bob Dylan, published by Big Sky Music)
vocals/acoustic guitar – Bob Dylan
vocals/acoustic guitar – George Harrison
Performances from the soundcheck
COME ON IN MY KITCHEN
(written by Robert Johnson, published by Leshem II, LLC/Claud L. Johnson/Finchley Music)
vocals/piano – Leon Russell
vocals/electric guitar – George Harrison
lead guitar – Eric Clapton
Performances from the afternoon show
LOVE MINUS ZERO / NO LIMIT
(written by Bob Dylan, published by Special Rider Music)
vocals/harmonica/acoustic guitar – Bob Dylan
electric guitar – George Harrison
bass – Leon Russell
tambourine – Ringo Starr
Watch The Concert Trailer: Narrowband | Broadband  |