George Harrison : the reluctant Beatle / Philip Norman.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Prologue: an unextinguishable last laugh -- Part one. "Take care of him because he's going to be special" -- "He was so much in the background he was like the invisible man" -- Playing just chords was better than not playing at all" -- "From then on, nine-to-five never came back into my thinking" -- "We were like orphans" -- "My first shag was... with Paul and John and Pete Best all watching" -- "The first rock 'n' dole group" -- "It was the best buzz of all time" -- Part two. "I was always rather beastly to George" -- "I had to learn to think like a spy, leaving no trace" -- "The only Beatle glare ever caught on camera" -- "Well, that's it. I'm not a Beatle anymore" -- "The meditation buzz" -- "Please don't think I've gone off my rocket" -- "Don't upset the Hell's Angels" -- "He wanted so much to be a spiritual being" -- "That was minxy of George. He could be very minxy" -- "Beatle George's new pad -- turrets and all" -- Part three. "Garbo speaks -- Harrison is free" -- "I suppose he is still a person of considerable means" -- "I have to tell you, man, I'm in love with your wife" -- "By the grace of Krishna, you are one of the great men" -- "If people want their money back, they can have it" -- "Introducing George Harrison" -- "Maybe he thought God would just sort of let him off" -- "He was looking at potential debts of around €32 million" -- "Do you want to go on a yacht to the South Pacific and run away for ever?" -- "I'm being murdered in my own house" -- Epilogue: Plaudit from a prince.

"Despite being hailed as one of the best guitarists of his era, George Harrison, particularly in his early decades, battled feelings of inferiority. He was often the butt of jokes from his bandmates owing to his lower-class background and, typically, was allowed to contribute only one or two songs per Beatles album out of the dozens he wrote. Now, acclaimed Beatles biographer Philip Norman examines Harrison through the lens of his numerous self-contradictions. Compared to songwriting luminaries John Lennon and Paul McCartney he was considered a minor talent, yet he composed such masterpieces as "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and "Here Comes the Sun," and his solo debut album "All Things Must Pass" achieved enormous success, appearing on many lists of the 100 best rock albums ever. Modern music critics place him in the pantheon of sixties guitar gods alongside Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Keith Richards, and Jimmy Page. Harrison railed against the material world yet wrote the first pop song complaining about income tax. He spent years lovingly restoring his Friar Park estate as a spiritual journey, but quickly mortgaged the property to help rescue a film project that would be widely banned as sacrilegious, Monty Python's Life of Brian. Harrison could be fiercely jealous, but not only did he stay friends with Eric Clapton when Clapton fell in love with Harrison's wife, Pattie Boyd, the two men grew even closer after Clapton walked away with her. Unprecedented in scope and filled with numerous color photos, this rich biography captures George Harrison at his most multi-faceted: devoted friend, loyal son, master guitar player, brilliant songwriter, cocaine addict, serial philanderer, global philanthropist, student of Indian mysticism, self-deprecating comedian, and, ultimately, iconic artist and man beloved by millions"--Publisher's description.