Paul is making a classical album…more news reports, and press release.

Here is the latest news on classical Macca according to Billboard online.

Momentarily stepping away from rock’n’roll, Paul McCartney will release his next classical project, “Ecce Cor Meum,” Sept. 26 via EMI Classics. Eight years in the making, “Ecce Cor Meum” (Latin for “Behold My Heart”) will be McCartney’s fourth classical album since 1991’s “The Liverpool Oratorio.”

The piece was commissioned by former Magdalen College president Anthony Smith in hopes McCartney would create “a choral piece which could be sung by young people the world over in the same way that Handel’s Messiah is.”

 

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George is #1 at last.

Lots of George news today….It’s kind of an odd tale towards hitting number one I suppose.  George would probably shrug such a thing off, but it’s still nice to be recognized.  

Here’s the account of the delayed trail towards #1 for George’s famed masterpiece All Things Must Pass according to icLIverpool.

Official chart records are being changed to make former Beatle George Harrison’s first solo album, All Things Must Pass, a No 1 record.

Postal workers, who were engaged in a strike in 1971 at the time of the triple album’s release, are being blamed for creating havoc with official returns which robbed Harrison of the No 1 slot.

Instead, it only got as high as No 4, meaning Harrison, who died of lung cancer in 2001, never had a solo UK No 1 album.

Concert for Bangladesh commemorated at Madison Square Garden

Here’s the latest George Harrison news in a press release from his website. This is great news.

GEORGE HARRISON AND RAVI SHANKARS CONCERT FOR BANGLADESH 35TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATED TODAY AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN

Tuesday, August 1st, 2006 – Today marks the 35th Anniversary of George Harrison and Ravi Shankar’s Concert For Bangladesh. The concert took place on August 1st 1971 at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. The show featured performances by George, Ravi Shankar, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Leon Russell and Billy Preston. Olivia Harrison said, “The 30th anniversary was very much on George’s mind back in 2001 and I am honoured to have helped complete the project on his behalf. We have done our best to maximize the effort they made all those years ago, which has not only benefited thousands of people but became a model for charitable events over the last three decades.

This anniversary re-issue has generated more funds for UNICEF, as well as renewed the recognition I think George and Ravi deserve for responding to the humanitarian crisis of that time.” “When new Bangla Desh was born and hundreds of thousands of refugees started pouring into India, I was so pained seeing the suffering of these innocent people and my heart went out to them,” added Ravi Shankar. “I wanted to help in whatever way I could and do something to raise money for the refugees. I was going to arrange a concert and play myself with perhaps a few friends. Dear George was in Los Angeles at that time and was visiting me. He saw the pain and anguish in me and was very concerned. I explained to George what was happening and asked for his help. Seeing my plight, he started to phone everyone. What happened afterwards is history.

One day, no one knew of Bangla Desh and the next day the whole world was talking about it. Concert for Bangla Desh is very close to my heart as it was my conception and baby, and thanks to George it became as big as it did!.”

The Concert For Bangladesh – George Harrison & Friends, released on DVD and CD last autumn, was recently certified 3 times platinum by the RIAA. All artists’ royalties from the sales of the DVD and the CD continue to go to UNICEF. In commemoration, Ravi Shankar and Ringo Starr were presented with plaques, in New York and Los Angeles respectively.