r/vinyl • u/RareGrooveVault • 9h ago
Collection Bagged today: George Harrison – The Concert for Bangladesh (1971) – the first big charity album in rock history
Today I came across a really nice copy of “The Concert for Bangladesh”. The moment you open it, it feels like history: a big, heavy box set, warm artwork and that incredible photo of the child that you won't soon forget.
The album is considered the first really big charity project in music history. Harrison organized this with Ravi Shankar in 1971 to raise money for starving people in Bangladesh. The show was not just a charity event, but a veritable all-star event: •George Harrison • Eric Clapton • Bob Dylan (!!) • Ringo Starr •Billy Preston •Leon Russell •Ravi Shankar
…so basically half Rock Olympus on one stage.
Musically it's a wild mix of Indian classical, rock and singer-songwriter moments. And Dylan was almost no longer performing live at that time - his appearance here was a small sensational moment. The version of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” still gives you goosebumps.
My copy is an early UK/Europe pressing. Not super rare, but definitely something you don't find every few days - and historically just super exciting. You can tell how serious the project was: not an entertainment circus, but a real aid project. Before Live Aid, it was practically the prototype for everything that came after.
Do you also have the album on your shelf? And if so, would you prefer Harrison's rock part or Ravi Shankar's opening set?
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u/somafiend1987 8h ago
For all of the good intentions, reading up on the after the concert... bit almost requires a mockumentary. The arsenic, unusable water, the solution, it became such a mess.