4 Times George Harrison Covered Bob Dylan (1970-1993)
By the time George Harrison and Bob Dylan were in the Traveling Wilburys with Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, and Jeff Lynne in 1988, the two already had established a long friendship, and collaborations, from the early 1960s, first co-writing, Harrison’s All Things Must Pass opening track “I’d Have You Anytime,” during sessions in November 1968 at Dylan’s home in Woodstock, New York.
Both remained friends through Harrison’s death in 2001 and collaborated on several more songs including co-writing several songs for the Traveling Wilburys, including “End of the Line” and “Handle With Care,” along with “Nowhere to Go” (“When Everybody Comes to Town”), a song they co-wrote in the late ’60s and later recorded at Dylan’s home in Greenwich Village in New York in 1970.
“Bob Dylan is the most consistent artist there is,” said Harrison. “Even his stuff, which people loathe, I like. Every single thing he does represents something that’s him. He may write better songs tomorrow, sing high on this album and low on another, go electric or acoustic, go weird or whatever, but the basic thing that causes all this change is an incredible character named Bob Dylan.”
From All Things Pass to Harrison’s through the early ’90s, the former Beatle also covered several Dylan songs along the way.
George Harrison first recorded a solo performance of Dylan’s “If Not For You” for co-producer Phil Spector in London during the All Things Must Pass sessions. Along with his co-write with Dylan, “I’d Have You Anytime” opening the album, Harrison’s cover of his New Morning track “It’s Not for You” appeared on side two of All Things That Pass. Dylan and Harrison later recorded “If Not for You” for possible inclusion in the Concert for Bangladesh, which was released on the concert film in 1972 and again on DVD in 2005.
In 1971, Olivia Newton-John also recorded a version of “If Not For You” as the title track of her debut album; the single went to No. 7 on the UK chart.
Source: Tina Benitez-Eves/americansongwriter.com
