The Concert for Bangladesh (1972) User Reviews (19)

The Concert for Bangladesh (1972) ***1/2

[JoeKarlosi · 9/10 · 4 November 2005]

This is the film version of the historical show that took place in New York's Madison Square Garden on August 1st, 1971. People may take charity shows like this for granted these days, but back then it was a very special event. It was famed Indian musician Ravi Shankar who thought up the idea of helping the starving underprivileged people of East Pakistan, and he approached former Beatle George Harrison with his concern. George organized a concert to help the cause, in addition to writing and recording a song called "Bangla Desh," which he used to close out the night's performance. Among the musicians who gave their efforts were: ex-Beatle Ringo Starr (on one drum kit with Jim Keltner playing another), Eric Clapton (guitar), Billy Preston (keyboards), Leon Russell (bass and keyboards), Badfinger, and the legendary Bob Dylan.

The program starts off with Indian music, with Ravi Shankar and other musicians, and it is an acquired taste. Ravi asks the audience for patience during their act before the crowd gets to hear their "favorite stars" later in the show. It's a long twenty or so minutes, but eventually George and Friends take over the stage. Harrison performs songs off his recent ALL THINGS MUST PASS album, like "Wah-Wah," "My Sweet Lord," "Beware of Darkness," and "Awaiting On You All". During the course of the evening, he continues with Beatles favorites like "Something", "Here Comes the Sun," and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". Ringo gets to do a vocal of his recent hit, "It Don't Come Easy", but manages to screw up the words pretty badly which is a shame, as it's always been a favorite of mine.

It's purely a matter of personal taste as to what one will take from the performances, but for me Leon Rusell and Billy Preston provide some low moments of the concert. But the highlight of the event, even to a Beatles fanatic like me - which is really saying something here - comes from "a friend of us all, Mr. Bob Dylan". I am a moderate fan of Dylan's, and have always felt he was in excellent form on this particular venue, singing wonderful versions of "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall," "It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry," "Blowin' In The Wind" and "Just Like A Woman" (the latter tune with Harrison and Russell in vocal support).

While the show is not perfect, it's quite good. It may seem more quaint alongside today's LIVE AID's and FARM AID's, and even in comparison to the superb 2001 CONCERT FOR GEORGE tribute for the late Mr. Harrison -- but this baby was an innovator. ***1/2 out of ****

A fantastic concert

[Baldrick44 · 9/10 · 10 May 2006]

This is the first large-scale benefit gig of its kind ever attempted in the world and there are many things about it that set it apart from Live Aid and Live 8- both great events in their own right but different. The Concert for Bangladesh has a much more intimate feel, and it seems to grasp the optimism of the 1960s at a time when the optimism seemed to be dying out. The atmosphere is also more of a band atmosphere, rather heaps of bands one after the other, which I prefer. In fact, in many ways it would be preferable to compare this to the Last Waltz- another live show with a continuous band with guests coming on and off.

But to say that this has a 'band' atmosphere doesn't do justice to the musicians who turned up at the last minute to perform- Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Bob Dylan, Billy Preston, Leon Russell, Ravi Shankar as well as Geoge Harrisson all lend their talents to the cause and make it a truly unforgettable night.

Highlights are many, and if anything it's the tightness of the concert that makes it so good. If Live Aid and Live 8 have a fault it is that it has a few songs ( and bands ) that lie in the periphery of mediocrity. The Concert for Bangladesh though is a tight 100 minute set with the best of George Harrisson's songwriting there for all to see.

Overall the concert for Bangladesh gives the quiet Beatle the chance to really strut his stuff for a good cause, and as he jams with Clapton on While my Guitar Gently Weeps or reassures with Here Comes the Sun or is pouring his heart out with Something or is singing with Dylan on Just Like a Woman or is writing a real protest song in Bangla Desh it makes you wonder if he was really given his due in the Fab Four.

Trailblazing George

[neil-476 · 9/10 · 15 March 2010]

The world was suffering Beatle withdrawal symptoms. Despite the fact that individual Beatles were coming out with solo albums like someone shelling peas, the magic had somehow gone. With the wonderful gesture of the Concert for Bangla Desh, George Harrison took a big step towards generating some substitute magic (having already gone some way towards that with the majestic All Things Must Pass album).

The Beatles had broken new ground in so many ways during their career, and now George chalked up another first - the first major all star multimedia benefit event.

And it didn't hurt that the music was pretty good, either.

Yes, it was a surprise to everyone that Dylan turned up and knocked out a short set (I'm not a great Dylan fan, so it didn't do a lot for me) but, to me, the highlight was hearing George doing a sprinkling of Beatles songs which sounded very unlike what I was used to (in those pre-bootleg, pre-Anthology days).

And, I understand, a splendid time was guaranteed for all.

George Harrison

[sherlock-17 · 10/10 · 10 March 2003]

I thought all the entertainers were excellent. Bob Dylan was good, but really George Harrison was the best of all by along shot. His persona, his songs, his sincerity was by far the highlight of Bangladesh. George will always be remembered as a wonderful entertainer who cared more than most. Yes George Harrison in my view stole the show(it wasn't even close).

Simply the best

[Huck_Haines · 10/10 · 29 December 2005]

The first benefit rock concert and the greatest concert film ever.

George Harrison is at his peak in this film. The only disappointment is the fact that Eric Clapton arrived late and did not have the chance to perform one of his own numbers. Still, the Dylan songs, the Leon Russell medley and Harrison's own tunes are more than enough to make this an all-time classic.

The passion that is evident in Harrison's voice and on his face during the closing song still gives me goosebumps more than 30 years after I first saw this movie in the theater.

This DVD is a must have for any rock music fan.

Best live film and album ever made

[brendanchenowith · 10/10 · 26 October 2005]

You can forget about Frampton Comes Alive, even Kiss Alive! for that matter - any of these. This is the concert film and album to beat, and no one ever has.

I first saw this movie when I was 9. Yes, the Ravi Shankar section irritated me and I was one of those who were very impatient to see my "favorite stars which will be in the second part", but I grew to like the Indian stuff later on.

This was the first time I ever saw Leon Russell and Billy Preston. I was shocked when Preston got up and danced during his number "That's the Way God Planned It". I also grew to love that, as it was one of the most joyous parts of the film. I later had the privilege of meeting Preston at a Beatles convention and telling him so - the initial shock and fright, and later embracing the joy it brought.

I hated Bob Dylan then - I at first felt his set to be boring and overlong - that is not the case these days. I've since become a huge fan.

Of course, there's my never-ending love for George and Ringo. This was the first time I heard "It Don't Come Easy" and "Bangla Desh". "Bangla Desh" was very intense and I loved the sax solo - you talk about a "major jam". I later heard the studio version, and it's a draw as to which version is better.

I picked up my copy of the DVD on Tuesday the 25th of October. This of course was the same day as Game 3 of the World Series - which one do you think I watched?

Holds Up After All These Years

[Michael_Elliott · 5 April 2012]

The Concert for Bangladesh (1972)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Concert film of the August 1st, 1971 benefit concert held at Madison Square Garden in New York City. George Harrison put together this all-star benefit to gather money for the issues going on in Bangladesh. The first part of the show featured Ravi Shankar performing some Indian music and then the more well-known artists hit the stage. Joining Harrison we get Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, Leon Russell and towards the end Bob Dylan. Countless other musicians join the cause as the two shows were edited down to this one film. Overall I can't see how anyone would be disappointed in regards to the music because it's of the highest level from start to finish. Even if you overlook Ringo messing up his lyrics "It Don't Come Easy" the music is just so refreshing and of the highest level. Harrison really hits a home run on numbers like "My Sweet Lord," "Here Comes the Sun," "Something," and "Bangla Desh." Other highlights including a rocking version of "Jumpin' Jack Flash" from Russell and a show-stopping number by Preston. With all of that said, the greatest moment of the concert comes when Bob Dylan walks onto the stage. You can easily tell that the producers thought this was the high point as well considering they included four of his songs here. This was only Dylan's second live show since the notorious electric tour of 1966 so you can tell he's nervous but as a die-hard fans it's usually these moments where he shines the brightest. He delivers wonderful performances of "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall," " Blowin' in the Wind" and perhaps one of the greatest live performances of "Just Like a Woman." On a technical level the music sounds extremely crisp and for the most part the video footage is just fine. Fans of these musicians will certainly want to check this film out as the music still stands up strong all these years later.

after woodstock last waltz monterey pop very important

[bob-268 · 10/10 · 12 November 1998]

This legend movie is specially with Harrison,Dylan,Russel and Clapton one of the concerts you must see.They are all in a good mood and if you want to see some history of pop music you will have to see this concert.

Our Sweet George

[NoDakTatum · 8/10 · 27 September 2023]

In 1971, George Harrison and Friends staged one of the first benefit concerts ever at Madison Square Garden. The concert alone raised almost a quarter of a million dollars to combat poverty and starvation in Bangladesh, and the ensuing live album also generated funds. The concert was filmed, blown up to 70mm and shown in stereo, also contributing to the cause. George Harrison had some very highly regarded friends. The film itself, directed by Saul Swimmer, does not provide much information about what exactly we are benefiting in Bangladesh. There is a brief opening press conference, and heartbreaking footage of the starvation that was occurring half way around the world, but the film makers (Harrison co-produced the film) jump immediately into the music. All of the performers played for free, with some flying long distances to take part in the event. Harrison also co-produced the music with Phil Spector, whose Wall of Sound touch is brought into a live format. The superband here is huge. George Harrison is the main player, with Eric Clapton and Jesse Ed Davis on guitar. Piano features Leon Russell, bass is Klaus Voorman, and the drummers are Ringo Starr and Jim Keltner playing at the same time. The acoustic guitars are made up of the rock group Badfinger, and Billy Preston plays organ and provides vocals. Bob Dylan uses some of the musicians for his stripped-down set. There are half a dozen back-up singers, and a brass section consisting of the Hollywood Horn Players featuring Jim Horn.

The first few minutes of the film are very odd, and very rewarding. Ravi Shankar and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan come out to play native Asian Indian instruments sitar and sarod. Harrison begs for patience, Shankar begs for more patience, the audience applauds the tuning of the instruments, and then Shankar and his small group of three other musicians launch into a song entitled "Bangla Dhun" that stops everyone in their tracks. The sitar and sarod look like giant banjos with tumors on them, but the sound produced, along with another stringed instrument and small bongo-looking drums, is dramatic and listenable. It reminded me of a very good film soundtrack. The audience showed their appreciation, and then Harrison took the stage.

The band starts with "Wah-Wah" before tearing through "My Sweet Lord." Spiritual songs continue with "Awaiting on You All," which suffers from awkward camera shots of Harrison and Starr on the same stage ("look, two of the Beatles!"). Billy Preston does "That's the Way God Planned It," a hopeful and uplifting song punctuated by Preston's spontaneous dancing. Ringo Starr vocalizes in a huge sounding "It Don't Come Easy," and then Harrison and Leon Russell team on "Beware of Darkness," a depressing tune that sounds a bit like a James Bond theme. After the band is introduced, Harrison does the classic rock radio staple "Where My Guitar Gently Weeps." Russell helms a strange combination of the bluesy "Young Blood," book ended by "Jumpin' Jack Flash." After this section, the purely acoustic version of "Here Comes the Sun" was welcome. Bob Dylan comes out, and Russell and Harrison back him with Starr on tambourine. "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" comes from a much darker stage as the rest of the super group takes a break. Dylan uses the harmonica with "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry"- long title, but a good short song. The group does a nice version of "Blowin' in the Wind," and then Harrison and Russell do backing vocals on "Just Like a Woman." Everyone returns for "Something," and the band encores with "Bangla Desh," a strong song interspersed with more too brief footage of the suffering going on in Bangladesh.

Because this type of event had not been filmed before, "The Concert for Bangladesh" does have a few problems. One of them is NOT the running time. This comes in at under one hundred minutes, and is the perfect running time for fans and non-fans alike. The physical appearance of the 1971 era performers is kind of funny as the long hair and beards make everyone look about twenty years older than they were. The majority of the songs are recognizable, as are the names of the band. I was not thrilled with the way the songs were often ended with footage of the audience. The audience footage was obviously shot after the lights went up and attendees were leaving. Going from the darkened stage to the lighted audience was jarring enough, but the audience members are obviously leaving as well, which sends the wrong message to the film's audience. You can spot some film cameramen here and there during the concert, edited together from two shows, but they don't distract from this kind of talent. "The Concert for Bangladesh" is also as well known for its behind-the-scenes fights over things like the album's distribution, and Clapton's questionable performance, which I did not think was as bad as some have written. This came out years before Live Aid, and while the super group era seems to be over now, this concert serves as a nice reminder of what rock stars used to do- play their music and release their albums to a waiting public. No reality shows, no hip-hop or rap, just good music.

a great concert but a failed film

[dromasca · 6/10 · 29 November 2008]

The concert for Bangladesh was one of the most important concerts in the history of the rock music. Not only was it a gathering of first rate stars like Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton or Ravi Shankar, but it signaled the start of the political involvement of musicians through the commercial power of their music in the benefit of big humanitarian causes. The example of Harrison was followed by scores of other musicians, and many events from the concerts for Etiopia in the 80s until the recent world wide events for ecological causes find their origins back there.

For these reasons a film to describe how this concert was organized, how artists responded and why some (including Paul McCartney and John Lennon) did not respond, and also maybe some of the eventful history of the concert film and disk in the years that followed the concert would be very interesting. It is not this film. We scarcely get maybe two minutes of background and the rest is the concert itself. Yes, there is a lot of splendid music going on including probably the best version of 'When the guitar gently weeps ...' ever done with Harrison and Clapton, but overall the filming of the concert is not very inspired, and the sound caption is mediocre. The real documentary about this moment in the history of rock and rock artists engagement in important causes is still to be made, making use of material from this film.

The grand daddy of relief concerts captured by mediocre film making

[johno-21 · 7/10 · 18 May 2006]

Two concerts were held at Madison Square Gardens in New York on the afternoon and evening of August 1, 1971 to raise money and awareness for the plight of war refugees in Bangladest as organized by George Harrison and Ravi Shankar. 40,000 attended the two shows. The album of the event won the highly coveted Grammy Award Album of the Year for 1972. Eric Clapton would be on three album's of the year in his career, Bangladesh, his own Unplugged in 1992 and Santana's Supernatural in 1999. Clapton is on two of the only four live albums to win album of the year. He almost didn't make Bangladesh however due to his heroin problem. As a last minute replacement Taj Mahall guitarist Jesse Ed Davis was chosen but Clapton did show up and Davis remained in the stage lineup. Clapton is pretty much a sideman here and does no singing and only one guitar solo. Ravi Shankar starts out the concert with his band of Indian musicians, Ustad All Akbar Khan, Alla Rakah and Kamala Chak Ravarty in a long, long set. The concert also features Harrison's former Beatle band mate Ringo Starr. Fellow former Beatles John Lennon and Paul McCartney were invited to take part. McCartney declined but Lennon accepted and just two days before the concert when Harrison informed Lennon that it was he who was to perform and not Yoko Ono, Lennon dropped out. Also from the Beatles days, Billy Preston is here and Klaus Voorman. Apple recording stars Badfinger, are part of the ensemble stage band. Leon Russell and special guest Bob Dylan round out the big name stars. Also here are Jim Horn and The Hollywood Horns as well as Carl Radle, Jim Keltner, Don Preston, and backup singers Don Nix, Jo Green, Jeanie Greene, Marlin Grenne, Dolores Hall and Claudia Linnear. Saul Swimmer directed this documentary. He would go on to do the acclaimed Queen We Will Rock You documentary 10 years later. His attempts at directing feature films were forgettable. He was credited also as being a co-producer of the Beatle documentary Let It Be. Harrison was concerned that larger 32MM film cameras would be too imposing so he opted for the use of smaller 16MM film cameras. Richard E. Brooks and Fred Hoffman were the principal cinematographers of the eight man film crew that also included Sol Negrin and Tohru Nakamura. Brooks was like the Ed Wood of cinematography whose career consisted of filming low budget obscure bad feature films. When this film premiered in March of 1972 it was 140 minutes in length but somehow got chopped down by 45 minutes to a 95 minute run-time. I saw this during it's initial theatrical release and have seen it maybe one since and I have not seen it's new DVD version. It's a low budget film with no imaginative camera work and the Ravi Shankar segment is to long but it captures some great performances by a great cast of stars and recording and touring musicians. I would give this a 7.5 out of 10.

Just One Beef

[ferbs54 · 3 October 2011]

Few countries in modern history have experienced such traumatic birth pangs as Bangladesh. Still reeling after a devastating cyclone and tsunami double punch that occurred in November 1970, the territory of East Pakistan declared its independence from Pakistan on 3/26/71, resulting in civil war, 1 million killed and some 10 million refugees fleeing into neighboring India. (A smallpox epidemic in early '72 caused many more deaths and even more suffering.) Desperate to help the nascent nation, internationally renowned sitarist Ravi Shankar prevailed on his old friend, ex-Beatle George Harrison, for assistance. The outcome was Harrison's awareness-raising single "Bangla Desh," as well as a follow-up benefit concert. Hastily put together in five weeks, the resultant Concert for Bangladesh raised a quarter of a million dollars, and many millions more when the concert album was later released. That concert (actually an afternoon and an evening show) took place in NYC's Madison Square Garden on Sunday, August 1, 1971, featuring an all-star band that would put future Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Bands to shame. It included Harrison and (a surprisingly low-key) Eric Clapton on guitars, Billy Preston on organ, Leon Russell on piano, Ringo and Jim Keltner on drums, Klaus Voorman and Carl Radle on bass, and Badfinger on acoustic guitars, amongst many others, including Bob Dylan. The two shows, which featured essentially identical set lists albeit in slightly different orders, were cobbled together to create one fairly seamless cinematic experience; released in March '72, "The Concert for Bangladesh" helped raise even more takas for the noble cause.

As for the music itself, the show kicks off with Ravi Shankar (along with Ali Akbar Khan on sarod, the great Alla Rakha on tablas, and a woman only listed as Kamala on the droning tamboura) doing a piece called "Bangla Dhun." Demonstrating the greatest sheer technical virtuosity of any song of the evening, this 17-minute piece jump-starts the evening nicely; those viewers who enjoyed Ravi's set in the 1969 "Monterey Pop" film should just love him here! Harrison and his mates then take the stage, diving into solid, straightforward renditions of three songs ("Wah-Wah," "My Sweet Lord" and "Awaiting On You All") from Harrison's "All Things Must Pass," the so-called "Crown Jewel of Beatles Solo Albums." Next up, Billy Preston sings "That's the Way God Planned It," trading some nice riffs with Clapton and galvanizing the MSG crowd with some hyperkinetic dance moves. Ringo offers up his classic "It Don't Come Easy," and then it's back to the "Crown Jewel" with a supernice version of "Beware of Darkness," partly sung by Leon. "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" finds Harrison overpowering Clapton in the song's dueling finale; Eric's guitar seems very thin and submerged here, and truth to tell, I have seen the modern-day band Fab Faux cover this song much more impressively, with Jimmy Vivino always kicking tuchus during the final segment. Fortunately, the concert takes a dramatically dynamic turn when Leon Russell then performs the now-classic medley of "Jumpin' Jack Flash"/"Young Blood," easily stealing the show and leading to repeated FM airplays for years afterward. George and Badfinger guitarist Pete Ham perform a lovely acoustic version of "Here Comes the Sun" after this, and then Dylan steps up to give the audience four of his classics--"A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" (seemingly solo), "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry," with Harrison providing tasty electric licks behind, "Blowin' in the Wind" (again, seemingly solo) and "Just Like a Woman," with George and Leon singing accompaniment. "Something," featuring a sweet guitar break from Harrison, closes the set, and a fitting encore of "Bangla Desh" brings the evening to a close. Thus, the show/film/LP/CD/DVD reveals itself to be not just a goodwilled example of artistic humanitarianism, but a musical experience that can be well enjoyed today, over four decades later. My only beef: no "Let It Down"?!?!

Dylan steals the show

[bwaynef · 16 May 1999]

George Harrison organized this 1972 Madison Square Garden concert, but Bob Dylan steals the show. Clad in a faded blue jean jacket, his pudgy face surrounded by a halo of tangled curls, Dylan looks like an Oakie and sings like one, too, warbling "A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall," "Blowin' in the Wind," and "It Takes a Lot to Laugh" with a definite twang in his nasal voice. Watching him, I was reminded of the critics who insist that Dylan is always reinventing himself. In this film, it's hard to recognize him as the possessor of the contemptuous voice that rode "Like a Rolling Stone" to the top of the charts in 1965. Here he has reverted back to his pre-electric, pre-polka dot shirt days, and once again inhabits a persona reminiscent of Woody Guthrie. His appearance makes this otherwise grainy, unattractive looking film (shot in 16mm and blown up to 35), a cut above the usual rock concert film, although the finest moment is when George Harrison and Leon Russell join Dylan on the chorus of "Just Like a Woman."

Only Hari could have organised this concert

[bondy-4 · 28 January 2001]

As one who was watching this event unfold, if only from Australia, it's a great disappointment that this outstanding rock concert is no longer available on video. Bring on the DVD too! I have been to a cinema on my own to watch a movie only twice. The first time was to watch the Concert For BanglaDesh. I didn't regret it. I bought the triple album for $A17 . . . . it was a long time ago remember . . . . and just had to see it as well. It took an ex-Beatle to gather together so much rock muscle for this benefit concert. The names alone should be enough to sell this movie: George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Leon Russell, Jim Keltner, Badfinger to name a few. Don't forget the Ravi Shankar warm-up either, just to get you in the mood. From the comfortable vantage point of 2001, it's rather pleasant to see a much younger George Harrison in his white suit and long hair playing for the benefit of those who suffered so much in BanglaDesh thirty years ago. Surely the anniversary is enough to warrant the concert's re-release on video and DVD?!

My friend came to me....

[dbdumonteil · 10 February 2007]

sadness in his eyes / told me that he wanted help/Before his country dies.

That's what Harrison wrote in his single "Bangla Desh" ,released late July 1971 ."My friend" is ,as anybody knows,Ravi Shankar.

Apart from Leon Russel's dreadful performance -with the eventual exception of "Jumpin' Jack Flash" - ,all that remains is good ,even splendid.

Highlighs include Clapton/Harrison's duet on "while my guitar gently weeps" ,the lovely "Here comes the sun" with the late Pete Ham on an acoustic guitar and Dylan's five songs which are a well chose menu :only "it takes a lot ...." seems weak by comparison but when you deal with such classics as "Tambourine man" "Blowin' in the wind" or "Hard Rain's a gonna fall";and Harrison's and Russel's back up vocals on "just like a woman" are worth the price of admission.

Bob Geldof who was praised during the eighties for band aid was not the first one .....

Amnesty must be jealous..

[renaldo and clara · 16 August 2002]

..yet this concert is nowhere to be found......

Damn.

Ok, I'm the only reviewer here who hasn't seen the rockumentary, but I can assure you that it's not like I haven't been trying. Just don't know where to find the friggin' thing...If anyone knows, please e-mail me at [e-mail]

If anyone's curious as to why I am so interested and desperate to see it-well I'm Dylan's #1 fan and heard the live recording of "Mr Tambourine Man" -sung during this concert, and wow..just hearing it was an experience I'll never forget. RIP George!

For all its faults it's great that it exists

[vandino1 · 19 December 2005]

Possibly the granddaddy of all charity super-concerts, as well-meaning as they come, and probably delayed from video and DVD release because of the same money-rights confusion that comes into play with these giveaway projects. The film itself is a blow-up from smaller stock film to 70mm, and you know what that means: a muddy, grainy visual workout for the eyeballs. It doesn't help that the director is totally incompetent, with constant shifts in focus and possibly the worst lighting ever of any theatrically-released concert film. Most of the players are lost in the darkness on stage, with an occasional spotlight seeking them out (for instance, the group 'Badfinger' plays acoustic guitars at the audience-right side of the stage for a number of songs but is unseen until Harrison introduces them and a spotlight pulls them out of the blackness). Showmanship is not the angle here: Harrison tells the audience that the gang of musicians on stage are playing for free and some even cancelled some paying gigs in order to be here. And it's not an ego thing, with rock stars demanding intros and "guest star attention"; they're all assembled on stage at the same time. Exception: Bob Dylan. He IS a guest star, but I don't know the backstage story. Maybe he showed up late. I DO know that Harrison had an initial commitment from John Lennon to play, but Lennon backed out at the last minute. But, hey, you got Harrison, Ringo, Billy Preston, Dylan, Leon Russell and Eric Clapton (and Badfinger, sorta) so, there ain't much to bitch about "cast-wise." It's too bad that there are few close-ups, and worse, there's no backstage material, interviews, or even narration. There IS a gentle warning at the opening, by Harrison, that the show will start off with some sitar and tabla playing by Ravi Shankar and some other Indian musicians. The crowd recognizes Shankar's name and roars approval (possibly aware that Shankar was dynamite at the Monterey Pop Festival) and settles in for a loooong stretch of sitar-tabla material (while I watch Shankar and think THIS is the man who would later help "produce" his greatest creation: Norah Jones!) It would be churlish to object to Indian-style music considering this IS a Concert for Bangladesh, not for Liverpool; but it is also an acquired taste for Western ears. Then again, Bob Dylan's hideously out-of-key voice is also an acquired taste for ANY pair of ears. Dylan also settles in for a looong stretch. I admit I'm no fan of his work for the most part, so to each his own. I think it IS good to see Preston and Russell given a few leads, but Ringo only gets one song and, as an example of the lack of showbiz flair at this gathering, he sings it while buried behind a drum kit instead of being brought up front stage to a mike (no, that wouldn't leave the song without a drummer: Jim Keltner, drummer extraordinaire, bangs away beside Ringo on his kit throughout the concert). It's also surprising that Clapton never sings and has no guitar solos except his classic work on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." Also surprising is how it ends, with the band playing Harrison's song "Bangla-desh" at full-tilt, when Curious George puts down his guitar and rushes off stage as if in need of a bathroom break, then it's closing credits as the band plays on sans George... and that's it. Not a good concert film, needless to say, but definitely an artifact worth keeping for rock-history purposes.

Pretty good concert film but not as good as everyone says

[bob the moo · 1 May 2006]

After a bit of rambling about the reasons for the concert (which, it has to be said, are typically simplistic), George Harrison introduces Ravi Shankar to the stage. After telling off the audience for making noise and asking them to just be patient and concentrate on the music he is about to play (great way to sell yourself Ravi), he then asks the audience not to smoke and then launches into 20 minutes of music that I must confess didn't do a great deal for me. Perhaps I was just a bit off by him tell me (the audience) to pay attention to the point where he seemed to lack faith in his own music but I almost laughed out loud when he asked for no-smoking during the gig – was the bit where he told them where the fire exits were edited out of the film? Either way I mustn't have been patient or quiet enough because I didn't like Shankar's bit and was very grateful when he finished. He was followed by artists who didn't feel the need to apologise for or pre-warn the audience for the audience about the music they were about to play. At this point the music got better and I enjoyed it even if it wasn't that great. The appearance of Dylan at the end livened it up for me and generally the music was enjoyable but I was surprised, given this was a high-profile concert, that it wasn't actually that memorable.

Of course the delivery of the film doesn't help it that much either though. The static cameras maybe feel a bit less hectic that some concert films but they rob the film of atmosphere, focusing on one person at a time with only a bit of zooming in and out to show that anyone is awake at the wheel. Occasionally we'll get a crowd shot but this is not the film to come to if you want to get a feel for the atmosphere at the gig. The "cast" are mostly very good. Harrison leads things well and he has good support from the various musicians with him, although the highlight for me was of course Bob Dylan's arrival near the end.

Overall then, a reasonable concert film that is worth a look for fans of Clapton, Harrison and Dylan. The delivery of the film lacks atmosphere and, as has been said by others, isn't the nicest picture you'll ever see, but it is the music that makes up for it mostly. I didn't like anything about Shankar at the start (his attitude or his music) but after that things got much rockier and better, even if most of it wasn't that memorable.

REMEMBERING GEORGE HARRISON AS A VISIONARY

[vasiliosvasilas · 11 February 2021]

In the two years of post Beatledom, it seemed George Harrison could no wrong... With an ambitious No 1 triple album solo album, All Things Must Pass, and smash singles, 'My Sweet Lord' and 'What is Life'...he was so quick off the blocks... it was as though the Lennon/McCartney partnership was holding him back all those years.

So when George's friend, Ravi Shankar, asked him to help in organising a benefit concert for the plight of newly-independent Bangladesh, he assembled a star-studded line up for the historic concert...

This was truly George's concert... despite all his efforts not to make it so. The gorgeous "Something" is simply ethereal and the duelling guitar work of Eric Clapton and Harrison on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" is masterclass... Harrison was energised for his rockers, "What is Life", and " "Wah Wah" and tender for "Beware of Darkness"...

Yes... Leon sings a medley, Billy Preston and Ringo (Starr) chip in but this was Harrison's show...

The huge coup for the night was getting Bob Dylan on stage... whether it is 'Mr Tambourine Man' and 'Blowin in the Wind', he is class...

My only disappointment in all this was why Harrison was not recogised more for this historical concert... this was the first benefit concert of this scale and inspired others to follow... he was so ahead of his time...