George's Legal Problems

George Harrison,1968(photo:AP)

In 1976,George Harrison was sued by Bright Tunes for an alleged plagiarism,citing similarities between his song "My Sweet Lord" which was included on his 1970 album All Things Must Pass and the Chiffons' "He's So Fine" which was written by Robert Mack.The lawsuit was actually passed five years earlier but it wasn't until 1976 when the court hearings started to proceed with music experts examining every detail between the two songs and Harrison attending the proceedings with guitar in hand,arguing the fact that the two songs were different from one another.

Harrison  lost the case and the sad thing is that he had to pay for the damages to none other than Allen Klein,who he was so eager to have as Beatles manager post-Epstein.Klein seemed to have double crossed Lennon,Harrison and Starr who backed him up during the Beatles' darkest hour in 1969 which eventually led to the band's breakup.With McCartney leaving the group,the other three ended up suing Klein as well which eventually led to the latter spending some time in prison for some things that he did anyway.


Here are the songs that were the subject of plagiarism on this topic,first let's listen to "My Sweet Lord" and later compare it  to the Chiffons' "He's So Fine" which was also posted below on this page:

And here's the Chiffons with "He's So Fine"

On that same year in 1976,George wrote and recorded "This Song" in which he made a parody of the court proceedings that he went through with his composition in which the judge ruled out that he subconsciously plagiarised it with another song.The song even has a music video which was way ahead of its time as MTV wasn't around until 1981.Complete with courtroom dramas with several of his friends helping him out like drummer Jim Keltner who played with all four ex-Beatles acting as the judge and Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones dressed in drag and acted as one of the juries.

Adding insult to injury,singer/comedian Jonathan King made a parody of both songs by singing "He's So Fine" set to the tune of "My Sweet Lord" complete with slide guitar and acoustic arrangements.His parody made loyal Beatles and Harrison fans uncomfortable....

(c) Keith Vernon Adagio

THE MANAGER

2014 saw the Rock N' Roll Hall Of Fame having Brian Epstein and former Rolling Stones manager Andrew Oldham among its inductees.The first time a rock manager has ever been inducted on since the committee was founded over thirty years ago.The Hall of Fame is filled with controversy as it was criticized on different occassions regarding its eligibility and was questioned about some of the artists that were being nominated and inducted later on.

Brian Epstein's life is full of mystery and controversy itself,being the manager of the Beatles and a fact that he was a failure at acting and a disappointment at the army surprised his family on how he became a successful enterpreneur.

He was running his record store NEMS and was astonished when somebody asked him a record he had never heard of.The single was "My Bonnie" by Tony Sheridan which is also known to be one of the first recordings done by the Beatles as backing musicians to another artist.Epstein took pride in knowing the latest records at the time as his store was known to be the biggest in Northern England.He decided to go to the Cavern and check the band out.After having introduced himself,the Beatles were impressed by his personality that they agreed to be managed.

The first move was to kick Pete Best out of the band and have Ringo in his replacement and the Beatles were on their way. By the time Beatlemania was at its peak in the UK and later in the US,Epstein was enjoying a number of blind dates,nasal laughter and decided to rest in his laurels.He busied himself managing other bands and artists while the fab four conquered the entire world.

Brian Epstein was known to be gay though he didn't really came out of the closet during the peak of his career.Several rumors about his sexuality continued even after his death and that also includes a rumored possibility of having a relationship with John Lennon.Rumor goes that Epstein was attracted at first to Lennon,that prompted him to introduce himself to the band.Paul McCartney denied such accusations in an interview stressing the fact that there never was a relationship and that Lennon is purely heterosexual.

The pressures of being a manager took toll on him that he started having sleep disorders and was diagnosed with severe depression.Eric Andersen and the Cyrkle were among the artists that he managed across the pond with the former he spent a lot of time with in late 1966 and early 1967.Though he had a lot of boys and girls in his inner circle it was said that it was the Beatles where he kept returning to.Though he knew deep inside that his prime group is outgrowing him,a split with the fab four was said to have been mooted,but the band threatened to break up themselves than have that partition with him.

Epstein was said to have been hit the most when the Beatles decided to retire from playing live performances.Touring problems prompted the band to quit and it was decided that they'll just concentrate on the music they were making in the studio.Hurt and worried with the bleakness of the future,Epstein retreated further into drugs and several attempts to influence the fab four's musical direction often ended in humiliation especially at the hands of Lennon.


Brian Epstein died on August 27,1967 on an overdose of sleeping pills.He even went to a rehab a few weeks before he died,perhaps being stoned and depressed out of his mind that he managed to forget how many he should take,so he took them all.


BANDS AND SOLO ARTISTS UNDER BRIAN EPSTEIN'S MANAGEMENT

The Beatles (1963-1967,his death)

Cilla Black

The Fourmost

The Paramounts

The Big Three

Cliff Bennett And The Rebel Rousers

Gerry and the Pacemakers

The Cyrkle

Eric Andersen

The Rustiks

Billy J Kramer and the Dakotas

The Applejacks

The Moody Blues (1965-1967)

Cream (1966-1967,his death)- In partnership with Robert Stigwood

Bee Gees (1966-1967,his death)-In partnership with Robert Stigwood


(c) Keith Vernon Adagio

　

Sir Paul McCartney postpones June US dates

Sir Paul McCartney's Out There 2014 World Tour is set to resume on July 5 in Albany,NY.The following dates June 14-26 which was scheduled for Lubbock,Dallas,New Orleans,Atlanta,Jacksonville,Nashville and Louisville have all been moved to October.Though no update or announcement was made from his facebook page,it was his website that has set these rescheduled dates as rock sites Rolling Stone and UCR published the postponed dates to the disappointment of his fans.

Sir Paul was quoted to say "I’m sorry but it’s going to be a few more weeks before we get rocking in America again. I’m feeling great but taking my docs' advice to take it easy for just a few more days. Look forward to seeing you all soon.”  The former Beatle contracted a virus during the Asian leg of his World tour last May that prompted him to cancel his Japan and South Korea shows.

The following dates will go ahead as scheduled including the final concert at Candlestick Park in San Francisco set on August 14 which is the venue where the final Beatles concert took place.

July 5: Albany, NY - Times Union Center
July 7: Pittsburgh, PA - Consol Energy Center
July 9: Chicago, IL - United Center
July 12: Fargo, ND - Fargodome
July 14: Lincoln, NE - Pinnacle Bank Arena
July 16: Kansas City, MO - Sprint Center
August 2: Minneapolis, MN - Target Field
August 5: Missoula, MT - Washington-Grizzly Stadium
August 7: Salt Lake City, UT - EnergySolutions Arena
August 10: Los Angeles, CA - Dodger Stadium
August 12: Phoenix, AZ - US Airways Center
August 14: San Francisco, CA - Candlestick Park
Re-scheduled dates set for October (originally June 14-26)

October 2: Lubbock, TX - United Spirit Arena
(Re-scheduled from June 14)
October 11: New Orleans, LA - Smoothie King Center
(Re-scheduled from June 19)
October 13: Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center
(Re-scheduled from June 16)
October 15: Atlanta, GA - Philips Arena
(Re-scheduled from June 21)
October 16: Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena
(Re-scheduled from June 25)
October 25: Jacksonville, FL - Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
(Re-scheduled from June 22)
October 28: Louisville, KY - Yum! Center
(Re-scheduled from June 26)

schedule dates courtesy of Paul McCartney's website.


RELATED ARTICLES:

Sir Paul gets sick while on tour,cancels Japan shows

Paul McCartney bids farewell to Candlestick Park


(c) Keith Vernon Adagio