Dead rock stars

I was in the US when George Harrison died.

Radio Stations all over New Hampshire New England played wall to wall Beatles and Harrison songs. In that 24 hours, I heard much of his solo material, stuff I had never heard in the UK, in fact other than My Sweet Lord, for most of my first few years I was unaware of anything else he had done. In 1981, he recorded a song about The Beatles, All Those Years Ago, most especially John Lennon who was murdered the year before. Seven years later he revisted The Beatles with When we was Fab.

Punk had rendered most of what came from before 1976 and old and boring, many stars of the 50s, 60s and 70s put on the shelf, with nowhere on radio here for their stuff to be played. Unlike in the US where there was FM radio and old hits were played.

George could probably have walked down most hight streets in UK and not be recognised, despite being an actual fucking Beatle. He also finded Monty Python when no one else would, and gave permission for the Ruttles to write Beatles pastiches, as well as finding it, and apprearing in it too.

I thought of other stars of the 60s who were still famous in the US, and pretty much forgotten in the UK. Jeff Beck being top of the list.

Beck was best known for the party favourite, Hi Ho Silver Lining, and yet was one of the great young guitarists. In March 1965, Beck was recruited by the Yardbirds to succeed Eric Clapton on the recommendation of fellow session musician Jimmy Page, who had been their initial choice.

He was fired less than two years later and formed his own band.

I guess my point is that despite being regarded by a God by many more famous musicians, as with their tweets and statements today, at home, he was largely unknown.

If we can erase such people from our artistic memory, what else will we forget?

Jeff hated his one hit, Hi Ho, and I believe he refused to play it.

He did his thing and was the guitarisist's guitarist. Which is probably what he wanted.