If Not For You by lazarus57

lazarus57 - If Not For You

lazarus57

Apr 10, 2025 10:48am

THE DOMINO EFFECT 3 - ROUND 1<img src="https://singsnap-cdn.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/message-board/threads/DKUS/30459b94ef_IYMD_media.gif">ROUND ONE - A SONG FROM THE OLDIES CATEGORY - IN PROGRESS <img src="https://i.imgur.com/8CieC5N.gif"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/FpqFr3K.gif"> "If Not for You" is a song by American singer-songwriter <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Dylan" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Bob Dylan</a> from his October 1970 album <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Morning" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">New Morning</a>. It was issued as the A-side of a single in Europe in early 1971. The song is a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_song" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">love song</a> to Dylan's first wife, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sara_Dylan" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Sara Dylan</a>. He recorded it several times in 1970; the session for the released version took place in New York in August. He also recorded the song with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Harrison" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">George Harrison</a> on May 1, soon after the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Break-up_of_the_Beatles" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">break-up of the Beatles</a>, a session that attracted much speculation in the music press. The May recording remained unreleased until its inclusion on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bootleg_Series_Volumes_1%E2%80%933_(Rare_%26_Unreleased)_1961%E2%80%931991" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 (Rare & Unreleased)</a> in 1991. In November 1970, Harrison released a version of "If Not for You" on his triple album <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Things_Must_Pass" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">All Things Must Pass</a>. George Harrison's version"If Not for You"<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">Song</a> by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Harrison" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">George Harrison</a>from the album <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Things_Must_Pass" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">All Things Must Pass</a>ReleasedNovember 27, 1970Length3:29<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Record_label" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">Label</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Records" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">Apple</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songwriter" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">Songwriter(s)</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Dylan" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">Bob Dylan</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Record_producer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">Producer(s)</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Harrison" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">George Harrison</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Spector" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">Phil Spector</a>Audio<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDAaKxlaBQ4" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">"If Not for You" by George Harrison</a> on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube_video_(identifier)" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">YouTube</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Harrison" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">George Harrison</a> included "If Not for You" on his first post-<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beatles" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">Beatles</a> solo album, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Things_Must_Pass" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">All Things Must Pass</a>, released on November 27, 1970.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_Not_for_You#cite_note-FOOTNOTEBadman200110,_16-52" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">[50]</a> He first taped a solo performance of the song when previewing potential material for his co-producer, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Spector" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">Phil Spector</a>, at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbey_Road_Studios" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">EMI Studios</a> in London.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_Not_for_You#cite_note-FOOTNOTESpizer2005220,_223-53" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">[51]</a> Recorded in late May, this recital also included Dylan's "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Don%27t_Want_to_Do_It" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">I Don't Want to Do It</a>" and the Harrison–Dylan collaboration "Nowhere to Go" (originally "When Everybody Comes to Town"),<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_Not_for_You#cite_note-FOOTNOTEMadingerEaster2000426-54" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">[52]</a> both of which originated from Harrison's time in Woodstock with Dylan and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Band" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">the Band</a> in late 1968.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_Not_for_You#cite_note-FOOTNOTELeng200651%E2%80%9352-55" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">[53]</a> The three performances became available in the 1990s on the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bootleg_recording" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">bootleg</a> compilation <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beware_of_ABKCO!" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">Beware of ABKCO!</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_Not_for_You#cite_note-FOOTNOTEMadingerEaster2000426-54" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">[52]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_Not_for_You#cite_note-56" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">[54]</a>The basic track for Harrison's formal recording of "If Not for You" was recorded at EMI between late May and early June 1970.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_Not_for_You#cite_note-FOOTNOTEMadingerEaster2000427-57" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">[55]</a> In author Simon Leng's view, Harrison created a characteristically melody-centric version of the song, which more clearly defines its <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verse_(popular_music)" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">verse</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridge_(music)" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">bridge</a> sections and eschews Dylan's preference for spontaneity in favor of "aural pleasure".<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_Not_for_You#cite_note-FOOTNOTELeng200688%E2%80%9389-58" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">[56]</a> The arrangement includes multiple acoustic guitars and a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slide_guitar" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">slide guitar</a> motif that Harrison had played during the May 1 session with Dylan.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_Not_for_You#cite_note-FOOTNOTELeng200673,_88-59" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">[57]</a> Leng also highlights the significance of Harrison's introduction to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dobro" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">Dobro</a>, via guitarist <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Bromberg" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">David Bromberg</a>, as another legacy of his 1970 visit to New York.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_Not_for_You#cite_note-FOOTNOTELeng200673%E2%80%9374-60" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">[58]</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Frampton" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">Peter Frampton</a> played one of the acoustic guitar parts on the song.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_Not_for_You#cite_note-FOOTNOTESpizer2005223-61" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">[59]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_Not_for_You#cite_note-62" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">[60]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_Not_for_You#cite_note-64" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">[nb 3]</a> According to the EMI master tape, the instrumentation also includes <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonium" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">harmonium</a>, piano and organ.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_Not_for_You#cite_note-ATMP_master_tape-65" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">[62]</a>Music historians Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon describe "If Not for You" as "one of Dylan's songs with the strongest connection to the Fab Four".<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_Not_for_You#cite_note-FOOTNOTEMargotinGuesdon2015352-46" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">[44]</a> It was sequenced as the second track on side two of Harrison's triple album, before "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behind_That_Locked_Door" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">Behind That Locked Door</a>",<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_Not_for_You#cite_note-FOOTNOTEMadingerEaster2000634-66" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">[63]</a> which he had written as a tribute to Dylan before the latter's performance at the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isle_of_Wight_Festival_1969" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">1969 Isle of Wight Festival</a>.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_Not_for_You#cite_note-FOOTNOTEClayson2003273-67" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">[64]</a> The album opened with "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27d_Have_You_Anytime" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">I'd Have You Anytime</a>", a Harrison–Dylan collaboration that documented the two songwriters' meeting in Woodstock.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_Not_for_You#cite_note-FOOTNOTELeng200652,_82-68" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">[65]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_Not_for_You#cite_note-70" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">[nb 4]</a> According to Beatles biographer <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_Schaffner" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">Nicholas Schaffner</a>, Dylan therefore had a tangible presence on All Things Must Pass, "in spirit if not in person".<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_Not_for_You#cite_note-FOOTNOTESchaffner1978142-71" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">[67]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikal_Gilmore" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">Mikal Gilmore</a> of Rolling Stone describes Harrison's "If Not for You" as "surprisingly beautiful",<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_Not_for_You#cite_note-FOOTNOTEThe_Editors_of_''Rolling_Stone''200240-72" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">[68]</a> while Leng deems it a "gleaming pop creation".<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_Not_for_You#cite_note-FOOTNOTELeng200688-73" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">[69]</a> In his entry for All Things Must Pass in the book <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1,000_Recordings_to_Hear_Before_You_Die" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Moon" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">Tom Moon</a> names it as one of the album's three "key tracks", along with "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beware_of_Darkness_(song)" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">Beware of Darkness</a>" and "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isn%27t_It_a_Pity" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">Isn't It a Pity</a>".<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_Not_for_You#cite_note-FOOTNOTEMoon2008345%E2%80%9346-74" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204);">[70]</a> <img src="https://borntolisten.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/george-bob.jpg" alt="George Harrison – If Not For You – The Best Dylan Covers | Born To Listen"> <img src="https://th.bing.com/th/id/R.a2ec35af81326c06dd8f02d64a37111d?rik=hZ1egAT1cKgIhQ&pid=ImgRaw&r=0" alt="George Harrison and Bob Dylan Sing 'If Not for You' in 1971: Watch ...">