DISCSETC: ROCK HHHII Various Artists Concert for George WSM

In 1971 George Harrison masterminded the Concert for Bangladesh, one of rock's earliest forays into corporate social responsibility. In 2002, a year after the ex-Beatle's death, a Concert for George took place that was driven by a similar moral force. Where the earlier event - in New York's Madison Square Garden - had been a fundraiser for victims of war, the gathering at the Albert Hall was, in effect, a memorial service that set out to evoke Harrison's spirit through the Indian music that meant so much to him and through renditions of his songs that it was obviously felt should be as instrumentally faithful as possible to the originals.

While strong on atmosphere, the results are mixed. There are moments - as when Jeff Lynne murders "I Want to Tell You" - that are pure karaoke. But they are outnumbered by a succession of gems, perhaps most surprisingly a "Here Comes the Sun" sung by Joe Brown. Other friends pitching in include McCartney, Starr, Clapton, Petty, and Beatles associate Billy Preston. On the whole, a fitting tribute.

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