As evidenced on THE BEST OF GEORGE HARRISON, the Quiet Beatle did well in his little corner of Fab Fourdom despite being in the considerable shadow of John Lennon and Paul McCartney. The first seven songs on this collection point to Harrison's substantial contributions to the band, with "Taxman", "Here Comes The Sun" and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" beingsome of the more notable Harrison compositions. "Something"was the only song Harrison wrote for the Beatles that became a hit and ended up being covered by a number of artists including Frank Sinatra (who mistakenly credited it to Lennon/McCartney).
Having been one of the first rock musicians to experiment with and embrace Eastern culture invariably bore a heavy influence on Harrison's music, most notably on hisearly solo work. "My Sweet Lord" and "Give Me Love (Give MePeace On Earth)" with their messages of spiritual tranquility both topped the charts while "What Is Life" landed in thetop 10. Harrison's commitment to the East resulted in a pair of 1972 charity concerts at Madison Square Garden for the people of Bangladesh from which the single "Bangla-Desh" peaked at 23 and earned more money for this personal crusade.