Welcome to the Beatles Rarity of the Week. Nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas in the northern part of India lies the city of Dehradun. Located around 150 miles north of India’s capital city, New Delhi, Dehradun is also a capital city for India’s northern state of Uttarakhand. The city is famous for it’s beautiful landscape and pleasant climatic conditions and is nearby to many popular tourist destinations in the Himalayas and also close to Rishikesh where The Beatles visited on their retreat to see the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in 1968. After 1968’s “The Inner Light,” George Harrison discontinued his incorporation of Indian music within the context of The Beatles and even took a 3-year break from playing sitar. However his personal interest in it remained strong as well as his interest in Hinduism and Indian culture which he continued to learn about throughout the rest of his life. A good indication of George’s devotion to Indian music occurs during the time in 1969 when The Beatles were busy recording their Abbey Road album. George was pulling double- duty producing Radha Krishna Temple’s single for Apple Records titled “Hare Krishna Mantra.” Paul McCartney and drummer for Cream, Ginger Baker also assisted with the single which was released in August 1969 and charted in 20 countries, doing particularly well in Czechoslovakia, Germany and the U.K. where it peaked at number 12. George Harrison (one of the few in the pic with hair) with Radha Krishna Temple During the sessions for “Hare Krishna Mantra” at London’s Trident Studios, George recorded a few songs on his own guitar that he wrote and actually completed but never got around to releasing. One named after the Himalayan city Dehradun was mentioned in The Beatles Anthology documentary while George chats with Paul and Ringo Starr. George tries to recall the song and then sings a few lines with a brief ukelele accompaniment. Here now is his completed version of “Dehradun” recorded sometime between March and July 1969 at Trident Studios. For the Beatles, their stay in India was said to be their most creative period. When they were in Rishikesh (for several weeks in February, March and April of 1968), they wrote many songs, most of which were included in their White Album, one of their best known. “Dehra Dun” missed getting included in the album. This song is seen now as a rare gem of the Beatles. With their iconic long hair and necklaces of marigolds, The Beatles came to the ashram when they were at the height of their fame. They were looking for an escape from the pressures that came along with the fame. “It was through one of my neighbours that I could get this rare song,” says Kukreti. The video made by Kukreti matches the words of the songs and captures the beauty and tranquility of the valley. However, it is this beauty and calm that the city is fast losing and one wonders whether the Beatles could have been inspired to write a song had they visited it in this day and age. “The song captures the past simplicity of the valley and is very special for Doon’ites, especially those who have seen the days when the Beatles came here,” Kukreti says. He has placed the clip on the net and has received a lot of appreciation for it. “The nostalgia in this song and the fact that it was sung by Harrison makes it unique and I feel it should be highlighted more,” he says. Rishikesh lies in the Doon Valley in the foothills of the Himalayas, some 200 kilometres from the Indian capital of New Delhi. It’s just near the city of Dehradun, which is the subject of a song written by George Harrison and recorded by the Beatles – but never released. Sharad Kukreti , a Doon Valley- based IT professional, produced a short video film using the song as the soundtrack to various sights and scenes of the city: youtu.be/Sa9gOAIHU1U
Posted on: Sun, 04 Jan 2015 15:47:48 +0000
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