George Harrison
Bangla Desh/Deep Blue

THE REVIEW

Bangla Desh 

After the well-deserved success of the monumental "All Things Must Pass" George Harrison receives from his friend Ravi Shankar news concerning the disastrous conditions of the Bangla Desh population, being no diplomat, the only thing he can do is to let the rest of the world know about the situation of the Asian country through his music. "Bangla Desh" is born as an appeal to the Western world to bring attention to the issue, the line "Please, don't turn your back" is very significant, a direct plea to stir consciences. Harrison's sensitivity to the problem would lead him to organize the famous "Concert for Bangla Desh" in '71 in which he would gather numerous friends and others in a unique event in music history, recognized today by everyone as the initiator of benefit events like Live Aid in 1985. Of his former colleagues, only Ringo Starr would attend the concert, Paul and John would find trivial excuses not to show up, only to regret it in later years and indeed Paul would organize with his Wings in '79 a concert in support of Cambodia. The composition "Bangla Desh" is a small song functional to the conveyed message, a soft introduction that then leads to the more lively central part where George directly asks for help from the audience. 

The B-side, "Deep Blue", is a bitter reflection on end-of-life. Written in 1970 during a very difficult period for George as his mother was terminally ill with cancer and he was commuting between London and Liverpool every day to be by her side. "Deep Blue" is a very simple song, a subtle and delicate guitar melody with essential arrangement, even though it was released as a B-side of a single it is among Harrison's most appreciated compositions.