DJ Sue

DJ Sue
Welcome to my blog. I’m a DJ in Second Life and I find myself discussing the music I’m playing with many of those in attendance at my shows. Unfortunately, when I am busy DJing, I can’t participate and discuss the music as fully as I would like. I’m hoping this blog can help change that. Look here before my set to see if I might be playing something interesting today or maybe after to see if discussion on a topic might continue. You are invited to join in the conversation and leave comments.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

The Concert for Bangladesh





A couple of months ago, I started a new program where on the last Sunday of the month, I play an entire concert, as it happened.  This is not just a compilation of live recordings but an actual place and date, reconstructed historically with the actual recordings.  I have already done this yearly with Woodstock and now I can take you back to other places and times like you were there.

I guess I was destined to do this one from the start.  The Concert for Bangladesh is largely forgotten today but it was one of the most pivotal events that would change the music industry forever.  It all started with this hand painted sign in front of Madison Square Garden, in New York City, back in 1971.







In 1970, the Bhola cyclone (a hurricane in that part of the world) struck East Pakistan, causing massive devastation and creating a great humanitarian plight.  It is still the deadliest tropical cyclone ever recorded, killing 300,000 to 500,000 people.  If that wasn’t enough, 1970 also saw the beginning of Pakistan’s genocide against the Bengali people.  Those that weren’t killed, were left starving in the wake of the cyclone.  In March of 1971, the Pakistani government launched Operation Searchlight against the people of East Pakistan and President Yahya Khan said, “Kill three million of them and the rest will eat out of our hands.”

It is estimated that up to 3 million people were killed and that 10 million fled over the border into India and the humanitarian crisis took an unprecedented toll.  George Harrison, a former Beatle, had strong ties to India and was deeply moved by what he was witnessing.  Harrison had traveled to India to learn the Sitar back in 1966 and was a student of the great sitar master, Ravi Shankar.  If you recall my Woodstock recreations, Ravi Shankar played the festival in 1969.  Harrison and Shankar knew they had to do something.


The Concert

Other concerts of this kind would have a line-up of artists and each would play a set during the show.  The Concert for Bangladesh was different in that all the invited artists would form a single “super group” on stage.  Ravi Shankar was an exception to this and did an Indian music set at the beginning of the show, usually referred to as “part one.”  After Shankar, the “super group’ took to the stage and played the entire “part two” together with a couple of exceptions noted below.  Here was the line-up…

George Harrison (guitar): Harrison was a former Beatle and organizer for this concert.  Besides being good friends with Ravi Shankar, he was also close to Eric Clapton.  After securing his commitment, he made his plea to other artists.  So moving was his pitch, many artists cancelled paying gigs to be there to donate their performance to the cause.

Eric Clapton (guitar): Clapton was very sick the day of the concert with heroin withdrawal, but he wasn’t about to let his friend, George, down or the people of Bangladesh.  He took the stage despite his illness and still did a moving rendition of While My Guitar Gently Weeps.  He had originally appeared as a guest artist on the recording of that song for the Beatles White Album.

Ringo Starr (drums): Ringo is also a former Beatle.  He was spotlighted and did his song, It Don’t Come Easy, which was currently topping the charts.  It would reach #4 in both the United States and the UK.  Author, Nicholas Schaffner, was in the audience and reported that Starr’s rendition of his current hit received the “biggest ovation” of the show.  The addition of Billy Preston’s organ and Clapton’s distinct guitar makes this version a real treat.  I’ve always been amazed at Ringo’s ability to both drum and sing at the same time.

Billy Preston (Hammond Organ): Preston was a notable studio musician, and did work for the Beatles, before becoming a Grammy winning artist himself.  He was a prolific songwriter and is credited with co-writing You Are so Beautiful for Joe Cocker.

Leon Russell (bass/piano): He was probably one of the most prolific musical collaborators in the industry and toured with hundreds of artists.  He also recorded and performed on his own and his music crossed all genres including rock, soul, country, gospel and even surf, to name but a few.  He also wrote a song for Joe Cocker, Delta Lady.

Bob Dylan (guitar): This man needs no introduction but the story of his appearance here is one of the highlights of the concert you will hear.  Harrison had worked on getting Dylan to come out of his seclusion and do the benefit.  Dylan had been in a motorcycle accident in 1966 and completely withdrew from public appearance.  Some have even theorized that the “accident” was just an excuse for him to escape the public eye.

Harrison had taped the set list to the back of his guitar and had just written “Bob?” at the point in the show where Dylan was scheduled.  He was supposed to come on in the middle as a surprise, but Harrison had his doubts that Dylan would come through.  It wasn’t until he saw him in the wing that he knew he would show.  All of the concert promotions just said "George Harrison and Friends,"so no one knew who was appearing. When Dylan took the stage for the first time in five years, it was a surprise to the audience.  During the concert on Sunday you will hear that electric moment as the crowd goes wild when Dylan steps on the stage to join the “super group.”

Badfinger: Who better to round out the sound and add some more depth than the band that had been so closely compared to the Beatles themselves.  In fact, they were signed to Apple Records.  My favorite moment in the concert came when George Harrison and Pete Ham of Badfinger did a song that was my favorite Beatles song done by my favorite Beatle George.  He and Pete Ham did a moving rendition of Here Comes the Sun on two acoustic guitars.  There were no drums or other accompaniment other than the Soul Choir doing backing vocals.

The Hollywood Horns: Additional session musicians.

The Soul Choir: Backing vocals.


Legacy


After Operation Searchlight the previous March, Bangladesh officially declared their independence from Pakistan, beginning the Bangladesh Liberation War.  The war waged on, further contributing to the humanitarian crisis, as Harrison and friends performed their relief concert in New York on August 1, 1971.  The following December, India officially recognized Bangladesh and went to war with Pakistan to defend her.  Indian Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, had decided that it was in India’s best interest to go to war with Pakistan in consideration of the 10 million refugees crossing their border.  Bangladesh was now an independent country.

While all of this was going on, the release of the album was hung up by record company greed.  The musicians had donated their performances for the relief of the people of Bangladesh and Apple records was donating the manufacturing and packaging for free.  Somehow, Capitol Records insisted that it be compensated to the tune of $400,000 (over 2.5 million in today’s dollars) for “production costs.”  Harrison thought that everyone else was giving and that Capitol should be charitable too, but they weren’t backing down.  Neither was Harrison.  Capitol took a beating in the press and eventually did back down and settled for 25¢ from each album sale.  The album was finally released on December 20, four days after the Pakistani military surrendered to the Bangladesh-India Allied Forces.

A few weeks later, a 13-year-old DJ Sue went to the record store and paid her $12.98 (a lot of money back then), knowing that she was helping to feed the starving people of Bangladesh.  In the early ‘70s, $13.5 million was raised for humanitarian relief for the people of Bangladesh through the concert, album and movie.  In 1990, ownership rights to the music, films and recordings were transferred to UNICEF and by that time the effort had made about $45 million.  There would be no more record company greed as UNICEF now owned the concert outright, along with all money generated.

The Concert for Bangladesh continues to make money today for relief in Bangladesh as the “George Harrison Fund for UNICEF.”  It was the first ever endeavor of its kind and other such benefit concerts like Live Aid, Farm Aid, the Secret Policeman’s Ball, etc. owe their existence to the prototype, the Concert for Bangladesh.


So, Join us…


This Sunday, November24, and I will recreate the Concert for Bangladesh at 7:00 PM SL time.  I will magically transport us back to Madison Square Garden on August 1, 1971.  We will relive one of the most important and memorable events in music history.  If you really want to fully relive the experience, consider donating $25, the cost of a ticket in 1971, to the George Harrison Fund for UNICEF.  The link is below…




"In one day, the whole world knew the name of Bangladesh. It was a fantastic occasion." 
Ravi Shankar