For what will the world remember George Harrison

A.� First and foremost it will be his musical contribution to The Beatles, whose impact on music and culture will probably never be equalled.

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Q.� Were The Beatles really that important

A.� They were, and they remain so:�the impact their music and style made on the youth culture in the 1960s and 1970s had implications that last even today.

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Q.� Why was their impact so great

A.� Largely it was a matter of timing. In the early 1960s, the western world was finally shaking off the depression and financial privations of World War II, and an emerging 'youth culture' was ready to embrace new music and styles - particularly late teenagers, who money to spend. The Beatles were on hand to act as afocus for this youth movement, providing it with a distinctive cultural identity. This was underscored with an apparently endless line of catchy hit singles, which created and fed an entire generation of pop-music fanatics.

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Q.� Was George Harrison a major contributor to The Beatles

A.� As a musician,�Harrison was a�key�component�of �the sound of The Beatles, although his contributions were sometimes buried�by the production of their early singles. Because Lennon and McCartney's songs were strongly rhythm-based, Harrison's lead guitar breaks were often drowned out - but his occasional solos were always sweetly played and perfectly suited to the particular songs they enhanced. As a vocalist, Harrison's harmonies with either Lennon or McCartney formed a vital part of The Beatles' overall sound. As a songwriter, however,�his material was always eclipsed by the sheer weight of output from the band's main writing partnership.

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Q.� They always called George 'the quiet one'�- was he

A.� As the youngest member of the band, Harrison was always in awe of the strong personalities of Lennon and McCartney, and as a more introverted personality (in later years, he turned his home at Henley into something of a fortress), he was happy to let the other two do the majority of the band's press interviews. The chemistry of The Beatles is the same as any other band which lasts the course�- a mixture of strong personalities who lead and innovate, and the rest who are content to let them do so.

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Q.� He did have a successful solo career though.

A.� Harrison's solo work after the split of The Beatles has again been eclipsed by the higher profile work of Lennon and McCartney. But�his solo output, though patchy, contains some excellent material.

Q.� What was Harrison's best solo work

A.� Probably his All Things Must Pass album. Harrison collaborated with the world-famous producer Phil Spector, whose famous 'wall of sound' production suited Harrison's lighter vocal style. His single My Sweet Lord, which�gave voice to�Harrison's enduring interest in religion, was the first single by a solo Beatle to reach the top of the charts -�although Harrison was successfully sued for plagiarism by the publishers of The Chiffons' hit He's So Fine, to which a court found it bore a striking�resemblance. Harrison also hit the Top�3 with his effervescent reworking of the old Rudy Clark gospel hit Got My Mind Set On You.

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Q.� What else did George Harrison do after The Beatles

A.� In addition to forming his own Dark Horse record label and releasing a body of solo material, Harrison was the instigator of the mammoth Concert For Bangladesh, the first example of major world music stars coming together to perform in concert, with the�proceeds being given to a deserving cause�- in this case the starving millions in the Indian sub-continent. The triple live album recorded at the event is a tribute to Harrison's vision and compassion.

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Harrison had a famously dry Liverpool sense of humour, normally only revealed to those close to him. This was�made more apparent by his willingness to bankroll the Monty Python film project�The Life Of Brian, which was in danger of collapse when initial finance was withdrawn. Harrison created his own production company Hand Made Films and arranged backing for a number of other innovative film projects at a time when the British film industry was in serious financial trouble. Harrison forged a lifelong friendship with the Python team, especially Eric Idle, and�he �appeared in Idle's affectionate spoof of the Beatles' career, The Rutles.

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Q.� Were The Beatles reconciled in the end

A.� Only they know that for certain. Harrison and McCartney remained close and visited each other often, because both live mainly in the UK. Ringo has lived abroad for a number of years.

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Q.� What would be a fitting epitaph for George Harrison

A.� Maybe to not be referred to as 'ex-Beatle' George Harrison. No one refers to Bob Geldof as 'ex-Boomtown Rat' Bob Geldof, or to Michael Jackson as 'ex-Jackson Five' Michael Jackson -�so maybe it is time for the media to realise �that the world does actually know who George Harrison was, and that there are good individual reasons for his name to be remembered.

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by Andy Hughes