“He makes it sing, and he makes it cry. He can do it all.” Jeff Lynne explains why a "campfire classic" proves George Harrison's slide playing was second to none

“People always say I’m the Beatle who changed the most,” George Harriso there’s some truth in that. From his early days playing Gretsch and Rickenbacker electric guitars to his psychedelic sitar era and his evolution into a slide guitar guru — the Quiet Beatle grew from a group member into his own style of guitarist.

His friend and fellow guitarist Jeff Lynne believes Harrison's development as a slide guitar player was something no one else has come close to matching. In a post to Harrison's official Instagram page, Lynne shared his insights into the guitarist's playing.

"George Harrison is the best slide player I’ve ever heard,” Lynne wrote. “He’s so accurate on it, and he makes it sing, and he makes it cry, and he makes it do anything, really.

“He can hold out a pure note with just beautiful vibrato that is so even. And it’s that style, it’s the melodic aspect of it, but it’s also soulful [and] bluesy. He can do it all.”

Lynne's comments were accompanied by a clip of Harrison's 1973 song “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth).” The tune, which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in June 1973, was a cut from Harrion's album Living in the Material World, which received its 50th anniversary reissue last year.

Living in the Material World was one of 1973’s most anticipated records. it built on the momentum of his 1970 smash All Things Must Pass, and the success of The Concert for Bangladesh he spearheaded with sitarist Ravi Shankar one year later. The album reached number one in the U.S. and topped album charts in Canada and Australia, while it reached number two in Britain

Of all the album's tracks, “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)" would prove the most successful and enduring. Over the years, it's been covered by artists that include Sting, James Taylor and Elton John. Undoubtedly part of its success has been due to its ease of playing and musical flexibility.

George Harrison - Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth) (2024 Mix) [Official Audio] - YouTube

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“It works in all sorts of different styles,” writes Guitar Player contributing writer — and acoustic guitar guru — Jimmy Leslie. “Suffice it to say this acoustic strummer is a flexible tune and certainly one you can make your own, whether strumming a dreadnought with a pick or using a thumb-plus-fingers folk-strumming style on an orchestra model, parlor guitar or 12-string..”

Over a decade after the song was released, Lynne and Harrison struck up a fruitful union, forming the Traveling Wilburys with Tom Petty, Bob Dylan and Roy Orbison. Lynne was also on hand to co-produce the Beatles' mid-1990s singles "Free As a Bird" and "Real Love," and he co-produced Harrison's final, posthumously released album, Brainwashed, in 2002.