While My Guitar Gently Weeps

The Music of George Harrison

By: Simon Leng

Narrated by: Simon Leng

Far from being "the quiet one," George Harrison was a writer and arranger of terrific power and beauty, and his guitar playing was fundamental to the Beatles' sound and success. Now fully revised and expanded, this new edition of While My Guitar Gently Weeps: The Music of George Harrison is the most comprehensive evaluation of George Harrison's musical career ever published.

Treating each of Harrison's songs with unprecedented analysis, author Simon Leng reveals Harrison's eclectic approach from teenage Nashville twang through Indian raga, psychedelia, gospel, soul, and pure pop and thoroughly defines Harrison's role in the Beatles. First-hand accounts of the Concert for Bangladesh and the making of All Things Must Pass take the reader deep into the most fertile and controversial periods of Harrison's long solo career that culminated with Brainwashed.

Enhanced with insights from key figures who worked closely with Harrison throughout his extraordinary career, While My Guitar Gently Weeps is a remarkably stirring study and portrait of a great artist whose musical and spiritual quest changed the lives of millions of people around the world while redefining popular music and rock 'n' roll.

©2006 Simon Leng (P)2014 Simon Leng

Good Information, Poor Delivery

This was an interesting and informative book that expands George Harrison's Career.
The fact that the author read it as if it were a text book made it boring at times. Little emotion and expression with many dry mouth portions show that the author should have passed it to a more experienced vocal reader.

Wonderful tribute to an underestimated musician

Where does While My Guitar Gently Weeps rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It is better than average

What was one of the most memorable moments of While My Guitar Gently Weeps?

Too many to name

Have you listened to any of Simon Leng’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

Any additional comments?

This is the best in-depth look at George Harrison's MUSIC-not his ex Beatle history- that Ive heard or read. Harrison's spiritual opus, All Things Must Pass is still relevant today, almost 45 years after it was recorded. Leng goes through every detail of ATMP, but he also follows Harrison into the 1990's and delves deeply into his more current tunes as well as his last concert. It is very evident that Leng is quite a Harrison fan. A great audio book for lovers of Harrison's music, wit and infinite compassion.

As an aside, one reviewer states that Leng is a horrible narrator. I disagree.

George Deserves a Better Narration

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Change the narrator!!

What was one of the most memorable moments of While My Guitar Gently Weeps?

The material was dryly read, I would have to read the book rather than listen to it.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Simon Leng?

Eric Idle.

Could you see While My Guitar Gently Weeps being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No.

Any additional comments?

The subject matter is most interesting to me that it is sheer disappointment that it wasn't read by a more professional narrator. Leng seems to struggle through his own material. Why didn't they bother to give him several takes to make a more fluid narration? It doesn't do George Harrison's legacy and music justice. He deserves much better.

For the Harrison fanatic

I admire GH very much! but author was bit too "biased" EX: saying George was most important of 4 Beatles. GH was 1/4th of a remarkable phenomenon and I admire his talent and journey very much.... but....

Essential Harrison

What did you love best about While My Guitar Gently Weeps?

The author rolls back the long shadows cast by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and reveals George Harrison to be an artist and composer of the first rank.

What was one of the most memorable moments of While My Guitar Gently Weeps?

When the author tips us off to some of George's lesser-known gems, including "Long, Long, Long," "The Inner Light," "Your Love is Forever," and "Deep Blue."

Have you listened to any of Simon Leng’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but he does a good job. He certainly knows his subject--and the music scene.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Few books about the Beatles accord Harrison the respect he deserves as a composer. Leng's book does so--and that makes it necessary and important.

Any additional comments?

For George Harrison fans, While My Guitar Gently Weeps is essential reading

Huh ????

The information and insight on Harrison and his music is covered well... the audio edition is ridiculous . Simon speeds, stumbles and hesitates over the rocky road he creates trying to read this book. Full off mistakes, mumbles and words you can not make out. This audible should never have been released. A waste ...

Arguably the most under-rated Beatles book

Any additional comments?

This is narrated by the author, who is not in the league of the professional narrators that the audible.com public is used to. That said, for non-fiction I'll pick the author every time, no matter how unprofessional. Case in point: Carole King. Her narration is the single worst on audible.com, but it only enhances the value of her book. Don't argue with me: to hear the author's voice - no matter how untalented he or she is at the craft of audiobook narration - has an intrinsic value that can neither be dismissed nor surpassed (we're talking non-fiction, not Roy Dotrice). Now, the content. For anyone interested in music, songwriting or arranging, this is a desert island book. If you came to be entertained, you're right - it's "boring" - and you, my friend, are a musical moron. This book traverses The Beatles' and Harrison's solo oevres with brutally objective commentary and insights that are offered nowhere - (and I do mean nowhere because I've read them all) else. Did you know who came up with the signature riffs of And I Love Her and It's Only Love? Yeah, you didn't, so take your less-than-five star reviews and live forever in infamy. At the end of the day (written after Harrison's death) this book tells it like it is - the good, the bad and the interesting - if you're seriously interested in understanding the most important musical phenomenon of the 20th Century, you can't not listen to this book.

Pretty dull and boring

Simon Leng covers every song George Harrison had a part in. He doesn't cut any corners and even dives into Clapton's and Preston's work too. BUT, he has nothing new to bring to the table. All the stuff in this book could be found on Wikipedia. There is no real research involved in this and you can tell he has a very bias opinion about the songs. Instead of just telling the story and talking about what the song is, why it was written and the story behind it. He talks about why some songs are better than others. There were many times where I found myself thinking, "why does he talk so much garbage on this song? I love this song?" He throws his opinion in too much and is almost reviewing the song more than telling the story of the song.
The narration wasn't very good either. I think he should have someone else read it. It was a little rough for me to stay awake, to be honest.

Horrible narration!!!

What disappointed you about While My Guitar Gently Weeps?

The narration was so amateurish as to be distracting from the story.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Catch A Wave

How did the narrator detract from the book?

By speaking.

But seriously, by mispronouncing then immediately repronouncing words, then moving on to the next incomprehensible, inverted inflection narrative. I found myself putting more effort into understanding the sloppy narration than I did following the points he was trying to make. Did anyone listen to this audiobook before it was published? Ever hear of editing and/or retakes?

What character would you cut from While My Guitar Gently Weeps?

The narrator

Any additional comments?

As Bill O'Reilly has demonstrated over and over again with his inexplicably inept narration in his "Killing Narration" series of audiobooks, authors don't necessarily make the best narrators.

somewhat monotonous book poorly narrated

The author reads his own book. The book has a lot of information, but it isnt much of a story. tTje narrator makes mistakes in just about every sentence.