Buttmunker

I was never a huge Cream fan - I knew the big hit songs, of course (Sunshine of your Love and White Room), but not really some of their other tracks. I appreciated I Feel Free after hearing it on The Sopranos, and I just happened to recently stumble across Badge, which was a cut off Cream's final album Goodbye.

Anyway, when I first heard Badge, I didn't know which group was performing it. I initially thought it might be Chicago, but I did a Google search by a line in the song, and sure enough discovered it was Cream. Doing more research, I found out it was co-penned by George Harrison (on the record, he was credited as L'Angelo Misterioso for contractual reasons - where the hell did they get that name?)

I never heard about this before, and I thought I knew quite a bit about the boys from the Beatles writing for other groups - but I guess you can't know everything. I wonder what else I don't know about "ghost-writers" for other bands.

JasonF

The Clapton-Harrison relationship is one I find fascinating. Clapton and Harrison were very close friends right up until Harrison's death, but there are surprisingly few collaborations between them. The most notable are probably Badge and While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Clapton plays guitar on the version that is on the White Album). They also toured together a few times. But it just seems odd that the two never released an album together.

Another interesting fact -- Harrison's was married to Pattie Boyd in the late-60s and early-70s; after their marriage fell apart, she married Clapton. Through it all Clapton and Harrison remained close friends.

You could probably make a good movie about the Harrison-Clapton-Boyd relationship.

nazz

George wrote 'Something' for Pattie as the Beatles ended and then Clapton wrote 'Layla' for her as he was beginning to make his feelings known to her. He even played the tape of the fresh recording to her as he watched for her reaction as she realized the lyrics were about her. It really is a fascinating part of music history.

Decker

"Wonderful Tonight" is also about Pattie. She was quite a muse, apparently.

I like their duet "Run So Far" on Clapton's Journeyman album (it also appears on Harrison's posthumous Brainwashed album as well).

NoirFan

Those interested in the Harrison/Clapton relationship should check out Patti Boyd's recent memoir, Wonderful Tonight.

Nesbit

It's pretty funny that she named her book that considering (from what I've read) the song is actually somewhat of a put down.

The story I've read is that one night when Clapton was trying to head out Patti took FOREVER to get ready and he wrote that song based on the experience of waiting for her.

JasonF

"Something" may be about her, too -- I think Harrison originally said it was, but later said it wasn't. She was also the inspration behind "Bell Bottom Blues."

Buttmunker

I'm looking forward to Martin Scorsese's docu-film about Harrison. I wonder if he will cover the Boyd-Clapton-Harrison relationship.

wendersfan

Listen to "Here Comes the Sun" and then listen to "Badge" and see if you notice any similarities.

B5Erik

Oh, I definitey hear some similarities. "Badge," isn't a carbon copy or anything, but there are some really similar melodies, and both are great songs.

A full album project around 1970 or '71 with Harrison and Clapton could have been amazing.

wendersfan

The guitar break in "Badge" at around 1:10 is the same as the guitar break in "Here Comes the Sun" that precedes the bridge.

rw2516

In a radio interview, Clapton was telling how the song "Badge" got it's name. The music was laying on a table and Ringo sat down where he was looking at the music sheet upside down. To him the word "bridge" looked like "badge" when seen upside down. Ringo said, "Badge? What the fuck does badge mean?"
The others there got a laugh out of it. "It says bridge stupid!" And decided to name the song Badge.

dick_grayson

Huh, I didn't know this either. Well, maybe a while back. Still, Badge was always one of the few Cream songs I liked. For some reason, I've always hated Eric Clapton and Cream was ruined for me. As a drummer, that means little Ginger Baker.

I'll have to check out the Here Comes the Sun part and compare the two, while I'm at it. I don't think I've heard Badge in about 10 years (I'm 29, by the way)

nazz

That's a great story. I hadn't heard it before.

nazz

This is one of my favorite 'unofficial' live recordings of Badge.

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cungar

I remember hearing that BADGE was the chord progression of the song.

B-A-D-G-E

I think it's been disproven by the fact that that's not the chord progression

Buttmunker

There's also the story of Ringo coming in drunk and telling Eric and George about the swans that live in the park......and that's how that line got in the song.

Boy, that Ringo.

NoirFan

Luckiest man alive.

Buttmunker

Yeh - he didn't do too bad for a high school drop-out. Hecka, I think ole Ringo was a Junior High Drop-out, but he still loved his rings.

In regards to the topic, I wonder what other secrets there are out there that I "overlooked." What else did Mr. Harrison co-write for other groups? (probably nothing.)

Hiro11

Maybe too well known, but Clapton's all over Harrison's "All Things Must Pass" as well, completely uncredited as he didn't get his record company's permission. His solo on "Wah Wah" may be my favorite thing that Clapton ever did:
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He played on a few tracks on Lennon's "Plastic Ono Band" as well.

Sidenote: if you haven't heard those two albums, get them immediately.

nazz

Man, there's way too many for my typing skills. Here's a pretty comprehensive list where you can click on various decades and see what collaborations he was up to.


http://http://www.bekkoame.ne.jp/~garp/hari/goff1960.htm

TimJS

A little less close in the aftermath...George's modified Bye, Bye Love lyrics from Dark Horse

There goes our lady
With a "you
know who"
I hope she's happy
And "old
'Clapper' too"
We had good rhythm
(and a little slide)
Then she stepped in
Did me a favour
I threw them both out.

rw2516

I've heard that's how Genesis named the song "Abacab"

There's a lot of live Harrison with Clapton on lead guitar.

The Concert for Bangladesh and the awesome George Harrison Live in Japan. On Japan you can hear Clapton play lead on stuff like Taxman, What Is Life, Old Brown Shoe, Give Me Love.