George Harrison’s 1971 ‘Concert For Bangladesh’ live album is finally available to stream on all major digital platforms. The Grammy award-winning double live Concert for Bangladesh, presented over two sold-out shows on Aug. 1, 1971, at Madison Square Garden, was the first major multi-act benefit concert. Harrison’s all-star list of guests included Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Leon Russell, Billy Preston, members of Badfinger and Ravi Shankar, among others.
Harrison spearheaded the effort to provide aid through UNICEF for millions of East Pakistani refugees who’d fled to escape suffering associated with the Bangladesh Liberation War and the Bhola cyclone of 1970. He wrote in his autobiography, I Me Mine: “For three months, I was on the telephone setting up what became The Concert for Bangladesh, trying to talk people into doing it – talking to Eric and all those people who did do it. We had very little rehearsal. In fact, there was never actually one rehearsal with everyone present. We did it in dribs and drabs and under difficulties.”
The Concert for Bangladesh reached No. 1 in the U.K. and other countries while finishing as a gold-selling No. 2 hit in the U.S. Initial gate receipts raised some $250,000 in relief funds; a triple album box set and film then helped generate millions of dollars for UNICEF.
Included as a bonus in the ‘Concert For Bangladesh’ live album is the original studio version of Harrison’s Top 10 1971 U.K. charity single “Bangla Desh”, which was released as a single in July 1971. All net proceeds after taxes will be donated to the George Harrison Fund for UNICEF at the US Fund for UNICEF. Visit here for more information.
See the album’s new trailer – HERE.
To stream/purchase The Concert for Bangladesh album, head HERE.
Editorial credit: Oke Timpke / Shutterstock.com
