Harrison told GW that while he was happy to improvise when needed, when it came to laying something down in the studio, he was far more comfortable charting out a path in advance
Re-emerging from a five-year hiatus in 1987 with the Cloud Nine album, George Harrison found his greatest commercial success in over a decade.
Guitar-wise, though, Harrison really stood out at the time – a man still wowing with his rich, slide-powered melodies and storytelling touch when the shred hurricane was at its most powerful. Hell, look at Cloud Nine’s cover – he’s beaming, with a patterned, button-down shirt and his trusty ’57 Gretsch 6128 Duo Jet in hand. Not a flame in sight!
Obviously, a Beatle – much less the most influential of the lot when it comes to the guitar – was never going to have to respond to trends, but the topic of Harrison’s soloing strategies nonetheless came up when he sat down for an interview with Guitar World in 1988.
Harrison said that while he was happy to improvise (“If I want to play, as long as I know where the notes are that I can use, I can improvise around those notes and I’ve got a good sense of rhythm,” he told us) when needed, when it came to laying something down in the studio, he was far more comfortable charting out a path in advance.