February 1967; photo by Henry Grossman.
“George always had a very pragmatic streak. He never let the so-called glamour of show-business seduce him. He always saw through phoney people very quickly. He was the practical one, the one who could mend the amplifier or change the fuse. And he is one of the most generous people I know. If you were a friend of George in need, he would reach into his pocket and give you his last penny. Equally, if it were a matter of principle, he would defend you to the last. If ever I were in trouble, George Harrison is the kind of person I would like to be able to turn to.” - George Martin, With A Little Help From My Friends: The Making of Sgt. Pepper (1994)
“There was a time in the Nineties when Dad was very sick. He was confined to bed and things were fairly touch and go for a while. George [Harrison] was wonderful, simply wonderful; he came over to visit and brought Dad a Ganesh elephant symbol, telling him it would keep him safe and well.
He was such a comfort to the whole family during a difficult time. He was a very keen gardener, the grounds of his home were just beautiful, still are, and he helped Mum a lot with our garden. He would drive over to see us with as many plants as he could fit on to the passenger seat of a McLaren F1! He meant a great deal to my dad; to all of us.” - Giles Martin, Express, May 27, 2012
“I spoke to George Martin recently, and he was talking about all the ‘20 years ago today’ stuff and The Beatles CDs, and he said, 'Never mind, George. It’ll soon be gone and we can go back into our shells.’” - George Harrison, The Observer Magazine, 1987
Q: “George Martin recently admitted he still felt embarrassed about not giving you more attention in the studio. He claimed he’d been ‘beastly to George.’”
George Harrison: “He wasn’t beastly to me, but he spoke to me recently and said his only regret was that he didn’t realize sooner what I was. He already had enough to deal with, I suppose, with this band The Beatles who already had two guys out there writing and singing. He didn’t really need to try because in those days most groups had their songs written for them. It was all quite new. But only this summer he said to me, Will you ever forgive me, George? (Laughs) He’s such a gentleman! It was nice of him to say that, you know.” - Q, 1988
“I said to the boys, after we’d done a few takes of rather nondescript songs, I said, ‘Come into the control room and have a listen and see what we’ve been doing. And if there’s anything you don’t like, tell us.’ And George was the one who took the leap. And he said, ‘Well, I don’t like your tie for a start.’ And the others were horrified. They thought, God, he’s blown it. But of course, I fell around laughing. I thought it was — it was so cheeky, and so funny that I… you know, he endeared himself to me.” - George Martin, Living In The Material World (x)
