George Harrison on the brilliance of Jeff Lynne: “A great craftsman”
In many ways, the collaboration between George Harrison and Jeff Lynne seemed inevitable.
Or perhaps fated is a better word. Regardless, not only did the pair build a trusted friendship with one another, but they also shared the same values and approach when it came to making music, meaning that, whenever they were writing together or working in the studio, it was the perfect combination to allow magic to flow freely.
Interestingly, Lynne hadn’t known what to think of Harrison at first, or at least, struggled to see where he fit into his seemingly “posh” life. The pair had already become acquainted when Lynne walked into his home in Henley-on-Thames, but experienced a particularly sobering moment when he had to ask himself whether he actually wanted to go forward. However, almost sensing Lynne’s trepidation, Harrison quickly put him at ease.
“He said: ‘Look, before we start, just so we can see how we get on, shall we go to Australia to watch the Grand Prix?’” Lynne recalled to Louder. “I said: ‘Er, yeah, alright.’ He said: ‘Great. Meet me in Hawaii in two weeks’ time.’”
The pair had been working on Harrison’s Cloud Nine when the idea to form a group first came up, though it was a far more casual affair and a proposition to work together again than a fully-fledged supergroup boasting some of the most illustrious names in music history. Nonetheless, none of it could have happened without Harrison and Lynne’s mutual respect for one another, as well as a silent understanding of each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
For Lynne, Harrison had a knack for guitar playing that was second to none, and an approach that captured everything he’d ever known and loved about music. To him, the guitar wasn’t just an instrument; it was a conduit of musical expression, something to anchor beauty in, and have it pour out of the other side like pure, unfiltered musical bliss.
For Harrison, Lynne was the ultimate “craftsman”, someone who had the effortless ability to enrich music where it counts and one of the only people on the planet who could rival the familiar charm of early Beatles sounds and melodies. “Jeff, like some other people, was a big Beatles fan,” Harrison later recalled. “He himself went on to write some of the greatest pop tunes of the 1970s.”
“Jeff was really into all of those nice and nostalgic sounds, and it was a great balance working with him, bringing some of those sounds we hadn’t heard for a bit,” he continued. “Jeff had a lot in common with – a lot of his songs sound a bit like old Beatles songs, and he’s a great craftsman with all of these bits and pieces, and I thought he’d be great.”
Harrison also went into detail about how they met and why he wanted to work with Lynne in the first place, explaining that the bar was fairly high, as he had wanted someone who ticked all boxes when it came to sharing his vision and how he works in the studio. He even went so far as to say that working with Lynne “boosted” him and helped him to perform better, all because he was ideal to bounce off of creatively.
Another aspect was how Lynne was able to say it straight – if he felt Harrison could sing something better or improve in any other way, Lynne would give him those pearls of wisdom. However, he was also the perfect balance and wasn’t too forthcoming with his criticisms unless it was truly needed. And ultimately, this is what enabled his craft to shine on Cloud Nine and then the Traveling Wilburys, because he knew he had a true partner who understood him and his passion.
