SDE Exclusive BluRay

On the eve of the 20th anniversary of the 2002 concert, fans now have the opportunity to re-experience "Concert For George" in immersive Dolby Atmos Audio, via an S.D.E. exclusive BluRay audio

On November 29th, 2002, one year after his passing, Olivia Harrison and Eric Clapton organised a performance tribute to celebrate the life and music of George Harrison. Held at London’s Royal Albert Hall, the momentous evening featured George’s songs, and music he loved, performed by artists including Eric Clapton, Joe Brown, Dhani Harrison, Jools Holland, Jeff Lynne, Paul McCartney, Monty Python, Tom Petty, Billy Preston, Anoushka Shankar, Ravi Shankar, Ringo Starr and more.

"Concert For George" captures stunning renditions of some of the most significant music of the 20th century, including "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", featuring Clapton on guitar, McCartney on piano and Starr on drums, "Taxman", performed by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, and "The Inner Light", covered by Jeff Lynne and Anoushka Shankar. Lynne, Harrison’s longtime friend and collaborator, produced the audio elements of the concert, while Clapton oversaw the entire proceedings as musical director.

Furthermore, the S.D.E. exclusive BluRay will feature all the audio, the complete sound recordings from "Concert For George", and therefore includes the beautiful Indian music performed and conducted early in the evening by Anoushka Shankar, the Monty Python numbers and Sam Brown’s supreme rendition of "Horse To The Water" with Jools Holland.The complete sound recordings have never been issued on CD and were only previously released as an audio product via the 4 LP vinyl set. With the physical BluRay audio you can make yourself comfortable, sit back, and enjoy all 2 hours of the full 27 track configuration without flipping sides or changing records.

The Dolby Atmos mix of "Concert For George" has been created by Grammy winning engineer Paul Hicks, whose many credits include the 2009 Beatles remasters, the remixes for the 50th anniversary of George Harrison’s 1970 album "All Things Must Pass" and the spatial and stereo audio mixes for the albums issued as part of the ongoing John Lennon reissue campaign, "Imagine", "Gimme Some Truth" and "Plastic Ono Band".

With regards to this "Concert For George" Atmos mix, Paul Hicks explained to S.D.E. how he took a two pronged approach to the spatial audio mix, treating the theatrical version and the BluRay audio version differently, with the later more immersive and a lot bolder than the original 5.1 mix, the one on the previous DVD and BluRay releases.

He told us, “With the fact that Apple and others have embraced spatial technology, I feel that people are ready to go a bit bolder in it now. When we did the theatrical Dolby Atmos mix, you know, that’s meant for screenings, so was a little bit more traditional. But with how people are listening to Atmos today, I thought we could go a little bit more daring with this BluRay audio, the format is typically where you’re looking at the band, but for this BluRay you’re standing where the singers are, so it’s nice and immersive. Having it on BluRay you get the advantage of the full quality Atmos. It’s a chance to hear the concert full quality in all its glory”.

The "Concert For George" limited edition BluRay audio is the only way to enjoy the new Atmos mix via a physical product, and the disc also features a 48/24 stereo mix of the complete sound recordings, the highest resolution available. Please note, for the avoidance of any doubt, this BluRay does not include any video, it’s an audio only product, a live album, that contains the remastered sound recordings of "Concert For George" newly mixed in Dolby Atmos, and in stereo.

The release date for this special edition of "Concert For George" is February 24th, 2023, a day before what would have been George’s 80th birthday.