Initially, I bought this meaning only to focus on the first 50 pages or so as I was really only interested in the Beatle years. And Leng puts Harrison's contribution to the entire Beatles' ouvre in context ~ indeed, no other writer I've come across in 36 years comes close to showing so factually and intimately just what his role was. Ray Newman in his online book "The complete story of Revolver" comes close and actually, his chapter "Hunting tigers in India" makes a great companion to the facts revealed in Leng's book.
A good, balanced, critical appraisal of George Harrison's contribution to the Beatles, the 60s, rock and popular music and culture has been long overdue. Those connected with the Beatles {George Martin, John Lennon, Geoff Emerick} haven't exactly helped the matter over the years with their dismissive comments that fly in the face of the facts although to be fair, Lennon did acknowledge that Harrison was the one that brought Indian music and western rock together and McCartney did acknowledge that George did more than just stand around with a pick in his hand, waiting to do his 20 second solo.
So, the first section covering the 60s is brilliantly done and had the book stopped there, I would have been more than satisfied. But that comprises only a tiny fraction of the overall book and the rest of the book, covering 1970 till his death in 2001 is superb. Leng shows how he developed and regressed and developed and doesn't try to portray Harrison as either hero or villain, but as a man on a journey, sometimes certain, sometimes not. As a result the man comes across in a way that enables the reader to make up their own mind.
It's superbly written and pretty much captivating all the way.
