Customer Rating:  
Summary: Good Read but Nothing New Here
Comment: Here Comes The Sun, by Joshua M. Greene, is worth the price and time if you're a lover of George Harrison like myself, but I wouldn't hang high expectations towards learning much about the man, his music, and especially his spiritual path. George has been highjacked by several current and former Hare Krishna devotees in the past, who claim his soul by overstating his involvement with the movement and omitting his serious devotion and dedication to other Gurus and movements. This manipulation of history unfortunately results in the public knowing less about the man than they did before reading such biographies and articles. Mr. Greene, who himself was, or still remains, a devotee of Krishna, avoids this error in most part. For example, he at least mentions and pays some respectful tribute to George's other spiritual inspirers, like Paramahansa Yogananda and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. However, comparatively speaking, they both receive little type when compared to his time with the Hare Krishnas. Considering the fact that the only organization mentioned on George Harrison's official web site at the time of his death was Yogananda's Self-Realization Fellowship, and considering his numerous contributions to Maharishi's organization over the last decade of his life, it would of been nice to learn more about these parts of his spiritual pursuit. This may be because Mr. Greene lacks much direct knowledge of these parts of George Harrison's life (Who could blame him? George Harrison was not the most revealing man in the world) which brings me to the second criticism of the book - there isn't much new here. Most of the information is already available in the general press and other sources. However, Mr. Greene does deserve praise and gratitude for bringing a new biography about such a wonderful man to print. Hopefully, he'll expand on his book in the future. I enjoyed reading it and I'm sure I'll pick it up again.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Love it, Insightful and Inspiring
Comment: This quiet book is a wonderful read. As a Beatle fan but not a fanatic, I was drawn to its thoughtfulness in revealing the spiritual side of George Harrison. What I knew of Harrison's spirituality was heightened by reading Mr. Greene's book and brought tears to my eyes in the final chapter. It's the type of book that you could easily sit down and read in one sitting. I had to force myself to only read a few chapters a day so that I could savor it more. Thanks to the author for sharing his insight about George with the world.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Not enough of the musical journey
Comment: (3.5 stars)
Overall, I really did enjoy this book, and since I share many of the same spiritual and philosophical views George had, I was particularly interested in the material on that aspect of his life. I did learn a good deal about the people and things that influenced him, such as the guru Prabhupada and the Western converts to the Hare Krishna movement. If the book had been about just this aspect of his life, I would have easily given it five stars. But the other part of the subtitle purports that this book is also supposed to be about George's musical journey, and that part of his life is given rather short schrift. Quite a few portions of his development as a songwriter during his days as a Beatle, and then his continued evolution as a solo artist, are skipped over or barely even mentioned. I would have loved to learn more about his growth and maturation in the Sixties, particularly since a lot of his songs are among my favorite Beatles' songs, songs that often aren't selected as many other people's favorites, like "Within You Without You," "Long, Long, Long," and "Love You To."
The chapters on his solo years start out promisingly, but after less than in-depth coverage of his first three albums, it really peters off. The abysmal 'Extra Texture' only merits a paragraph, 'Gone Troppo' even less, and the rest of his albums bar 'Cloud Nine' and 'Brainwashed' are only mentioned in passing, except for 'Somewhere in England,' which isn't even mentioned at all. This was such a sorely missed opportunity to provide fans with some interesting scholarly information on and stories about the making of these albums and the songs on them! It's bad enough George is usually underrated as a solo artist; that perception doesn't need to be reinforced by glossing over the majority of his work! There were also a number of things in his personal life that were glossed over or not even mentioned, such as The Beatles' induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the development of his relationship with Olivia, or the publication of his 1979 autobiography 'I, Me, Mine,' which caused a big falling-out between him and John. More background information on some of these important people in his life also would have been highly appreciated. That adds so much to a bio. Additionally, there were the minor errors other reviewers have already mentioned, like in place saying his father Harold died in 1978 and then a few pages later saying it was in 1977, or saying that Brian Epstein died two years after Stu Sutcliffe, when it was actually five years later. Another annoying thing was how often Mr. Greene would narrate events that happened years apart, on the same page. Jumping around with the chronology doesn't work in a bio.
While I did greatly enjoy certain parts of the book, overall it just left me disappointed and wanting more thorough in-depth information. I'd recommend it to someone interested in George's spiritual journey, but not to someone wanting a proper bio. My search for a scholarly in-depth bio of my second-favorite Beatle continues.
Customer Rating:
Summary: This book was very informative for a true Beatles fan!
Comment: I found this book to be very informative about George's life both as a Beatle and later in his solo career. It really got into the times of George's life after the break up of the group, almost on a daily basis. This book truthfully explained his beliefs and his desires to try to find that better life for everyone and everything. I thought I kind of understood what made Gearge tick but, this book really brought it all into focus. George was not only the "quite Beatle" but also an in depth and deep thinking, and believing, person. Truly a must read for all Beatle fans.
ENJOY!
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Must-Read for Baby Boomers!
Comment: Born on VJ-Day, I was one of the original Baby-Boomers. Until I read Here Comes the Sun, I had almost forgotten how good the 1960's were... and what a big part the Beatles played in most Baby-Boomers' lives. My gender and persona didn't allow me to participate in 'Beatlemania', but the Beatles, the Stones and Dylan were always my favorites back then. The best things about this book are it brought back the crazy, glorious and rock-filled 60's for me and taught me what a large contribution George Harrison made to the Beatles, Rock & Roll music in general and the worldwide Hare Krishna Movement.
An excellent, very moving read.
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