The Love There That's Sleeping - by Jr (Paperback)

About the Book

Allison traces George Harrison's pilgrimage from Roman Catholicism to a brand of philosophical Hinduism, and sorts through Harrison's musical corpus to interpret what mattered most to the late musician.

Book Synopsis

From his days as the "quiet Beatle"--a tag he quite disliked--to his immensely successful and critically admired solo career, George Harrison produced one of the most memorable bodies of music in modern times. His "Something" and "Here Comes the Sun" can certainly lay claim to being the best offerings on The Beatles' Abbey Road, while his 1970 album All Things Must Pass introduced new musical styles to rock and roll.
Harrison was the pioneer in making mainstream rock a vehicle for religious convictions. In this respect, he is a forerunner of bands such as U2 and Creed. People often criticized him for being preachy or didactic. Reviewers over the years exhibited either an anxious disinclination to say much about his evangelistic lyrics or showed a condescending tendency to dismiss them. His devotional language was not their language. They regularly thought him sanctimonious and full of irrelevant religious platitudes.
Allison's book views Harrison's religious bent as his most interesting trait. Harrison should be admired for having something distinctive to say, and for saying it while knowing that many would not understand and that others who might understand might not be sympathetic. He had the courage of his convictions, to sing to the public what he sang to himself in his heart.
Allison traces Harrison's religious pilgrimage from Liverpool Roman Catholicism to a brand of philosophical Hinduism. He sorts through Harrison's musical corpus--through its mixed bag of fragmentary feelings, religious poetry, secular love songs, perceptions of the world, and anxieties about life--to interpret what matters most to Harrison. In short, this is a book about Harrison's religious sentiments as they surface in his songs.

Review Quotes

""a satisfying read to music fans, who will find in their pages a wealth of information about the oft-neglected subject of religiosity and spirituality in the lives of the individual Beatles....offers[s] insightful new information about the lives of these four enormously influential Liverpudlians whose wide-ranging forays into alternative spiritualities were in many ways representative of an entire generation.'" --James Thomas Keane, Catholic Times

""For more than forty years fans have celebrated George Harrison's music, enjoying its poetry, sharp wit, and virtuosity. But as much as his songs delight, they also puzzle those not familiar with the Hindu inspirations behind them. Harrison enthusiast Dale C. Allison comes to the rescue with The Love There That's Sleeping, an accessible introduction to the religious and philosophical worldview that informs so many Harrisongs. Allison is well known for his careful analyses of religious texts and in this book he brings his considerable skills to the religious poetry of George Harrison, helping us appreciate Nelson Wilbury's art on yet another level." --Michael J. Gilmour, author of Tangled Up in the Bible: Bob Dylan and Scripture" --Michael J. Gilmour, Blurb from reviewer

"What have we here? A delightfully revealing analysis of George Harrison's songs by a world-class, religious scholar. An obvious labor of love, this book is as lively and as enlightening as its subject matter warrants. Fans of the former Beatle are certain to learn things about his songs that no ordinary rock historian could teach them -- and students of religion and culture will find a compelling introduction to a pop-icon whose imaginative work merits serious attention. It is enough to catch more than a glimpse of that elusive inner light Harrison himself hoped we would see. Mark Allan Powell, Professor of New Testament (Trinity Lutheran Seminary) and author of The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music." --Mark Allan Powell, Blurb from reviewer

""Allison who teaches New Testament at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, turns to religion and pop culture in this investigation of the "religious devotion" that pervaded the music of the Beatle George Harrison.... Beatles fans will find it informative."- Publishers Weekly, September 25, 2006" --Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Dale C. Allison Jr. is Errett M. Grable Professor of New Testament Exegesis and Early Christianity, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, and is the author of The Intertextual Jesus and, with the late W.D. Davies, the ICC volumes on Matthew.