This seems to be a real attempt to leverage George Harrison's name to get people to buy an essentially devotional LP. Late 70s, 7 tracks produced by Mr.Harrison. More than likely the same cast of characters that were on the Apple Krsna LPs. In fact thanks to Wikipedia, it is clear this is a reissue of the Apple Radah Krsna LP.Different song order and some altered spelling but the same seven tracks. Well done and enjoyable. Back Cover says "special issue" which may or not mean private press or Harrison Vanity Press, or Copyright issue/out of print issue. Hard to say, but someday I will get to the bottom of the gnarled and twisted shell game that makes up the Hara Krsna record label families. Label says "Spiritual Sky" which could be the label and their is another pressing with a maroon label and different record label name. So try and keep that all straight. This is pretty minimal in the liner notes dept. Back cover is a cool obtuse artistic statement about something-must be good art then! Hara Krsna Mantra and Govinda Jai Jai are both here which were hits from the Apple/Hara Krsna records.
Side 2 opens up with some guitar work that could be GH and is one of the few Western instruments to turn up. This track bears the ancient name "Sri Isopanisad" but is the closer to a folk blues or "acid-folk" feel which I missed on the Apple version. Either way another cool devotional entry in the Krsna Rock Series.
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This is probably the most famous album in ISKCON, as its track "Govinda" (on which George Harisson plays the bass guitar) is played in every ISKCON temple every morning at the "Greeting of the Deities" ceremony (around 7:20 am). It comprises stanzas 30 and 32 of the 5th chapter of the Brahma-samhita. When first played before Prabhupada, it brought him to tears.
The main female voice on the album comes from Yamuna devi, notably on "Govinda Jaya Jaya" and "Bhajahu Re Mana." She is also famous in ISKCON for her award-winning cook book "Krishna's Cuisine." She currently lives at the Saranagati farm community in Canada.
There is, by the way, no rhyme or reason to the various labels under which devotional music was published in ISKCON throughout the decades. ISKCON never had a single publishing arm or decision-making organization for publications other than directly from or related to Prabhupada (which is the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust).
"Spiritual Sky," for instance, was originally an ISKCON business that manufactured and sold incense...
Whoever had money, power, clout, incentive, or whatever, to get the job done would determine how and what was published and where.
- Willem (willemv369@gmail.com)
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