‘The Concert For Bangla Desh’ live triple album by George Harrison & Friends debuts at #14 in USA 50 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Jan 8 1972)


Video: 'Intro by George Harrison | Concert for Bangladesh | 50th Anniversary : : Apple Music OST from LP'

(Saturday, January 8, 1972)The Concert For Bangla Desh live triple album by George Harrison and celebrity friends debuted at #14 on today’s Billboard Top LP’s chart.


Video: 'Ravi Shankar - Bangla Dhun'

The album features performances by the former Beatle, Bob Dylan, Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan, fellow former Beatle Ringo Starr, Billy Preston, Leon Russell and Eric Clapton.

The Aug. 1, 1971, shows at New York’s Madison Square Garden were a pioneering charity event, in aid of the homeless Bengali refugees of the Bangladesh Liberation War (which officially ended Dec. 16, 1971, just four days before the album was released in the U.S.) and set the model for future multi-artist rock benefits such as Live Aid (1985) and the Concert for New York City (2001).


Video: 'The Concert For Bangladesh 50th Anniversary Edition' (19 videos)

The event brought Harrison and Starr together on a concert stage for the first time since 1966, when The Beatles retired from live performance, and represented Dylan’s first major concert appearance in the U.S. in five years.

A documentary film of the two historic concerts would premiere in New York City on Mar. 23, 1972.