George Harrison The Concert for Bangladesh Songs: Tracklist and Release
The Concert for Bangladesh is a live triple album released by Apple Records in December 1971, produced by George Harrison and Phil Spector. The setlist features performances by George Harrison, Ravi Shankar, Leon Russell, Billy Preston, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, and Badfinger, capturing the benefit concerts held at Madison Square Garden on August 1, 1971. The album includes George Harrison The Concert for Bangladesh songs such as "My Sweet Lord," "Wah-Wah," "Awaiting on You All," and "Bangla Desh," alongside Shankar's classical pieces and the closing "The Day the World Gets 'Round."
Apple Records issued the album in both stereo and quadraphonic formats, with the original LP pressing quickly becoming a top seller in the United States and the United Kingdom. The release is credited with pioneering the charity live album format, influencing later benefit compilations and direct-to-fan fundraising projects. The album has been reissued on CD, vinyl, and digital platforms, with remastered editions adding bonus tracks and improving audio fidelity while preserving the original George Harrison The Concert for Bangladesh songs in their live arrangements.
Financial Impact and Sales Figures of the Concert for Bangladesh Album
The Concert for Bangladesh album peaked at number 2 on the Billboard 200 and number 1 on the UK Albums Chart, generating millions in retail sales during its initial run. Proceeds from the album were directed to the George Harrison–sponsored Bangladesh Relief Fund, which supported refugee camps and emergency aid following the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. The album has been certified multi-platinum by the RIAA, reflecting long-term catalog sales and continued demand for George Harrison The Concert for Bangladesh songs across physical and digital formats.
Revenue from the album and associated live recordings has been managed through Apple Corps and its successor entities, with licensing deals for streaming, sync, and compilation use generating ongoing royalties. The Concert for Bangladesh project is frequently cited in discussions about artist-led philanthropy and the commercial viability of charity albums, as documented in industry analyses and music business case studies. The financial model set by the Concert for Bangladesh has been referenced by modern platforms and rights holders when structuring benefit releases and charitable fundraising campaigns.
George Harrison The Concert for Bangladesh Songs in Streaming and Catalog Value
George Harrison The Concert for Bangladesh songs are available on major streaming services, including Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music, where the album appears in the George Harrison catalog and the Concert for Bangladesh collection. The tracks are indexed with metadata linking them to the original Apple Records release, with high-resolution audio options and curated playlists featuring the album alongside other live charity recordings. The streaming presence has helped sustain discovery of the George Harrison The Concert for Bangladesh songs among new listeners, contributing to catalog performance metrics reported by rights management platforms.
Apple Corps, in partnership with entities such as Harrisongs and Universal Music Group, oversees the licensing and distribution of the Concert for Bangladesh recordings, ensuring that the George Harrison The Concert for Bangladesh songs remain accessible while protecting the intellectual property of the performers and composers. The album's catalog value is reflected in its consistent presence in best-of and essential live albums lists, as well as in retrospective features on benefit concerts and humanitarian music projects. Licensing data and royalty distributions for the Concert for Bangladesh album are tracked by performance rights organizations and collecting societies, with detailed breakdowns available through industry reports and copyright registries.