Nobody's Child: Romanian Angel Appeal

Nobody's Child:
Romanian Angel Appeal
Compilation album by
Various Artists
Released23 July 1990
Recorded1976−90
GenreRock
Length1:03:48
LabelWarner Bros.
CompilerGeorge Harrison
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Entertainment WeeklyB[2]
Select[3]

Nobody's Child: Romanian Angel Appeal is a charity album released in July 1990 to benefit Romanian orphans, under the auspices of the Romanian Angel Appeal Foundation. It was compiled by English rock musician George Harrison in response to concerns raised by his wife Olivia Harrison, who had visited Romania and witnessed the suffering in the country's abandoned state orphanages following the fall of Communism.[4] The release was preceded by a single, "Nobody's Child", recorded by Harrison's band the Traveling Wilburys.[5] Other artists who donated songs to the album include Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Eric Clapton, Duane Eddy, Van Morrison, Guns N' Roses, Ringo Starr, Ric Ocasek and Elton John. Many of the recordings were previously unreleased.[6]

The Romanian Angel Appeal marked a rare foray into the media spotlight by Olivia Harrison, who created the foundation with support from the other wives of the former Beatles – Barbara Bach, Yoko Ono and Linda McCartney.[7] She and her husband promoted the project in the UK with appearances on the television talk show Wogan and in the one-hour Radio 1 documentary Nobody's Child.[8] The album was released by Harrison's record company, Warner Bros. Records, on 23 July 1990.[9] It was preceded by a launch at London's Hyde Park Hotel on 22 July, attended by the Harrisons, and Bach and Starr.[9] The video for the "Nobody's Child" single included animated scenes and footage of the Romanian orphanages.[10]

Song selection

George Harrison's involvement in the project reprised his role in assisting refugees of the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, when he staged an all-star benefit concert and oversaw the release of an associated album and documentary film.[11][12] Aside from the title track, his presence on Nobody's Child was reflected in the recordings submitted by Simon, Clapton and Eddy.[11]

Harrison said in compiling Nobody's Child he was conscious of not making it his album by dominating the content. He said that his request for a live track from Bruce Springsteen went unanswered, and his approach to Michael Jackson became confused in the acrimony taking place between Jackson and Paul McCartney over the ownership of the Beatles' Northern Songs catalogue. Selections by Steve Winwood and Queen arrived too late for inclusion on the album.[13]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)ArtistLength
1."Nobody's Child"Cy Coben, Mel ForeeTraveling Wilburys3:27
2."Wonderful Remark" (From the soundtrack to The King of Comedy)Van MorrisonVan Morrison3:58
3."Medicine Man" (B-side to You Gotta Love Someone single)Elton John, Bernie TaupinElton John4:24
4."This Week"David A. StewartDave Stewart & The Spiritual Cowboys3:03
5."Homeward Bound" (Performed live on Saturday Night Live, 20 November 1976)Paul SimonPaul Simon & George Harrison2:38
6."How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?" (Recorded live on November 17 & 18, 1989 National Tennis Centre, Melbourne, Australia)Barry Gibb, Robin GibbBee Gees3:30
7."Lovechild"Billy IdolBilly Idol5:40
8."Big Day Little Boat"Edie BrickellEdie Brickell & New Bohemians3:34
9."Feeding Off the Love of the Land"Stevie WonderStevie Wonder5:54
10."That Kind of Woman"George HarrisonEric Clapton3:56
11."Goodnight Little One"Ric OcasekRic Ocasek5:36
12."The Trembler"Ravi Shankar, Duane EddyDuane Eddy3:31
13."Ain't That Peculiar" (Performed live on Late Night with David Letterman, April 6, 1989)William "Smokey" Robinson, Pete Moore, Marv Tarplin, Bobby RogersMike & the Mechanics with Paul Shaffer and The World's Most Dangerous Band3:23
14."Civil War"Slash, W. Axl Rose, Duff McKaganGuns N' Roses7:36
15."With a Little Help from My Friends" (Recorded live at The Greek Theatre, Los Angeles, CA, September 3 & 4, 1989)Lennon–McCartneyRingo Starr and His All-Starr Band3:41

Vinyl and cassette releases

Side one

  1. "Nobody's Child"
  2. "Wonderful Remark"
  3. "Medicine Man"
  4. "This Week"
  5. "Homeward Bound"
  6. "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?"
  7. "Lovechild"
  8. "Big Day Little Boat"

Side two

  1. "Feeding Off the Love of the Land"
  2. "That Kind of Woman"
  3. "Goodnight Little One"
  4. "The Trembler"
  5. "Ain't That Peculiar"
  6. "Civil War"

Notes

References

  1. ^ Cassidy, Kenneth M. "Various Artists Nobody's Child: Romanian Angel Appeal". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  2. ^ Sandow, Greg (10 August 1990). "Nobody's Child: Romanian Angel Appeal". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 21 August 2018. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  3. ^ Kirsch, Michele (September 1990). "Biting The Hand That Feeds". Select. No. 3. p. 98.
  4. ^ Harry, Bill (2003). The George Harrison Encyclopedia. London: Virgin Books. pp. 224, 285, 326. ISBN 978-0-7535-0822-0.
  5. ^ Madinger, Chip; Easter, Mark (2000). Eight Arms to Hold You: The Solo Beatles Compendium. Chesterfield, MO: 44.1 Productions. p. 478. ISBN 0-615-11724-4.
  6. ^ a b c Album liner notes
  7. ^ Harry 2003, p. 224.
  8. ^ Badman, Keith (2001). The Beatles Diary Volume 2: After the Break-Up 1970–2001. London: Omnibus Press. p. 448. ISBN 978-0-7119-8307-6.
  9. ^ a b Badman 2001, p. 451.
  10. ^ Madinger & Easter 2000, p. 480.
  11. ^ a b Huntley, Elliot J. (2006). Mystical One: George Harrison – After the Break-up of the Beatles. Toronto, ON: Guernica Editions. pp. 226–27. ISBN 978-1-55071-197-4.
  12. ^ Allison, Dale C. Jr (2006). The Love There That's Sleeping: The Art and Spirituality of George Harrison. New York, NY: Continuum. p. 69. ISBN 978-0-8264-1917-0.
  13. ^ Harry 2003, p. 285.