The Material World Charitable Foundation (MWF) is a charitable organisation founded by English musician George Harrison in April 1973. Its launch coincided with the release of Harrison’s album Living in the Material World and came about in reaction to the taxation issues that had hindered his 1971–72 aid project for refugees of the Bangladesh Liberation War. Harrison assigned his publishing royalties from nine of the eleven songs on Living in the Material World, including the hit single “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)”, to the foundation, in perpetuity.
The MWF’s purpose is to donate to various causes, and promote diverse artistic endeavours and philosophies. Its first project in the latter regard was sponsoring a 1974 revue of Indian classical music – the Music Festival from India – led by Ravi Shankar and featuring world music pioneers such as Shivkumar Sharma, Hariprasad Chaurasia, L. Subramaniam and Sultan Khan. A year after Harrison’s death, proceeds from the 2002 Concert for George, along with accompanying album and film releases, went to the foundation for dispersal to appropriate charities. The Material World Charitable Foundation continues to operate under the objectives outlined by Harrison in 1974, funded by income from his donated copyrights.
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Material_World_Charitable_Foundation
Retrieved on 1/26/15
The Concert for George was held at the Royal Albert Hall in London on 29 November 2002 as a memorial to George Harrison on the first anniversary of his death.[1] The event was organized by Harrison’s widow, Olivia, and son, Dhani, and arranged under the musical direction of Eric Clapton and Jeff Lynne. The profits from the event went to the Material World Charitable Foundation
“Isn’t It A Pity” is a song by George Harrison from his 1970 solo album All Things Must Pass. It appears in two variations there: one the well-known, seven-minute version; the other a reprise, as the original album’s penultimate track (excluding the Apple Jam bonus disc), known as “Isn’t It A Pity (Version Two)”. The song was written in 1966, but despite the popularity and success it would subsequently achieve, both for Harrison and for artists who have covered it, “Isn’t It A Pity” was rejected for inclusion on releases by the Beatles. A big anthemic ballad and one of George Harrison’s most celebrated songs, it has been described as the emotional and musical centrepiece of All Things Must Pass and “a poignant reflection on The Beatles’ coarse ending”. Despite its relative antiquity by 1970, the song’s lyrics lent themselves perfectly to the themes of spiritual salvation and friendship that define All Things Must Pass, being consistent with the karmic subject matter of much of the album. Harrison later said of the track: “‘Isn’t It A Pity’ is about whenever a relationship hits a down point… It was a chance to realise that if I felt somebody had let me down, then there’s a good chance I was letting someone else down”. The verse-one lines “How we take each other’s love without thinking any more / Forgetting to give back…” have been acknowledged as a precursor to Paul McCartney’s parting couplet — “And in the end, the love you take / Is equal to the love you make” — in the Beatles’ Abbey Road song “The End”.
