The impact that the Beatles left on the world can never be underestimated. The Lennon/McCartney songwriting team put together as strong and diverse a catalog as anyone in the history of rock music. That the duo was able to create such a variety of music in eight short years is a testament as to why their greatness and influence cannot be denied. And while it may have been their songs that everyone attributes the band to, much of the magic surrounding the band cannot be solely attributed to John and Paul.

George Harrison was known as the quiet Beatle. His interest in songwriting did not materialize as quickly as his other two bandmates’, but by the time Help! hit the shelves, Harrison was a consistent contributor, adding at least two songs per album.

With Abbey Road, arguably the Beatles’ greatest recording, Harrison added two of the album’s finest tracks: “Here Comes the Sun” and “Something.” The latter became the album’s first single and the songwriter’s first hit.

Some say it was Lennon and McCartney who kept Harrison’s contributions at a minimum. Others attribute his limited input to his quiet, introverted personality. The songs he did craft lent a subtle beauty and were a good medium between McCartney’s rockers and Lennon’s ballads.

Harrison, however, was the best musician of the bunch. He honed his guitar playing when the band stopped touring in the mid-’60s. It has been said that he never played an unnecessary note while developing an effortlessly graceful slide guitar. He expanded the Beatles’ exploration into Eastern music when he began experimenting with the sitar, and he added a distinctive presence with the vocals he contributed.

It was no surprise that when the Beatles decided to split up, it was Harrison who tabbed the first solo album full of backlogged songs from the Beatles era with his three-record masterpiece, All Things Must Pass, which included songs “Isn’t it a Pity,” “My Sweet Lord” and the title track, all beaming and lush with Phil Spector production.

Harrison remained rather quiet throughout much the ’70s and ’80s, recoding many albums of fine quality, while providing his guitar on albums from many other artists including former band mates John Lennon and Ringo Starr.

In 2001, Harrison died after succumbing to an inoperable brain tumor. A posthumous album, Brainwashed, was released in 2002 to rave reviews after close friend Jeff Lynne finished the album’s production.

Exactly one year after his death, Harrison’s closest friends came together to honor the musician for a concert in London’s Royal Albert Hall. Under the direction of Eric Clapton, songs from across Harrison’s catalogue are performed by a variety of artists close to Harrison in “The Concert for George,” recently released on DVD and CD.

Sitar guru Ravi Shankar’s daughter, Anoushka, begins the concert with a set on the traditional Indian instrument backed by an orchestra. Lynne, Starr, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Billy Preston follow with their own send ups. The Heartbreakers along with Lynne tackle the Traveling Wilburys’ “Handle with Care,” with Lynne doing a remarkably fantastic Roy Orbison impression for the vocal harmonies.

Ringo Starr takes the microphone for a tearful version of “Photograph,” a song he wrote with Harrison for one of Ringo’s early solo records.

Billy Preston’s seven-minute version of “Isn’t a Pity” is a masterpiece, with the pianist adding soul-felt vocals to Harrison’s lyrics, deep with karma.

But when McCartney takes the stage with Starr on drums and Clapton on guitar for “All Things Must Pass,” “Something” and “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” the tears start to flow as the artists add only stories about being with Harrison.

McCartney starts “Something” with only a ukulele, and the band slowly builds behind the simple musical accompaniment.

Clapton, however, provides the strongest performance, tearing into the “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” solo with as much passion and sheer playing prowess as he has shown in several years.

George’s 24-year-old son, Dhani, a spitting image of his father, plays guitar and provides backup vocals throughout the concert. His presence is felt throughout as the camera cuts to close-ups of his face, the viewer gets a sense that George might be hanging out in the theater’s rafters somewhere.

While the orchestration can go overboard in spots, the musicianship is outstanding and Harrison, without much fluff, gets the amazing tribute he deserves.