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Living in the Material World to George Harrison

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Living in the Material World (1973) held the number one spot on the Billboard album chart for five weeks, and the album's single, "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)", also reached number one in the US.[1] In the UK, the LP achieved number two, spending 12 weeks on the charts, with the single peaking at number 8.[2] The album was lavishly produced and packaged, and its dominant message was Harrison's Hindu beliefs.[3] In the opinion of Greene, Living in the Material World "contained many of the strongest compositions of his career".[4] On release, Rolling Stone's Stephen Holden declared the album "vastly appealing" and "profoundly seductive ... [it] stands alone as an article of faith, miraculous in its radiance."[5] Other reviewers were less favourable, and saw it as "self-righteous, maudlin, and clumsy in its execution", according to Inglis, a verdict that left Harrison despondent.[6]

In November and December 1974, Harrison became the first ex-Beatle to tour North America, an event that Leng has described as "a whirlwind of pent-up Beatlemania".[7] In addition to performances by Harrison with an ensemble of musicians including Preston, Tom Scott, Willie Weeks, Andy Newmark and Jim Horn, the tour featured traditional and contemporary Indian music performed by "Ravi Shankar, Family and Friends".[8] Despite numerous positive reviews, the consensus reaction to the tour was negative.[9] Some fans found Shankar's significant presence a bizarre disappointment, and many were affronted by what Inglis described as Harrison's "sermonizing" as well as his reworking of the lyrics to several Beatles songs.[10] His laryngitis-affected vocals also disappointed fans and critics, who began calling the tour "dark hoarse".[11] Author Robert Rodriguez commented: "While the Dark Horse tour might be considered a noble failure, there were a number of fans who were tuned-in to what was being attempted. They went away ecstatic, conscious that they had just witnessed something so uplifting that it could never be repeated."[12] Leng called the tour "groundbreaking" and "revolutionary in its presentation of Indian Music".[13] Harrison was so deeply bothered by the caustic backlash that he would not tour again until the 1990s.[10]

Released towards the end of the tour, Dark Horse (1974) earned Harrison the least favourable reviews of his career.[14] Rolling Stone called it "the chronicle of a performer out of his element, working to a deadline, enfeebling his overtaxed talents by a rush to deliver a new 'LP product', rehearse a band, and assemble a cross-country tour, all within three weeks".[15] In the US, the album reached number 4 on the Billboard chart, and the single "Dark Horse" reached number 15, but they failed to make an impact in the UK.[16][nb 1] Writing in 2002, music critic Mikal Gilmore described Dark Horse as "one of Harrison's most fascinating works – a record about change and loss".[17]

Harrison's final studio album for EMI and Apple Records was the soul music-inspired Extra Texture (Read All About It) (1975).[18] Leng identified "bitterness and dismay" in many of the tracks, resulting from the troubled 1974 tour,[19] and Harrison considered it the "least satisfactory" of the three albums he had recorded since All Things Must Pass.[20] Long-time friend Klaus Voormann commented: "He wasn't up for it ... It was a terrible time because I think there was a lot of cocaine going around, and that's when I got out of the picture ... I didn't like his frame of mind".[19] He released two singles from the LP: "You", which reached the Billboard top 20, and "This Guitar (Can't Keep from Crying)", Apple's final original single release.[21]

Thirty Three & 1/3 (1976), Harrison's first album release on his own Dark Horse Records label, produced the hit singles "This Song" and "Crackerbox Palace", both of which reached the top 25 in the US.[22][nb 2] With an emphasis on melody, musicianship and a more subtle subject matter than the pious message of his earlier works, Thirty Three & 1/3 earned Harrison his most favourable critical notices in the US since All Things Must Pass.[23] The surreal humour of "Crackerbox Palace" reflected Harrison's association with Monty Python's Eric Idle, who directed a comical music video for the song.[23][nb 3]

In 1979, following his second marriage and the birth of his son Dhani, he released George Harrison. The album and the single "Blow Away" both made the Billboard top 20.[26] The album marked the beginning of Harrison's gradual retreat from the music business, and the fruition of ideas introduced on All Things Must Pass. The death of his father in May 1978 and the birth of his son in August that year were transformational life events that proved influential in his decision to devote more time to his family than to his career.[27] Leng described the album as "melodic and lush ... peaceful ... the work of a man who had lived the rock and roll dream twice over and was now embracing domestic as well as spiritual bliss".[27]

Notes

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  1. ^ The lead single in the UK was "Ding Dong, Ding Dong", which reached number 38 there.[2]
  2. ^ Tom Scott provided production assistance on Thirty Three & 1/3.[22]
  3. ^ The Best of George Harrison (1976) combined several of his Beatles songs with a selection of his solo Apple work.[24] Following Harrison's departure from the label, Capitol could license releases featuring Beatles and post-Beatles work on the same album.[25]

Citations

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  1. ^ Bronson 1992, p. 336: Peak US chart position for "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)"; Rosen 1996, p. 162: US chart data on Living in the Material World.
  2. ^ a b Roberts 2005, p. 227.
  3. ^ Schaffner 1978, pp. 158–159.
  4. ^ Leng 2006, p. 194.
  5. ^ Leng 2006, p. 195.
  6. ^ Inglis 2010, pp. 43, 46.
  7. ^ Leng 2006, pp. 166, 195.
  8. ^ Inglis 2010, pp. 48–49.
  9. ^ Greene 2006, p. 213; Leng 2006, p. 162.
  10. ^ a b Inglis 2010, p. 49.
  11. ^ Greene 2006, p. 214; Doggett 2009, pp. 224–226.
  12. ^ Rodriguez 2010, p. 258.
  13. ^ Leng 2006, pp. 173, 177.
  14. ^ Greene 2006, p. 213.
  15. ^ Huntley 2006, p. 114.
  16. ^ Greene 2006, p. 213: failed to reach the UK top 30; Harry 2003, pp. 142–143: Peak US chart positions, failure to impact UK charts.
  17. ^ Editors of Rolling Stone 2002, p. 46.
  18. ^ Leng 2006, p. 180.
  19. ^ a b Leng 2006, p. 179.
  20. ^ Inglis 2010, pp. 54–55.
  21. ^ Schaffner 1978, pp. 209–210.
  22. ^ a b Leng 2006, p. 187.
  23. ^ a b Schaffner 1978, p. 192.
  24. ^ Harry 2003, pp. 28–29.
  25. ^ Schaffner 1978, p. 188.
  26. ^ "George Harrison – George Harrison". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 December 2012.
  27. ^ a b Leng 2006, p. 210.
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