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George Harrison
The Dark Horse Years 1976–1992
(Capitol)
Part One: Thirty-Three & 1/3
First Appeared in The Music Box, May 2004, Volume 11, #5
Written by John Metzger
George Harrison managed to bookend his solo career with a pair of
masterpieces — All Things Must Pass and Brainwashed are classics
in every sense of the word — but in between he sometimes struggled with both
himself and his label to construct a satisfying collection of songs, frequently
appearing as if making music was of less importance than his other pursuits.
Nevertheless, Harrison was capable of crafting a gem when he wanted to do so,
and even his less than stellar recordings were sufficiently interesting.
After languishing in limbo for some time, Harrison’s outings under his Dark
Horse imprint have been resurrected, and each has been digitally remastered and
padded, however sparsely, with bonus tracks. Available individually, the six
albums are also part of a larger box set titled The Dark Horse Years
1976–1992, which includes an exclusive booklet of liner notes and rare
photographs as well as a DVD that compiles his various promotional videos along
with previously unreleased concert footage and a brief documentary. Taken in
total, the components of this extensive package highlight how, despite the many
changes within the music industry, Harrison’s voice and vision remained focused
on a single goal — shining a spiritual light upon an often dark world through
song.
 Thirty-Three & 1/3
(Capitol)
Much like All Things Must Pass, George Harrison’s fifth solo outing Thirty-Three & 1/3 was comprised largely of tunes that grew from seeds
planted years earlier. Beautiful Girl was plucked from a ’69 recording
session and turned into an ode to his wife; This Song bore the
frustration from his court case over the similarities between My Sweet Lord
and He’s So Fine; See Yourself comments on Paul McCartney’s
decision to make the Beatles’ utilization of LSD public knowledge; and on It’s What You Value, Harrison chastises his ’74 touring band for their
materialism. Despite the personal nature of his lyrics, however, Thirty-Three
& 1/3 didn’t turn out to be quite the gem that All Things Must Pass
was. Though the collection had its share of good songs, many of which bore
resemblances to some of Harrison’s finer moments, few were classics, and the
rest were undermined, at least partially, by assistant producer Tom Scott’s
overly glossy production style. As a result, there is a sense of sterility that
creeps into the material, and one is left wondering what might have happened if
George Martin or Phil Spector had been involved in the project. The new
rendition of Thirty-Three & 1/3 features one bonus track — the rarity
Tears of the World, which actually fares better than much of the album. 
This is the first installment of a seven-part series, which will examine The Dark
Horse Years 1976–1992 album by album. The entire set is rated: ½
Part One: Thirty-Three & 1/3
Part Three: Somewhere in England
Part Four: Gone Troppo
Part Five: Cloud Nine
Part Six: Live in Japan
Part Seven: The Dark Horse Years 1976–1992 DVD
Thirty-Three & 1/3 is available from Amazon.com.
To order, Click Here!
For Canadian orders, please
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For UK orders, please
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This album is also part of the box set
The Dark Horse Years 1976–1992 is available
from Amazon.com. To order, Click Here!
For Canadian orders, please
Click Here!
For UK orders, please
Click Here!
Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2004
The Music Box
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