George Harrison
The Dark Horse Years 1976–1992
(Capitol)
Part Two: George Harrison
First Appeared in The Music Box, May 2004, Volume 11, #5
Written by John Metzger
After the release of Thirty-Three & 1/3, it took George Harrison over
two years to release a new album, but the wait was well worth it. Not only did
his eponymous outing in 1979 boast guest appearances from Steve Winwood and Eric
Clapton (as well as from frequent collaborator Gary Wright, who by now had made
a name for himself with the hit single Dream Weaver), but it also
featured Harrison’s best set of songs since Living in the Material World.
Each track on George Harrison was a folk-pop gem that felt like a lost
Beatles tune — in fact, Not Guilty was originally written for inclusion
on the White Album — and lyrically, this was the songwriter’s sunniest
outing in years, which undoubtedly was due to his time spent vacationing in
Hawaii and the Virgin Islands. While it’s true that the collection carried a
decidedly ’70s-oriented production style — at times, drawing heavily from Paul
McCartney’s work with Wings — the slicker textures weren’t enough to sink the
often airy and uplifting arrangements. A lovely acoustic demo of Here Comes
the Moon serves as the reissue’s lone bonus track. 
½
This is the second installment of a seven-part series, which will examine each
album in The Dark Horse Years 1976–1992. The entire boxed set is rated: ½
Of Further Interest...
George Harrison - Somewhere in England
George Harrison - Live in Japan
George Harrison - The Dark Horse Years 1976–1992 DVD
George Harrison is available from Barnes & Noble.
To order, Click Here!
This album is also part of the box set
The Dark Horse Years 1976–1992 is available
from Barnes & Noble. To order, 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