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George Harrison
Living in the Material World
(Apple/Capitol)
The Music Box's #9 reissue of 2006
First Appeared in The Music Box, November 2006, Volume 13, #11
Written by John Metzger
After the breakup of The Beatles, George Harrison not only worked with Phil
Spector to piece together the expansive, three-LP set All Things Must Pass,
but he also assembled a star-studded benefit concert at New York City’s Madison
Square Garden in order to raise money for the refugees who were caught in the
midst of a civil war between East and West Pakistan. Exhausted from his
pursuits, it took Harrison another two and a half years to complete his
follow-up effort Living in the Material World. In spite of its
chart-topping success as well as its spawning of a number one single [Give Me
Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)], the endeavor quickly became the most
underrated album of his career.
Of course, the biggest obstacle that Harrison had to overcome in making
Living in the Material World was the issue of how to frame his thin voice.
The Beatles, with the help of producer George Martin, had deftly concocted
arrangements that turned his weakness into a strength, and while Spector’s far
more lush approach on All Things Must Pass was somewhat less effective,
it still managed to overcome Harrison’s inherent limitations. In producing
Living in the Material World, Harrison wisely adhered to the templates that
Spector and Martin had fashioned — the brightly colored radiance of Don’t Let
Me Wait Too Long offers a prime example of both influences. Nevertheless,
Harrison also followed a slightly more restrained and organic path, and when
this is combined with the singular focus of his writing, his spiritual
ruminations obtain a more personal tonality.
As was the case with All Things Must Pass, it would be easy to condemn
Living in the Material World on the basis of its individual components.
Many of Harrison’s lyrics, for example, are ridiculously simplistic: "You serve
me/And I’ll serve you/Swing your partners/All get screwed," he sings on Sue
Me, Sue You Blues, which, in commenting on the spate of post-Beatles
lawsuits, is perhaps, the most bilious song that he ever penned. Likewise, the
surrounding music was fairly straightforward, and it never strayed far from the
pop-rock sheen of his preceding work. Taken in full, however, the album
coalesces around its songs — the gentle Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth);
the meditative fragility of Be Here Now; and the funky, horn-driven
The Lord Loves the One (That Loves the Lord), among them — and the Zen-like
beauty that emanates from Harrison’s hymns to a higher power inevitably becomes
subtly affecting.
Beautifully remastered, the newly minted Living in the Material World
has been appended with a pair of B-sides — the loose, swinging acoustic blues of
the appropriately titled Deep Blue as well as a playful, lighthearted
ditty titled Miss O’Dell. The deluxe edition also includes a brief DVD
that features a quartet of previously unreleased videos: Captured during
Harrison’s tour of Japan in 1991, Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)
is graced with a professional polish, but unfortunately, Eric Clapton, who
joined the band for the journey, remains well outside the spotlight. Performing
on a resonator guitar, Harrison’s demo of Sue Me, Sue You Blues stings
more than its studio counterpart, and though its accompanying scenery isn’t
fancy, it is effective. An animated photo sequence is employed as the visual
accompaniment to an alternate version of Miss O’Dell, and, images from
the original U.S./U.K. pressing of the album form the backdrop for the title
track. In the end, none of the extras are essential, but they do serve to make
Living in the Material World an even better value. 
Living in the Material World [CD/DVD Deluxe Edition] is
available from Amazon.com. To order, Click Here!
For Canadian orders, please
Click Here!
For UK orders, please
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Living in the Material World [Remastered CD] 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 © 2006 The Music Box
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