George Harrison
The Dark Horse Years 1976–1992
(Capitol)
Part Three: Somewhere in England
First Appeared in The Music Box, May 2004, Volume 11, #5
Written by John Metzger
Somewhere in England
(Capitol)
Despite the turmoil surrounding the recording of Somewhere in England,
the outing actually was reasonably strong, though it forever may be tagged with
questions about what it could have become. Indeed, there were many
behind-the-scenes tales about the creation of the album, most notably that it
wasn’t the song cycle that George Harrison wanted to release, but Warner Bros.
rejected his original concept on the basis that four tracks — Flying Hour,
Lay His Head, Sat Singing, and Tears of the World — held no
commercial viability. Then, as Harrison was reformulating the collection, John
Lennon was fatally shot outside his New York City home, and the false pretenses
of a reunion by The Beatles began circulating around the single All Those Years Ago.
Granted, the remaining trio did perform on the song, but the collaboration was
fabricated. The tune, along with the industry-bashing Blood from a Clone,
the lighthearted Teardrops, and the spiritually enlightening That
which I Have Lost replaced the four excised tracks, and all were given the
peppy, pop-oriented sheen for which the label had been searching. The highlight,
however, was Life Itself, a devotional ballad of utmost beauty. Oddly
enough, instead of restoring the missing songs, only a hauntingly gentle demo
version of Save the World is featured on the reissue, though a rendition
of Tears of the World resurfaced as the bonus track for Thirty-Three &
1/3. 
½
This is the first 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 - Thirty-Three & 1/3
George Harrison - George Harrison / self-titled
George Harrison - Live in Japan
George Harrison - The Dark Horse Years 1976–1992 DVD
Somewhere in Englandis 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