The Lost Classics Series - George Harrison - George Harrison (1979)

 

The Lost Classics series finds us revisiting albums that have faded into obscurity or never found the acclaim they deserved upon release. Launching the series is George Harrison’s self-titled album released in 1979.

George Harrison will always be remembered as the quiet Beatle. Lacking the self-confidence of Lennon, the smooth charm of McCartney, or the goofy appeal of Ringo, Harrison was always the dark horse of the group and the happiest to let his music do the talking for him.

And there lay a great deal of frustration. The downside of being a member of the world’s biggest band, was the intense competition to get your songs on to a new record. Harrison grew increasingly fed up at fighting to have his original compositions rejected for the efforts of the song writing powerhouse partnership that was Lennon-McCartney.

Despite writing some of the Beatles most loved songs (‘Something’ and ‘Here Comes the Sun’ were both his compositions), many of George’s efforts did not make it on to the Beatles albums. It was this collection of songs (among other new recordings) that made his 1970 solo album ‘All Things Must Pass’ (released not long after the Beatles had split) such a classic. It was a record filled to the brim with original and innovative song writing. 

When asked to think of George Harrison as a solo artist, many would picture the long bearded young man strumming his guitar to early hit ‘My Sweet Lord’ or perhaps picture an older George performing ‘Got my Mind Set on You’. They may even think of his time in the super group the Travelling Wilburys alongside legendary peers Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne and Roy Orbison. Few would picture him in the late seventies at the time that he wrote and recorded his self-titled record.

The album was written and released in a period of personal happiness for Harrison. He had begun a relationship with future wife Olivia, invested time in several interests outside of music (motor racing and investing in the Monty Python team among them) and shaken off some off the cobwebs from his Beatles days.

It is this frame of mind that makes his self-titled release so enjoyable. Opener ‘Love Comes to Everyone’, with its cheesy late seventies instrumentals, would fit comfortably on one of Steve Wright’s Radio 2 playlists and is as corny as anything out of the McCartney songbook. It is misleading of the albums direction though, with its elongated saxophone solo and effect ridden guitars, but it does grow on you and becomes warmly enjoyable with each repeated listen.

‘Not Guilty’, powered along by a slinking riff, is more representative of the feel of the album. The track was written during the sessions for the Beatles own self-titled effort (the famous White Album) but did not make the final cut. It finds Harrison at his most cutting and taking no prisoners as he casts away any responsibility for his critic’s accusations.

The record really finds its groove with the beautiful cosmic ballad ‘Here Comes the Moon’. Written as a sister piece to Harrison’s most famous song ‘Here Comes the Sun’, the song embraces his Beatles past with gorgeous harmonized vocals and ‘Abbey Lane’-esque guitar riffs.  ‘Soft-Hearted Hana’ keeps the groove rolling with its honky-tonk rhythms sound tracking recollections of a night after consuming mind altering substances. You can almost hear George losing his mind as voices chatter over the twang of the lead riff and the raucous bar room rhythms.

‘Blow Away’ is one of his finest songs and finds him more comfortably combining his knack for melody with an upbeat anthemic chorus. The song reflects on the worries of a young man facing vulnerability and fears of losing his new found happiness, but the upbeat jaunty rhythm makes it feel fun filled and joyous rather than melancholy and self-reflective.  

Faster’ meanwhile may be Harrison’s best lesser known track. An ode to his F1 heroes, it finds him in awe of the drivers who drive ‘faster than the bullet of a gun’ and are ‘faster than everyone’. The lyrics and race car sound effects may not be his most sophisticated moment, but damn the song is catchy!

The album begins to wind down with the understated charm of ‘Dark Sweet Lady’, an acoustic ballad that ripples along gently. ‘Your Love is Forever’ is a slightly boring centerpiece but ‘Soft Touch’ employs cascading guitar riffs and jaunty rhythms whilst closer ‘If You Believe’ restores the urgency with a full throttled dash to the close of the album.

Creating a continuing musical legacy after leaving the world’s biggest band was a huge challenge for all four Beatles and was one that they all grasped in different ways. With this 1979 effort, George Harrison showed that he had plenty left to say and that his song writing hadn’t been spent up on ‘All Things Must Pass’. It should be remembered more fondly than it has been and is a lost classic indeed!