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| Wonderwall Music | Apple ST-3350 | Dec. 2, 1968 |
Most people had never heard of the Wonderwall film--an interesting and dreamy art piece--but they had certainly heard of George Harrison, whose name appears prominently on the front cover. The album reached the #33 spot before people realized that nothing on the album could be considered "rock and roll." The album has its interesting spots, though, and is worth a listen--especially if you like India-influenced music. Some copies of the album open from the left instead of from the right. Issued with an insert, one side of which is a very large apple.
| Electronic Sound | Zapple ST-3358 | May 26, 1969 |
George's second solo outing was an even more experimental piece. As Bernie Krause (of Beaver and Krause fame) showed George the ropes on the synthesizer, the Electronic Sound album took shape. Krause's name is quite prominent on the inner sleeve, but it had been silvered out on the front cover. He took offense to this and claimed that Harrison did not actually "perform" the music on one side, but Krause did it himself. Although the album stayed well clear of the Hot 100, it is nonetheless rather common.
| "My Sweet Lord" | Apple 2995 | Nov. 23, 1970 |
George's first single was a record which most agreed that the Beatles never would have recorded together. Backed by the multitalented George O'Hara-Smith singers (i.e., GH himself), George's ode to his Lord Krishna became an instant hit--the first Number One by an ex-Beatle. The other half of the single, "Isn't It a Pity," was seen as a commentary on the breakup of the Beatles--another reason to buy the record. And everyone did.
| All Things Must Pass | Apple STCH-639 | Nov. 27, 1970 |
For several years, it seemed as though George was writing songs that Paul (in particular) and John (to some extent) considered less appropriate for Beatles records. When the group disbanded, he had so much of his own material to collect into records that a two record set emerged. Did I say TWO? An "Apple Jam" album provided a third record for the boxed set, which also contained a poster and lyric sleeves. It is said that Phil Collins plays on this album, uncredited. The album itself credited George with a super-hot Number One.
| "What Is Life?" | Apple 1828 | Feb. 15, 1971 |
A second single was pulled from George's runaway hit album. "What is Life" had received a lot of airplay from the album, but since the album had been selling so well, the single stalled out at the #7 spot. Had it been issued in advance of the LP, it would certainly have been a Number One. The song shows up in the oddest places these days, with even radio personality Rush Limbaugh playing licks from the song on his radio show.
| "Bangla Desh" | Apple 1836 | Jul. 28, 1971 |
This was the first part of George's effort to make the plight of the people of Bangla-Desh known to America and Western Europe. Studio versions of two songs (here) and a well-timed concert and album would surely do the trick. But people turned away somewhat from "(We've Got to Relieve) Bangla Desh," raising it to #13.
| Concert For Bangla Desh | Apple STCX-3385 | Dec. 20, 1971 |
Another triple album from George and friends, with this album featuring the likes of Leon Russell, Bob Dylan, and a certain Richard Starkey--all promoting the effort to relieve Bangla Desh. All proceeds from the concert and surrounding merchandise were supposed to go toward that effort. Rumors had spread that some of the money was being held back. George included a copy of the check to the relief effort with the album as partial proof that the relief WAS getting to its intended target. In fact, legal considerations kept the album from being reissued in 1982 (to Capitol SABB-12248)--the copies that got out sell for $350. A chart-topping album for George and company, and the first major effort of its kind. [People may remember Band Aid and We Are the World much later.]
| "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)" | Apple 1862 | May 7, 1973 |
Over a year had passed since George's last record, but it was back on top for the seemingly-charmed Mr. Harrison. "Give Me Love" was a sure-fire Number One, its message seeming just right for the listening public. The B-side, "Miss O'Dell," was a fun, folksy, "Let's relieve some stress" look at the world around him. And a non-LP track, too.
| Living in the Material World | Apple SMAS-3410 | May 29, 1973 |
Shortly following the success of his latest single, the corresponding album, Living in the Material World was released, also to Number One success. The album had been slated for release at Christmas (then called The Magic is Here Again), then reslated for around George's birthday, with the title The Light That Has Lighted the World (also a song title), but a catchier title was chosen and the album held back until May. The decisions proved correct, because George was still having much better success than the famous "John and Paul" mentioned in the title track.
Some copies of the album have lamination, while most do not.
| "Dark Horse" | Apple 1877 | Nov. 18, 1974 |
As George revealed in his book, the expression "dark horse" was originally known to George as a pun. When he learned the usual meaning--someone who's given no chance to win or succeed--he applied it both to his new record company (distributed by A&M Records) and to his next single. Many people thought George sounded odd on this record, and for good reason: he'd strained his vocal cords. Still, the single made it to #15. The picture sleeve is uncommon.
| Dark Horse | Apple SMAS-3418 | Dec. 9, 1974 |
Recorded just before George's 1974 tour, George had been rehearsing for the tour when he strained his voice. The tour became known forever after as the "Dark Hoarse" tour, and the album surely shows it. Although the radio turned off to the record, the public generally bought it, and it reached #4.
One song that doesn't receive much mention these days is George's slightly biting remake of "Bye Bye Love." Instead of the usual lyrics, George substituted words of his own creation, dealing with the "situation" of his wife (Patti) having left him for old buddy Eric Clapton.
A final note: the Tom W.???? album cover was redesigned partway through the original run. It appears that the "small yogi" (or Babaji) copies are original, since the designs appear generally sharper on the "large yogi" copies. No difference in value. Issued with a lyric sheet.
| "Ding Dong, Ding Dong" | Apple 1879 | Dec. 23, 1974 |
To help usher in the new year of 1975, George released a single off of his latest album. A portion of the lyrics were taken from an inscription at George's home; Harrison merely put them into song form. With all the Christmas songs out there, you'd think a New Year's song would be welcomed--but it stopped cold at #36.
| "You" | Apple 1884 | Sep. 15, 1975 |
George had written "You" and had recorded the instrumental track back in 1970, but the vocal (as evidenced by George's recovering voice) was brand new. That it only reached #19 showed the level of skepticism that was attaching itself to George. Still, the song was timely, if you listen to where music was headed in 1975.
| Extra Texture (Read All About It) | Apple SW-3420 | Sep. 22, 1975 |
The original title, ONOTHIMAGEN, ("Oh Not Him Again!") appears on the inner sleeve to this Extra Texture album, Harrison's last for Apple. George's recovering voice got him as far as #8, and George's label-pun (showing the Apple as a core) was proof enough that Apple was falling apart. In fact, the Apple label would not appear in North America from 1976 until 1991.
| "This Guitar (Can't Keep From Crying)" | Apple 1885 | Dec. 8, 1975 |
Apple's last single was dead in the water. No airplay. No chart action. As a result, commercial copies sell for $25.
| Personal Music Dialog at 33 and 1/3 | Dark Horse PRO-649 | November, 1976 |
With the demise of Apple, George moved over to his own label, Dark Horse. By this time, Dark Horse records were no longer distributed by A&M--Warner Brothers had taken over the task. In order to introduce his latest effort, George released an interview record to radio stations that gave information about the songs on the album.
| "This Song" | Dark Horse DRC-8294 | Nov. 3, 1976 |
[Some sources list the release date as Nov. 15.] George had been in legal struggles ever since the success of "My Sweet Lord." The publisher of the Chiffon's tune, "He's So Fine" had claimed that portions of the music to "My Sweet Lord" were taken directly from their song. Interestingly, George had had a different song in mind when he wrote MSL, namely, "O Happy Day"--a song that was in the public domain. The struggle persisted for several years, and finally Bright Tunes prevailed--George was found guilty of "unconscious plagiarism" and ordered to pay.
"This Song" was George's answer to the whole ordeal. In it, he says, "This song...as far as I know, don't infringe on anyone's copyright..." and "This tune has nothing Bright about it." A top 40 hit for George (#25), even if not everyone knew the story. Radio station copies featured a different title sleeve, containing "the story behind 'This Song'," so that at least the deejays would be aware of what had happened.
| Best of George Harrison | Capitol ST-11578 | Nov. 8, 1976 |
Since George had left EMI, they chose to release an album of his greatest hits for the Christmas season. Unfortunately, it was a slap in the face to George, since half the album consisted of songs he wrote for the Beatles. George had wanted to be involved in putting the collection together, but the company executives refused. Like the other solo Beatle greatest hits collections, this one was a chart disappointment (#29), and in the US, the cover was a very unusual "spacy" cover that is now out of print. Original, custom label, copies are common, but orange label copies of this album are scarce ($150+).
| 33 and 1/3 | Dark Horse DH-3005 | Nov. 19, 1976 |
The first Harrison album for Dark Horse contained two songs that were labeled hits. In fact, it was generally well-liked, charting at #11. The album had been delayed, though, and as a result, the extra title pun was lost on many people. "George Harrison at 33 1/3" was supposed to mean two things: first, LP albums play at 33 1/3 RPM; second, George's age at the proposed release date was 33 1/3 years. The album was pushed back, though, until after his 33 2/3 birthday.
| "Crackerbox Palace" | Dark Horse DRC-8313 | Jan 24, 1977 |
The next #17 hit for Mr. Harrison was the second single from 33 1/3. "Crackerbox Palace" was Lord Buckley's place. (For those unfamiliar with him, he was a leading comedian.) Thus, when George sings, "Know that the Lord is well and inside of you," he really means Lord Buckley...this time.
| George Harrison | Dark Horse DHK-3255 | Feb. 9, 1979 |
Two years after his last single effort came George's self-titled album. The sound was more acoustic in general than on his earlier releases, and most people seemed to enjoy it-- lifting it to #12 on the charts. "Faster" received significant notice, especially in the UK, where it was released as a picture disk single (K17423P)--George enjoyed drag racing. "Not Guilty," a song rejected by the Beatles and which wound up on Anthology 3, made its first official appearance here, in a softer form.
| "Blow Away" | Dark Horse DRC-8763 | Feb. 14, 1979 |
Along with the album came a well-appreciated single and an accompanying promotional film. The song was heard frequently in Spring of '79, giving George a #12 hit single to go along with his #12 album.
| "Love Comes To Everyone" | Dark Horse DRC-8844 | May 11, 1979 |
George and the American deejays favored "Love Comes to Everyone," but by the time it was released as a single, the public wasn't interested. The record failed to make the Top 100, and the picture sleeve was withdrawn, becoming immediately rare ($750).
| "All Those Years Ago" | Dark Horse DRC-49725 | May 6, 1981 |
In 1980, Ringo had been working on an album called (at the time) Can't Fight Lightning. For that album, George contributed a couple of songs, including "All Those Years Ago." The lyrics were different then, and Ringo eventually excluded the song. After John's murder, George rewrote the lyrics, and it was released as a tribute to Lennon. In fact, some jukebox "timing strips" show the song as by "George, Paul, Ringo" instead of "George Harrison." While some people bemoaned the lyrics, the song jumped to #2 and remained George's definitive statement about what had happened in December of 1980.
| Somewhere in England | Dark Horse DHK-3492 | May 27, 1981 |
While Ringo was having record company problems, George was having trouble of his own. Warner Brothers had told him that Somewhere in England didn't sound commercial enough, and they were reluctant to release it unless George reworked the album. He went back into the studio and replaced four songs with four "more commercial" tracks, two of which wound up being released as singles ("All Those Years Ago" and "Teardrops"). One of the other "new" songs, "Blood From a Clone," tells us exactly how George was feeling about the Record Industry. With a new cover to boot (original is at left, above), Somewhere in England rose to #11.
| "Teardrops" | Dark Horse DRC-49785 | Jul. 15, 1981 |
George "took a soaking" when he released "Teardrops" as his next single. Although people praised the song prior to its single release, they neither played it nor bought it afterward. Number 88 was as far as "Teardrops" made it. Upon reflection, it was worth more than that.
| Gone Troppo | Dark Horse 1-23734 | Oct. 27, 1982 |
Gone Troppo was generally unappreciated by the public. Though it contained the main track from the Time Bandits film, and though it contained a rather catchy single ("Wake Up My Love"), the public didn't wake up to the album, and it languished.
On to George's Career from 1982 to the Present
