And that’s why I’ve been missing from these pages for the longest time. Well, that and the sudden demise of my computer, which, sadly, had contained all my published and unpublished works. To those who e-mailed, asking me where the hell I was, I’m really touched. Here now is the first output from my new drawing board. Haribol!
George Harrison
The Dark Horse Years 1976-1992 (DVD)
EMI Records
There were, and still are, a lot of famous pop figures whom I love to hate, and I certainly used to have my fun blasting their records with loads of angst-inspired (yet mundane) adjectives. I could have also been childishly critical of a specific genre, like say, the entire hip-hop mode, but thankfully, it got old pretty fast.
So now, rather than offend their fans with my disobliging observations, I prefer not to talk – let alone write – about them. Naturally, my music articles over the last four years have either been scarce, or tended to hurry through unavoidable passages about well, certain people.
George Harrison, of course, isn’t one of them.
Although I don’t agree he was the god-like genius some Beatle fans portray him to be, the quiet one did churn out standards (Frank Sinatra called Something "the greatest love song ever written") which could rival those from Lennon and McCartney. Creatively blessed with a deceptively wondrous, impeccable musical sense – his slide guitar was one of rock’s most lyrically distinctive – Harrison’s work outside the Fab Four definitely stirs both idolatry and fascination.
On the cusp of his induction last year into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist, his six albums on the Dark Horse imprint ("Thirty Three & 1/3," "George Harrison," "Somewhere in England", "Gone Troppo", "Cloud Nine" and "Live in Japan") were compiled and remastered for a special edition box set.
Originally packaged with its release is the separately sold DVD of the same name.
Through scattered interviews, scenes from his live gigs and music videos, "The Dark Horse Years 1976 —1992" offers an exalting glimpse into Harrison’s soul. In it, history’s most famous Krishna devotee talks about how his label came into effect and candidly shares a few quick comments on his songs. He also discusses 1991’s tour of Japan with Eric Clapton, plus a couple more tidbits about his work. In various clips, Harrison displays a sardonic wit and makes this a fairly appealing piece to own, but it is still his music which mainly covers its worth.
Not exactly a purveyor of fine MTV, Harrison’s promo videos for the singles are pretty solid here. Barring three extracts from his pain-in-the-padded-ass movie production of Shanghai Surprise (starring Madonna and Sean Penn), the DVD includes "Thirty Three & 1/3’s" delightfully sarcastic This Song (inspired by his My Sweet Lord plagiarism suit), different versions of the vigorous, bouncy 1987 chart-topper Got My Mind Set OnYou and the comedic, zany visuals of When We Was Fab. Another ideal highlight is the selected concert reels from Japan, which presents live cuts of his classic hits.
The release is not without its downsides, however, and most glaring of all is that it falls a bit short on material to brew any sort of grand, sweeping statement about the late ex-Beatle. With a running time of just over an hour, the DVD is simply far too fleeting to leave a lasting impression; even if many of the scenes are quite intriguing. This is a forgivable flaw, of course, because the severely private Harrison never really bothered to document his greatest feats on film.
While much of his output after 1971’s All Things Must Pass had been somewhat uneven, they were fruits of sincerity, and the farthest thing from a pop sell-out.
Forging one of the most idiosyncratic, artistically stubborn careers in rock, the Dark Horse albums remain, in many ways, George Harrison’s truest musical legacy.