Harrisongs

I just watched Martin Scorsese's documentary on George Harrison.  It may not be a major piece of art, but like Scorsese's previous documentary on Dylan, it can't help but be interesting--the rare footage, the new interviews and the music guarantees that. (Though how much does Scorsese really do on these things?  I'm sure he guides them, but does he really watch hundreds of hours of old stuff and conduct all those interviews, or do other people do a lot of watching and editing before he gets his hands dirty?)

The doc reminded me of the good and the bad.  There's no doubt George made a central contribution to The Beatles, with his harmonizing, his songwriting and all those wonderful solos, which apparently were his own creation.  On the bad side, his discovery of the East, as important as it was to him, didn't do much for his art--Indian-inflected music was not a great Beatles' legacy, and his religious beliefs could make his lyrics preachy.  I liked him better as the quiet, witty Beatle (who didn't want to be bothered and wasn't happy about the tax man).



I often wonder how I'd feel about the Beatles if I only knew them post-breakup.  I think I'd see something in John and Paul, even if their solo stuff can't compare.  But George?  So I looked through his albums and pretended I didn't know this was the man who was one quarter of the greatest band ever.

He was always a junior partner in The Beatles, with John and Paul crowding out his work, so he stockpiled a lot of material.  It burst out in 1970 with his triple (!) album All Things Must Pass. It was highly-regarded and hit #1.  Yet I'd say you could make one decent album of it, but not much more.  Aside from the deficits listed above, George singing alone can get a bit whiny and monotonous.  Not that there's nothing here.  The big hit was "My Sweet Lord," but I prefer "What Is Life."



His next solo album, from 1973, Living In The Material World, magnifies his faults--his hectoring tone, his lugubrious, drone-y melodies.  Still, the album hit #1 (hey, he is a Beatle) and, like almost everything he made, does include at least one great song--"Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)."

His next two albums, Dark Horse (1974) and Extra Texture (1975), are among his weakest, with very few stand-out moments.  Both charted well, but his popularity was waning.

His next work, from 1976, Thirty Three & 1/3 (a good pun, referring to his age and the album), was his first not to make the top ten. (Went to #11, but hey, he is a Beatle.) But if it sold less, it was artistically a comeback, with his sense of humor coming out on tunes like "Crackerbox Palace" and "This Song" (I've linked to the original video since it's disabled, which is funny for a song about getting hit by a copyright infringement suit).



He took a little time off and came out with George Harrison in 1979, which only went to #14, but is his best album.  He's gotten simpler and sweeter, and the work features beautiful numbers like "Love Comes To Everyone," "Here Comes The Moon," and "Blow Away."



His next album, Somewhere In England (1981), came out after the dream was over.  His tribute to John Lennon, "All Those Years Ago," was deeply felt, and was also a hit.  The album did a little better than his previous, but still stalled outside the top ten.



Then came--and went--Gone Troppo in 1982.  George just seems tired here, and the album didn't even make the top 100.  He wisely took a lot of time off, and returned to the top ten with Cloud Nine in 1987, which included the #1 single "Got My Mind Set On You" (which is a cover).



Soon after he took a delightful detour with the Traveling Wilburys, a supergroup he put together.  The two albums they released (Vol. 1 in 1988 and Vol. 3 in 1990) compare favorably with any of his solo stuff.  It helped he was working with a bunch of other good singers, songwriters and producers. Guess George always did his best work in a band.



His last original album, Brainwashed, he didn't fully finish, but was put out in 2002 after his death.  It's not a disaster, but isn't especially inspired.

So if all I knew about Harrison was his solo career, I believe I'd see him as a solid second-tier artist who would occasionally rise to the occasion and do something special.  But then, I know so much more about him.  We all do.