George Harrison (album)

George Harrison
Studio album by George Harrison
Released	23 February 1979
Recorded	July - November 1978
Genre	Rock music
Length	39:58
Label	Dark Horse, Warner Bros.
Producer	George Harrison, Russ Titelman
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link Rolling Stone (positive) link
George Harrison chronology
Thirty Three & 1/ॐ (1976) George Harrison (1979) Somewhere in England (1981)

George Harrison is the eponymous album release by George Harrison in 1979. It was recorded during a period of domestic happiness which saw Harrison marry Olivia Trinidad Arias and fathering his son Dhani, all during George Harrison's making in 1978.

History

With Harrison's penchant for leisure and travel following Thirty Three & 1/3's release, he didn't manage to start recording a follow-up until mid-1978, although he had been writing songs during his hiatus. Teaming up with a co-producer for the first time in years, Harrison decided to use Russ Titelman to help realize the music for George Harrison, which was recorded at his home studio, entitled Friar Park, with string overdubs being effected at London's AIR Studios. Special guests included Steve Winwood, Gary Wright (who co-wrote "If You Believe") and Eric Clapton. The album was previewed by the single "Blow Away", which reached #51 in the UK and #16 in the United States. George Harrison received charitable reviews upon its February 1979 release. It reached #39 in the UK and it peaked at #14 in the U.S., going gold. Harrison's increasing efforts, however, were being directed towards the film industry (having formed Handmade Films in order to help his friends in Monty Python complete Life of Brian). In 2004, George Harrison was remastered and reissued both separately and as part of the deluxe box set The Dark Horse Years 1976-1992 on Dark Horse with new distribution by EMI, adding the bonus track demo version of "Here Comes the Moon", recorded just after it was written in Hawaii.

Track listing

All songs by written by George Harrison, except where noted.

1. "Love Comes to Everyone" – 4:36
   • Guitar intro played by Eric Clapton, who would go on to cover the song on his 2005 album Back Home.
   • Song was perfmormed live only once during Harrison's Japanese tour in December 1991
2. "Not Guilty" – 3:35
   • Originally recorded by The Beatles in 1968 for inclusion on The Beatles album (also known as the White Album); it was finally issued in 1996 on Anthology 3.
3. "Here Comes the Moon" – 4:48
   • A lyrical successor to Harrison's 1969 composition "Here Comes the Sun".
4. "Soft-Hearted Hana" – 4:03
   • Written about a Psychedelic mushroom experience Harrison had in Maui.
   • Incorporates actual atmosphere from Harrison's local Henley-on-Thames pub, "The Row Barge".
5. "Blow Away" – 4:00
6. "Faster" – 4:46
   • Incorporates actual racing effects from the British Grand Prix on 16 July 1978.
7. "Dark Sweet Lady" – 3:22
8. "Your Love Is Forever" – 3:45
9. "Soft Touch" – 3:59
10. "If You Believe" (George Harrison, Gary Wright) – 2:55
11. "Here Comes the Moon" (demo version) - 3:37
    • A demo released as a bonus track on the 2004 remastered and reissued version of George Harrison.

Personnel

• George Harrison - Vocals, guitars, backing vocals, bass on "Faster"
• Andy Newmark - Drums
• Willie Weeks - Bass
• Neil Larsen - Keyboards, Minimoog
• Ray Cooper - Percussion
• Stevie Winwood - Polymoog, Harmonium, Minimoog and backing vocals
• Emil Richards - Marimba
• Gayle Levant - Harp
• Eric Clapton - Guitar intro on "Love Comes To Everyone"
• Gary Wright - Oberheim on "If You Believe"
• Del Newman - Strings and horn arrangements