Thursday 20 July 2023

Dark Horse - GEORGE HARRISON***

Hari's On Tour (Express)/Simply Shady/So Sad/Bye Bye Love/Maya Love/Ding Dong Ding Dong/Dark Horse/Far East Man/ It Is He

After two well received albums George Harrison’s third release Dark Horse came as a disappointment. Apart from the title track the songs here are largely mediocre and uninspired. (US:4)

“The song Dark Horse is a very good one. The problem is that the rest of the album is either very mediocre or outright bad. The problem with George Harrison's solo albums is that the Hare Krishna stuff gets old and fast. It's great that he found something that gave him peace, but his albums can get a little boring when the lyrics of many of the songs are Hare Krishna themed.”

“Harrison's third post-Beatles studio album, Dark Horse, wasn't just a disappointment; it was borderline embarrassing due to weak songs and an obviously hoarse Harrison struggling to get through it.”

“The title track was a hit and in many ways sums up George and many peoples perception of him in the wake of the Beatles split. It is a bouncy, bluesy tune, sung in a hoarse voice. Truth of the matter was that this vocal gave the song a lot more character and his words more conviction.”

“Recording an entire album while suffering from flu was not the best idea. But George was also suffering from depression in the wake of his marriage bust-up and from writer's block. You can tell listening to the album; it's dour as anything.”

Dark Horse is a mixed batch. George's knack for lovely, occasionally haunting melodies is ever-present even if the lyrics are sappy and pointless throughout. The abundance of mediocre material means this album doesn't stand a chance under weight of the terrible production and half-hearted performance.”

“The music is vibrant and upbeat with great bass, keyboards and slide guitar contrasting with the lyrics which are blunt, honest and foreboding.” “A much better album than people believe. The music and musicianship is excellent, George's vocals are loose and hoarse, which is very cool, not a detriment. Slide guitars everywhere and great brass also.”

No comments:

Post a Comment