George Harrison - The mantra of rock

Harrison, in particular, suffers from this situation because of his introverted character and because of the decade-long struggle to assert his talent. From the timid notes of "Don't Bother Me" on "With The Beatles", through the tender "I Need You" on Help!, "Think For Yourself" and "If I Needed Someone" on "Rubber Soul", "Taxman" and "Love You To" on "Revolver", to the Eastern-tinged "Within You Without You" on "Sgt. Pepper's", all the way to the magnificent "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", "Piggies" and "Long Long Long" on the "White Album", it's a constant struggle to try to break the absolute dominance of the Lennon–McCartney partnership.

It's precisely in the attempt to finally establish himself as a songwriter that, already by the late 60s, George Harrison composes two solo albums, Wonderwall Music (1968) and Electronic Sounds (1969), which, despite containing notable experimental ideas and interesting blends of Eastern and Western sounds, achieve no commercial success. The second, however, has since been widely reassessed, as it's now almost unanimously recognized as the first album composed entirely of electronic music, having been recorded solely with the aid of a Moog synthesizer.

His well-deserved consecration as a songwriter arrives a few months later, right at the end of the Beatles' story, when, during the sessions for the definitive "Abbey Road", he gives birth to the masterpieces "Something" and "Here Comes The Sun", two of the very best compositions the Fab Four ever produced. The now-former "third" Beatle is ready and mature for his solo career. The Maharishi and Brian Epstein, Tony Sheridan and Ravi Shankar, the sitar and the Rickenbacker, Pete Best and Billy Preston, Liverpool and Rishikesh, the Mersey and the Ganges must remain but a distant memory: the time has come to take flight, to step into the 70s. Because all things pass, all things must pass.

Don't forget that John and Paul had gotten greater satisfaction writing all those songs with the Beatles. Especially after 1966 I started writing a lot of material, and one or two songs per album weren't enough for me anymore. By the time the triple album came out I felt liberated, after years spent in a state of constipation. I had 17 tracks and didn't want to cut any of them. I wanted to get rid of them so I could focus on myself again.

(George Harrison, 1987)

All things must pass

The end of the Beatles, sudden and irreversible, is a shock to the entire world. Fans, industry insiders and journalists greet the news with astonishment and immense sorrow. Perhaps only George Harrison experiences this split as a kind of liberation. First of all, the tension built up over the last period had become unbearable; secondly, he could finally give free rein to his creativity without being obligated to submit to the judgment of his bandmates or the record label. Indeed, the material he had composed and never included in the Fab Four's official discography was so abundant that it could have filled at least three or four albums. Harrison decides to release all that frustration in one go and put out an astonishing debut album.

Recorded between Abbey Road Studios, Trident Studios and Apple Studios in London, All Things Must Pass benefits from Phil Spector's pharaonic production and a first-rate cast of musicians (Eric Clapton, Klaus Voorman, Billy Preston, Ringo Starr, Bobby Keys, Carl Radle, to name just a few). The songs are excellently crafted and date back to the guitarist's Beatles period, even though they fundamentally depart from the Fab Four's typical sound, since the textures here are rooted in folk with Eastern-tinged shades. Above everything else emerges Harrison's soft, reassuring voice together with the clear, crystalline timbre of his guitar. The gentle ballad "If You'd Have Any Time" was composed in 1968 during a session in Woodstock with none other than Bob Dylan. The lyrics, extremely poetic in their simplicity, contain tender references to love (“All I have is yours/ All you see is mine/ And I’m glad to hold you in my arms/ I’d have you anytime”). The chart-smashing single "My Sweet Lord" is George Harrison's "song" par excellence; his most famous track. Its verses condense his life philosophy and his proverbial fascination with Eastern mysticism, complete with an actual mantra sung in Sanskrit (“Guru Brahma/ guru Viṣṇur/ guru Devo Maheśvaraḥ/ guru sākṣāt/ param Brahma/ tasmai Sri/ gurave namah”). Musically, things are a bit different. Despite an excellent slide guitar riff, the melody bears too close a resemblance to the Chiffons' "He's So Fine", which earned the ex-Beatle a plagiarism lawsuit (settled with the order to hand over most of the song's rights to Bright Music).

The register changes radically with the fiery rock of "Wah-Wah", where, as the title suggests, the absolute protagonist is the distorted guitar run through the eponymous pedal. The song's driving rhythm reflects the anger Harrison built up during the recording sessions for "Let It Be", during which Paul McCartney and John Lennon reportedly criticized some of his guitar parts. That state of frustration is reflected in the particularly sharp, polemical lyrics (“You made me such a big star/ Being there at the right time/ Cheaper than a dime/ you’ve given me your wah-wah”). A deep reflection on pain and otherness characterizes the gorgeous "Isn't It A Pity", one of the most evocative and moving tracks on the album. Over a relatively simple and repetitive chord progression rises a towering guitar that, here more than anywhere else, "gently weeps". The crescendo heightens the pathos of verses steeped in resignation (“Isn’t it a pity/ Isn’t is a shame/ How we break each other’s hearts/ And cause each other pain/ How we take each other’s love/ Without thinking anymore/ Forgetting to give back/ Isn’t it a pity”). The joyful "What Is Life" is a declaration of love for Patty Boyd, his wife at the time ("Tell me, what is my life without your love?/ And tell me, who am I without you, by my side?"), while "If Not For You" is a well-judged cover of a Bob Dylan song, enriched by the sound of the pedal steel guitar. "Behind That Locked Door" is a country waltz composed during the Isle of Wight Festival, which the Duluth minstrel attended, and is dedicated to him. It stands as a kind of encouragement from Harrison to his friend, who was struggling with depression, and at the same time a plea for him to share his feelings. The lyrics are heartfelt and personal ("Come and let out my heart, please, please/ From behind that locked door"), testifying to the deep friendship between the two musicians. "Let It Down" dates back to the sessions for the aborted "Get Back" and deals with the theme of marital infidelity. The tone, languid at first and then majestic, suits the particularly erotic lyrics well (“While you look so sweetly and divine/ I can feel you here/ See your eyes are busy kissing mine”), giving rise to a mix that evokes the intensity of passion for another woman. A bitter reflection on his final Beatles period fills the verses of "Run Of The Mill" with bitterness (“Everyone has choice/ When to or not to raise their voices/ It’s you that decides”), an bitterness effectively underscored by a melancholy, aching melody.

Indian mysticism permeates the splendid "Beware Of Darkness", directly inspired by the philosophy of the Radha Krishna Temple, of which George is a follower. The lyrical complexity, laden with metaphor and symbolism (“Watch out now, take care/ Beware of greedy leaders/ They take you where you should not go/ While weeping Atlas cedars”), is followed by notable musical sophistication, full of key changes and chord progressions. The playful "Apple Scruffs" is dedicated to the groupies every good rock band must have, while the ethereal "The Ballad Of Sir Frank Crisp (Let It Roll)" pays tribute to the lawyer who once owned his lavish mansion. Hinduism returns in force on "Awaiting On You All", which includes a verse sharply critical of Pope Paul VI ("While the Pope owns 51% of General Motors/ And the stock exchange is the only thing he's qualified to quote us"), in stark contrast with a more personal, intimate religiosity (“Before you can see Jesus/ If you open up your heart/ You’ll see he’s right there”). The melody is infectious, exuberant, as if underscoring the joy of having glimpsed the true path to God.

The fleeting, transient nature of life is the central theme of All Things Must Pass, whose melancholic sound only deepens the gravity and seriousness of its reflections. The spicy (and experimental) "I Dig Love" returns to the theme of sexual freedom, while death and reincarnation take centre stage in the heavily rhythmic "Art Of Dying", whose key line concerns the very notion of returning to earth as a way of overcoming the fear of death ("There'll come a time when most of us return here/ Brought back by our desire to be"). This leads into "Hear Me Lord", a genuine rock prayer, pleading and desperate (“Forgive me lord/ Please, those years when I ignored you, hmm/ Forgive them lord/ Those that feel they can’t afford you, hmm”). The album's third section consists of a sprawling jam session spread across both sides of the LP. Split into five parts — "Out Of The Blue", "It's Johnny's Birthday", "Plug Me In", "I Remember Jeep" and "Thanks For The Pepperoni" — it sees Harrison improvising with some of the best musicians around, though the results are uneven and not always compelling.

Aside from that, this is unquestionably a work of enormous quality, musically and poetically complex, rich in themes, ideas and profound reflection. Harrison's entire philosophical and musical universe — mysticism, love, irony and social critique, woven together with country, folk and rock influences — finds room in this towering debut, into which the author pours all his talent and inspiration. Audiences and critics alike reward the album unanimously, sending it to number one and making it the best-selling debut album by an ex-Beatle.

The magic moment is far from over. Six months after the release of All Things Must Pass, at the invitation of his friend and teacher Ravi Shankar (the great sitar virtuoso), George personally organises a monumental benefit concert for refugees from Bangladesh, at the time torn apart by war between India and Pakistan. Bringing together major musical figures such as Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Bob Dylan, Leon Russell and Billy Preston (Lennon and McCartney, by contrast, turn down the invitation), the former Beatle manages to sell out two consecutive nights, August 1st and 2nd, at the legendary Madison Square Garden in New York, drawing a total of 40,000 people. The success of what remains, without doubt, music's first-ever charity initiative is enormous. The second concert is turned into a triple LP, The Concert For Bangla Desh, which climbs the charts and goes on to win the 1972 Grammy Award for "Album of the Year". A film is also made from the event, one that captures rather well the heartfelt atmosphere of those performances, during which Bob Dylan delivers superb versions of "Blowin In The Wind", "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "Just Like A Woman", Ringo performs his recent hit "It Don't Come Easy", and the host himself skilfully blends classic Beatles-era compositions of his own ("Something") with more recent hits ("My Sweet Lord").

Despite the best of intentions, things don't go quite as planned. The American tax authorities raise serious questions over the proceeds of the event, and even the record, not being classified as a charity release, ends up subject to standard taxation. A portion of the funds earmarked for Bangladesh remains frozen for more than ten years, until 1981, much to Harrison's regret — for years he would blame himself for not having set up a dedicated foundation to channel the proceeds of the "mega-concert". Despite these troubles, the documentary value of The Concert For Bangla Desh remains entirely intact. Musically it adds little to the participants' discographies, but it undeniably marks the start of the kind of socio-humanitarian commitment that would go on to involve an ever-growing number of artists in the years to come.

Well, you serve me and I’ll serve you

Swing your partners, all get screwed

Bring your lawyer and I’ll bring mine

Get together, and we could have a bad time

("Sue Me, Sue You Blues")

The dark horse

Stung by the partial failure of that venture, but increasingly drawn towards social commitment in his music, in 1973 Harrison decides to set up the Material World Charitable Foundation, an organisation through which to support charitable initiatives around the world. Specifically to help finance the newly founded foundation, he decides to donate the royalties from several tracks on his forthcoming album. The success and quality of his two previous records had created huge expectations around the former Beatle's new work, but he instead finds himself in a sudden creative impasse. A car accident in mid-1972 and the sheer grandeur of All Things Must Pass had brought about a significant dip in George's inspiration. The excellent leftover material from the Beatles era had already been used up, so new songs had to be written from scratch, all while chasing a degree of stylistic innovation.

To get it done, he turns to trusted, well-seasoned collaborators (Ringo Starr, Klaus Voorman, Nicky Hopkins), holing up with them at Apple Studios to record what would become Living In The Material World. The title might be misleading, with its obvious nod to the tangible side of things, while the record itself, almost ironically, is steeped in a pronounced sense of spirituality and mysticism.

The album's most famous and successful track, "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)", is a soft, catchy ballad whose lyrics are inspired by the theme of peace and universal love (“Give me love, give me love, give me peace on earth/ Give me light, give me life, keep me free from birth/ Give me hope, help me cope with this heavy load/ Trying to touch and reach you with heart and soul”), alongside a constant inward search for god. But Harrison still carries some of the anger left over from the final stage of the Beatles era: the grim aftermath of the band's legal wrangling following the split, and the bitterness towards his former bandmates, give a biting edge to "Sue Me, Sue You Blues" (“Well, you serve me and I’ll serve you/ Swing your partners, all get screwed/ Bring your lawyer and I’ll bring mine/ Get together, and we could have a bad time”), effectively underscored by the metallic, lashing sound of the resonator guitar. The pitfalls of record-industry success, meanwhile, define the melancholic "The Light That Has Lighted The World", in which the slide guitar sound returns, while the first cracks in his marriage to Pattie Boyd seep into the tender "Don't Let Me Wait Too Long". "Who Can See It" is yet another bitter reflection on his Beatles years, during which he was repeatedly overshadowed by the towering personalities of his former bandmates (“I only ask/ That what I feel/ Should not be denied me now”), while the title track makes plain the contrast between the materialism of the music establishment (the other Beatles included) and the spirituality of his own soul (“Met them all here in the material world/ John and Paul here in the material world/ Though we started out quite poor/ We got Richie on a tour”). The music throws this contrast into even sharper relief through the stark juxtaposition of classic rock instrumentation with that of Indian tradition.

Spiritual searching returns to the fore in the splendid "The Lord Loves The One (That Loves The Lord)", where clearly religious lyrics (“The Lord loves the one that loves the Lord/ And the law says if you don’t give, then you don’t get loving/ Now the Lord helps those that help themselves/ And the law says whatever you do’s gonna come right back on you”) pair with a pleasant, distinctly Harrison-esque melody built from slide guitar, horns and Eastern percussion. A gorgeous acoustic guitar colours the melancholic "Be Here Now", a deep meditation on the passage of time, while the majestic "Try Some, Buy Some" takes a close look at conversion and rediscovered faith. Ecological and humanitarian concerns, meanwhile, define "The Day The World Gets 'Round" (“The day the world gets ‘round/ To understanding where it is/ Using all it’s found/ To help each other, hand in hand”), before giving way to the beautiful "That Is All", which, true to its title, closes the record.

Living In The Material World is a highly distinctive album: musically gorgeous, but rather more ambivalent from a lyrical standpoint. As usual, Harrison plays with sound, skilfully blending East and West and tying it all together with a strong sense of melody, but when it comes to the words things play out differently. The religious and mystical theme runs through almost every track and, however noble and profound, can eventually feel a bit cloying. Love, social critique and raw feeling are all given a new spiritual dimension that strips them of any real humanity, lending them an almost ideal or otherworldly character. George seems remarkably uninterested in worldly matters, preferring to look elsewhere — to god, to spirit — vastly expanding on certain themes already present in All Things Must Pass while leaving others behind entirely. It's precisely this double-sided nature of the record that led to its uneven chart performance. Sales, excellent at first, drop sharply within a few months, marking the start of a gradual commercial decline for the artist. Critics of the time, with equal cynicism, panned the record too, dismissing its themes rather superficially, only to reassess it more favourably years later.

In response, a year later, in 1974, Harrison founds his own record label, Dark Horse Records, whose first signing is, naturally, Ravi Shankar, with whom he soon after embarks on a fifty-date tour of North America to promote his latest album, fittingly titled Dark Horse — not exactly a masterpiece, in fact a record that bears the heavy marks of the severe psychological and physical stress under which it was recorded. The split from his longtime wife Patty, who had run off with his friend Eric Clapton, a bad case of laryngitis that affected his final studio and live performances, and the looming expiry of his Apple contract, all paint the picture of a Harrison truly brought to his knees.

Though widely criticised and largely snubbed by audiences, Dark Horse nonetheless has a certain charm, serving as a faithful mirror of an artist in serious difficulty, whose "cosmic" certainties begin to waver. Even the musical style drifts away from his usual pop territory towards soul and funk, as in the long instrumental piece "Hari's On Tour", whose only distinctly Harrison-esque trait lies in the masterful use of slide guitar. The shadow of his marital crisis marks every single track indelibly, as in the splendid "Simply Shady" (whose title clearly echoes the Beatles-era "Sexy Sadie") whose lyrics reflect the dissolute lifestyle the author was leading at the time (“Somebody brought the juicer, I thought I’d take a sip/ Came off the rails so crazy, my senses took a dip/ Before the bottle hit the floor and I’d had time to think/ I was blinded by desire, the elephant turned pink”). "So Sad", meanwhile, alludes explicitly to the trauma of the separation (“Take the dawn of the day/ And give it away/ To someone who can build a part/ Of the dream we once held/ Now it’s got to be shelved/It’s too late for to make a new start”). The melancholy is palpable in both melody and vocal delivery, as if it had been recorded in tears, making it a simply gorgeous track, worthy of a place on the far more celebrated All Things Must Pass. His irony towards his former friend and former wife crystallises into a devastated, devastating version of "Bye Bye Love", the Everly Brothers classic, whose lyrics good old George completely rewrites, tailoring them into barbs aimed squarely at the new couple.

A love for "that which is not" defines "Maya Love" (the title's literal meaning in Hindi), a syncopated ballad with intriguing tempo changes and a hearty arrangement built on horns and slide guitar. A touch of optimism returns in "Ding Dong Ding Dong", the album's second single, whose repeated lines ("Ring out the old, ring in the new/ Ring out the false, ring in the true") seem to serve as the author's own personal survival mantra. Melodically, there's an interesting fusion of Phil Spector's wall of sound with the then-emerging glam rock, making this track lively and thoroughly enjoyable.

The title track represents Harrison's proud response to all his detractors. He takes aim at the critics who tore apart Living In The Material World, at Pattie Boyd, and at his former Beatles bandmates, to whom he dedicates lines heavy with resentment (“You thought that you knew where I was and when/ Baby, looks like you’ve been fooling you again/ You thought that you had got me all staked out/ Baby, looks like I’ve been breaking out”). The musical backdrop, contrary to what one might expect, is very soft and delicate, with touches of flute and ukulele. The collaboration with Ron Wood produces the gentle "Far East Man", while an almost Caribbean style marks the optimistic "It Is 'He' (Jai Sri Krisna)", placed at the close of side B. These last two tracks feel genuinely negligible and drag down the overall quality of the record, which nonetheless remains solid. Gone is the excessive, cloying religiosity of the previous album, replaced by a more restrained and far more human anger at the hardships of life that can wear down even a celebrated superstar. There's much more energy and a greater willingness to experiment here; new sounds and unusual instruments appear, making this album very interesting from a technical and musical standpoint too.

Released in December 1974, Dark Horse was immediately savaged by audiences and press alike. Even the promotional tour drew heavy criticism (due to Harrison's less-than-stellar vocal performances, the result of a persistent laryngitis), further damaging the artist's reputation and prompting him to drastically cut back on public appearances, to the point of nearly vanishing from the scene altogether. Work in the studio at Friar Park continued unabated, however, allowing George to release two albums within the space of two years.

Nine months after this disastrous string of concerts, on September 9, 1975, Extra Texture (Read All About It) was released, the last album issued on Apple Records. His badly damaged reputation, falling sales, merciless reviews, the final divorce from Pattie Boyd, and the difficult split from his longtime label are all major factors weighing on the composition and quality of the record, which bears the marks of a deep depression. The falsely cheerful "You" (enriched by Ronnie Spector's voice) features simple, repetitive lines ("I love you/ You love me") set to a melody vaguely inspired by the Motown style. Once again, the dominant theme is the definitive separation from his partner. The ongoing disputes with Paul McCartney instead form the backdrop to "The Answer's At The End", in which, through the famous line "Scan not a friend with a microscopic glass", he effectively answers both the wearisome quarrels with his former bandmate and the excessive harshness of his critics. The lyric then continues: “You know his faults, now let his foibles pass/ Life is one long enigma, my friend/ So read on, read on, the answer’s at the end”, carrying a message of tolerance with clear Hindu roots. It's perhaps one of the most poetic and complex lyrics of Harrison's entire career, marked by an extensive use of aphorisms and metaphors. Musically, the song takes the shape of a power ballad in the mould of "Isn't It A Pity", found on his landmark debut album.

The repeated professional attacks also inspired the sequel to "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", tellingly titled "This Guitar (Can't Keep From Crying)", in which, for the first time, Harrison revisits the dialogue form between critics and artist already made famous by other songwriters such as Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and John Lennon. The lyric explicitly names Rolling Stone magazine, which, according to the author, was responsible for a systematic (and unjustified) attempt to destroy his career (“Learned to get up when I fall/ Can even climb Rolling Stone walls/ This guitar can’t keep from crying”). Musically too, there are clear similarities with the Beatles masterpiece, hidden beneath decidedly more modern sounds, though they undeniably highlight the absence of Clapton's magic guitar touch. A heartfelt tribute to singer Smokey Robinson comes in the form of the languid "Ooh Baby (You Know That I Love You)". The tribute is in the title and the markedly soul style of the track alone, though; lyrically, it's a declaration of love to his new flame, Olivia Arias ("I will be where you want me/ I will try to keep you happy").

The resentment over the excessive criticism aimed at his recent releases resurfaces in "World Of Stone", in which the author seems to be asking for a bit of understanding given the difficult period he's going through. The song's pace is mellow, and the lyrics are steeped in doubt and insecurity (“Wise men you won’t be/ To follow the like of me/ In this world made of stone/ Such a long way to go”). A brief instrumental reprise of "You", titled "A Little Bit More Of You", leads into "Can't Stop Thinking About You": once again a sorrowful, gorgeous ballad centred on the end of his relationship with Pattie Boyd. The vocal delivery is desperate, almost tearful, built almost entirely around the repetition of the title's words. The pain surfaces elsewhere in the lyrics too ("Daylight has left me/ I can't take it if I don't see you no more"), making clear just how raw and open the wound still is.

It's Leon Russell's piano that lends extra shine to the syncopated "Tired Of Midnight Blue", inspired by a tedious night spent with top record-industry executives. In the lyrics, the depression brought on by pressure from music-business bosses clashes with the joy of returning home to the person he loves (“I don’t know where I had been/ But I know what I had seen/ Made me chill right to the bone/ Made me wish that I’d stayed home along with you/ Tired of midnight blue”). Depression returns with a vengeance (perhaps also fuelled by growing cocaine use) in "Grey Cloudy Lies", reflected in hallucinatory, paranoid lyrics (“Now, I only want to be/ With no pistol at my brain/ But at times it gets so lonely/ Could go insane/ Could lose my aim”). The melody is slow and measured, though a certain dark beauty can be glimpsed within it. The album closes with the playful "His Name Is Legs (Ladies And Gentlemen)", dedicated to drummer Larry "Legs" Smith.

Extra Texture (Read All About It) is a very uneven, scattered album that reflects all too well the difficult period the author was going through, yet it still contains some genuinely beautiful songs, among the best in Harrison's catalogue — just think of "You", "The Guitar", or "Tired Of Midnight Blue". Despite this, it was savagely criticised by the press at the time, and the public delivered a partial commercial failure (it only reached number sixty on the UK chart).

From this point on, the former Beatle's public appearances became considerably rarer, limited to the occasional TV cameo, such as his Saturday Night Live appearance alongside Paul Simon in 1976 or the Ringo special in 1978; otherwise, he preferred to retreat to Friar Park to tend his garden, pursue new hobbies, and write music.

The fruit of this voluntary isolation is the album Thirty-Three & 1/3, released in November 1976, his first for Dark Horse Records. The odd numerical title refers to Harrison's age at the time of recording and marks a significant reconciliation with both the press and his fans. Freed from Apple's heavy-handed constraints, the author seems to relax, finally rediscovering liveliness and freshness. Proof of this is the funky "Woman Don't You Cry For Me", enriched by clavinet and a powerful bassline. The gritty, biting lyric arguably represents the definitive closing of the chapter on the divorce that had so heavily marked all his recent work (“There’s no one place I want to be/ Attachment only hurts you/ Take care of yourself, baby/ C’mon won’t you let me be”). A return to a calmer, more fulfilling spirituality can be glimpsed in "Dear One", dedicated to and inspired by Paramahansa Yogananda, author of "Autobiography of a Yogi", a book that had a profound influence on Harrison. The atmosphere is joyful and mystical thanks to the use of organ, synths and percussion, and the lyrics take on an outright tone of gratitude (“My spirit sings to you now/ Creation stands at your feet/ My feelings call to you now/ Dear One I love you”).

The melodic "Beautiful Girl" (written in 1969 and inspired by Boyd) becomes an act of gratitude toward his new partner, who helped him overcome detox and depression, quite literally saving his life. The matter of the alleged plagiarism of the Chiffons' "He's So Fine" during the writing of "My Sweet Lord" resurfaces in "This Song", which would go on to become the album's biggest hit alongside the radiant "Crackerbox Palace", inspired by the curious nickname given to comedian Lord Buckley's house in Los Angeles.

A gradual withdrawal from the spotlight characterises this phase of the former Beatle's artistic journey. The decade's final effort is the album George Harrison, released more than two years after its predecessor, in February 1979. It's a solid, lively and enjoyable work that wins back part of the audience and critics alike.

"Love Comes To Everyone" marks a renewed optimism after the dark period of a few years earlier, reflected in the relaxed melody and the brightness of the lyrics. "Not Guilty" is a track dropped from the sessions for the "White Album" and released almost eleven years after its original recording. Suitably rearranged and re-recorded, it shows its full worth, even if it's not really a Beatles-style track. The mood is rarefied and jazzy, far removed from the Fab Four's '60s irreverence. The lyric reflects his status as an "unheard voice" within the Beatles, with references to the Maharishi and Indian culture that take the listener back several years. From the title alone, "Here Comes The Moon" leaves little doubt as to its inspiration. The dreamy melody, adorned with the sound of sitar, conveys the stillness of a full-moon night, and the lyric turns delicate and poetic, almost underscoring a newfound inner peace after years of conflict and tension. The result is an excellent track, even if light years away from the masterpiece found on "Abbey Road".

The divertissement of "Soft-Hearted-Hana", with its honky-tonk rhythm (and genuinely remarkable slide-guitar work), gives way to "Blow Away", the album's standout track. The "weeping guitar" shapes a melodic texture steered toward a highly catchy, radio-friendly pop sound. Inspired by a rainy day, the lyric is very simple and direct, helping to make this one of the most famous and recognisable songs in Harrison's entire catalogue. Given the inspiration and energy poured into it, it could easily have come straight out of the sessions for All Things Must Pass.

His passion for Formula 1 surfaces in "Faster", an excellent ballad dedicated to the world of motor racing. The tender, acoustic "Dark Sweet Lady" is a wonderful love song, while "Your Love Is Forever" echoes the style of the far more famous "Something" to reveal his new love for Olivia Arias. "Soft Touch" was inspired by the birth of his son Dhani on August 1, 1978: an understandably joyful lyric is set against a melody with reggae touches and a Caribbean flavour. The energetic "If You Believe", with its positivity ("If you believe, if you believe in you/ Everything you thought is possible, if you believe"), closes this album of rebirth.

Rewarded by strong sales and warmly received by the music press, George Harrison marks the former Beatles guitarist's return to the forefront of the music world.

But the surprises don't end there. During this period Harrison definitively settles his accounts with the past and devotes himself to new pursuits. He marries Olivia in 1978, becomes a father for the first and only time, publishes “I Me Mine” (in 1980), with which he finally lays to rest the ghosts of his Beatles past through a bittersweet autobiography, and founds HandMade Films, revealing an unsuspected passion for cinema. In fact, towards the end of the '70s, George meets the Monty Python, the cult comedy group, by whom he's completely captivated, so much so that he produces their most famous film “Life Of Brian”, which turns out to be a resounding commercial success. Thanks to this electrifying experience, he drifts further and further away from the music business, preferring to devote himself to other pursuits, such as film production (he becomes executive producer for Monty Python), tending to his garden, his family, and his beloved meditation.

I’m shouting all about love

While they treated you like a dog

When you were the one who had made it

so clear

All those years ago

(“All Those Years Ago”)

Somewhere in England

His musical activity, though slowed down, isn't completely halted. Harrison works tirelessly in his private studio, and the follow-up to the 1979 album arrives just a year later, when he hands over the tapes of his new work to Warner Bros., Dark Horse's distributor. Much to the author's surprise and dismay, however, the material is rejected by the label's executives, who deem it below the ex-Beatle's usual standards. With great reluctance, George accepts the conditions imposed and sets to work on new tracks to replace the rejected ones. Meanwhile, John Lennon's murder heightens his fear and his desire for isolation, plunging him at the same time into a deep depression over the loss of his former bandmate, with whom he had long since loosened ties and with whom he'd never been able to settle issues dating back to the '60s.

It's precisely a tribute to his departed friend, titled “All Those Years Ago”, that forms the core of Somewhere In England, released in 1981. It's a moving ballad with highly evocative lyrics, but above all it's a “choral” piece, in the sense that the other two surviving Fab Four members, Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney, also contributed to its recording. The album has plenty more to offer, though, such as the reggae of “Blood From A Clone”, the good old rock of “Unconsciousness Rules”, the tenderness of “Life Itself”, the melancholy of “Baltimore Oriole”, the rhythm of “Teardrops”, the country of “That Which I Have Lost”, the pain of loss in “Writings On The Wall”, the cover of “Hong Kong Blues” (a Carmichael tune), closing with the pop of “Save The World”.

Despite being a good album, Somewhere In England doesn't achieve the hoped-for results. Critics largely panned it, and sales were anything but encouraging. The fact that the author had to rework the tracklist at Warner Bros.'s insistence, butchering his original intentions, very likely contributed significantly to the album's failure. This episode, moreover, worsens Harrison's relationship with the music business, as he grows increasingly impatient with the contractual and promotional constraints imposed by the record industry.

Because of this unpleasant situation, the following album, Gone Troppo, released in 1982, also falls short. Made more to fulfil legal obligations to the label than out of genuine inspiration (so much so that the author won't promote it at all), it contains a mixed bag of material of less than stellar quality, which earns it a scathing critical reception and a total commercial flop. The synthesizers of “Wake Up My Love” don't make it a memorable track, unlike the ballad “That's The Way It Goes”, which is instead an excellent song, well arranged and well played. The cover of “I Really Love You” is pure filler, the upbeat “Greece” lacks bite, while the title track is more interesting, thanks to its catchy chorus and “unusual” sounds. The decent pop of “Mystical One”, the big ballad “Unknown Delight”, the pleading “Baby Don't Run Away”, the enjoyable “Dream Away” and the Beatles-esque “Circles”, though typically “Harrison-like”, add little to the author's discography.

From this point on, Harrison partially disappears from view, at least musically speaking, preferring to devote himself to the world of film and the occasional appearance as a guest at tribute events. But someone like George Harrison can't stay too far from music for long, and in 1986, after five long years of silence, he begins work on a new album in his private studio at Friar Park. Enlisting the help of major “friends” such as Jeff Lynne, Ringo, Eric Clapton and Jim Keltner, he produces a work of undeniable freshness and inspiration, marking a grand-style comeback.

Cloud Nine sees the light of day in November 1987, and the cover alone, with George smiling and cradling his first guitar, a black Gretsch DuoJet, already hints at a partial return to the rock'n'roll of his roots. The standout track is, in fact, “Got My Mind Set On You”, a wonderful cover of a 1962 song by Rudy Clark, which lets Harrison taste the thrill of the charts once again. Masterfully rearranged with a sturdy horn section, a blistering guitar line and a thunderous rhythm section, “Got My Mind Set On You” is the track that wins the ex-Fab Four member the favour of younger listeners too, not just the old die-hards. The sultry “Cloud Nine”, the delightful ballad “That's What It Takes”, the powerful synths of “Fish On The Sand”, the moving “Just For Today”, built around piano and voice with highly poetic, evocative lyrics (“If just (for) today/ I could try to live through this day only/ Not deal with all life’s problems/ Just for today”), the gentle “This Is Love” and the nostalgic “When We Was Fab” (complete with a video featuring Ringo, evoking the most classic Beatles imagery) make up side A.

The rock of “Devil's Radio”, the splendid “Someplace Else”, which recalls the atmosphere of All Things Must Pass, the divertissement of “Wreck On The Hesperus”, the Eastern-tinged, mystical “Breath Away From Heaven” and the aforementioned “Got My Mind Set On You” close out what can be considered one of the ex-Beatle's finest works.

Critics, usually very harsh on Harrison, this time prove far more generous, as does the public, who reward the album with impressive sales. Undoubtedly, the key contribution of Electric Light Orchestra leader Jeff Lynne, who two years later would also light up Tom Petty's memorable “Full Moon Fever”, brings new life and a jolt of energy, freshening up sounds that had grown dated and introducing instruments and harmonic choices more in step with the '80s. The addition of synthesizers, a punchier drum sound and pleasing vocal harmonies all contribute heavily to the album's resounding success, together with a renewed poetic and compositional inspiration on Harrison's part, who for once sets aside his typical mystical themes to dive into everyday reality and rock'n'roll.

The secret to my long and happy marriage with George? We never got divorced.

(Olivia Harrison, in Martin Scorsese's "Living In The Material World")

And it's rock music that closes out the decade for the ex-Beatle. Just a year later, in 1988, almost as a lark, the idea takes shape for a supergroup made up of genuine superstars who, under assumed names, produce an album of real quality. Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne and Harrison himself thus bring the Traveling Wilburys to life, and in no time at all they release their debut. It's an excellent record, marked by great freshness and immediacy, bolstered by fine vocal harmonies and spot-on arrangements. Propelled by the single "Handle With Care" and enriched by other very good tracks such as "Rattled", "Last Night", "Congratulations" and "End Of The Line", Traveling Wilburys sweeps up awards and climbs the charts.

It's quite striking that five artists so different from one another in style, voice and background should magically find a balance and chemistry that puts to shame bands far more seasoned and established. The spell, however, breaks shortly after, with the sudden death of Roy Orbison in December 1988. The remaining members decide to carry on the adventure and, now down to a quartet, release Traveling Wilburys Vol.3 on 29 October 1990. Once again it's a success, thanks to the winning formula already tried out on the previous album and to tracks that are both catchy and well-crafted. Among the standout moments are the Dylan-esque "If You Belonged To Me", the breakneck "She's My Baby", the ballad "7 Deadly Sins" and the country strains of "Poor House".

Sealing this new creative phase comes the excellent anthology Best Of Dark Horse 1976-1989, which also features two previously unreleased tracks, the charming "Poor Little Girl" and the driving "Cockamamie Business", alongside "Cheer Down", co-written with Tom Petty and already featured on the soundtrack to "Lethal Weapon 2".

By now, harsh criticism is just a memory for George Harrison, who keeps working tirelessly on albums by his recent travelling companions (for instance, on Tom Petty's "Full Moon Fever", Roy Orbison's "Mystery Girl" or Bob Dylan's "Under The Red Sky"). Even Paul McCartney reaches out again, proposing a new collaboration that is politely turned down for the time being - but only for the time being. What isn't turned down, however, is Clapton's invitation to pick up the guitar again and go out on tour together, after so many years' hiatus. Despite the initial surprise, criticism this time is harsh, due to the inexplicable decision to play only a handful of dates in Japan. Clearly, the aversion to audience contact that began back in the "Revolver" days still hasn't left Harrison.

From this mini-tour comes an album, Live In Japan, released in 1992, on which George revisits his most famous Beatles compositions alongside the finest chapters of his solo career. As far as live performances go, this will remain his last series of concerts, aside from a few prestigious guest appearances at Bob Dylan shows or at the Royal Albert Hall for the NLP (Natural Law Party). Fate, however, is just around the corner.

Back then long time ago when grass was green

Woke up in a daze

Arrived like stangers in the night

Fab – long time ago when we was fab

Fab – back when income tax was all we had

("When We Was Fab")

When We Was Fab

In the mid-1990s Harrison becomes involved in the monumental "Anthology" project, which retells the Beatles' entire saga in the band members' own words, complemented by previously unreleased tracks, alternate versions and vintage footage. It's an essential work for every Beatlemaniac, revealing behind-the-scenes stories, anecdotes and curiosities about the history of the most famous band of all time. To properly round out such an undertaking, the Threetles reunite once again at Abbey Road to work on two Lennon demos dating back to the 1970s, thus releasing two new Beatles singles nearly thirty years on. "Free As A Bird" and "Real Love" come out in 1995, raising more than a few doubts and misgivings due to the blatantly commercial nature of the operation (even so, both tracks are very good, especially the latter). Once the "Anthology" project wraps up, Harrison returns to his secluded life, working sporadically as a guest on other artists' albums. He is remembered chiefly for his contributions to his friend Ravi Shankar's albums "In Celebration" (1995) and "Chants Of India" (1997).

Despite his continued distance from the star system, he is struck by what might be called the "Beatles curse". On 30 December 1999, Michael Abram, a mentally disturbed individual, breaks into the Friar Park residence and leaves him near death, stabbing him repeatedly in the chest. Saved almost miraculously by his wife Olivia, Harrison, after months in hospital, withdraws even further into private life. He works on remasters of his earlier work, from All Things Must Pass through the whole Dark Horse period. However, his health rapidly deteriorates. After the throat cancer that had struck him in 1998, news leaks out that the "quiet guitarist" is suffering from a brain tumour. In July 2001 the news is confirmed, and just four months later, on 29 November 2001, George Harrison dies in Los Angeles, at Ringo Starr's home. In keeping with Hindu tradition, his body is cremated and the ashes scattered in the Ganges, in accordance with the English artist's last wishes.

The grief felt around the world is naturally immense. Tributes follow one another in every corner of the globe, and even Queen Elizabeth pays him affectionate homage. Perhaps the most moving event will remain the memorial concert organised by his wife Olivia and his friend Eric Clapton ("Concert for George"), held at London's Royal Albert Hall on 29 November 2002. The event, later documented on the album of the same name, brings together friends such as Ravi Shankar, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Gary Brooker, Billy Preston, Albert Lee, Anoushka Shankar, as well as his son Dhani.

As a parting gift, his son Dhani Harrison and Jeff Lynne released the album Brainwashed in November 2002, conceived by George as a collection of demos. Made up mostly of unreleased material (the only cover is "Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea" by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler), it received excellent reviews and strong sales, perhaps carried by the wave of emotion surrounding his death. The songs on it are, in any case, very solid, such as the delightful "Any Road", marked by the sound of the ukulele, or the bluesy, iconoclastic "P2 Vatican Blues (Last Saturday Night)". The echoes of the successful Cloud Nine, both stylistically and thematically, are evident in the ballad "Pisces Fish" or in the splendid "Looking For My Life". There's also room for the usual philosophical and mystical musings, found in "Rising Sun" and the instrumental "Marwa Blues". Pop reigns supreme on "Run So Far", "Never Get Over You", "Rocking Chair In Hawaii" and "Brainwashed", all accentuated by Lynne's unmistakable touch, able to add a sophisticated, baroque flourish even to compositions built on simplicity and lightness.

This stands as the final legacy of a multifaceted, elusive artist, too often overshadowed by the undeniable genius of his colleagues Lennon and McCartney, but who over the years and through hard work managed to achieve remarkable compositional maturity and a strong identity, often at odds with the conventions of the record industry, as also emerges from the wonderful documentary Martin Scorsese dedicated to him, "George Harrison: Living in the Material World" (2011). A guitarist of refined talent and touch, able to enrich every song with a few classy flourishes without ever overdoing it or sounding excessive; the protagonist of a career that wasn't always brilliant but was certainly geared toward continuous personal and musical growth. Having undoubtedly become one of the icons of the twentieth century, Harrison managed success with ease and detachment, striving to give voice to his doubts and troubles, which made him, unlike other superstars, terribly human. A special artist, deserving of rediscovery and deeper appreciation, including from new generations.

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