Dark Horse (George Harrison album)

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{{#invoke:other uses|otheruses}} Template:Good article Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates {{safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst-infobox||$params=italic_title,name,type,longtype,artist,cover,border,alt,caption,released,recorded,venue,studio,genre,length,language,label,director,producer,compiler,chronology,prev_title,prev_year,year,next_title,next_year,misc|$extra=italic_title,longtype,border,caption,language,director,compiler,chronology,year,misc|$aliases=italic title>italic_title,Italic title>italic_title,Name>name,Type>type,image>cover,Cover>cover,Border>border,Alt>alt,Caption>caption,Longtype>longtype,Artist>artist,Released>released,Recorded>recorded,Venue>venue,Studio>studio,Genre>genre,Length>length,Language>language,Label>label,Director>director,Producer>producer,Compiler>compiler,Chronology>chronology,Misc>misc|$flags=override|$B={{#ifeq:{{#invoke:Is infobox in lead|main|[Ii]nfobox [Aa]lbum}}|true|{{#if:Template:Has short description | |{{#if: Template:Start date | Template:Short description}}}}}}{{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template otherTemplate:Category handlerTemplate:Main other{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Infobox album with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y|italic_title |type |name |image |cover |border |alt |caption |longtype |artist |released |recorded |venue |studio |genre |length |language |label |director |producer |compiler |prev_title|prev_year|next_title|next_year|chronology|year|misc}}{{#if:{{#invoke:String|match|error_category=Music infoboxes with Module:String errors|A|1=Living in the Material World1973Extra Texture (Read All About It)1975AlbumDark HorseDarkHorseCover.jpgGeorge HarrisonTemplate:Start dateNovember 1973, April 1974, August–October 1974* FPSHOT (Oxfordshire)

Dark Horse is the fifth studio album by the English rock musician George Harrison. It was released on Apple Records in December 1974 as the follow-up to Living in the Material World. Although keenly anticipated on release, Dark Horse is associated with the controversial North American tour that Harrison staged with Indian classical musician Ravi Shankar in November and December that year. This was the first US tour by a member of the Beatles since 1966, and the public's nostalgia for the band, together with Harrison contracting laryngitis during rehearsals and choosing to feature Shankar so heavily in the show, resulted in scathing concert reviews from some influential music critics.

Harrison wrote and recorded Dark Horse during an extended period of upheaval in his personal life. The songs focus on Harrison's split with his first wife, Pattie Boyd, and his temporary withdrawal from the spiritual certainties of his previous work. Throughout this time, he dedicated much of his energy to setting up Dark Horse Records and working with the label's first signings, Shankar and the group Splinter, at the expense of his own music. Author Simon Leng refers to the album as "a musical soap opera, cataloguing rock-life antics, marital strife, lost friendships, and self-doubt".<ref name="Leng p 159" />

Dark Horse features an array of guest musicians – including Tom Scott, Billy Preston, Willie Weeks, Andy Newmark, Jim Keltner, Ringo Starr, Gary Wright and Ron Wood. It showed Harrison moving towards the funk and soul music genres,<ref name="DeRiso/SomethingElse!" /> and produced the hit singles "Dark Horse" and "Ding Dong, Ding Dong". Further to the criticism of his demeanour during the tour, the album was not well received by the majority of critics at the time. It peaked at number 4 on BillboardTemplate:'s albums chart in the US and placed inside the top ten in some European countries, but became Harrison's first post-Beatles solo album not to chart in Britain. The cover was designed by Tom Wilkes and consists of a school photograph from Harrison's time at the Liverpool Institute superimposed onto a Himalayan landscape. The album was reissued in remastered form in 2014 as part of the Apple Years 1968–75 Harrison box set.

Background

Template:Quote box George Harrison's third studio album since the Beatles' break-up came at the end of what he describes in his 1980 autobiography, I, Me, Mine, as "a bad domestic year".<ref>George Harrison, p. 69.</ref> From the middle of 1973, with his marriage to Pattie Boyd all but over, Harrison immersed himself in his work,<ref name="Leng p 148">Leng, p. 148.</ref> particularly on helping the two acts he would eventually sign to his new record label, Dark Horse Records − Ravi Shankar and a hitherto unknown group called Splinter.<ref name="Olivia p 312">Olivia Harrison, p. 312.</ref> Business issues related to the Beatles' company Apple Corps were also coming to a head during 1973–74.<ref name="Rodriguez p 60">Rodriguez, p. 60.</ref> Harrison, John Lennon and Ringo Starr became embroiled in litigation with former manager Allen Klein,<ref>Badman, p. 111.</ref><ref>Woffinden, p. 75.</ref> whose removal from Apple helped to conclude the suit launched by Paul McCartney in December 1970 to dissolve the band as a legal partnership.<ref>Soocher, p. 83.</ref> The simultaneous winding down of Apple Corps' subsidiaries left several music and film projects in jeopardy.<ref>Woffinden, p. 74.</ref> Having decided to form his own label, Harrison now sought a record company to distribute Shankar's Shankar Family & Friends album, most of which was recorded in California in April 1973,<ref>Badman, pp. 94, 98.</ref><ref name="Lavezzoli p 195" /> and Splinter's debut, The Place I Love.<ref>Clayson, p. 346.</ref> Another venture that was affected was the feature film Little Malcolm.<ref>Badman, p. 150.</ref><ref>Kahn, pp. 206–07.</ref> As executive producer of this Apple Films project, Harrison was working to seal a distribution deal in Europe.<ref name="Simmons/Mojo">Michael Simmons, "Cry for a Shadow", Mojo, November 2011, p. 85.</ref>

Harrison's dedication to his Dark Horse Records act Splinter (pictured performing in 1977) was one of the factors that compromised his focus on Dark Horse; photo: Jean Helfer.

Compounding the pressure, Harrison was drinking heavily and had returned to his drug-taking ways of the 1960s.<ref name="Leng p 148" /><ref name="Rodriguez p 58">Rodriguez, p. 58.</ref> In I, Me, Mine, he refers to this as "the naughty period, 1973–74".<ref>George Harrison, p. 274.</ref>Template:Refn Wounded by Harrison's frequent infidelities, Boyd had an affair with Ron Wood of the Faces<ref name="Doggett pp 208-09">Doggett, pp. 208–09.</ref> before eventually leaving Harrison for his friend Eric Clapton<ref name="Rodriguez p 58" /> in July 1974.<ref>Tillery, p. 94.</ref><ref>Boyd, pp. 178–79.</ref> Both of these dalliances receive attention on Dark Horse, which author Simon Leng likens to a "musical soap opera".<ref>Leng, pp. 152, 156, 159.</ref> For his part, Harrison had taken up with Starr's wife, Maureen Starkey,<ref name=autogenerated11>Badman, p. 135.</ref><ref>Tillery, p. 93.</ref> and with Wood's wife Krissy.<ref name="Doggett pp 208-09" /><ref>Harry, p. 394.</ref> In November 1973, Wood encouraged press speculation about Harrison's marriage by stating that "my romance with Patti is definitely on";<ref>Badman, p. 113.</ref> over the following year, rumours circulated about Harrison's dalliance with Starkey<ref name="Schaffner p 176" /> and the UK tabloids became aware of his affair with model Kathy Simmonds,<ref name="Clayson p 329">Clayson, p. 329.</ref> a former girlfriend of Wood's bandmate Rod Stewart.<ref>Rodriguez, p. 423.</ref> Shortly before Dark HorseTemplate:'s release, Harrison avoided reporters' questions regarding his private life with a suggestion that people wait for the new album, saying, "It's like Peyton Place."<ref>Badman, p. 136.</ref><ref name="Moore/NME">Anne Moore, "George Harrison on Tour – Press Conference Q&A", Valley Advocate, 13 November 1974; available at Rock's Backpages (subscription required; retrieved 15 July 2012).</ref>Template:Refn

Benares in India. Harrison's visit in early 1974 inspired the idea behind his and Ravi Shankar's joint North American tour at the end of the year.

In January 1974,<ref>Olivia Harrison, pp. 258, 302.</ref> Harrison escaped his domestic problems by visiting India<ref>Leng, pp. 157, 165.</ref> for two months.<ref name="Rosen/RBP" /> He attended a ceremony for the opening of Shankar's new home in Benares, where they forged a plan for Harrison to sponsor an Indian classical-music concert tour of Europe, known as Ravi Shankar's Music Festival from India, and for Harrison and Shankar to then tour North America together at the end of the year.<ref>Leng, pp. 148, 157, 165.</ref> Featuring up to eighteen musicians on a wide range of traditional Indian instruments,<ref>Olivia Harrison, p. 302.</ref> the Music Festival from India was the realisation of a long-held dream for Harrison.<ref name="Collaborations p 15" /> As with his dedication to Splinter's career, however, it distracted him from focusing on his own album.<ref name="Clayson p 335">Clayson, p. 335.</ref><ref>Huntley, pp. 107, 108.</ref>

By May, Harrison had agreed distribution terms with A&M Records and was able to formally launch Dark Horse Records.<ref>Badman, p. 125.</ref> He remained contracted to Apple as a solo artist, like the other former Beatles, until January 1976.<ref>Schaffner, pp. 176, 188.</ref><ref name="Woffinden p 85">Woffinden, p. 85.</ref> After announcing the staging of the Music Festival from India in September,<ref>Badman, p. 131.</ref> Harrison confirmed that he planned to tour North America during November and December,<ref name="Lavezzoli p 195" /> to promote the new record label.<ref name="Frontani p 159">Frontani, p. 159.</ref> Despite his stated aversion to performing live,<ref name="Rodriguez p 58" /><ref>Leng, p. 165.</ref> he thereby became the first member of the Beatles to tour the United States and Canada since the group's 1966 visit.<ref name="Eds of RS pp 44, 126">The Editors of Rolling Stone, pp. 44, 126.</ref> Since the band and its individual members were still widely revered in the US,<ref name="Schaffner p 176">Schaffner, p. 176.</ref><ref>Woffinden, pp. 73, 83.</ref> this resulted in considerable expectations and additional pressure on Harrison.<ref>Leng, pp. 165–66.</ref><ref name="Eds of RS p 44">The Editors of Rolling Stone, p. 44.</ref><ref>Rodriguez, p. 199.</ref>Template:Refn

Songs

According to author Ian Inglis, Harrison's approach to Dark Horse was informed by a combination of despondency over the disarray and infidelities that characterised his personal life, and confusion at the criticism his 1973 album Living in the Material World received from some reviewers.<ref>Inglis, p. 43.</ref> In Britain especially, these critics objected to the spiritual discipline espoused by Harrison and the album's pious message.<ref>Clayson, p. 324.</ref> Although the lyrics to "Dark Horse" invite interpretation as a response to his detractors or to Boyd,<ref>Allison, p. 139.</ref> Harrison said he wrote the song in reference to gossip about someone who carries out clandestine sexual relationships.<ref name="IMM p 288" /><ref name="Freeman/RockAroundTheWorld">Alan Freeman (host), "Interview with George Harrison", Rock Around the World, show 61, 5 October 1975.</ref> In addition to supplying the name for his record company,<ref>Hunt, p. 103.</ref> the title references Harrison's emergence as the dark horse among the Beatles, particularly in his unexpected ascendancy as a solo artist to surpass Lennon and McCartney.<ref>Inglis, pp. 23, 46–47.</ref>Template:Refn

Harrison conveyed his feelings on his and Boyd's inevitable split in "So Sad", which he began writing in 1972<ref>Inglis, p. 45.</ref><ref>George Harrison, pp. 240, 282.</ref> and first recorded for Living in the Material World.<ref>Huntley, p. 109.</ref> Leng considers the song to be the antithesis of Harrison's 1969 composition "Here Comes the Sun" in its use of stark winter imagery, reflecting "the temporary death of George's Krishna dream".<ref name="Leng152">Leng, p. 152.</ref> Harrison's inspiration for "Ding Dong, Ding Dong" came from inscriptions at his Friar Park home,<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 444">Madinger & Easter, p. 444.</ref> a legacy of the property's original owner, the eccentric Victorian lawyer and horticulturalist Frank Crisp.<ref>Boyd, pp. 144, 145.</ref><ref name="Olivia p 268">Olivia Harrison, p. 268.</ref> Harrison said that the song's exhortation to ring out the "old" and the "false", and instead ring in the "new" and the "true", was a message everybody "in a rut" should apply to their lives when celebrating New Year.<ref name="Badman p 144">Badman, p. 144.</ref>Template:Refn

Template:Quote box He wrote "Simply Shady" during his stay in India.<ref name="Howlett p 4">Howlett, p. 4.</ref> In a marked departure from the spiritual certainties of Harrison's previous work as a solo artist,<ref>Rodriguez, pp. 382–83.</ref> the lyrics address the karmic consequences of his wayward behaviour<ref>Allison, pp. 86–87, 154.</ref> and detail his reliance on drugs and alcohol.<ref>Leng, pp. 150–51, 165.</ref> By contrast, his and Shankar's visit to the Hindu holy city of Vrindavan inspired the devotional "It Is 'He' (Jai Sri Krishna)".<ref name="Rodriguez p 384">Rodriguez, p. 384.</ref><ref>Clayson, p. 330.</ref> Reflecting Harrison's re-engagement with chanting,<ref>Allison, p. 147.</ref> the song originated from the bhajan he and his companions sang for five hours during their tour of the city's temples.<ref>George Harrison, p. 297.</ref>Template:Refn

His musical association with Wood led them to co-write "Far East Man",<ref>Clayson, pp. 343, 344.</ref> a rumination on friendship,<ref>Rodriguez, p. 235.</ref> which the pair first recorded for Wood's debut solo album, I've Got My Own Album to Do.<ref>Badman, p. 109.</ref> Re-recorded by Harrison for Dark Horse, the song was his first foray into 1970s soul music.<ref name="Leng p 156">Leng, p. 156.</ref><ref>Rodriguez, pp. 234–35.</ref> "Māya Love" also reflected Harrison's move towards contemporary R&B, particularly funk.<ref>Leng, p. 153.</ref> Informed by his relationship with Boyd, the lyrics ponder the illusory nature of love within the Hindu concept of maya.<ref name="Inglis46">Inglis, p. 46.</ref><ref>Allison, p. 150.</ref>Template:Refn Like "Māya Love", "Hari's on Tour (Express)" was a showcase for Harrison's slide guitar playing.<ref name="Clayson p 336">Clayson, p. 336.</ref> A rare instrumental in the artist's post-Beatles catalogue, its title referenced the upcoming tour<ref name="Leng p 150">Leng, p. 150.</ref> and Hari Georgeson, one of several pseudonyms Harrison used on other artists' recordings.<ref name="Schaffner p 179" />

Given Harrison's comment that the album resembled a TV soap opera, musicologist Thomas MacFarlane likens Dark Horse to a "drama in two acts". The first act opens with the "Hari's on Tour" instrumental, he writes, before giving way to a run of intriguing "mood pieces" in "Simply Shady", "So Sad" and a reinterpretation of the Everly Brothers' "Bye Bye, Love".<ref name="MacFarlane p 90">MacFarlane, p. 90.</ref> Harrison rewrote the latter song to address Boyd's eloping with Clapton.<ref>Hunt, p. 22.</ref> The new lyrics include the lines "There goes our lady, with a-you-know-who / I hope she's happy, old Clapper too",<ref name="Williamson/Uncut" /> and Harrison's claim that he "threw them both out".<ref name="Clayson p 343">Clayson, p. 343.</ref><ref name="Woffinden p 84" /> "I Don't Care Anymore", a non-album B-side from this period, is a lighthearted song in which Harrison expresses lust for a married woman.<ref>Allison, p. 145.</ref><ref name="Inglis p 49" /> The composition blends jug band, skiffle and country influences.<ref name="Inglis p 49" />

Recording history

November 1973 – early 1974

Harrison began work on Dark Horse in November 1973,<ref name="Spizer p 264" /><ref name="Kahn p 186">Kahn, p. 186.</ref> midway through the extended sessions for The Place I Love.<ref name="Howlett p 4" /><ref>Leng, pp. 143, 153.</ref> Recording took place at his 16-track home studio, FPSHOT, in Henley-on-Thames.<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 443">Madinger & Easter, p. 443.</ref> As on Living in the Material World, Harrison produced the album himself and Phil McDonald again served as recording engineer.<ref name="Spizer p 264" />

The other musicians playing on the sessions were Starr, Klaus Voormann, Jim Keltner and Gary Wright.<ref name="Kahn p 186" /> They taped the basic tracks for "Ding Dong, Ding Dong", which Harrison envisioned as a Christmas/New Year hit song,<ref name="Spizer p 264" /> and an early version of "Dark Horse".<ref>Leng, pp. 153, 155.</ref><ref name="Madinger443">Madinger & Easter, pp. 443–44.</ref> Authors Chip Madinger and Mark Easter write that because the line-up on "So Sad" includes pianist Nicky Hopkins, along with Starr and Keltner, the basic track possibly originates from the Material World sessions.<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 443" /> Harrison had since given "So Sad" to his near-neighbour Alvin Lee to record for the latter's album On the Road to Freedom.<ref>Badman, p. 110.</ref> Harrison played on the session, which took place in August, as did Wood.<ref>Castleman & Podrazik, pp. 129, 206–07.</ref>

Harrison did minimal recording of his own over the first half of 1974.<ref>Rodriguez, p. 197.</ref> Keen to ensure the best musicianship for Splinter's debut, he worked tirelessly on The Place I Love and had Wright, Voormann, Lee and Keltner contribute to some of the recordings.<ref>Leng, pp. 143–45.</ref> When trying to place the Dark Horse projects with a distributor, he sent the basic tracks for "Ding Dong" and "Dark Horse", along with rough mixes of some Splinter and Shankar songs, to Asylum Records boss David Geffen in Los Angeles, telling Geffen he would see him in March.<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 444" />Template:Refn Harrison, Lee and Wood all subsequently added lead-guitar parts to "Ding Dong", as Harrison sought to build up the layers of instrumentation on the song and re-create his former collaborator Phil Spector's signature Wall of Sound.<ref>Leng, pp. 153–54.</ref> "So Sad" also received a considerable amount of overdubbing,<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 443" /> creating what Leng terms a "harrowing encounter" as Harrison expresses his "great despair" at the end of his relationship with Boyd.<ref>Leng, p. 151.</ref>

April 1974 with the L.A. Express

Template:Quote box Leng finds an uncharacteristic spontaneity in Harrison's work ethic on Dark Horse, as his home and recording base were one and the same.<ref>Leng, pp. 148, 149.</ref> In Leng's view, the discipline of working to a schedule "flew out the ornate windows", as did the artist's usual painstaking approach to his music.<ref name="Leng p 148" /> After attending Joni Mitchell's concert at the New Victoria Theatre in London on 20 April 1974,<ref name="setlist.fm Joni Mitchell April 20, 1974 New Victoria Cinema">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Harrison was much impressed with her jazz-rock backing band, the L.A. Express, led by saxophonist and flautist Tom Scott,<ref>Michael G. Nastos, "L.A. Express" Template:Webarchive, AllMusic (retrieved 3 January 2012).</ref> and invited them to Friar Park the following day.<ref name="Leng p 149">Leng, p. 149.</ref> Although it was only intended to be a social visit, Harrison and the five musicians recorded the basic tracks for "Hari's on Tour (Express)", which became the opening number on the album and the Harrison–Shankar tour, and "Simply Shady".<ref name="Spizer p 264" />Template:Refn According to Leng, "Hari's on Tour" shows Harrison wanting to be "one of the boys", as a guitarist in a working band, and far from the spiritual songwriter of Material World.<ref name="Leng p 150" />

The L.A. Express continued their tour with Mitchell the next day.<ref name="Leng p 149" /><ref name="Snow/Mojo" /> Having formed a rapport with Harrison after they had worked together on Shankar Family & Friends in 1973,<ref name="Leng p 149" /> Scott subsequently returned to Friar Park and overdubbed horn parts onto "Ding Dong" and the two new tracks. Scott later told journalist Michael Gross that he was the first Western musician that Harrison approached to join him on the upcoming tour.<ref name="Gross/CircusRaves" />

May–August 1974 extracurricular activities

Between May and August, Harrison signed the distribution agreement between Dark Horse Records and A&M in Paris and opened offices for the label in Los Angeles, London<ref>Badman, pp. 125, 129.</ref> and Amsterdam.<ref>Clayson, p. 345.</ref> Although Little Malcolm was tied up in the litigation surrounding Apple, the film was eligible for entry in film festivals;<ref name="Simmons/Mojo" /> that summer, it won a Silver Bear award at the Berlin Film Festival, in June, and went on to win a gold medal at the Atlanta Film Festival.<ref>Harry, p. 249.</ref><ref>Badman, pp. 128, 129.</ref>Template:Refn Through their regular phone calls to discuss the new record label, Harrison formed a bond with Olivia Trinidad Arias,<ref>Tillery, p. 115.</ref><ref>Rodriguez, pp. 423–24.</ref> who worked in the marketing department at A&M in Los Angeles.<ref>Huntley, p. 120.</ref> Harrison later credited Arias, whom he subsequently married, with saving him from the downward emotional spiral represented in Dark Horse songs such as "Simply Shady".<ref>Kahn, pp. 278–79.</ref>Template:Refn

In August, Harrison holidayed in Spain with Kathy Simmons before abruptly ending their relationship to fly to Los Angeles and make arrangements for the tour.<ref>Harry, p. 342.</ref> He returned to England at the end of the month for publicity work with Splinter.<ref name="Badman p 129">Badman, p. 129.</ref> One of the members of Splinter marvelled at Harrison's ability to work for "24 hours straight" in the studio<ref>Clayson, pp. 346, 479.</ref> but they were also concerned about how gaunt-looking he had become.<ref name="Cavanagh/Uncut" />

August–October 1974 at Friar Park

Further sessions for the album took place in August and September.<ref name="Spizer p 264" /> Harrison recorded with four American musicians who formed part of his tour band:<ref>MacFarlane, pp. 91, 92.</ref><ref>Madinger & Easter, pp. 443–44, 447.</ref> Billy Preston, his former Apple artist, on keyboards; Scott, who served as band leader on the tour; and the rhythm section of Andy Newmark and Willie Weeks,<ref name="Rodriguez p 60" /> both of whom Harrison had met while working on Ron Wood's album in July.<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 444" /> Newmark recalled that he and Weeks were "completely thrilled" to be invited to play on Dark Horse.<ref>Leng, p. 157.</ref> He said that Harrison was an easygoing leader who trusted his musicians' instincts and allowed them the freedom to "do our thing".<ref name="Snow/Mojo">Mat Snow, "George Harrison: Quiet Storm", Mojo, November 2014, pp. 72–73.</ref>

Harrison taped "Far East Man", "Māya Love" and "His Name Is Legs (Ladies and Gentlemen)" with this group.<ref>Madinger & Easter, pp. 443–44, 453.</ref> A tribute to comedian "Legs" Larry Smith,<ref>Spizer, p. 275.</ref> the latter track was left unfinished until the following year, when Harrison completed it for inclusion on Extra Texture (Read All About It).<ref>MacFarlane, pp. 100–01.</ref> Preston, Weeks and Newmark also played on "It Is 'He' (Jai Sri Krishna)",<ref>Castleman & Podrazik, p. 197.</ref> and Preston and Weeks contributed to some of the songs on The Place I Love.<ref>Leng, p. 143.</ref>Template:Refn Around this time, Shankar arrived in London with his Music Festival from India orchestra;<ref name="Lavezzoli p 196" /><ref name="Madinger & Easter p 447">Madinger & Easter, p. 447.</ref> for three weeks, they rehearsed and recorded at Friar Park.<ref name="Collaborations p 15">Booklet accompanying Ravi Shankar–George Harrison Collaborations box set (Dark Horse Records, 2010; produced by Olivia Harrison), p. 15.</ref> Harrison produced their eponymous studio album, which Dark Horse released in 1976.<ref name="Lavezzoli p 195">Lavezzoli, p. 195.</ref><ref name="Madinger & Easter p 442" /> According to Arias, he continued to work on Dark Horse at night and would wake up to the sound of the orchestra rehearsing in the morning.<ref name="Howlett pp 3-4">Howlett, pp. 3–4.</ref>

On 23 September, Harrison introduced Shankar on stage at London's Royal Albert Hall for the Music Festival's debut performance,<ref>Badman, p. 133.</ref> before accompanying them on a short tour of Europe.<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 442" /> At this point, Harrison still had much of his album to complete, and rehearsals for the North American tour were due to begin in Los Angeles in October.<ref name="Woffinden p 84" /><ref name="Eds of RS pp 44, 126" /> Before leaving for the US, Harrison recorded an interview with BBC Radio 1 DJ Alan Freeman in which he performed "Dark Horse", a snippet of "Far East Man", and "I Don't Care Anymore" on acoustic guitar.<ref name="Badman p 138">Badman, p. 138.</ref><ref name="Madinger & Easter p 445">Madinger & Easter, p. 445.</ref> The interview was broadcast on 6 December in the UK but delayed until September 1975 in the US, where it was used to promote Extra Texture.<ref name="Badman p 138" />

According to the master tape information, Harrison recorded "Bye Bye, Love" at FPSHOT in October;<ref name="MacFarlane p 90" /> Scott said he did this alone one night after all the other musicians had left.<ref name="Gross/CircusRaves" /> In addition to engineering the recording,<ref>MacFarlane, pp. 90–91.</ref> Harrison added a variety of instruments to his acoustic guitar track, including Moog synthesizer, drums, electric pianos and several electric-guitar parts.<ref name="Leng152" />Template:Refn

October 1974 in Los Angeles

A&M Studios main gate (pictured in 1988). Harrison completed the album there while rehearsing for the 1974 tour.

Rehearsals for the tour began on 15 October.<ref>Andrew Bailey (with David Hamilton), "George Harrison: The Niceman Cometh", Rolling Stone, 21 November 1974; available at Rock's Backpages (subscription required).</ref>Template:Refn Using A&M Studios in Hollywood as his base, Harrison rehearsed with the tour band on a sound stage at the studio complex.<ref name="Eds of RS p 126">The Editors of Rolling Stone, p. 126.</ref> Along with Scott, Preston, Weeks and Newmark, the band included L.A. Express guitarist Robben Ford, Harrison's Concert for Bangladesh horn players Jim Horn and Chuck Findley, and jazz percussionist Emil Richards.<ref name=autogenerated11 /><ref>Madinger & Easter, pp. 442–43, 445, 446.</ref> Keltner also participated, on drums,<ref>George Harrison, p. 322.</ref> but he would not join the tour until late in November.<ref name="Lavezzoli p 196" /><ref>Madinger & Easter, p. 449.</ref> Aside from the Harrison material, selections by Preston and Scott were rehearsed for their spots in the show,<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 446">Madinger & Easter, p. 446.</ref> since, as at the Bangladesh benefits in 1971, Harrison was keen for other artists to have their moment centre-stage.<ref name="Gross/CircusRaves" /><ref>Leng, pp. 167, 169, 176.</ref> In a fusion of musical cultures,<ref name="Rodriguez p 198">Rodriguez, p. 198.</ref> Harrison, Scott and Richards rehearsed with Shankar's orchestra for some of the Indian-music pieces,<ref>Leng, pp. 173–74.</ref> and all the musicians, Western and Indian, came together for the Shankar Family & Friends tracks "I Am Missing You"<ref name="Lavezzoli p 196" /> and "Dispute & Violence".<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 446" /><ref>DVD extra, George Harrison: Living in the Material World.</ref>

Harrison was already experiencing a throat condition before arriving in Los Angeles;<ref name="Leng p 148" /> in Arias's description, his voice became more hoarse as the year wore on.<ref name="Howlett p 5">Howlett, p. 5.</ref> Since industry convention dictated that an artist have new commercial product to promote when touring the US,<ref name="Leng p 148" /> he was obligated to complete Dark Horse.<ref>Greene, p. 212.</ref> Outside of the daytime rehearsals, Harrison finished off the songs recorded in England, and mixed the album.<ref name="Madinger & Easter pp 442-43">Madinger & Easter, pp. 442–43.</ref> Horn and Findley overdubbed flutes, and Richards wobble board onto "It Is 'HeTemplate:'".<ref name="Rodriguez p 384" /><ref name="Madinger443" /> Madinger and Easter suggest that much of the vocals on Dark Horse were taped at this point<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 442">Madinger & Easter, p. 442.</ref> – a situation that resulted in Harrison overworking and then blowing his voice in the middle of the tour rehearsals.<ref name="Lavezzoli p 195" /><ref>Tillery, p. 114.</ref> He was diagnosed with laryngitis.<ref name="Leng p 148" /><ref name="Olivia p 312" /> Harrison recorded "I Don't Care Anymore" solo on acoustic guitar, introducing it as an intended B-side.<ref name="Inglis p 49">Inglis, p. 49.</ref>

Although he had intended to finish the version of "Dark Horse" taped at Friar Park, Harrison decided to re-record the song with the tour band, live on the sound stage at A&M Studios.<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 444" /><ref name="IMM p 288">George Harrison, p. 288.</ref> The session took place on either 30 or 31 October,<ref>Madinger & Easter, pp. 443, 444.</ref> with Norm Kinney as engineer.<ref>Spizer, p. 260.</ref> Leng writes of this performance of "Dark Horse": "Anyone wondering what Harrison's voice sounded like on the Dark Horse Tour need look no further: this track was cut only days before the first date in Vancouver. Although the band sounded good, his voice was in shreds ..."<ref>Leng, p. 155.</ref> MacFarlane says that the song's new arrangement incorporates folk and jazz influences, and likens this musical fusion to Joni Mitchell's work.<ref>MacFarlane, p. 92.</ref>

Harrison later admitted he was "knackered" by the time he arrived in Los Angeles,<ref name="MacFarlane p 93">MacFarlane, p. 93.</ref> having taken on too much over the previous year.<ref name="Olivia p 312" /><ref>Badman, p. 197.</ref> He also recalled that his business manager, Denis O'Brien, had to force him out of the studio, to ensure he caught the plane for the opening show of the tour, on 2 November.<ref>Madinger & Easter, pp. 443, 445.</ref><ref>Huntley, pp. 114–15.</ref>

Artwork

Cover

The LP's gatefold cover design was credited to Tom Wilkes and includes photography by Terry Doran,<ref name="Harry p 143">Harry, p. 143.</ref> a long-time friend of the Beatles and Harrison's original estate manager at Friar Park.<ref>Clayson, p. 319.</ref><ref>George Harrison, p. 71fn.</ref> In a 1987 interview, Harrison said the concept and initial design for the front cover was his own work.<ref name="White/Musician" /> The cover image partly recalls that of the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album,<ref name="Woffinden p 84">Woffinden, p. 84.</ref><ref name=autogenerated13 /> and reflected Harrison's admiration for Terry Gilliam's animation in Monty Python's Flying Circus.<ref>Clayson, p. 271.</ref>

The cover shows a 1956 Liverpool Institute high-school photograph<ref>Olivia Harrison, pp. 30–31.</ref> superimposed on a watercolour painting, which Wilkes created in response to Harrison's request for an Indian effect.<ref>Harry, p. 391.</ref> The photo sits inside a lotus flower and is surrounded by a dream-like Himalayan landscape that extends to the horizon.<ref name="Spizer p 265">Spizer, p. 265.</ref> At the top of the image, the Indian yogi Mahavatar Babaji floats in the sky,<ref name="Spizer p 265" /> representing Krishna.<ref>Allison, p. 47.</ref><ref name="Huntley p 113" /> As the founding yogi of the Hindu Nath tradition, Babaji introduced Kriya Yoga, which is said to destroy bad karma brought about by past deeds.<ref name="Spizer p 265" />Template:Refn In the Liverpool Institute photo, a thirteen-year-old Harrison is pictured in the centre of the top row, his face tinted blue; school teachers appear dressed in long-sleeve tops bearing superimposed record-company logos or other symbols.<ref name="Spizer p 265" /> Harrison said he gave the unapproving headmaster the bull's-eye Capitol logo<ref name="White/Musician">Timothy White, "George Harrison: Reconsidered", Musician, November 1987, p. 59.</ref> whereas the art teacher, who Harrison liked, received the Om symbol.<ref>George Harrison, p. 23.</ref><ref name="Howlett p 6">Howlett, p. 6.</ref> Wilkes and Harrison disagreed over the inclusion of the Babaji image, which the designer disliked and reduced in size for the LP's initial pressing.<ref name="Spizer p 265" />

File:George Harrison "Dark Horse" LP inner gatefold.jpg
The LP's inner gatefold spread; photo: Terry Doran

The artwork also reflects Harrison's connection with nature, anticipating his later self-identification as a gardener rather than a musician.<ref>Allison, p. 71.</ref> The inner gatefold spread contains a tinted photo of Harrison and comedian Peter Sellers walking beside a lake<ref name="Spizer p 265" /> at Friar Park.<ref name="Howlett p 6" /> Around the edges of the photo, text asks the "Wanderer through this Garden's ways" to "Be kindly" and refrain from casting "Revengeful stones" if "perchance an Imperfection thou hast found"; the verse concludes: "The Gardener toiled to make his Garden fair, Most for thy Pleasure."<ref name="Spizer p 265" /> A speech balloon emanating from Sellers reads, "Well, Leo! What say we promenade through the park?"<ref name="Spizer p 265" /> This line was taken from the 1968 Mel Brooks film The Producers, a favourite of Sellers and Harrison.<ref>Clayson, p. 307.</ref>

On the back cover, Harrison is pictured sitting on a garden bench, the back timbers of which appear to be carved with his name and the album title.<ref name="Spizer p 265" /> Similar to Harrison's attire in the outdoor scenes of the "Ding Dong, Ding Dong" video clip, Leng refers to his appearance as resembling the Jethro Tull character "Aqualung".<ref>Leng, p. 154.</ref> Doran's photo, given the same orange hue as the one inside the gatefold,<ref name="Spizer p 265" /> was also used on some European picture sleeves for the "Ding Dong" and "Dark Horse" singles around this time.<ref name="Doggett/RC">Peter Doggett, "George Harrison: The Apple Years 1968–75", Record Collector, April 2001, p. 39.</ref><ref name="GfK">"George Harrison – Ding Dong, Ding Dong", dutchcharts.nl (retrieved 3 January 2013).</ref> Along the bottom of the cover image sits an Om symbol and Harrison's usual "All glories to Sri Krishna" dedication.<ref name="Spizer p 265" />

Inner sleeve and labels

Dark HorseTemplate:'s inner sleeve notes were handwritten by Harrison on a plane at the start of the tour.<ref name="Gross/CircusRaves" /><ref>Mark Ellen, "A Big Hand for The Quiet One", Q, January 1988, p. 66.</ref> Along with the first Harrison-album credit for FPSHOT,<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 443" /> his purple pen records various in-jokes while listing the many contributing musicians.<ref name="Spizer p 265" /> He included Boyd and Clapton's names next to "Bye Bye, Love",<ref>Lindsay Planer, "George Harrison 'Bye Bye, LoveTemplate:'" Template:Webarchive, AllMusic (retrieved 22 March 2012).</ref> leading to the incorrect assumption that they had contributed to the track.<ref name="Clayson p 343" /><ref>Rodriguez, pp. 65, 72.</ref> That song's title is juxtaposed with the words "Hello Los Angeles",<ref name="Spizer p 267">Spizer, p. 267.</ref> while "OHLIVERE" was a reference to Arias.<ref name=autogenerated11 /><ref>Clayson, pp. 357, 363.</ref> The latter is also included among the title track's musician credits – her contribution being "Trinidad Blissed Out".<ref name="Planer AM">Lindsay Planer, "George Harrison 'Dark HorseTemplate:'" Template:Webarchive, AllMusic (retrieved 20 June 2012).</ref> Under "Ding Dong", Harrison credited Wood's guest appearance to "Ron Would If You Let Him", while Sir Frank Crisp is listed as having provided "Spirit".<ref name="Spizer p 267" />

Arias's face, in a photo taken by tour photographer Henry Grossman, appeared on the record's side-two face label. A corresponding picture of Harrison appeared on side one.<ref>Spizer, pp. 265, 268.</ref> Combined with the sequencing of "Bye Bye, Love" on side one and "Ding Dong" as the opening track on side two, this juxtaposition gave the impression that Harrison's was farewelling Boyd and ushering in Arias.<ref>Woffinden, pp. 84–85.</ref>

1974 North American tour

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} Template:Quote box "Dark Horse" was issued as the album's lead single in the US<ref name="Spizer p 259" /> on 18 November.<ref>Castleman & Podrazik, p. 143.</ref> Harrison played the title track, "Hari's on Tour" and "Māya Love" throughout the tour, but due to his delay in completing the album, the new material combined with new arrangements of his better-known songs to produce a setlist that lacked the familiarity expected of a former Beatle.<ref>Huntley, p. 116.</ref> The tour alienated some of rock music's most influential critics,<ref name="Eds of RS p 44" /><ref>Kahn, p. 183.</ref><ref>Frontani, pp. 160–61.</ref> notably Ben Fong-Torres of Rolling Stone magazine.<ref name="Cavanagh/Uncut">David Cavanagh, "George Harrison: The Dark Horse", Uncut, August 2008, pp. 43–44.</ref><ref>Greene, p. 214.</ref> Titled "Lumbering in the Material World",<ref>Rodriguez, p. 46.</ref> Fong-Torres' article covered the Vancouver and US West Coast stops, ending on 12 November,<ref>The Editors of Rolling Stone, pp. 125–26.</ref> and was followed by Larry Sloman's reviews of some of the East Coast shows.<ref>Leng, pp. 160, 164–65.</ref><ref>Hagan, p. 303.</ref> These articles and Rolling StoneTemplate:'s subsequent album review established what became the "given" view, according to Leng, that the Harrison–Shankar tour was a failure.<ref name="Leng p 174">Leng, p. 174.</ref> The majority of critics – or those "without axes to grind", author Robert Rodriguez writes<ref name="Rodriguez p 59">Rodriguez, p. 59.</ref> – reviewed the concerts favourably.<ref>Leng, pp. 160–65, 174.</ref>Template:Refn Tom Scott felt the guitarist received a short shrift for the lack of Beatle compositions: "“I remember [Rolling Stone writer] Ben Fong Torres just pasted George because he didn’t do Beatle songs. Everyone wanted him to reform The Beatles!He [Harrison] told me: ‘I was a Beatle, but I’m not a Beatle anymore, and I’m doing what I love to do.'”<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Billy Preston, Harrison and Shankar (far right) visiting President Gerald Ford at the White House during the 1974 tour

The negative press Harrison received stemmed from his decision to feature Indian music so heavily in the concert programme,<ref name="Lavezzoli p 196">Lavezzoli, p. 196.</ref><ref>Clayson, p. 339.</ref> the tortured quality of his singing voice,<ref name="Rodriguez p 58" /> and especially his refusal to pander to the Beatles' legacy.<ref name="Leng p 166">Leng, p. 166.</ref><ref name="Schaffner p 178">Schaffner, p. 178.</ref><ref>The Editors of Rolling Stone, pp. 126, 128.</ref> The Beatles were represented in the setlist in four songs.<ref>Leng, pp. 168–69.</ref> In addition to reworking the arrangements, however, Harrison altered some of the lyrics to reference his deity<ref name="Doggett/RC" /><ref>MacFarlane, p. 94.</ref> or his failed marriage in the case of "Something", Harrison's most popular Beatles track.<ref name="Schaffner p 178" /><ref>Clayson, pp. 336, 338–39.</ref> In his pre-tour press conference, Harrison had dismayed some commentators by stating that he would be happy to be in a band with Lennon but not McCartney, and that he preferred Weeks as a bass player to McCartney.<ref>Doggett, pp. 224–25.</ref><ref>Rodriguez, p. 409.</ref> When invited to visit US president Gerald Ford in Washington on 13 December, Harrison told journalists that he enjoyed playing with his tour band more than he had being a member of the Beatles.<ref>Soocher, p. 173.</ref>

Release

Dark Horse was released on 9 December 1974 in the United States (as Apple SMAS 3418),<ref name="Castleman & Podrazik p 144">Castleman & Podrazik, p. 144.</ref> two-thirds of the way through the tour.<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 443" /><ref>Spizer, p. 263.</ref> In Britain, where the lead single was "Ding Dong, Ding Dong",<ref name="Spizer p 259">Spizer, p. 259.</ref> the album's release took place on 20 December (with the Apple catalogue number PAS 10008).<ref name="Castleman & Podrazik p 144" /><ref>Badman, p. 145.</ref> The UK release coincided with the final show of the tour, at Madison Square Garden in New York.<ref>Madinger & Easter, p. 451.</ref> It came the day after Harrison and McCartney signed legal papers known as the "Beatles Agreement",<ref name="Badman p 139">Badman, p. 139.</ref> to finally dissolve the Beatles partnership, at the Plaza Hotel.<ref name="Doggett p 227">Doggett, p. 227.</ref><ref>Rodriguez, pp. 201, 410–12.</ref>Template:Refn

US trade ad for the album, December 1974

In the US, Dark Horse received a gold disc from the RIAA on 16 December,<ref name="Badman p 139" /> and peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart, although it dropped out of the top 200 after a chart run of seventeen weeks.<ref name="Spizer p 264" /><ref>Castleman & Podrazik, pp. 332, 365.</ref> The album also reached number 4 on the national charts compiled by Cash Box and Record World.<ref name="Spizer p 264">Spizer, p. 264.</ref> In Canada, it peaked at number 42 on the RPM Top 100 in early February 1975.<ref name="RPM Canada">"RPM Top Albums, 1 February 1975" Template:Webarchive, Library and Archives Canada (retrieved 5 March 2012).</ref>

The title track performed well as a single in the US,<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 444" /> climbing to number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100.<ref>Schaffner, p. 195.</ref> Issued as a follow-up on 23 December, "Ding Dong" peaked at number 36,<ref>Badman, pp. 146, 151.</ref> which was also an achievement since the late release date meant the song was excluded from prearranged holiday-season programming.<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 444" /> In the UK, "Ding Dong" stalled at number 38, making it the first Harrison single to miss the top ten there.<ref>Harry, pp. 154–55.</ref>

Dark Horse peaked inside the top ten in Austria, the Netherlands and Norway,<ref name="atchart" /> but failed to place on the UK Albums Chart,<ref name="Harry p 142">Harry, p. 142.</ref> then a top 50 list.<ref name="OCC info">"The History of the Official Charts: the Seventies", Official Charts Company (retrieved 12 March 2022).</ref> This was a poor result for a former Beatle,<ref>Clayson, p. 348.</ref> further to Starr's Beaucoups of Blues not charting there in 1970.<ref>Spizer, p. 288.</ref> It was an especially dramatic turnaround in Harrison's commercial fortunes,<ref name="Rodriguez p 201">Rodriguez, p. 201.</ref> after his three previous solo releases (including the Concert for Bangladesh live album) had all made number 1 or 2 in the UK.<ref>Spizer, p. 239.</ref> Issued as a UK single on 28 February 1975,<ref>Castleman & Podrazik, p. 149.</ref> "Dark Horse" also failed to chart.<ref>Huntley, pp. 121–22.</ref>

Reissue

Dark Horse was released on CD in January 1992.<ref>Madinger & Easter, p. 635.</ref> The album was remastered again and reissued in September 2014, as part of the Harrison box set The Apple Years 1968–75.<ref name="Marchese/Review">Joe Marchese, "Review: The George Harrison Remasters – 'The Apple Years 1968–1975Template:'" Template:Webarchive, The Second Disc, 23 September 2014 (retrieved 26 September 2014).</ref> As bonus tracks, the reissue includes a previously unreleased demo of "Dark Horse"<ref>Brennan Carley, "George Harrison's 'Dark Horse' Demo Is a Homespun Delight" Template:Webarchive, Spin, 16 September 2014 (retrieved 26 September 2014).</ref> and the long-unavailable "I Don't Care Anymore".<ref name="Marchese/Preview">Joe Marchese, "Give Me Love: George Harrison's 'Apple Years' Are Collected on New Box Set" Template:Webarchive, The Second Disc, 2 September 2014 (retrieved 3 September 2014).</ref> Author Kevin Howlett supplied a liner note essay in the CD booklet,<ref>"George Harrison: 'The Apple Years 1968–75' Box Set Due September 23" Template:Webarchive, Guitar World, 4 September 2014 (retrieved 1 October 2014).</ref> while the DVD exclusive to the box set contains Harrison's promotional video for "Ding Dong, Ding Dong" and Capitol's 1974 television ad for the album.<ref name="Marchese/Preview" />

Critical reception

Contemporary reviews

Dark Horse received some of the most negative reviews of any release by a Beatle up to that point<ref name=autogenerated8>The Editors of Rolling Stone, p. 46.</ref> and the worst of Harrison's career.<ref>Greene, p. 213.</ref> Released amid the furor surrounding his refusal to play "Beatle George"<ref>Greene, pp. 214–15.</ref> during a tour that was a "whirlwind of pent-up Beatlemania", in Leng's words, it was as if Harrison had already committed "acts of heresy".<ref>Leng, pp. 166, 195.</ref> Rather than having his new work judged on its own merits, it was "open season" on Harrison;<ref>Leng, p. 177.</ref> another biographer, Elliot Huntley, has written of the "tsunami of bile" unleashed on the ex-Beatle in late 1974.<ref>Huntley, p. 114.</ref>

In his review subtitled "Transcendental Mediocrity",<ref>Frontani, p. 267.</ref> Jim Miller of Rolling Stone called Dark Horse a "disastrous album" to match the "disastrous tour", and a "shoddy piece of work".<ref name="Miller/RS">Jim Miller, "Dark Horse: Transcendental Mediocrity", Rolling Stone, 13 February 1975, p. 76 (archived version retrieved 31 January 2014).</ref> In contrast with the praise that the same publication had lavished on Harrison for Living in the Material World the year before,<ref>Huntley, pp. 112, 114.</ref> Miller described Dark Horse as a "chronicle of a performer out of his element, working to a deadline, enfeebling his overtaxed talents by a rush to deliver new 'LP productTemplate:'", and stated: "In plain point of fact, George Harrison has never been a great artist ... the question becomes whether he will ever again become a competent entertainer."<ref name="Huntley p 113">Huntley, p. 113.</ref><ref name="Miller/RS" /> The NMETemplate:'s Bob Woffinden derided Harrison's songwriting, production and vocals, particularly on two tracks dealing with his troubled personal life, "Simply Shady" and "So Sad". Woffinden concluded: "I find Dark Horse the product of a complete egoist – no one, you see, is in my tree – someone whose universe is confined to himself. And his guru ... I'll repeat that this album is totally colourless. Just stuff and nonsense."<ref name="Woffinden/NME">Bob Woffinden, "Platters: George Harrison Dark Horse", NME, 21 December 1974, p. 18; available at Rock's Backpages (subscription required; retrieved 15 July 2012).</ref>

Writing in The Village Voice, Robert Christgau bemoaned the album's "transubstantiations" and particularly ridiculed the lyrics to "Māya Love", "in which 'window-pane' becomes 'window brain.' Can this mean that pain (pane, get it?) is the same as brain? For all this hoarse dork knowsTemplate:Nbsp..."<ref name=Christgau>Robert Christgau, "Consumer Guide (52)" Template:Webarchive, robertchristgau.com (retrieved 31 January 2014).</ref> Mike Jahn provided a withering assessment in High Fidelity, saying that the US Food and Drug Administration should arrest Harrison for "selling a sleeping pill without a prescription, for a downer this definitely is".<ref>Frontani, pp. 160, 267.</ref> Jahn added that only "Ding Dong, Ding Dong" registered with him after three listens, but only due to his incredulity at the lyrics.<ref>Mike Jahn, "The Lighter Side: George Harrison, Dark Horse", High Fidelity, April 1975, p. 101.</ref>

By contrast, BillboardTemplate:'s reviewer described the album as "an excellent one" and compared it favourably with Harrison's acclaimed 1970 triple LP, All Things Must Pass.<ref name="BB review/google">Bob Kirsch (ed.), "Top Album Picks" Template:Webarchive, Billboard, 21 December 1974, p. 63 (retrieved 27 May 2015).</ref> Brian Harrigan of Melody Maker credited Harrison with establishing "a new category in music – Country and Eastern" and lauded his "nifty" slide-guitar playing and "tremendous" singing. Although he found some of the tracks overlong, Harrigan concluded: "Yep, the Sacred Cowboy has produced a good one."<ref name="Harrigan/MM">Brian Harrigan, "Harrison: Eastern Promise", Melody Maker, 21 December 1974, p. 36.</ref><ref>Hunt, p. 95.</ref> Combined with his feature on the tour in Circus Raves, in which he questioned the accuracy of the negative reports about the Harrison–Shankar concerts and defended Harrison's desire to move on from the Beatles, Michael Gross described Dark Horse as matching All Things Must Pass in quality, and "surpassing" it at times, thanks to the new album's "clarity of production and lovely songs".Template:Refn He highlighted "So Sad" as a "luxurious track" and described "Ding Dong, Ding Dong", "Dark Horse" and "Far East Man" as "all, simply, good songs".<ref name="Gross/CircusRaves">Michael Gross, "George Harrison: How Dark Horse Whipped Up a Winning Tour", Circus Raves, March 1975; available at Rock's Backpages (subscription required; retrieved 14 July 2012).</ref>Template:Refn

Taken as a metaphor for the album itself, the plea for tolerance inside the LP sleeve<ref name=autogenerated13 /> – "Be kindly Wanderer through this Garden's waysTemplate:Nbsp..." – was ridiculed at the time by some critics.<ref name="Woffinden p 84" /><ref>Leng, p. 181.</ref> In the 1978 edition of their book The Beatles: An Illustrated Record, Roy Carr and Tony Tyler termed these lines of verse "a self-pitying slab of sub-Desiderata".<ref name=autogenerated5 /> Carr and Tyler conceded that the playing on Dark Horse was "impeccable", but opined that Harrison's lyrics were "sanctimonious, repetitive, vituperative and self-satisfied"; as for the album as a whole: "One wishes it had not come from an ex-Beatle."<ref name=autogenerated5>Carr & Tyler, p. 113.</ref> Writing in his 1977 book The Beatles Forever, Nicholas Schaffner found some justification in reviewers' sniping at the "shoddy performance" and "preachy, humorless message" on Dark Horse.<ref name="Schaffner p 178" /> Schaffner singled out "Bye Bye, Love" and "Ding Dong" for derision, but praised the title track and Harrison's guitar work on "Hari's on Tour (Express)" and especially "So Sad".<ref>Schaffner, pp. 178–79.</ref> Schaffner said that neither the album nor the tour deserved the level of abuse it received in some sections of the press.<ref name="Schaffner p 177">Schaffner, p. 177.</ref> "It was George's turn anyway", Schaffner reflected, "to be inflicted with the poison-pen treatment that the critics had earlier accorded Paul and John. Knocking idols off their pedestals makes for excellent copy."<ref name="Schaffner p 177" />Template:Refn

Retrospective assessments

Template:Album reviews Writing for Rolling Stone shortly after Harrison's death in November 2001, Greg Kot approved of Dark HorseTemplate:'s "jazzier backdrops" compared with Material World, but opined that his voice turned much of the album into an "unintentionally comic exercise".<ref>The Editors of Rolling Stone, p. 188.</ref> In the same publication, Mikal Gilmore identified Dark Horse as "one of Harrison's most fascinating works – a record about change and loss".<ref name=autogenerated8 />Template:Refn Writing in the 2004 edition of The Rolling Stone Album Guide, Mac Randall said that, in persevering with Dark Horse despite his laryngitis, Harrison "ruins several decent songs with croaky vocals".<ref>Brackett & Hoard, pp. 367–68.</ref><ref>"George Harrison: Album Guide", rollingstone.com (archived version retrieved 5 August 2014).</ref>

Richard Ginell of AllMusic highlights "Dark Horse" and the "exquisite" "Far East Man" but rues that, in issuing an album when his voice was ravaged by laryngitis, Harrison eroded much of the prestige he had gained over his former bandmates as a solo artist.<ref name=autogenerated13>Richard S. Ginell, "George Harrison Dark Horse" Template:Webarchive, AllMusic (retrieved 13 June 2021).</ref> MojoTemplate:'s John Harris describes Dark Horse as "Not prettyTemplate:Nbsp... a tanking long-player", with "Far East Man" the only redeeming track.<ref name="Harris/Mojo" /> Paul Du Noyer, writing for Blender, also highlights the Harrison–Wood collaboration, while deeming the album "ragged, unhappy" and indicative of Harrison's "uncharacteristic spell of rock-star excess".<ref name="DuNoyer/Blender" />

Among reviews of the 2014 Apple Years reissue, Richard Williams wrote in Uncut that Dark Horse is an album that "only a devoted Apple scruff could love",<ref name="Williams/Uncut">Richard Williams, "George Harrison The Apple Years 1968–75", Uncut, November 2014, p. 93.</ref> while Scott Elingburg of PopMatters opined: "What makes Dark Horse so unique is that, aside from All Things Must Pass, Dark Horse sounds and feels like Harrison is playing music like he has nothing to lose and all the world to gain."<ref>Scott Elingburg, "George Harrison: The Apple Years 1968–1975", PopMatters, 30 January 2015 (archived version retrieved 1 February 2021).</ref> Writing for PopMatters in 2012, Pete Prown said that, as with Lennon and McCartney solo releases, the album displayed a lack of focus but it remained the target of unfair critical scorn. In Prown's view, the same quality that incensed critics originally – "its sloppy, jammy sound, which would have been heresy in the over-produced '70s" – had since been validated in a pop culture informed by post-punk and grunge, and had lent the album a redemptive "garage/DIY grit".<ref name="Prown/PM">Pete Prown, "The Worst of George Harrison: How a Pop Icon Made Some of the Most Disappointing Albums Ever", PopMatters, 5 August 2012 (archived version retrieved 13 June 2021).</ref>

In his review of the Apple Years box set, for Classic Rock magazine, Paul Trynka writes that "The surprise of this setTemplate:Nbsp... is the albums whose quietness and introspection were out of tune with the mid-70s. Dark HorseTemplate:Nbsp... [is] packed with beautiful, small-scale moments." While identifying "Simply Shady" and the title track among the standouts, Trynka adds: "Only 'Ding Dong, Ding Dong' embarrassesTemplate:Nbsp..."<ref>Paul Trynka, "George Harrison: The Apple Years 1968–75" Template:Webarchive, Classic Rock, November 2014 (retrieved 29 November 2014).</ref> AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine describes Dark Horse as "a mess butTemplate:Nbsp... a fascinating one".<ref name="Erlewine/AM">Stephen Thomas Erlewine, "George Harrison The Apple Years" Template:Webarchive, AllMusic (retrieved 1 November 2014).</ref>

In his book on the Beatles' first ten years as solo artists, Robert Rodriguez rates Dark Horse a "near-great" work, like Lennon's Mind Games and Rock 'n' Roll, adding that Harrison's "hot streak" only ended with Extra Texture.<ref>Rodriguez, p. 183.</ref> Ultimate Classic Rock ranked Dark Horse 31st (out of 63) in their list of the best Beatles solo albums released up to late 2018.<ref>Michael Gallucci, "Paul McCartney: 'Egypt Station' Review" > "Ranking the Other Beatles Solo Albums", Ultimate Classic Rock, 5 September 2018 (archived version retrieved 3 February 2021).</ref> In a similar list, Junkee ranks it at number 5, describing the album as a "big, footstomping masterpiece" that has improved with age, and "a work of considerable beauty, held in place by the crushing, excellent titular song".<ref>Joseph Earp, "Every Beatles Solo Record Ranked from Absolutely Terrible to Life-Changing" Template:Webarchive, Junkee, 19 August 2019 (retrieved 3 February 2021).</ref>

Legacy

Template:Quote box Dave Thompson, in his 2002 article on Harrison's career for Goldmine, wrote that Dark Horse signalled the end of the artist's post-Beatles "magic" and that, rather than being listened to in its own right, the LP had since been remembered for its association with Harrison's record label and the controversial 1974 tour, and for being the first "major Beatle album" to miss the UK chart.<ref name="Thompson/Goldmine">Dave Thompson, "The Music of George Harrison: An album-by-album guide", Goldmine, 25 January 2002, p. 17.</ref> Harrison never completely forgave Rolling Stone – which had previously championed his work since 1970<ref name="Frontani p 160">Frontani, p. 160.</ref> – for the treatment he received during this period.<ref name="Rodriguez p 59" /><ref>The Editors of Rolling Stone, pp. 108, 111, 139.</ref>Template:Refn In his biography of Rolling Stone founding editor Jann Wenner, Joe Hagan cites the magazine's treatment as indicative of Wenner's willingness to create enemies. He says that Harrison's disdain for Rolling Stone "put him in good company" in the mid-1970s – namely, Lennon, Mitchell, Bob Dylan and the Eagles.<ref>Hagan, pp. 301–03.</ref>

Simon Leng bemoans the state of Harrison's voice and the "sonic patchwork" nature of the set, but comments that "So Sad" and "Far East Man" were received positively when first released by Alvin Lee and Ron Wood, respectively.<ref>Leng, pp. 148, 151, 156.</ref> In the case of "So Sad", he attributes this to "the difficulty of being George Harrison in 1974", during a year when other artists, including Lennon with Walls and Bridges and Clapton with 461 Ocean Boulevard, were incorporating elements of Harrison's sound in their work and enjoying favourable reviews.<ref>Leng, pp. 151, 159.</ref> The difference in winter 1974–75, Leng continues, was that, by championing Shankar's Indian music segments during the tour and neglecting his duties as an ex-Beatle in America, Harrison had "committed the cardinal counterculture sin – he had rejected 'rock 'n' rollTemplate:'".<ref>Leng, p. 175.</ref> Cultural historian Michael Frontani recognises the reception afforded Dark Horse, particularly by Rolling Stone, and the tour as a reflection of Harrison's "growing hostility with the rock press". He finds Jim Miller's review for the magazine "relentlessly negative" and unjustified in its vitriol, given the record's musicianship and its place as Harrison's "most funky and R&B-inflected album" up to that time.<ref name="Frontani p 160" />

Nick Hasted, writing in the Uncut Ultimate Music Guide issue on Harrison, credits the album with possessing a captivating quality, and he describes the record as a "raw and ragged diary" of the year when Harrison "lost his wife and his solo superstardom". With Harrison maintaining his friendships with Clapton and Starr, Hasted continues, the "incestuous absurdity" behind Dark Horse makes it a "recording studio soap opera" that anticipates Fleetwood Mac's Rumours.<ref name="Hasted/Uncut" />

Track listing

All songs by George Harrison, except where noted.

Side one

  1. "Hari's on Tour (Express)" – 4:43
  2. "Simply Shady" – 4:38
  3. "So Sad" – 5:00
  4. "Bye Bye, Love" (Felice Bryant, Boudleaux Bryant, Harrison) – 4:08
  5. "Māya Love" – 4:24

Side two

  2. "Ding Dong, Ding Dong" – 3:40
  3. "Dark Horse" – 3:54
  4. "Far East Man" (Harrison, Ron Wood) – 5:52
  5. "It Is 'He' (Jai Sri Krishna)" – 4:50

2014 reissue bonus tracks

  2. "I Don't Care Anymore" – 2:44
  3. "Dark Horse" (Early Take) – 4:25

Personnel

According to 1974 LP credits, via Castleman and Prodrazik's book All Together Now (except where noted).<ref>Castleman & Podrazik, pp. 194–98.</ref> Track numbers refer to CD and digital versions of the album.

Chart positions

Chart (1974–75) Peak
position
Australian Kent Music Report<ref>David Kent, Australian Chart Book 1970–1992, Australian Chart Book (St Ives, NSW, 1993; Template:ISBN).</ref> 47
Austrian Albums Chart<ref name="atchart">"George Harrison – Dark Horse" Template:Webarchive, austriancharts.at (retrieved 7 May 2013).</ref> 10
Canadian RPM Top Albums<ref name="RPM Canada" /> 42
Dutch MegaChart Albums<ref name="nlchart">"George Harrison – Dark Horse" Template:Webarchive, dutchcharts.nl (retrieved 7 May 2013).</ref> 5
Japanese Oricon LP Chart<ref name="JPchart1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}} 30 December 2007 (retrieved 22 September 2009).</ref>

18
New Zealand Albums Chart<ref name="nzchart">"George Harrison – Dark Horse" Template:Webarchive, RIANZ/charts.org.nz (retrieved 2 October 2009).</ref> 29
Norwegian VG-lista Albums<ref name="nochart">"George Harrison – Dark Horse" Template:Webarchive, norwegiancharts.com (retrieved 7 May 2013).</ref> 7
US Billboard Top LPs & Tape<ref name="Billboard_dh">"Dark Horse > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums" Template:Webarchive, AllMusic (retrieved 2 October 2009).</ref> 4
US Cash Box Top 100 Albums<ref>"Cash Box Top 100 Albums", Cash Box, 1 February 1975, p. 49.</ref> 4
US Record World Album Chart<ref>"The Album Chart", Record World, 1 February 1975, p. 42.</ref> 4
West German Media Control Albums<ref name="Germany">"Album – George Harrison, Dark Horse" Template:Webarchive, charts.de (retrieved 3 January 2013).</ref> 45

Shipments and sales

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Country Organisation Certification Shipments
United States RIAA citation CitationClass=web

}} Recording Industry Association of America (retrieved 3 October 2009).</ref>

800,000+
United Kingdom BPI Silver 85,000+

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Country Provider Sales
Japan Oricon 46,000+<ref name="JPchart2">"George Harrison: Chart Action (Japan)" Template:Webarchive, homepage1.nifty.com, October 2006 (retrieved 3 October 2009).</ref>

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Notes

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References

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Sources

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Further reading

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