Dark Horse

George Harrison

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 28, 1992)
• Original Release Date: December 9, 1974
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Emd/Capitol
• ASIN: B000008GED
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #35,479 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

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All Things Must Pass	Dark Horse Years 1976-1992	The Concert for Bangladesh DVD

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Album Harrison Had to Make, February 13, 2004

By A Customer

There comes a moment or two (or three) in an artist's life when he hits a trough and finds himself spiraling out of control. Back in 1974, when George Harrison embarked on the making of "Dark Horse", he was in the midst of preparing for a tour of the United States, which came on the tail of an infamous marital breakup. The man was human. Profoundly spiritual and conscientious of his commitments, Harrison damaged his vocal chords rehearsing, and struggled with his sound for months thereafter. Indeed, he was perhaps a bit lonely, became a little crazy, and momentarily lost sight of his devotion to God. However, through it all, he had a pocketful of songs that touched upon sadness, venom and ultimately, redemption.

This was a gravely underrated album. After the success of "All Things Must Pass" and "Living in the Material World", expectations were high for "Dark Horse". The album didn't soar in the charts, but that does not mean it was below standards. It was panned for his shot vocals; however, this was an unfair assessment. He voice cracks here and there, but it doesn't falter. It works well. He sounds soulful. The songs are melodious, driving, and beautiful. Never have fans heard such a contrast of emotion from Harrison on a record before. It starts in the kick off instrumental delight of "Hari Express" to the lament of "Simply Shady" where he realizes that "things aren't so simple anymore". Although the lyrics in "So Sad" are a bit self pitying, one can't help but love the catchy hook of the chorus, and feel deep empathy for a man who is virtually crying in his beer. The range of emotions continues in the venomous re-written version of the old Everly Brothers song "Bye Bye Love". This isn't your mother's version. It starts with a slithery bass, ready to pounce and confront. The new words express a bit of the macho Liverpool lad who is so hurt and furious, he's basically ready for a fight.

When his anger reaches it's peak, he slowly, but assuredly, begins to turn to God. "Maya Love" seeps in as personal reminder that physical love can be transient in this life, part of the illusion. Once that realization is sung to us, we sense he is starting to heal himself by his need to shed the past in "Ding Dong, Ding Dong", a tune so cheerful and fun, it can make anyone want to "ring out the old, ring in the new." In Harrison's book "I, Me, Mine", he explains that "Far East Man" was in fact about Ron Wood, a friend to whom he promised to write a song, and who particularly loved wearing a tee-shirt emblazoned with the words "Far East Man". It's a fun loving, jazzy, lounge-act romp, showing he still has devotion to a friend in need, and that his humor is still in tact. George finally ends right back to the "source", in his ultimate and joyous chant for God in "Jai Sri Krishna. Here he has found himself again, upon his return from the dark side, at one with God, open hearted, ready for anything the universe throws at him.

The album's focus is that he's a "Dark Horse", expressed in the title track, a beautiful, galloping song, where his voice shows the wear and tear. He's "a blue moon", not your average winner, rather, the underdog who comes through when the stakes are down, and no one is looking over their shoulder. The album is a culmination of the sadness, loneliness and failures he had to face during a low phase in his remarkable life. In the shadows of McCartney and Lennon, in the adversities of love and war, he will come through every time, just when people think he's beat. It's a heartbreaking, if not harrowing emotional rollercoaster from a spiritual man who was at a crossroads in life, and whose devotion to God was in dire need of being applied, and indeed, gracefully used.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ring out the false, ring in the true, December 30, 2001

By	rballjones "rballjones" (Des Moines, IA USA) - See all my reviews

This is a most underrated recording. While it won't make anyone's list of greats, Dark Horse contains a bevy of very fine songs. A sense of personal warmth really comes through here--not only in the songs themselves, but in the style they were recorded--as if you are in his house as they are played.

Dark Horse is mostly an album about the breakup of a marriage; all the songs on the first side cover this theme, as well as the second side's "Ding Dong" ("ring out the old, ring in the new!"). Despite the fragility of his voice, "Simply Shady" is, I believe, one of the best vocals he has ever done--sung with great feeling and sincerity. Guys who've been through the breakup of an important relationship may find words that speak to their feelings in "Simply Shady" and "So Sad."

"Bye Bye Love" is the only song that fails on this record; it starts out with great promise, rhythm guitar and synthesizer making a fine blend; but the song falls apart in the middle as George's newly written verses to this F&B Bryant classic don't follow its structure.

George has some crack musicians backing him here--roughly two groups: the L.A. Express (probably most noted as Joni Mitchell's band on "Court and Spark" as well as their own "Tom Cat") and a nucleus of Billy Preston, Willy Weeks and Andy Newmark. The latter combo, along with George and guitar, really hits a groove lick on "Maya Love"--reminding me that many great songs by Lennon, McCartney and (especially) Harrison were not recorded by the Beatles but instead were consigned to solo albums--with sometimes mixed results. But "Maya Love" and other songs here do not suffer for their musicianship.

"Ding Dong" is a Christmasy song and I always remember listening to this album in the winter (in the 70s and now). "It is He" (Jai Sri Krishna) is an infectious mantra, not unlike "My Sweet Lord" and the only overtly religious song on the album. "Far East Man." written with Ron Wood, strikes me as a very personal song--one might write about a close friend.

Those not already sold on George Harrison's music should certainly begin with "All Things Must Pass" but if you know you like his other stuff, "Dark Horse" should not be overlooked. It is arguably better than anything he put out later.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Like Fine Wine, Harrison's Catalogue Gets Better With Age, March 10, 2006

By	Todd and In Charge (Miami, FL) - See all my reviews

Dark Horse was thoroughly trashed by the critics when it came out in 1974 and for years afterward; Rolling Stone's record guide was no kinder when their first edition came out in the early 80s.

But like fine wine and good whiskey, Harrison's entire catalogue and this album in particular have held up exceedingly well to my ears today. It's easy to see that the critics were small-minded, snobbish and wrong.

First, the critics were skeptical of Harrison's switch to A&M, which allowed him to run his own imprint and produce fine material by Splinter and others (when is this material coming out on cd?). Second, they were put off by Harrison's "preachy" hectoring about his religion and the problems of the world as Harrison saw them, which cut against the sex, drugs, and libertine lifestyle of L.A. and the music biz at that time. Third, they didn't care for Harrison's voice, which was shot due to a bad illness by the time many of these songs were cut and as he prepared for a tour of the United States. (Anyone who has heard the boot of George's performance in LA on his 1974 tour will know that, while the voice problems were very real, the alleged "hectoring" criticism was overblown and unfair.)

I don't see it in the music as I hear it today. The first song, an instrumental, rocks and serves as a perfect entree to the rest of the album. "Simply Shady" and "So Sad" bear some of Harrison's best slide work. I think if released today "So Sad" would be a blockbuster single. His pained and clever take on "Bye Bye Love," with lyrics changed to reflect Eric Clapton's romancing of Patty Boyd, provides an interesting glimpse on this tragic love affair when considered along with "Layla."

"Dark Horse" is the centerpiece, a wry pun on his shot voice but one of his better songs, an inspiring and encouraging message of hanging in there and prevailing at the end. I even like the song George claims to have written for Sinatra to sing, "Far East Man," an hilarious thought particularly if you imagine Joe Piscopo's Sinatra singing it. Throw in the Christmas single "Ding Dong Ding Dong" and you have a really solid George album that has stood the test of time.