Editing George Harrison (section)

==Solo career: 1968–1987==
===Early solo work: 1968–1969===
[[File:Wonderwall by George Harrison.jpg|thumb|upright=0.6|Trade ad for ''Wonderwall Music'']]
Before the Beatles' break-up, Harrison had already recorded and released two solo albums: ''[[Wonderwall Music]]'' and ''[[Electronic Sound]]'', both of which contain mainly instrumental compositions. ''Wonderwall Music'', a soundtrack to the 1968 film ''[[Wonderwall (film)|Wonderwall]]'', blends Indian and Western instrumentation, while ''Electronic Sound'' is an experimental album that prominently features a [[Moog synthesizer]].<ref>{{harvnb|Bogdanov|Woodstra|Erlewine|2002|p=508}}: ''Electronic Sound''; {{harvnb|Lavezzoli|2006|p=182}}: ''Wonderwall Music''.</ref> Released in November 1968, ''Wonderwall Music'' was the first solo album by a Beatle and the first LP released by [[Apple Records]].<ref>{{harvnb|Harry|2003|p=393}}: ''Wonderwall Music'' as first LP released by Apple Records; {{harvnb|Strong|2004|p=481}}: ''Wonderwall Music'' as first solo album released by a Beatle.</ref> Indian musicians [[Aashish Khan]] and [[Shivkumar Sharma]] performed on the album, which contains the experimental [[sound collage]] "[[Dream Scene (song)|Dream Scene]]", recorded several months before Lennon's "[[Revolution 9]]".<ref>{{harvnb|Harry|2003|p=393}}: Khan and Sharma; {{harvnb|Leng|2006|pp=49–50}}: "Dream Scene".</ref>

In December 1969, Harrison participated in a brief tour of Europe with the American group [[Delaney & Bonnie|Delaney & Bonnie and Friends]].{{sfn|Leng|2006|pp=63–65}} During the tour, which included Clapton, [[Bobby Whitlock]], drummer [[Jim Gordon (musician)|Jim Gordon]] and band leaders [[Delaney Bramlett|Delaney]] and [[Bonnie Bramlett]], Harrison began to play slide guitar, and also began to write "[[My Sweet Lord]]", which became his first single as a solo artist.{{sfn|Leng|2006|pp=64, 67, 84}}

===''All Things Must Pass'': 1970===
{{main|All Things Must Pass}}
For many years, Harrison was restricted in his songwriting contributions to the Beatles' albums, but he released ''All Things Must Pass'', a [[Double album#Triple album|triple album]]{{sfn|Schaffner|1980|p=155}} with two discs of his songs and the third of recordings of Harrison [[Jam session|jamming]] with friends.{{sfn|Howard|2004|pp=36–37}}{{sfn|Bogdanov|Woodstra|Erlewine|2002|p=508}} The album was regarded by many as his best work, and it topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic.{{sfn|Bogdanov|Woodstra|Erlewine|2002|p=181}}{{sfn|Inglis|2010|pp=xv, 23}}{{refn|group=nb|In July 2006, it was determined that ''All Things Must Pass'' should have been credited as a number one album in the United Kingdom when first released in 1970–71. Because some sales were not properly counted, the album originally peaked at number four in Britain.<ref>{{cite web |title=Number one for Harrison at last |url=https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/whats-on/music/number-one-harrison-last-3516990 |url-status=live |work=Liverpool Echo |date=31 July 2006 |orig-year=Updated 8 May 2013 |access-date=31 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200531151113/https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/whats-on/music/number-one-harrison-last-3516990 |archive-date=31 May 2020}}</ref>}} The number-one [[hit single]] "My Sweet Lord" and the top-ten single "[[What Is Life]]" were taken from the album,{{sfn|Roberts|2005|p=227}} which was co-produced by [[Phil Spector]] using his "[[Wall of Sound]]" approach;{{sfn|Schaffner|1978|p=142}} the musicians included Starr, Clapton, [[Gary Wright]], [[Billy Preston]], [[Klaus Voormann]], the whole of Delaney and Bonnie's Friends band, and the Apple group [[Badfinger]].{{sfn|Howard|2004|pp=36–37}}{{sfn|Leng|2006|p=78}}{{refn|group=nb|Early in the sessions, Clapton, Whitlock, Gordon and [[Carl Radle]] formed the short-lived band [[Derek and the Dominos]].{{sfn|Leng|2006|p=101}}}} On its release, ''All Things Must Pass'' was received with critical acclaim;{{sfn|Frontani|2009|pp=158, 266}} Ben Gerson of ''Rolling Stone'' described it as being "of classic Spectorian proportions, [[Wagnerian]], [[Anton Bruckner|Brucknerian]], the music of mountain tops and vast horizons".<ref name="Gerson">{{cite magazine |last=Gerson |first=Ben |title=George Harrison – All Things Must Pass |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/all-things-must-pass-19710121 |url-status=live |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=21 January 1971 |access-date=25 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130428064752/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/all-things-must-pass-19710121 |archive-date=28 April 2013}}</ref> Author and [[musicologist]] Ian Inglis considers the lyrics of [[All Things Must Pass (song)|the album's title track]] "a recognition of the impermanence of human existence&nbsp;... a simple and poignant conclusion" to Harrison's former band.{{sfn|Inglis|2010|p=30}} In 1971, Bright Tunes sued Harrison for [[copyright infringement]] over "My Sweet Lord", owing to its similarity to the 1963 [[Chiffons]] hit "[[He's So Fine]]".{{sfn|Doggett|2009|pp=147–148}} When the case was heard in the [[United States district court]] in 1976, he denied deliberately plagiarising the song, but lost the case, as the judge ruled that he had done so subconsciously.{{sfn|Doggett|2009|pp=251–252}}

In 2000, Apple Records released a thirtieth-anniversary edition of the album, and Harrison actively participated in its promotion. In an interview, he reflected on the work: "It's just something that was like my continuation from the Beatles, really. It was me sort of getting out of the Beatles and just going my own way&nbsp;... it was a very happy occasion."{{sfn|Harry|2003|p=16}} He commented on the production: "Well, in those days it was like the [[Reverb effect|reverb]] was kind of used a bit more than what I would do now. In fact, I don't use reverb at all. I can't stand it&nbsp;... You know, it's hard to go back to anything thirty years later and expect it to be how you would want it now."{{sfn|Harry|2003|pp=12–13}}

===The Concert for Bangladesh: 1971===
{{main|The Concert for Bangladesh}}
[[File:George Harrison - Bangla Desh.png|thumb|right|upright=0.7|Trade ad for Harrison's "[[Bangla Desh (song)|Bangla Desh]]" single]]
Harrison responded to a request from Ravi Shankar by organising a charity event, the Concert for Bangladesh, which took place on 1 August 1971. The event drew over 40,000 people to two shows in New York's [[Madison Square Garden]].<ref name="ConcertforBangladesh">{{cite web|url=http://www.concertforbangladesh.com/|title=Concert for Bangladesh|publisher=Concert For Bangladesh|access-date=1 January 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121116114838/http://www.concertforbangladesh.com/|archive-date=16 November 2012}}</ref> The goal of the event was to raise money to aid starving refugees during the [[Bangladesh Liberation War]].{{sfn|Harry|2003|pp=132–136}} Shankar opened the show, which featured popular musicians such as Dylan, Clapton, [[Leon Russell]], Badfinger, Preston and Starr.{{sfn|Harry|2003|pp=132–136}}

A triple album, ''[[The Concert for Bangladesh (album)|The Concert for Bangladesh]]'', was released by Apple in December, followed by a [[The Concert for Bangladesh (film)|concert film]] in 1972.{{refn|group=nb|In November 1971 Harrison appeared on ''[[The Dick Cavett Show]]'', performing "Two-Faced Man" with [[Gary Wright]].{{sfn|Rodriguez|2010|pp=319–20}} In his subsequent interview with [[Dick Cavett|Cavett]], he used the opportunity to complain about Capitol's delay in releasing the live album and seeking a percentage of the funds intended for the Bangladeshi refugees.{{sfn|Tillery|2011|p=100}}}} Credited to "George Harrison and Friends", the album topped the UK chart and peaked at number 2 in the US,<ref name="Dooley/Gibson" /> and went on to win the [[Grammy Award for Album of the Year]].{{sfn|Lavezzoli|2006|p=194}} Tax troubles and questionable expenses later tied up many of the proceeds, but Harrison commented: "Mainly the concert was to attract attention to the situation&nbsp;... The money we raised was secondary, and although we had some money problems&nbsp;... they still got plenty&nbsp;... even though it was a drop in the ocean. The main thing was, we spread the word and helped get the war ended."<ref>{{harvnb|Doggett|2009|pp=181–206}}; {{harvnb|Harry|2003|pp=132–138}}; {{harvnb|Harry|2003|p=135}}: "Mainly the concert was to attract attention to the situation".</ref>

===''Living in the Material World'' to ''George Harrison'': 1973–1979===
[[File:Musician George Harrison standing before crowd of photographers in Los Angeles, Calif., 1974.jpg|thumb|Harrison standing before crowd of photographers in Los Angeles, Calif., 1974]]
Harrison's 1973 album ''[[Living in the Material World]]'' held the number one spot on the ''Billboard'' albums chart for five weeks, and the album's single, "[[Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)]]", also reached number one in the US.<ref>{{harvnb|Bronson|1992|p=336}}: Peak US chart position for "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)"; {{harvnb|Rosen|1996|p=162}}: US chart data on ''Living in the Material World''.</ref> In the UK, the LP peaked at number two and the single reached number 8.{{sfn|Roberts|2005|p=227}} The album was lavishly produced and packaged, and its dominant message was Harrison's Hindu beliefs.{{sfn|Schaffner|1978|pp=158–159}} In Greene's opinion it "contained many of the strongest compositions of his career".{{sfn|Greene|2006|p=194}} [[Stephen Holden]], writing in ''Rolling Stone'', felt the album was "vastly appealing" and "profoundly seductive", and that it stood "alone as an article of faith, miraculous in its radiance".{{sfn|Leng|2006|p=195}} Other reviewers were less enthusiastic, describing the release as awkward, sanctimonious and overly sentimental.{{sfn|Inglis|2010|p=43}}

In November 1974, Harrison became the first ex-Beatle to tour North America when he began his 45-date [[George Harrison and Ravi Shankar's 1974 North American tour|Dark Horse Tour]].{{sfn|Leng|2006|pp=166, 195}} The shows included guest spots by his band members Billy Preston and [[Tom Scott (saxophonist)|Tom Scott]], and traditional and contemporary Indian music performed by "Ravi Shankar, Family and Friends".<ref>{{harvnb|Inglis|2010|pp=48–49}}; {{harvnb|Leng|2006|p=167}}.</ref> Despite numerous positive reviews, the consensus reaction to the tour was negative.<ref>{{harvnb|Doggett|2009|pp=224–228}}; {{harvnb|Greene|2006|p=213}}; {{harvnb|Huntley|2006|p=115}}; {{harvnb|Inglis|2010|p=49}}; {{harvnb|Leng|2006|p=162}}: "an excellent show"; {{harvnb|Tillery|2011|pp=114–115}}.</ref> Some fans found Shankar's significant presence to be a bizarre disappointment, and many were affronted by what Inglis described as Harrison's "sermonizing".{{sfn|Inglis|2010|p=49}} Further, he reworked the lyrics to several Beatles songs,{{sfn|Inglis|2010|p=49}} and his [[laryngitis]]-affected vocals led to some critics calling the tour "dark hoarse".<ref>{{harvnb|Greene|2006|pp=213–214}}; {{harvnb|Doggett|2009|pp=224–226}}.</ref> The author Robert Rodriguez commented: "While the Dark Horse tour might be considered a noble failure, there were a number of fans who were tuned-in to what was being attempted. They went away ecstatic, conscious that they had just witnessed something so uplifting that it could never be repeated."{{sfn|Rodriguez|2010|p=258}} Simon Leng called the tour "groundbreaking" and "revolutionary in its presentation of Indian Music".{{sfn|Leng|2006|pp=173, 177}}

On 16 November 1974, Harrison and several others involved in the tour visited the White House. They were invited by [[Gerald_Ford|President Gerald Ford's]] son, Jack.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Phifer |first1=Evan |title=An Ex-Beatle at the White House |url=https://www.whitehousehistory.org/an-ex-beatle-at-the-white-house |website=The White House Historical Association |access-date=25 January 2024}}</ref>

In December, Harrison released ''[[Dark Horse (George Harrison album)|Dark Horse]]'', which was an album that earned him the least favourable reviews of his career.{{sfn|Greene|2006|p=213}} ''Rolling Stone'' called it "the chronicle of a performer out of his element, working to a deadline, enfeebling his overtaxed talents by a rush to deliver a new 'LP product', rehearse a band, and assemble a cross-country tour, all within three weeks".{{sfn|Huntley|2006|p=114}} The album reached number 4 on the ''Billboard'' chart and the single "[[Dark Horse (George Harrison song)|Dark Horse]]" reached number 15, but they failed to make an impact in the UK.<ref>{{harvnb|Greene|2006|p=213}}: failed to reach the UK top 30; {{harvnb|Harry|2003|pp=142–143}}: Peak US chart positions, failure to impact UK charts.</ref>{{refn|group=nb|In December 1974 the single, "[[Ding Dong, Ding Dong]]", reached number 38 in the UK.{{sfn|Roberts|2005|p=227}}}} The music critic [[Mikal Gilmore]] described ''Dark Horse'' as "one of Harrison's most fascinating works – a record about change and loss".{{sfn|Gilmore|2002|p=46}}

[[File:GeorgeHarrison1977.jpg|thumb|right|Harrison leaving the Hilton Hotel in Amsterdam, and signing an album for a fan, February 1977]]
Harrison's final studio album for EMI and Apple Records, the [[soul music]]-inspired ''[[Extra Texture (Read All About It)]]'' (1975),{{sfn|Leng|2006|p=180}} peaked at number 8 on the ''Billboard'' chart and number 16 in the UK.{{sfn|Huntley|2006|p=129}} Harrison considered it the least satisfactory of the three albums he had recorded since ''All Things Must Pass''.{{sfn|Inglis|2010|pp=54–55}} Leng identified "bitterness and dismay" in many of the tracks; his long-time friend Klaus Voormann commented: "He wasn't up for it&nbsp;... It was a terrible time because I think there was a lot of cocaine going around, and that's when I got out of the picture&nbsp;... I didn't like his frame of mind".{{sfn|Leng|2006|p=179}} He released two singles from the LP: "[[You (George Harrison song)|You]]", which reached the ''Billboard'' top 20, and "[[This Guitar (Can't Keep from Crying)]]", Apple's final original single release.{{sfn|Schaffner|1978|pp=209–210}}

''[[Thirty Three & 1/3]]'' (1976), Harrison's first album release on his own Dark Horse Records label, produced the hit singles "[[This Song]]" and "[[Crackerbox Palace]]", both of which reached the top 25 in the US.{{sfn|Leng|2006|p=187}}{{refn|group=nb|Released during the same month, ''[[The Best of George Harrison]]'' combined several of his Beatles songs with a selection of his solo Apple work.{{sfn|Harry|2003|pp=28–29}} After Harrison's departure from the label, Capitol was able to license releases featuring Beatles and post-Beatles work on the same album.{{sfn|Schaffner|1978|p=188}}}} The [[surreal humour]] of "Crackerbox Palace" reflected Harrison's association with [[Monty Python]]'s [[Eric Idle]], who directed a comical music video for the song.{{sfn|Schaffner|1978|p=192}} With an emphasis on melody and musicianship, and a more subtle subject matter than the pious message of his earlier works, ''Thirty Three & 1/3'' earned Harrison his most favourable critical notices in the US since ''All Things Must Pass''.{{sfn|Schaffner|1978|p=192}} The album peaked just outside the top ten there, but outsold his previous two LPs.{{sfn|Schaffner|1978|pp=192, 195}}{{sfn|Woffinden|1981|pp=103–04}} As part of his promotion for the release, Harrison performed on ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' with [[Paul Simon]].{{sfn|Glazer|1977|p=41}}

In 1979, Harrison released ''[[George Harrison (album)|George Harrison]]'', which followed his second marriage and the birth of his son [[Dhani Harrison|Dhani]].{{sfn|Rodriguez|2010|p=175}} Co-produced by [[Russ Titelman]],{{sfn|Huntley|2006|p=164}} the album and the single "[[Blow Away]]" both made the ''Billboard'' top 20.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/george-harrison-mw0000674876/awards|title=George Harrison – George Harrison|access-date=31 December 2012|website=AllMusic|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922083927/http://www.allmusic.com/album/george-harrison-mw0000674876/awards|archive-date=22 September 2012}}</ref> The album marked the beginning of Harrison's gradual retreat from the music business, with several of the songs having been written in the tranquil setting of [[Maui]] in the [[Hawaiian Islands|Hawaiian archipelago]].{{sfn|Clayson|2003|pp=367–68}} Leng described ''George Harrison'' as "melodic and lush&nbsp;... peaceful&nbsp;... the work of a man who had lived the rock and roll dream twice over and was now embracing domestic as well as spiritual bliss".{{sfn|Leng|2006|p=210}}

===''Somewhere in England'' to ''Cloud Nine'': 1980–1987===
The [[murder of John Lennon]] on 8 December 1980 disturbed Harrison and reinforced his decades-long concern about [[stalking|stalkers]].{{sfn|Harry|2003|p=247}} The tragedy was also a deep personal loss, although Harrison and Lennon had little contact in the years before Lennon was killed.{{sfn|Doggett|2009|pp=9–10}}{{refn|group=nb|Their estrangement had been marked by Harrison's longstanding dislike of Lennon's wife [[Yoko Ono]], his refusal to allow her to participate in the Concert for Bangladesh, and, during the last year of Lennon's life, by Harrison's scant mention of Lennon in his autobiography, ''[[I, Me, Mine (book)|I, Me, Mine]]''.{{sfn|Harry|2003|p=246}}}} Following the murder, Harrison commented: "After all we went through together I had and still have great love and respect for John Lennon. I am shocked and stunned."{{sfn|Harry|2003|p=247}} Harrison modified the lyrics of a song he had written for Starr to make the song a tribute to Lennon.{{sfn|Doggett|2009|p=273}} "[[All Those Years Ago]]", which included vocal contributions from Paul and Linda McCartney, as well as Starr's original drum part, peaked at number two in the US charts.{{sfn|George-Warren|2001|p=414}}{{sfn|Harry|2003|pp=17–18}} The single was included on the album ''[[Somewhere in England]]'' in 1981.{{sfn|Harry|2003|pp=17–18, 349–350, 367}}

Harrison did not release any new albums for five years after 1982's ''[[Gone Troppo]]'' received little notice from critics or the public.<ref>{{harvnb|Inglis|2010|p=84}}; {{harvnb|Leng|2006|pp=212, 236}}.</ref> During this period he made several guest appearances, including a 1985 performance at a tribute to [[Carl Perkins]] titled ''[[Blue Suede Shoes: A Rockabilly Session]]''.{{sfn|Doggett|2009|p=287}}{{refn|group=nb|Harrison's set included "[[That's All Right|That's Alright Mama]]", "[[Glad All Over]]" and "[[Blue Suede Shoes]]".{{sfn|Badman|2001|pp=259–260}}}} In March 1986 he made a surprise appearance during the finale of the [[Heart Beat 86|Birmingham Heart Beat Charity Concert]], an event organised to raise money for the [[Heart Beat 86|Birmingham Children's Hospital]].{{sfn|Badman|2001|p=368}} The following year, he appeared at [[The Prince's Trust]] concert at London's [[Wembley Arena]], performing "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and "Here Comes the Sun".{{sfn|Huntley|2006|pp=202–203}} In February 1987 he joined Dylan, [[John Fogerty]] and [[Jesse Ed Davis]] on stage for a two-hour performance with the blues musician [[Taj Mahal (musician)|Taj Mahal]].{{sfn|Badman|2001|p=386}} Harrison recalled: "Bob rang me up and asked if I wanted to come out for the evening and see Taj Mahal&nbsp;... So we went there and had a few of these Mexican beers – and had a few more&nbsp;... Bob says, 'Hey, why don't we all get up and play, and you can sing?' But every time I got near the microphone, Dylan comes up and just starts singing this rubbish in my ear, trying to throw me."{{sfn|Harry|2003|p=92}}

In November 1987, Harrison released the platinum album ''[[Cloud Nine (George Harrison album)|Cloud Nine]]''.{{sfn|Leng|2006|pp=251–253}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?artist=%22Cloud+Nine%22|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130202033938/http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?artist=%22Cloud+Nine%22|url-status=dead|archive-date=2 February 2013|title=RIAA – Gold & Platinum Searchable Database|access-date=31 December 2012|publisher=[[Recording Industry Association of America]] (RIAA)}}</ref> Co-produced with [[Jeff Lynne]] of [[Electric Light Orchestra]] (ELO), the album included Harrison's rendition of [[James Ray (singer)|James Ray's]] "[[Got My Mind Set on You]]", which went to number one in the US and number two in the UK.<ref name="Cloud9Awards">{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/cloud-nine-mw0000193612/awards|title=Cloud Nine – George Harrison : Awards|website=AllMusic|access-date=1 January 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130210095524/http://www.allmusic.com/album/cloud-nine-mw0000193612/awards|archive-date=10 February 2013}}</ref><ref name="UKSingles" /> The accompanying music video received substantial airplay,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/song/got-my-mind-set-on-you-mt0011895188|title=Got My Mind Set on You|last=Planer|first=Lindsay|access-date=1 January 2013|website=AllMusic|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121129061539/http://www.allmusic.com/song/got-my-mind-set-on-you-mt0011895188|archive-date=29 November 2012}}</ref> and another single, "[[When We Was Fab]]", a retrospective of the Beatles' career, earned two [[MTV Music Video Award]]s nominations in 1988.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-07-14-ca-8830-story.html|title=Pop/rock|last=Voland|first=John|date=14 July 1988|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|access-date=2 January 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130210003715/http://articles.latimes.com/1988-07-14/entertainment/ca-8830_1_mtv-music-video-awards-nominations|archive-date=10 February 2013}}</ref> Recorded at his estate in Friar Park, Harrison's slide guitar playing featured prominently on the album, which included several of his long-time musical collaborators, including Clapton, [[Jim Keltner]] and [[Jim Horn]].{{sfn|Leng|2006|pp=246–247}} ''Cloud Nine'' reached number eight and number ten on the US and UK charts respectively, and several tracks from the album achieved placement on ''Billboard''{{'}}s [[Mainstream Rock (chart)|Mainstream Rock]] chart – "[[Devil's Radio]]", "[[This Is Love (George Harrison song)|This Is Love]]" and "[[Cloud 9 (George Harrison song)|Cloud 9]]".<ref name="Cloud9Awards"/>