Editing George Harrison (section)

===''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}}