George Harrison

George Harrison, "Dark Horse, " Apple SMAS3418.

It puzzles me. As the sage old neo-Euclidian, Mr. William Preston, has been known to remark: "Nothin' from nothin' leaves nothin'." Yet, I am sitting here listening to Long George Silver's latest venture into the thematic void of the material world. It's a better album than the last-the late, all-too-easily forgotten, Living in the Material World-but still four notches shy of Good. On the traditional scale of one to ten, this one hangs in at five-and-one-third. The only thing that keeps it from the straight line of mediocrity is the elusive, and persistent, hold that George's abortive version of "Bye Bye Love" has on me. I don't like it at all, but I can't lose it. It's seductively strange.

Except for the aforementioned "Bye Bye Love," and a purely instrumental number which is called "Hari's On Tour-Express" (wherein George becomes just another onionhead in the cosmic exhortation to Join Together in the Band), there is the pervasive spirituality for which Mr. Harrison has become so reknowned, forming a lead blanket over the feather weight material. It tends to push away any listener who is not already in synchromesh harmony with the artist's religious feelings.

One can hardly doubt that George has his heart in the right place; yet, I find myself constantly inquiring as to the location of his head. It seems, after three post-Fab Four efforts, plus the Bangla Dash biggie, that George's single most identifiable trait is pliability. He is easily led. On Dark Horse, there seems to be an untoward leaning on my friend and his, Tom Scott of the Handmade Belt Buckle Express. The first two cuts on side one are dominated by the L.A. Express, and George is on just for the ride. And "Fat East Man," one of the nicer cuts on the album, highlighted by Billy) Preston 's mellow electric piano and the versatile drums of Andy Newmark, sinks under the excessive sax solo that Scott puts on it like honey on applesauce.

Embarrassments? Yes, a few. George's guitar work is as ambitious as a twelve year old reciting the multiplication tabes, and his voice cracks in several places. Most noticeably on the Kosmic Turki called "Ding Dong Ding Dong" (or the Big Ben Concerto). No one could get away with this kind of schmaltz, guaranteed to make even hardened Moody Blues fans sick. The combination of George singing "'Ring in the New'' with the tubular bells in the chorus. Well, l'm sure you get my meaning.

"Dark Horse" has good things going for it, as do "Simply Shady" and "It Is He (Jai Sri Krishna), but all in all there's too much repetition on themes that were not real ear catchers to begin with. Perhaps it can best be summed up in George's own words in the chorus to the title cut: 

I'll be a cool jerk,
Just looking for the source.

If George wants to seek his spiritual center, l'd be the last to say him nay. But he is neglecting the music that got him where he wanted to be. ("Baby You're A Rich Man Too" Lennon once sang to him.) Dark Horse finishes out oí the race, and could have easily been scratched without anyone missing it.

-Justin Arthur Prettyface