 "Georgie Boy" | 2008-02-09 |
| - Reviewed By mathematicallysound |
Though some of the lyrics are a bit preachy, I like most of them. The guitar work and compositions are great. I especially enjoy "Be Here Now" (acoustic + piano + ... ), the poignant harmonics for "The Day The World Gets 'Round", the flanged guitar in "That is All", the horn section in "The Lord Loves The One ..." and the slide guitar on the vitriolic "Sue Me, Sue You Blues".
The lyrics have a definite Hindu/Hare Krishna tilt, which is fine by me. In "The Lord Loves ..." he attempts to skewer politicians by saying they're "acting like big girls" but frankly big girls tend to be much more mature than the politicians he would have been pointing at, so I found this a little derogatory in some sense, I hope he didn't think of it that way (most religions still tend to think of women as a lower social caste), but times have moved on.
If you like George's playing and his general philosophical bent, you'll love this album. I enjoy every single song, and come back to the songs mentioned above frequently still, after 30+ years of listening to it! |
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 "Love It - Now Bring On The Remaster" | 2006-07-08 |
| - Reviewed By gordodarr2 |
I waited almost 30 years to buy this album. I knew "Give Me Love" of course. But when I bought and listened to it for the first time, I was struck with how familiar the entire album sounded. I'll bet that in the pre-vanilla world of FM radio of 1973, I may have heard all of the tracks, somewhere in my memory these songs got locked away.
But - good music always has the strange quality of familiarity. You feel you have heard it before. George Harrison can write a great hook, and in Material World he mines his imagination for sounds that we may recall from the Beatles days - the rhythm guitar riff in "The Lord Loves The One", for instance, which harks back to the intro of "Old Brown Shoe".
George tips his hat to the Beatles throughout this album. You get a sense of the huge impact he had on their sound. But he also steps out here and does an entire album his own way. He is still presenting a catalogue of songs that were conceived while the Fabs were still together. It is like "All Things Must Pass", Part II, and does not disappoint. The Quiet Beatle, indeed, has a lot to say.
We hear a lot about George's vanishing creativity as the 70s waned. I would counter, and say that George Harrison may be an acquired taste to some. With repeated listens, his vision and message begin to materialize over time. His profound sense of unusual chord progressions yields a beautiful sound that is uniquely his. George Harrison can impart a positive message using the darkest of sounds, which is almost the exact opposite of what Paul McCartney does in his music. It may be sad that Lennon and McCartney split up - but Harrison brought a lot to the table. Lennon had his anger and irony; McCartney his soaring musical vision and joy; but Harrison has his optimism mixed with sadness. "That Is All" rivals "Something", but for some reason was not released as a single and has been below the radar screen for decades.
This is one of my favorite Harrison CDs. It is a true solo album, in which he does not run away from his status as an ex-Beatle.
Olivia and Dhani Harrison have given us The Concert for George, and a set of remasterings. It is time for them to get into the early Capitol albums, starting with this one - and make even better, this excellent music. I wonder what bonus tracks are floating around? |
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| "Accessible Spiritual Refreshment" | 2006-06-15 |
| - Reviewed By aicfan |
If all you've heard off this album is 'Give Me Love', you need to buy it and listen to the rest. I realize that some people may be put off by spirituality, but the music here is not preachy or utopian (listen to Lennon for that). Rather, it's peaceful and personal. Even on the sardonic 'Sue Me, Sue You Blues', you get the feeling that deep inside, George is laughing at the absurd legal wrangling.
Some tracks are close to the late Beatles sound. 'Don't Let Me Wait Too Long' would have been an easy hit if it was on a Wings album and the Phil Spector produced 'Try Some Buy Some' expands on 'I Me Mine'. In truth, these two tracks sound a little out of place compared to the rest.
The other tracks would have been ruined by Spector's wall of sound approach. Delicate spiritual affairs don't need grandiose orchestration and Harrison takes advantage of the freedom to produce music that is personal and more natural. The result is an LP that blends folk with pop and cleanses the soul. |
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| "Living In The Material World" | 2006-03-17 |
| - Reviewed By User: AIA3526O0DHPL |
| I just bought this album and I must say, it's worth the money. Although, I have worn out "All Things Must Pass", I thought I give this a try. I like mostly every song on this album; I didn't care for the title track. This album's kind of preachy, nothing wrong with that. I only have two Harrison's albums; this one and "All Things Must Pass". I like "ATMP" better than this one, maybe because I've listened to it so much I've adjust to it, I had to listen to this album a few times before adjusting to it. One of my fav. songs is "Sue Me, Sue You Blues. I'm not putting this album down, I love George Harrison, and his music it's a great album. Now my next Harrison album will be "Dark Horse". This album is a must have for all George Harrison fans. |
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 "Not His Best, But Not Bad" | 2006-03-12 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2KUGQIPC25SVP |
| None of George's work can compare to his All Things Must Pass or even his Cloud 9 album. This one is definetly still worth buying though! Anyone who has enjoyed his work in the Beatles and enjoy his Solo work are sure to enjoy this one. There are one or two weak songs, but overall a good piece of work. Give Me Love being one of my favorite songs of all time. Anyone who is a George fan should definetly buy this album! Anyone who doesn't have any of George's solo work definetly start with All Things Must Pass (A very nice, somewhat acoustic, really beutiful work of art) or his Cloud 9 (A more rockier newer feel to it). But how can you go wrong with George Harrison? |
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| "You've got to try this !!!" | 2005-08-26 |
| - Reviewed By User: AX1U81IBKR0GE |
Being a longtime Beatle fan, like most I find it a shame the band broke up when it did. Lennon himself said that for all those who still want the Beatles, just get their solo albums and play a song from each back to back.
Well one of the best listening pleasures I have ever found, and I could just listen to continuously... and if you have a cd player with a 3-disc changer you have got to try it.
McCartney's Red Rose Speedway, Lennon's Mindgames, Harrison's Living in the Material World cds in a 3 disc changer on shuffle play! All three discs are from 1973 and almost sound as if they were made to fit together... they are albums a bit more obscure (than say Imagine, or Band on the Run for example) and seem fresher because of it. But these 3 discs fit together so well it really is amazing! By this time, the 3 of them were acheiving their own individual sound and style musically and lyrically (the Paul songs are very Paul, George songs are very George, and Lennon's are very Lennon), but the songs are also still Beatle-esque in their own way.
It is like having a new triple CD of the Beatles from 1973... has enough top quality hits like Mindgames, Hi Hi Hi, Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth), and My Love. And has some great songs that would be given more weight if Beatle records, to add to the arsenal such as Meat City, That Is All, You Are Here, Mess (Live), Out The Blue, Hold Me Tight/Lazy Dynamite, Be Here Now, Only People, When The Night, Get on the Right Thing, The Light That Has Lighted The World ...
It is just so awesome... with the shuffle play you never know what is coming next. The songs sound great together, and hearing a John song, followed by a Paul, then a George makes them sound even so much better and fresh. |
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| "LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD (APPLE RECORDS/1973)" | 2005-04-24 |
| - Reviewed By prospero722000 |
| After the epic "CONCERT FOR BANGLA DESH" (which Harrison organized in order to help that country's sorrowful plight), George spent two years out of the limelight. So it was with much anticipation that "LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD" was released to overwhelming commercial success and (slight) critical pans. True, the album does have its flaws, but the sheer beauty of the compositions and the heartfelt sincerity which George sings them wins me over every time (although as a Christian I disagree with the polytheism of the Hindu religion and know that the only way to get forgiveness for all the bad stuff you've done is through Christ Jesus. He's the only God I know who speaks to me). "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)" became a monster Number 1 hit single, "Sue Me, Sue You Blues" features a stinging slide guitar riff and a pessimistic account of the court battles he and the other ex-Beatles were going through, "Don't Let Me Wait Too Long" is a lost classic that should have been a follow-up single, the title track neatly incorporates the east-meets-west theme that is prevelant in all of Harrison's work, and the ballads are majestic and beautiful. The only bad spot is the Phil Spector produced travesty "Try Some Buy Some". But despite that, "MATERIAL WORLD" is a fine successor to the lofty, elegant "ALL THINGS MUST PASS". HIGHEST POP ALBUM CHART POSITION: Number 1. |
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| "How ALL THINGS MUST PASS would sound without Spectorization" | 2005-03-21 |
| - Reviewed By openears |
Naturally, after years of being only allowed 1 or 2 songs on Beatles albums, George Harrison had a huge backlog that essentially made his first solo album ALL THINGS MUST PASS (1970) completed except for the recording. With Phil Spector having been entrusted with the presentation of the Beatles' final album LET IT BE, it was perhaps only natural he would have a hand in the solo work of the Beatles who actually appreciated his involvement (i.e. not Paul). Save for the APPLE JAM album that was intended as a bonus, but instead shot the price of ALL THINGS MUST PASS up to triple-album level, George's first solo effort showed that he was going to do just fine on his own.
However, because ALL THINGS MUST PASS was a rousing success both commercially & artistically, it was likely George would have trouble coming up with material on his next album, and the prevailing opinion from most fans was that all his subsequent solo albums had that trouble. No doubt, George knew he had a tough act to follow with 1973's LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD, but writing songs was the least of his worries.
Initially, George was going to work with Phil Spector again, but he had trouble making the recording sessions & thus, has only a co-production credit on one song. Now, George is the one in the driver's seat guiding an album that is the stripped-down affair he wanted from the beginning. But George chose to record the album at Apple Studios instead of Abbey Road, and the differences in recording techniques were staggering (Apple's had nothing on Abbey Road's). After abandoning LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD to work on the Concert For Bangladesh, George returned to it & at last managed to get things to fall into place.
George's second #1 hit came with the gentle lullaby "Give Me Love [Give Me Peace On Earth], which continues the help-your-brother & make-the-world-better vibe that the Bangladesh concert was all about. After the Wall of Sound delights on George's first #1 "My Sweet Lord", the more organic mode on "Give Me Love" is quite refreshing & a lot less stifling.
Even with that ray of sunshine, George is still aware that the world is not quite as rosy as all that. Songs like "The Light That Has Lighted The World", "Who Can See It", "Be Here Now" & "The Day The World Gets 'Round" have George facing that cruel world around him, and he basically says that even with all our imperfections, we can still find hope & inspiration. It is just that all of us need to look for them as individuals; we will not learn much by having someone tell us the answers.
The legal fallout of the Beatles' disbanding was still fresh at the time of LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD, and George bravely exposes all the wounds at the heart of those battles. "Sue Me, Sue You Blues" wonderfully demonstrates the endlessly tangled web that the Beatles had become simply by breaking up, where it got to the point that hardly anybody knew who they were suing & why. "You serve me/And I'll serve you/Swing your partners, all get screwed" is simply brilliant & wickedly hilarious at condensing all that legal red tape. The title track is an even more pointed dig at the Beatles' legal situation, even daring to mention George's former bandmates by name. It is a wonder yet another lawsuit (this one of defamation) did not come resulting from this song.
True, being a Beatle may have helped George Harrison be financially set for life (though the royalty situation would take even longer to sort out), but he did not let that blind him to his spirtuality. "The Lord Loves The One [That Loves The Lord]" reaffirms the Biblical concept that "the Lord helps those who help themselves", and while it is a true statement, the overall song seems to be one instance where George tried to hit people over the head with his religion. He sounds much better when he keeps those views in check. That being said, it is still a listenable song on an album with 11 of such in all.
"Try Some, Buy Some" was the only song which Phil Spector had a direct hand in, and while he is a CO-producer, his influence is still more than palpable. The lyrics are a little difficult to decipher, making it hard to say if this is a love or anti-love song. It is still a wonderful production all the same, showing that even on a back-to-basics album like MATERIAL WORLD, a little panorama never hurt anyone.
Finally, there are simple songs of devotion that show George mastering the art of melody that Paul McCartney already had locked down years before. "Don't Let Me Wait Too Long" is a bouncy delight that would have made it an excellent follow-up single to "Give Me Love". It all closes out with the masterfully rendered "That Is All", a song that manages to be as expansive as a Phil Spector production even with the rootsier approach George favored. His vocal is stunningly beautiful, reaching falsetto range in parts that almost pierce the soul.
Even with recalcitrant producers, shoddy recording conditions, and behind-the-scenes legal wranglings, George Harrison managed to perservere & indeed create a worthy follow-up to the magnum opus that was ALL THINGS MUST PASS. Some people call that the best Beatles solo album, and they may be right, but they should not forget that George did create some fantastic material afterwards. It was simply those high standards set by ALL THINGS MUST PASS that rendered anything in its wake less than stellar. LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD, for the most part, shows what a little production restraint can do for George Harrison's music. Since he would take the reins on the production end for most of the rest of his career, LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD simply points the way towards that future. |
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| "always underrated George" | 2005-02-03 |
| - Reviewed By limeyphil |
Given the task of somehow following up the critical and commercial triumph of "all things must pass" George Harrison seemed to crawl back into his insecurity blanket. Despite all his best intentions the critics lambasted his efforts as preachy (which indeed it is somewhat) and weak (which it is certainly not) A much more spare sound to his previous piece this album contains some of his finest songs, with the highlights being the beautiful restrained "be here now" "the light that changed the world" and the lovely closer "that is all" After a few listens it has to be admitted that this is indeed a really good album.
My only quibble is that this cries out for a remastering reissue, and they could add the "B" sides "deep blue" and "miss O'Dell" so come on EMI - get to it!phil from Cambridge Canada |
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| "there are some pleasant songs, surely" | 2005-01-31 |
| - Reviewed By User: A26FWDI6QEWDR3 |
| i revisted this record recently--i had it on eight track at prep school and wore it out, as i recall. it doesn't really hold up, sadly enough. sorta like "all things must pass" (the only george record you REALLY need to own) mach 2, three years on. the arrangements are kinda desultory, the melodies maudlin. the sweet lord is really f-ed up on Krishna. "don't let me wait too long" is a great poppy piece, but--however unfair it is to hold a writer to his own very hightest standards--it's no "here comes the sun." i wanted to love this again. couldn't. but i like it as there are some pleasant songs surely. find it on vinyl--used. egads i almost bought "dark horse" (for the cover and the title track). good thing i stayed my hand. |
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