At last – there is the possibility of some structure behind each week’s Glimpse. The artist or band will remain ‘classic’, while the album will now be a lesser-known piece. Last week’s Glimpse of Pete Townshend’s White City (read it here if you’ve not done so yet) is an example – not his best-known solo album, but possibly his best solo album.
Click the cover and listen to Thirty-Three & 1/3 on the streaming service of your choice.
To George Harrison. His best-known solo work is All Things Must Pass. There was then something of a dip, at least in the eyes of the critics. Thirty-Three & 1/3 is widely viewed as a return to form. Indeed, at one point the plan was to call it Second Resurrection.
George Harrison’s body of solo work is better than he is given credit for by the critics. Perhaps his songwriting rarely hit the melodic peaks of McCartney (My Love, for example). Perhaps his protest songs didn’t have the same commercial appeal as Lennon at his peak (say, Power to the People). It’s true, that some of Harrison’s songs tend to meander a little, but then he’s not always writing straight-ahead Western pop music.
Perhaps he should have fully embraced the world music genre? There are (at least) two reasons for his not doing so. Firstly, he’s a skilled writer of pop songs, and that matters in itself. Secondly, does it matter what the critics think? It’s useful to read reviews, indeed, to write them, but creatives of any kind mustn’t change what they do solely to please critics (or to please anyone other than themselves).
If the critics don’t matter, though, the bank balance does. The My Sweet Lord case, and an illness, delayed Harrison’s completion of Thirty-Three & ⅓. This displeased A&M Records, then distributors of his Dark Horse label. It gave them a reason to end the deal. All this meant it would be for the best if the new album did well. He kept to his values, but it was time to return to public consciousness – by doing television talk shows and the like - in a way Harrison didn’t always want to do.
After all this, though, what matters is the music. Here are some glimpsed reflections.
The album starts brightly, with funky bass (Willie Weeks) under the bluesy song structure of Woman Don’t You Cry For Me. Eric Clapton could do a great cover of this; the song dates back to 1969 when Harrison toured with Delaney & Bonnie so that’s not altogether surprising.
This Song is a reference to the My Sweet Lord plagiarism case – Harrison was sued over the similarity of Lord to The Chiffon’s He’s So Fine. That case and ill health were the reasons for his lack of releases immediately before Thirty-Three & 1/3 and the album, with tongue in cheek, almost being titled Second Resurrection.
Harrison has a dry, English/Liverpudlian sense of humour; yes, he could be serious about the world, spirit, and meaning, but he could also find humour in stressful situations. This Song is a singable pop song with an echo back to The Beatles’ Only a Northern Song (it’s okay, Harrison wrote that song too).[1]
In Dear One, Harrison expresses his spirituality clearly, and the song starts with one of his meandering, meditative verses that leave the listener wondering where the song is going, or if it’s going anywhere at all. This form of Harrison composition is based on Indian raga; a sharp contrast with the Western tradition. Then we find out where we’re going: Two rapid acoustic guitar chords and into a lively chorus, followed by a brief instrumental section that puts me in mind of joyful circus music. Just me? A feeling of joy is appropriate in the context of the song’s purpose:
“My spirit sings to you now / Creation stands at your feet / My feelings call to you now / Dear One, I love you.” – George Harrison
The ‘Dear One’ is Paramahansa Yogananda, author of Autobiography of a Yogi and a key figure in Harrison’s spiritual life.
Finally, let’s reflect on Crackerbox Palace. As with This Song, when George Harrison is minded to write an upbeat, celebratory, pop song, few can equal the results. This one includes a burst of his trademark slide guitar and splashes of sax. After all the events of the previous few years, it would have been easier for him to walk away – if not from music entirely, at least from making albums and playing the game of the music industry all-out. Instead, he’s competing in the pop charts in the days when that meant something.
What’s your emotional response to Thirty-Three & 1/3?
I’ve highlighted a couple of pop songs, a blues song and one with Eastern roots. This album can be fun and can also induce sadness, reflection and anger at the state of the world – listen to Tears of the World (a bonus track added later), listen to the beautiful acoustic guitar on Learning How to Love You – isn’t this exactly the sort of journey we want to be taken on when we listen to an entire album? There are other albums where Harrison doesn’t find the right balance between fun and thinking (although I’d be happy to make a case for the worth of any George Harrison album).
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This Song - video
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Recording Details
Side One
1. Woman Don't You Cry for Me
2. Dear One
3. Beautiful Girl
4. This Song
5. See Yourself
Side Two
1. It's What You Value
2. True Love" (Cole Porter)
3. Pure Smokey
4. Crackerbox Palace
5. Learning How to Love You
Bonus Tracks
For the 2004 digitally remastered issue of Thirty-Three & 1⁄3, Tears of the World was added.
iTunes bonus track: Learning How to Love You (Early Mix)
Musicians
George Harrison – vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, synthesizers, percussion, backing vocals
Tom Scott – saxophones, flute, lyricon
Richard Tee – piano, organ, Fender Rhodes
Willie Weeks – bass
Alvin Taylor – drums
Billy Preston – piano, organ, synthesizer (on Beautiful Girl, This Song, and See Yourself)
David Foster – Fender Rhodes, clavinet
Gary Wright – keyboards
Emil Richards – marimba
Eric Idle – voices on This Song
Reference
Norman, P. (2023) George Harrison: The Reluctant Beatle, Simon & Schuster, London
See you again at the end of the week with this week’s playlist, Gems #28.
Enjoy the music,
Ian
[1] H/t to
for her musical archaeology.
Excellent write-up! One of my favorites from Harrison's solo career. I'm surprised how few people remark on the distinctly R&B elements of this record, "Pure Smokey" especially. Some nice R&B-style rhythm guitar work throughout the album.
I'm a bit confused about this business of the "delay" of the album's release. It came out only a year after his previous record. How impatient was A&M, exactly?
Thanks for the tag, Ian! Always a pleasure to unearth gems. ;-)
I found George's solo catalog difficult to connect with at first, but now I spin him regularly and it was well worth the effort to get inside of it.
With a few exceptions, I don't consider him an album artist (the exceptions being ATMP and the stellar final effort, Brainwashed, which IMO is far and away his best overall work. There's nothing on Brainwashed that doesn't sparkle with wit and wisdom. And it's his most intricate, dare I say McCartney-esque baroque arrangements, too -- George might come back to haunt me for sayin' so ... 🤔 but there are worse things that being haunted by George Harrison!
I also highly recommend the Early Takes Vol. 1 as a gateway to solo George. It's stunning and by no means filler, but a collection of beautifully finished-sounding but still raw acoustic tracks. Woman Don't You Cry For Me is maybe even more raw on the demo. And Mama, You've Been On My Mind will break your heart in the best way. Now if only there was a volume 2.