Here Comes The Moon

Maui Wowie from George Harrison

This post is the beginning of a new series here on Shawn Corey Music highlighting lesser known Beatles solo albums.

Today, we focus our attention on George Harrison’s self-titled solo album from 1979, George Harrison.

The story of The Beatles breakup is, in part, the story of George Harrison’s artistic coming-of-age.

He released the epic 3LP All Things Must Pass, orchestrated The Concert for Bangladesh, and enjoyed a series of successful singles and albums throughout the 70’s.

He also headlined the least successful tour ever by a former Beatle - the Dark Horse tour, and he lost his wife to his wily friend, Eric Clapton. Can’t win them all.

By the late 70’s, George seemed to be running out of steam. And his esteem for popular music was waning. After the release of 33 1/3 in 1976 (another solid album), George took a breather from the music business, spending most of his time gardening or attending car racing events.

But in 1979, George came out with one of the most acclaimed records of his career, George Harrison.

To my ears, the album reflects George’s deliberate step back from showbiz. It is mellow, melodic, and gently spiritual. It plays like a warm breeze, comforting and contemplative. It’s beautiful. It really is.

And George Harrison might feature the most ornate guitar playing of his career. Melodies weave through these songs, often resulting in the guitar being the dominant instrument. I feel that this LP represented a shift in Harrison’s “voice”. From here on out, his voice was his guitar, not his vocals. George spoke eternal truths with his guitar, and perhaps nowhere as fully as here.

The production is mellow, the guitar tone is mellow, the occasional chimes and bells are mellow. This is a mellow record. But more than that, it sounds contented. A man at relative peace. A gardener’s musical diary. Mature Harrison, no longer Beatle George.

I love it.

Much of the album was written on holiday on Maui, and that’s the vibe here. It could have been titled On Holiday with George Harrison (and, in fact, he did release an album called Gone Troppo, in 1982).

I recommend listening to albums from start to finish, when possible, but key tracks on George Harrison, include:

Here Comes The Moon - an update on Here Comes The Sun, gorgeous

Blow Away - hit single, beyond catchy, spiritual lyric

Faster - his ode to car racing, also a single

Not Guilty - finally re-recorded this outtake from The White Album

If you are looking for an entry point to get into George’s solo stuff, you could do a lot worse than George Harrison. You even get an album cover with the late 70’s George perm. Life is good.

For more about The Beatles, please stay tuned to my substack. You can check out my Beatles show, Love Is All You Need: A Beatles Deep Dive with Shawn Corey, on May 21 at Saint Andrews Brewing Company, 7-9PM. A splendid time is guaranteed for all.