Elly Roberts reviews
George Harrison: The Dark Horse Years (1976-1992)
Distributed by
Parlophone
- Cert:
- Cat.no: 5441039
- Running time: 76 minutes
- Year: 2004
- Pressing: 2004
- Region(s): All, PAL
- Sound: DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1, Stereo (depending on source)
- Languages: English
- Subtitles: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese and Dutch on spoken word sections
- Widescreen: 1.78:1
- Disc Format: DVD 9
- Price: £15.99
- Rating: 6/10
- Extras:
Booklet containing extensive liner notes. A short history of the Dark Horse
label by Olivia Harrison & extensive photo selection in a deluxe 28-page booklet.
Mahatma Ghandi once said, "Create and preserve the image of your choice".
What appropriate words for describing George Harrison’s career and this
package. Harrison was the first ex-Beatle to score a number one hit, with
My Sweet Lord in January 1971. His last single chart-entry was with the
very same song, re-issued in January 2002, following his death in November
2001.
He started as he’d finished, as it also went to the top again. Sandwiched
between those were varying degrees of success. The Beatles had long gone by
the time he began to think of his future as a performer. Know as the ‘Quiet One‘,
he was gradually coming to the end of his contractual obligations with EMI/Parlophone
by 1976, (which had run since 1962 – negotiated by Brian Epstein), so he was
ready for a new challenge – an opportunity to find a haven for his new
found freedom as a bone fide solo artist.
What better way to start a new life than have your own recording label. It was
actually created in 1974, but took two years to get off the ground. He named
it Dark Horse. To fully appreciate this DVD, I recommend you read the
excellent booklet beforehand, as it gives a more detailed account of the
process which brought about its creation. The roster of artists he recruited
was impressive including Ravi Shankar, Splinter, and ex-Joe Cocker guitarist
Henry Mc McCullough.
In the booklet, his wife Olivia leads us in, followed by a text by David Fricke.
The film, in four parts, chronicles Harrison finally breaking free from the
Fab Four, as he comes of age from the shadow of his former band mates.
It comes across as some kind of liberation – as he followed his heart in terms
of musical direction. He was also keen to get back to ‘ real ‘ music – real
guitars, real drums, real bands – as he saw a rapid decline in the quality of
songwriting and production. Interviews reveal little of himself, but he
openly discusses his development, aspirations, along with playing with his
long-time friend Eric Clapton, with whom he toured fronting Clapton’s band in
the early 1990’s.
Harrison was thrilled to be playing live again, considering The Beatles had
quit touring by December 1966, that came as no surprise. Happiness is a
recurring theme, and we are left to our own conclusions on that one. Here he
performs – the Beatles’ Taxman, Cloud Nine, Devil’s Radio (a reference
to continual rumours about him) and Cheer Down. All this footage is
previously unreleased, though not exceptional as a performance. Much to my
surprise, he proves to be a great slide – guitarist.
The promo video section is quite sad by today’s standards, as the concepts and
production are unbelievably naff, particularly the Crackerbox Palace shoot.
That said, there’s the inevitable ‘ fun formula ‘which featured prominently
in Beatles films. Finally, we get some footage from the film Shanghai Surprise, which he contributed to, with snippets of Madonna and Sean Penn.
This will sit nicely alongside my Beatles DVD’s.
The DVD was previously only available as part of the Dark Horse box set.
Check out the following on CD:
Review & concert pics copyright © Elly Roberts, 2004-2010.
