Dark Horse Songs Ranked
Dark HorseĀ is the fifth studio album by English rock musicianĀ George Harrison. It was released onĀ Apple RecordsĀ in December 1974 as the follow-up toĀ Living in the Material World. Although keenly anticipated on release,Ā Dark HorseĀ is associated with the controversialĀ North American tourĀ that Harrison staged with Indian classical musicianĀ Ravi ShankarĀ in November and December that year. This was the first US tour by a member ofĀ the BeatlesĀ since 1966, and the publicās nostalgia for the band, together with Harrison contractingĀ laryngitisĀ during rehearsals and choosing to feature Shankar so heavily in the programme, resulted in scathing concert reviews from some influential music critics. The cover was designed byĀ Tom WilkesĀ and consists of a school photograph from Harrisonās time at theĀ Liverpool InstituteĀ superimposed onto aĀ HimalayanĀ landscape. The album was reissued in remastered form in 2014 as part of theĀ Apple Years 1968ā75Ā Harrison box set. Here are all of Dark Horse songs ranked.
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8. Far East Man
āFar East Manā is my personal favorite of the album. Although this is purely subjective and with no real proof, it seems this song describes Georgeās relationship with Ravi Shankar. Many people assume George is singing of Krishna, and I canāt say that theyāre wrong.ā
7. It Is āHeā (Jai Sri Krishna)
āThe album closes with āIt Is āHeā (Jai Sri Krishna),ā and as a welcome change, the vocals seem normal again. Itās a really beautiful chant to Krishna and his main consort Radha. But then again, Iām deeply interested in Indian religion, in particular the Krishna movement, so Iām admittedly a bit biased in my love of this song.ā
6. So Sad
āSo Sadā deals with Georgeās crumbling marriage; Georgeās poetic lyrics make it plain that āitās too late to make a new start.ā Indeed, the former Mrs. Harrison eventually became Mrs. Clapton. The structure of āSo Sadā is a little similar to some of Bob Dylanās music at the time. In fact, āSo Sadā would be right at home on Blood On The Tracks, as well as an eloquent response to the Layla album by Mrs. Harrisonās future husband.ā
See more:Ā George Harrison Albums Ranked
5. Ding Dong, Ding Dong
āDing Dong, Ding Dongā is enjoyable, if maybe a little over-the-top. The term āwall of soundā is a bit of an understatement for that oneā¦ Still, a nice song and pretty catchy.ā
4. Hariās On Tour (Express)
āThe album starts with the instrumental āHariās on Tour (Express),ā and unlike the four interminable pointless meandering jam sessions rammed onto the end of ATMP, this instrumental actually belongs here, doesnāt go on forever, is fun to listen to, and has a definite beginning, middle, and end. It also quite helps to set the mood for the songs to come.ā
See more:Ā George Harrison Songs Ranked
3. Simply Shady
āSimply Shadyā is among Georgeās ten best songs and its underexposure is criminal. A hardy mixture of jazz, country-rock, and hard blues fuels this composition, as well as demonstrating Georgeās desire to try different styles, rather than falling back on Beatles-style pop (shame on you, Paul).ā
2. MÄya Love
Ā āMaya Loveā, however, is an extremely catchy, jazz-derived tune that has Georgeās slide guitar well to the fore. Kind of a close cousin to āSavoy Truffleā, Georgeās apparent love of brassy jazz followed him all the way to the Traveling Wilburys.ā
1. Dark Horse
āDark Horseā is quite a bit more than āpretty catchyā; itās a major work from one of the most successful songwriters in rock history. Georgeās strained voice actually adds to this song that describes triumph over adversity. Harrison was certainly having his share of adversity with a failed marriage and a critically maligned tour of the US at the time.ā