George Harrison Albums Ranked

George Harrison MBE (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer, songwriter, and music and film producer who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called “the quiet Beatle”, Harrison embraced Indian culture and helped broaden the scope of popular music through his incorporation of Indian instrumentation and Hindu-aligned spirituality in the Beatles’ work. Although the majority of the band’s songs were written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, most Beatles albums from 1965 onwards contained at least two Harrison compositions. His songs for the group include “Taxman”, “Within You Without You”, “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”, “Here Comes the Sun” and “Something”. Harrison’s earliest musical influences included George Formby and Django Reinhardt; Carl Perkins, Chet Atkins, and Chuck Berry were subsequent influences. By 1965, he had begun to lead the Beatles into folk rock through his interest in Bob Dylan and the Byrds, and towards Indian classical music through his use of the sitar on “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)”. Having initiated the band’s embracing of Transcendental Meditation in 1967, he subsequently developed an association with the Hare Krishna movement. After the band’s break-up in 1970, Harrison released the triple album All Things Must Pass, a critically acclaimed work that produced his most successful hit single, “My Sweet Lord”, and introduced his signature sound as a solo artist, the slide guitar. He also organized the 1971 Concert for Bangladesh with Indian musician Ravi Shankar, a precursor to later benefit concerts such as Live Aid. In his role as a music and film producer, Harrison produced acts signed to the Beatles’ Apple record label before founding Dark Horse Records in 1974 and co-founding HandMade Films in 1978. Harrison released several best-selling singles and albums as a solo performer. In 1988, he co-founded the platinum-selling supergroup the Traveling Wilburys. A prolific recording artist, he was featured as a guest guitarist on tracks by Badfinger, Ronnie Wood, and Billy Preston, and collaborated on songs and music with Dylan, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, and Tom Petty, among others. Rolling Stone magazine ranked him number 11 in their list of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time”. He is a two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee – as a member of the Beatles in 1988, and posthumously for his solo career in 2004. Here are all George Harrison albums ranked.

Click below and listen to one of the original members of The Beatles. Reminisce the songs of George Harrison.

10.Wonderwall Music (1968)

“This album soundtrack is better than the movie. Musically this is the George that The Beatles would not allow him to be. Describing it requires words that have not been invented; however, listening to it will evoke feelings you never knew you had. Take the journey and see where your mind will go.”

9.Somewhere In England (1981)

“The song was a sizable hit, and, along with tracks such as “Teardrops” and “That Which I Lost,” represents Harrison at his most melodic and heartfelt. Two covers of Hoagy Carmichael tunes—”Baltimore Oriole” and “Hong Kong Blues”—reflect where Harrison’s musical interests were taking him, while “Blood from a Clone” cynically apes the sounds then heard on the radio while indicting the music industry for being fickle and shallow. Always one to speak his mind, Harrison in his own way was as much a confessional writer as John Lennon, with eclectic musical interests that kept him forever evolving even as he grew more disenchanted with pop music itself.”

8.George Harrison – Extra Texture (Read All About It) (1975)

“The best treat in getting this is the bonus track–an outtake of ‘This Guitar (Can’t Keep From Crying)’ that is superior to the one officially released (and the original was one of my favorite tracks!) It’s raw, punchier, and has some great acoustic and lead guitar work. That song alone makes the purchase worthwhile.”

7.Dark Horse (1974)

” It’s very raw sounding and that’s what I love about it. It’s the kind of album where no single song really stands out. They’re all enjoyable and it’s so easy to just play this from start to finish.”

6.George Harrison (1979)

“This album though, simply titled “George Harrison” is a wonderful masterpiece that was appreciated when it was released in 1979, but hasn’t gotten it’s due since. It is one of the LAST albums that George produced that still sounded, for lack of a better word, “Beatley”. More than a few of these tracks would comfortably fit on a Beatles album. This is true of most of George’s work in the ’70’s, when the breakup was still fresh and all four of the guys were dealing with the huge issues and insecurities that surrounded it. I think all of them did some of their best work during this time — really. “

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5.Living In The Material World (1973)

“Musically, the songs are sublime, and some even inspire you to get up and dance. In its complete arrangement, eleven songs take you on a journey through a gamut of emotions concluding with a prayerful highlight. Even if you have no transcendent interest in raising your spiritual consciousness, you can still rock-on with excellent guitar riffs, foot tapping drumming, soulful saxophones and a progressive sitar and tabla duet. The songs work together to create an emotional message, so it would be remiss to single out any particular tune on its own. Just enjoy.”

4.Brainwashed (2002)

“The leading guitar-bending on Marwa Blues Soundslike Enhanced Mark Knopfler playing on a track – say a track- near the end of On Every Street. it was filled with lounge music, GOOD lounge music! I really like the laid back nature of this album. I did not make it a priority to get it before but after hearing what Lynne succeeded with on the final Roy Orbison LP I decided to go for it. Cloud 9 is really good so I figured Brainwashed, – that weird, generic album cover aside – could not disappoint.”

3.Thirty-Three and 1/3 (1976)

“George Harrison’s gentle vocals, melancholic lyrics, and lilting slide guitars set a fully realized tone on his seventh solo album. It’s filled mostly with sweet pop that avoids the saccharine, with touching, world-weary introspections (“Beautiful Girl,” “Crackerbox Palace”) and beautifully redemptive experiences (“True Love” and the guitar-and-organ stunner “Dear One,” a tribute to meditation guru Paramahansa Yogananda). Elsewhere there’s crunching country-funk (“Woman Don’t You Cry”), swinging R&B-pop and satire (“This Song”), mid-’70s mellowness (“Pure Smokey”), and a true heart-melter (“Learning How to Love You”).”

2.Cloud Nine (1987)

“George Harrison released two wonderful albums: All things must pass (make sure you get hold of the original CD release on the EMI label) and Cloud 9. I have always liked Cloud 9, which is very much Beatle George on form after the Travelling Wilburys. Well done Jeff Lynne and the musicians who supported George to create this wonderful album. My favourite song is “When we was fab.” Someone should have told George at the time that he still was fab! This album shows that the Beatles could have continued musically – if only John Lennon had wanted it. McCartney had an excellent solo career from 1970-1983, and Lennon showed he could produce good music, albeit inconsistently.”

1.All Things Must Pass (1970)

“Probably one of the greatest post-Beatles solo albums from one of the four, if not THE greatest. Don’t expect this CD to have the ‘jam session’ like on side 4 for those of you familiar with the album. It doesn’t. But it’s got all the hits as well as other songs that all seem to blend nicely together. One of my all-time favorite albums. Always a good purchase for any Beatle/George Harrison fan. A staple for any well-rounded music collection.”