tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609845966536781209.post4782192210073312355..comments2024-03-21T13:36:13.830-07:00Comments on Alan's Album Archives: George Harrison "Living In The Material World" (1971) (Revised Review 2015)Alan's Archiveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01409065548353514714noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609845966536781209.post-77684630784214186272018-03-22T19:56:10.535-07:002018-03-22T19:56:10.535-07:00Thanks Mrs Bear, same here, it's good to chat ...Thanks Mrs Bear, same here, it's good to chat with someone who clearly knows their Beatles and not just the hits! I do like that album a lot, I enjoy a lot of Pete's 1960s stuff too. I wish someone would scoop them all together on an album sometime. I do like Early 1970 a lot too, I think that might well be my favourite of Ringo's own songs and it sums up well what was happening with the other three! 8>)Alan's Archiveshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01409065548353514714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609845966536781209.post-25951871445578567142018-03-22T18:57:40.520-07:002018-03-22T18:57:40.520-07:00You know, it's funny how you mentioned Pete Be...You know, it's funny how you mentioned Pete Best so positively. Have you by any chance heard an album from The Pete Best Band that came out about ten years ago called "Haymans Green"? I have it. It's actually quite pleasant listening and parts of it scratch the Beatle itch surprisingly well. While I would make no claims for it as a great piece of art, I think that I could actually call it, with some justification, one of the more enjoyable solo Beatle albums. I rather appreciate the opportunity to compare notes with someone who, while differing somewhat from my own take on music, nonetheless has at least obviously given his opinions a lot of thought. By the way, another Ringo song that I really like is "Early 1970", which I find rather sweet natured. Mrs. Bearhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10406528728746538232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609845966536781209.post-68453710944197447272018-03-21T20:01:28.294-07:002018-03-21T20:01:28.294-07:00Hello again Mrs Bear, sorry if I was a bit shirty ...Hello again Mrs Bear, sorry if I was a bit shirty earlier, my website has been coming under attack all week and I'm not sure why. It is fair enough if you hold different opinions to me and I am always happy to reply, as I've tried to reply to all your comments. We do seem to have very different tastes though! I must admit I'm really not a big Ringo fan. I always felt The Beatles would have been better off with Pete Best and his best strength for the band was his acting skills. I elected not to review his albums in detail, though I have a section in a Beatles book I'm writing on with a brief run down of his albums. Beaucoups of Blues, Time Takes Time and especially Stop and Smell The Roses are the ones I really like, not so sure about the rest - too many special guest stars and booze! I do love 'It Don't Come Easy' too, though I do wish George had kept it for himself (the youtube link to his demo is here if you haven't heard it, it's fab!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4p5yzdCa2GEAlan's Archiveshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01409065548353514714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609845966536781209.post-33810038406107419812018-03-21T18:07:10.681-07:002018-03-21T18:07:10.681-07:00Thank you for your reply. Even though you do not ...Thank you for your reply. Even though you do not seem to agree with me much, it is really neat to get such a quick response. Possibly I have missed something,but I have not seen any reviews by you of Ringo Starr's solo corpus. Do you consider him not worth examining? I realize that he has in fact made a fair number of bad records, but I think that has been to some extent true of all four of the former Beatles in their solo careers. I tend to think that George had the best quality control of the four. It is possible that you and I may be operating from somewhat different musical and artistic aesthetics. For example, you appear to be considerably more impressed with Lennon's solo stuff than I am. I find most of his solo stuff a bit flimsy, with the occasional lightning strike of brilliance. I do respect "Plastic Ono Band", but as for the rest, I tend to like the stuff you are less impressed with and not so much the stuff that you are obviously very pleased with. I do agree, though, that the stripped version of "Double Fantasy" is notably better than the original version. I actually find Ringo's albums of the last couple decades noticeably more interesting than the ones he made back when he got big hits. (I am aware of being something of a minority opinion on this.) My favorite solo Beatles single remains "It Don't Come Easy", though. Anyway, thank you for responding with such alacrity. Mrs. Bearhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10406528728746538232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609845966536781209.post-65169447124740380292018-03-21T12:55:02.992-07:002018-03-21T12:55:02.992-07:00Err no, sorry. The reviews weren't mixed they ...Err no, sorry. The reviews weren't mixed they were savage. And poor reception is different to poor sales - there are lots of Harrison fans on record saying that they bought it on the back of 'All Things' and they would never try a Harrison album again. Dark Horse is far superior in many ways. Try Some Buy Some was written for Doris Troy to sing on an Apple LP but recorded by Ronnie Spector. Nicky Hopkins was indeed great but this is far from his best LP (that's Quadrophenia).Lennon would have had access to recording tapes of George's via Apple and they always influences each other. Alan's Archiveshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01409065548353514714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609845966536781209.post-35062441068472093692018-03-21T03:01:06.504-07:002018-03-21T03:01:06.504-07:00As it happens, I bought this album back in the day...As it happens, I bought this album back in the days when it was George's newest release, so I am pretty familiar with it. I cannot comment on its reception in England, but it seemed pretty popular here. The reviews I read were a bit mixed, but both the album and "Give Me Love" went to #1 in the US. I do not think I would attribute "Dark Horse"'s somewhat poorer reception to lingering disappointment with this album. I would be inclined to blame that on the generally inferior songs, sloppy musicianship, and croaky vocals. Also, I am puzzled by the fact that, at different points in your review, you describe "Try Some Buy Some" as being left over from Ronnie Spector or from Doris Troy. I am pretty sure that it was actually Ms. Spector. I do not miss Phil Spector's production from ATMP. It always seemed to me a bit much of a muchness. I prefer the demos for that record. This is actually my favorite Harrison album production. It is clear; the playing is superb; the melodies are lovely. (Admittedly, the lyrics and singing are sometimes a problem.) This is perhaps my favorite Nicky Hopkins record. Wasn't he great? What seems to be a tendency on George's part towards self pity, which pops up on some of this record, is not very attractive. It's not like he ever had to worry about making the rent by that point in time. No doubt he had real problems and real pains, but they were probably a better class of problems than mine or, perhaps, yours. Getting preached at by someone can be real annoying, particularly if the preacher does not actually seem to be spiritually superior personally. I am a bit doubtful of the notion that Lennon was influenced by the arrangement of the title track of this album, since this album came out the year AFTER STINYC. I agree with you about "Be Here Now" - it's just beautiful, isn't it? I am puzzled by the line about world leaders "acting like big girls". What's the problem with big girls? Sounds a trifle sexist to me. Thank you nonetheless for writing a lengthy and interesting review of an album that, despite its annoying bits, deserves the attention. Mrs. Bearhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10406528728746538232noreply@blogger.com