George Harrison - Living in the Material World

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Free Music Notes for Living in the Material World

Free Music Review: Living In The Material World - Underrated Classic
Hit: 5 Stars

I've decided to rewrite my original review of `Living In The Material World', feeling that I didn't do the album or the writer justice.

I discovered the Beatles finding the `Let It Be' album my uncle had left behind at our house. Looking at the cover, I knew who Paul and Ringo were, but not the other two. This was when I was 7 years old.
In 1976, I bought my first album. George Harrison's 33 1/3 was my purchase. The reasons Harrison became the person in The Beatles who appealed to me most, or became my `favourite' I cannot really understand myself. And even though `Dear One' was a song written in devotion to Krishna, at 9 years old I had no concept of what he was writing about, I just knew it was one of my favourite songs to listen to. Harrison's spiritual leanings actually got me to check out religion and what it was saying to the masses, and by the time I was 11 I knew everything I needed to know about organised Western religion that needs knowing. My understanding of Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim and Hebrew religions came later.

In saying this, a few of Harrison's albums did not immediately grab my attention being of `unconscious mind'. These were Extra Texture, Somewhere In England and Living In The Material World. The immediacy of `All Things Must Pass', '33 1/3', `George Harrison' and `Dark Horse' had a fan in me, but these other albums I didn't quite grasp what was going on. Now that I am older, and maybe a bit wiser, `Living In The Material World' hits me far deeper and emotionally than that of my younger self. I now realise, it is probably Harrison's truest testament of faith in a harsh world. In large, it is a stronger album lyrically and spiritually than `All Things Must Pass', and in it you truly see a glimpse of the man himself. His thoughts, his failings, and his hopes. You could probably ask me why I don't see the same things in Lennon's `Plastic Ono Band'. The answer wouldn't be easy, but I know somewhere in there I'd have to say some of Lennon's `thoughts' rang false or hypocritical to me then, and now.

`Material World' is a themed piece. What used to be side one explores the material, the immediate, the physical sensations and ego. The second side is the spiritual and devotional. The beauty of the second side is that the devotional songs are mostly ambiguous in lyric, so that they translate into being songs about love to anyone, not just Krishna, or God. This is true throughout most of Harrison's spiritual songs like the aforementioned `Dear One' or `That Is All'. These are just as easily songs to a lover as they are to a God, and `That Is All' I would love to hear covered by someone, ANYONE, even Mariah Carey, because its melody and sentiment is beautiful to say the least. Side 2 is a masterpiece on its own with `Be Here Now', `The Day the World Gets Round', `That Is All' and `Try Some Buy Some'. They didn't enchant me as much when I was a kid, but now I see they are 4 of the best songs he ever wrote.

The album opens with the single `Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)', which reached number 1 in May 1973 (5 months later he would hit number 1 again with `Photograph', written with Ringo Starr).
It's main lyric,`Give me love, give me peace on earth, give me light, give me life, keep me free from birth, give me hope, help me cope, with this heavy load, trying to touch and reach you with heart and soul' is a heartfelt request, that I think everyone at one time has asked in their life, whether they believe in God or not. `Free from birth' just means, keep me from repeating this cycle over and over again, that I gain enlightenment in this lifetime and not have to return. It's a gentle song, with some great instrumentation. `Sue Me Sue You Blues' concentrates on The Beatles legal hassles, and shows off Harrison's slide guitar playing and acerbic wit. `The Light That Has Lighted the World' comments on people's perceptions of YOU, or in this case Harrison, but it can apply to every person in the world. It is a song of hope, while others around you see fit to deprive you of such. The obvious single potential of `Don't Let Me Wait Too Long' has not escaped many ears, but I feel Harrison was trying to lie low in 1973. He had a busy and tumultuous time since 1970, so the release of a second single from `Material World' was probably not foremost in his mind.

There are people who agree with themselves that Lennon & McCartney were of better voice than Harrison, that they displayed a certain confidence in their singing that Harrison did not have. Now obviously, confidence can come when you have many sycophants telling you you're great, but I've noticed that the confident singer also relies on tricks of the trade, and theatrics to bring across their message. Harrison is an emotive singer, what he sings he means, and I think this carries a far more emotional weight than those who sing with a confidence that can carry a multitude of genres. No more so than on Harrison's `Who Can See It'. This is a beautifully sung piece of work, and his falsetto is soulful and heartbreaking. The lyric, `I only ask that what I feel should not be denied me now. As it's been earned, and I have seen my life belongs to me. My love belongs to who can see it.' Is so poignant, I don't think anyone could sing it better. It is totally Harrison's. The title track closes the physical world set. A wonderful album in whole. 5 stars +.

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Limited Edition CD+DVD comes in a digipack with a 40 page booklet. Deluxe booklet includes lyrics (some handwritten) and many additional photographs from the original session.

DVD Content: 4 videos and all visual content is previously unreleased. Features a new video for the ?Living in the Material World? track with footage of the original UK/US LP pressing. ?Give Me Love? performed live in Japan during the 1991 tour (in 5.1 surround sound and stereo). Along with unreleased versions of the songs Miss O'Dell and Sue Me, Sue You Blues.

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