THE DARK HORSE YEARS 1976-1992 box set features six albums, originally issued on George's own Dark Horse label, digitally remastered with previously unissued Bonus Tracks, plus an exclusisve DVD.
George Harrison forged the most idiosyncratic, artistically stubborn career of any ex-Beatle. After the spectacular success of All Things Must Pass (whose glorious, Spectorized production Harrison all but disowned in later years), The Concert for Bangla Desh and some tepid follow-ups on the Fabs' Apple label, Harrison released the half-dozen albums contained in this remastered box set on his Dark Horse imprint. Frequently out-of-print and ever under-appreciated, they remain in many ways his truest musical legacy. Powered by a deceptively breezy compositional sense and impeccably tasteful soloing (his fluid slide work remains some of rock's most lyrically distinctive), Harrison variously mixes biting humor ("This Song" answers his "My Sweet Lord" plagiarism suit with sarcastic jabs), a love of pop history (his Motown tribute "Pure Smokey," covers of Cole Porter's "True Love" and Rudy Clark's obscure "Got My Mind Set On You," which became an unlikely late '80s hit), and ever-present spiritual meditations into an often jazzy musical tack that veered sharply away from his Beatles past. And while that laconic sense occasionally goes unfocused (as on "Gone Troppo"), it came to warm fruition on the triumphant Jeff Lynne collaboration "Cloud Nine." Harrison's past glories are revisited on that album's "When We Was Fab" and elsewhere on unused Beatle-era songs ("Not Guilty," "See Yourself"), as well as his tribute to the fallen John Lennon, "All Those Years Ago," but crucially they are always part of a larger, more forceful perspective. His double-live album from a 1991 tour of Japan with Eric Clapton encapsulates that sense, and is featured here in the SACD format with 5.1 surround sound. Also included is a DVD exclusive to this set, featuring highlight footage from those concerts, interviews, and a slate of Harrison videos. --Jerry McCulley