Living in the Material World

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Living in the Material World
George Harrison studio album

Publication
(s)

May 30, 1973 ( US ) ,
June 22, 1973 ( UK )

Label (s) Apple Records , EMI Group

Format (s)

LP , MC , CD , download

Genre (s)

skirt

Title (number)

11

running time

43 min 55 s

occupation

production

George Harrison

Studio (s)

Apple Studio, 3 Savile Row, London

chronology
The Concert for Bangla Desh
1971 		Living in the Material World Dark Horse
1974

Living in the Material World is George Harrison's second solo studio album after the Beatles split up . At the same time, including the two instrumental albums from the 1960s and the live album, it is Harrison's fifth album. It was released on May 30, 1973 in the US and June 22, 1973 in the UK . In 2011, filmmaker Martin Scorsese used the album's title for his documentary George Harrison: Living in the Material World .

History of origin

Living in the Material World was created in October and November 1972 and from January to March 1973, when George Harrison was the most commercially successful ex-Beatles after the releases of All Things Must Pass and The Concert for Bangla Desh . The album continued this success. Many of the lyrics of the songs reflect his religious and philosophical views. So it is with Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth) to a prayer. Living in the Material World and The Lord Loves the One (That Loves the Lord) were influenced by AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada . The first song describes the state of the physical world from the author's point of view, the second title describes Harrison's religious beliefs. The Light That Has Lighted the World asks for your understanding of the changes that George Harrison has made. In Who Can See It the interpreter looks back on the last years of his life.

The other tracks on the album deal with secular themes: Paul McCartney's lawsuit against the other Beatles (Sue Me, Sue You Blues) , a look back at the concert for Bangladesh (The Day the World Gets' Round) and love songs (Don't Let Me Wait Too Long , Be Here Now and That Is All) . The song Try Some, Buy Some , co-produced by Phil Spector , is the original recording tape that was sung about by Ronnie Spector in February 1971. George Harrison removed the vocal track, slowed the playback speed of the recording tape, and re-sang the track.

Living in the Material World remained the only album by an ex-Beatle that was recorded at Apple Studios. Klaus Voormann , who was involved in the recordings, said that the recordings actually took place in Harrison's home studio "FPSHOT" (an abbreviation for Friar Park Studio, Henley-on-Thames ).

In June 1973 the album was awarded gold in the USA for 500,000 copies sold.

Cover design

Kirlian photography

The album appeared in a pop-up cover. The designer Tom Wilkes was responsible for the design of the record cover . Wilkes' idea was to photograph George Harrison's aura with the help of Kirlian photography and use this image for the cover. Since the available device was too small, the decision was made to only photograph the hands. The photos were taken in the Department of Parapsychology of UCLA received by Kendall L. Johnson. The cover on the front of the album shows a photo of Harrison's left hand on a black background, covering a picture of Krishna that occupies part of the palm of the hand during the recording . The back cover shows a photo of Harrison's right hand on a black background. Harrison had placed his hand over three US coins, two quarter dollars and one one dollar coin, when this photo was taken . The photo taken by Ken Marcus on the inside left of the flip cover shows an image that was created as an allusion to the painting The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci . A dining table was set up on the lawn of a property, and was seated by musicians who were involved in the recordings for the album. Harrison himself is in the center of the board. Since Gary Wright , seen in the photo on the far right, during the photo shoot was unable to attend, his face was later into the receptacle mounted .

Track list

All titles are written by George Harrison.

Page one

  1. Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth) - 3:36
  2. Sue Me, Sue You Blues - 4:48
  3. The Light That Has Lighted the World - 3:31
  4. Don't Let Me Wait Too Long - 2:57
  5. Who Can See It - 3:52
  6. Living in the Material World - 5:31

Side two

  1. The Lord Loves the One (That Loves the Lord) - 4:34
  2. Be Here Now - 4:09
  3. Try Some, Buy Some - 4:08
  4. The Day the World Gets' Round - 2:53
  5. That Is All - 3:43

Re-releases

  • It was first published in CD format in January 1992. The CD is accompanied by an eight-page booklet with illustrations containing the lyrics.
  • In September 2006 the album was released in a remastered version as CD and vinyl long-playing record with the two bonus tracks Miss O'Dell and Deep Blue (B-side of Bangla Desh ; single from 1971), as well as in a deluxe edition; as a CD with an additional DVD in a cardboard box. The remastering was done by Sam Okell and Steve Rooke at Abbey Road Studios , project coordinator was Allan Rouse. The CD is accompanied by a 16-page illustrated (deluxe version: 40-page) booklet that contains information from Kevin Howlett about the album and the lyrics.

The bonus DVD has the following content:

  1. Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth) (recorded at Tokyo Dome , December 15, 1991)
  2. Miss O'Dell (Alternate Version)
  3. Sue Me, Sue You Blues (Acoustic Demo Version)
  4. Living in the Material World
  • On September 19, 2014 the CD, remastered again, was re-released with the following bonus tracks:
  1. Deep Blue - 3:45
  2. Miss O'Dell - 2:32
  3. Bangla Desh - 3:57 According to the inside cover of the CD, the
    song Bangla Desh was remixed by Paul Hicks.

The remastering was done by Paul Hicks, Gavin Lurssen and Reuben Cohen in the Lurssen Mastering Studios . The CD album has a cardboard cover that can be opened and a sixteen-page illustrated booklet is enclosed, which contains information from Kevin Howlett from 2006 on the album and the lyrics. The CD is in an inner cover that is based on the original inner cover of the vinyl album. The design is by Darren Evans.

Single releases

The single Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth) / Miss O'Dell was   released on May 7, 1973 in the USA and on May 25, 1973 in Great Britain as a pre-release of the album and became the second number one hit in the charts the USA for George Harrison. Another single from the album did not take place. Miss O'Dell is another song of the recording sessions, this humorous song is about former Apple Records secretary Chris O'Dell.

The promotional single was published in the USA as follows: the mono version is on the A side and the stereo version of the A side of the sales single is on the B side .

Chart placements

year album Chart placements
DE UK US
1973 Living in the Material World 20th 2 1
year Single release Chart placements
DE UK US
1973 Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth) 28 8th 1

Others

  • Don't Let Me Wait Too Long had already received a catalog number (Apple 1866), which suggests that another single was planned.
  • On the back of the LP and CD covers of "Jim Keltner Fan Club" is advertised, an allusion to the "Wings Fun Club" on the on the back of the cover of the album Red Rose Speedway by Paul McCartney and Wings was pointed .
  • A demo version of The Day the World Gets' Round was released in December 2011 on the CD Early Takes: Volume 1 .

literature

  • Chip Madinger, Mark Easter: Eight Arms To Hold You. The Solo Compendium . 44.1 Productions, Chesterfield, MO, 2000, ISBN 0-615-11724-4 (pp. 439-442).
  • Neville Stannard, John Tobler: Working Class Heroes. The History of The Beatles' - Solo Recordings. Virgin, London 1983, ISBN 0-907080-92-8 .
  • CD booklet of the deluxe edition published in 2006
  • CD booklet for re-publication in 2014

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ George Harrison: I, Me, Mine . London: Phoenix, 2004. ISBN 0-7538-1734-9 . P. 246.
  2. ↑ George Harrison: I, Me, Mine . London: Phoenix, 2004. ISBN 0-7538-1734-9 . P. 258 and p. 254.
  3. ↑ George Harrison: I, Me, Mine . London: Phoenix, 2004. ISBN 0-7538-1734-9 , p. 238.
  4. ↑ George Harrison: I, Me, Mine . London: Phoenix, 2004. ISBN 0-7538-1734-9 . P. 234.
  5. ↑ George Harrison: I, Me, Mine . London: Phoenix, 2004. ISBN 0-7538-1734-9 . P. 238.
  6. ^ Simon Leng: The Music of George Harrison: While My Guitar Gently Weeps . London: Fire Fly Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0-946719-50-0 . P. 92.
  7. ↑ Gold award
  8. ↑ Bruce Spizer: The Beatles Solo on Apple Records . New Orleans: Four Ninety-Eight Productions, 2005. ISBN 0-9662649-5-9 , p. 256.
  9. ↑ 7 ″ vinyl single: Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)
  10. ↑ Promotion 7 ″ vinyl single: Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)
  11. ↑ Bruce Spizer: The Beatles Solo on Apple Records . New Orleans: Four Ninety-Eight Productions, 2005. ISBN 0-9662649-5-9 , pp. 253 f.
  12. ↑ Bruce Spizer: The Beatles Solo on Apple Records . New Orleans: Four Ninety-Eight Productions, 2005. ISBN 0-9662649-5-9 , p. 254.
  13. ↑ Chip Madinger and Mark Easter: Eight Arms To Hold You - The Solo Compendium. 44.1 Productions 2000, ISBN 0-615-11724-4 , p. 440.