It's been nearly 20 years since George Harrison left us, and his passion for Indian culture has been scattered across the Ganges as he wished.
As one of the Beatles' members, his introverted personality is different from the other members, and his mysterious temperament makes him a unique presence in the band.
After the Beatles disbanded, how did Harrison pursue his career step by step, using his genius creativity to leave irreplaceable marks and memories on the world?
Harrison and Ravi Shankar
Text: Two plus
Editor: Aki
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George Harrison's widow, Olivia Harrison, recalls driving George to work on his first day at work.
One day in October 1974, George flew to Los Angeles to visit the offices of the record label he had just founded. The only problem was that no one was hosting a welcome party for him, only Olivia, who was still a project worker at the time, rushed to the parking lot to welcome him.
She recalled: "It was a very important day in his life. He seemed excited, even though I was the only one to meet him. ”
Olivia and George Harrison
In every way, this really looks like Harrison's style of doing things. Among the Beatles, he has always been the lowest-key being, quiet but with an eerie sense of humor.
But after the band broke up, he didn't go silent, and instead the early to mid-seventies became one of the most creative and hectic periods of his career.
Harrison started his own business after the band disbanded, not only giving a Bengal charity concert in Madison Square Garden, but also owning a personal hit single. In 1974, he decided to start his own record label, Dark Horse Records.
All-Star Bengal Charity Concert in 1971
Dark Horse Records' list of artists includes many well-known contemporary artists, including Drake, Jack White and Kanye West.
In the first few years of the company's existence, Harrison released record music genres that had almost nothing to do with Beatles music, such as Disco dance music, funk R&B, and boogie blues rock in the seventies.
After all, it takes time to get out of the haze of the band's dissolution, Harrison said: "I want to do something different. It's a new day, a new beginning. ”
Harrison put a lot of effort into Dark Horse Records, but his experience running the company and touring during this time will have both positive and negative impacts on his future career.
George Harrison
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Today, Dark Horse Records is run by his son Dhani, and he has unearthed many buried materials. They will be released in the coming years, piecing together a corner of the forgotten Beatles' life.
In 1973, Harrison asked his close friend Jimmy Keltler, "What does a dark horse mean to you?" Jimmy said: "Dark Horse is the one who no one thinks he's going to win but wins in the end. ”
For Olivia, the metaphor is obvious: "George always considered himself an unobtrusive dark horse." Although he is active in public, he is actually an introvert who does not jump around and express himself like that when he is on stage. ”
"As a dark horse, people don't expect you to be a composer, to be funny or to be a spiritual leader. Because you are a dark horse, others will not pay special attention to you. ”
Harrison had told Olivia that he was organizing his own record company and showed her a portrait of a seven-headed horse common in Indian mythology, which is also the company's logo.
Dani introduced: "He is the king of horses, the prototype of all horses, and the best horse ever." He turned the tide during the battle and was considered a symbol of strong protection and overcoming difficulties. ”
Dark Horse Records logo
By 1974, the Beatles' dissolution dispute had frustrated many of his musical partners, and Harrison had the idea of providing them with shelter, which he was able to do.
His 1970 album All Things Must Pass not only sold well, but also announced to the world that he could make albums of the same caliber as John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
The following year, he shared the stage with Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton and other singers for a charity concert for disaster-stricken Bangladesh.
Harrison and Dylan
He also went on to create other commercial works, including 1973's Living in the Material World and its hit single "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth").
Until early 1976, although Harrison was still signed with the Beatles' original record label EMI, the idea of starting his own company and helping friends had taken shape.
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He founded Dark Horse Records and signed a five-year partnership agreement with A&M Records in the spring of 1974. A&M has invested more than two million dollars in it, and in return Harrison's solo album will be released under A&M' umbrella.
At a press conference a few months later, Harrison said: "We don't want to be a big label, I just want it to stay a relatively small scale." If anyone wants to join me immediately, then Dark Horse Records may have surpassed many big labels now.
He was then asked about the Beetle's restructuring, and he said, "If that really happens, it could be because we're going bankrupt and desperately need some money." He also commented that McCartney was a good bassist, but sometimes too authoritarian.
Harrison himself, a musician, is happy to entrust companies based in the UK and Los Angeles to others. Olivia worked for two years as an assistant in A&M's sales department before she was invited to join Dark Horse.
She said: "George was excited, he liked to go to that office and like to be surrounded by musicians. He designed everything, even merchandise, and he had a chic bronze black horse belt buckle and pin. Everything there is associated with dark horses. ”
The Beatles' former assistant recommended the British folk group Splinter to Harrison.
Splinter group and George Harrison (first from right)
For Olivia, their musical appeal was palpable— their debut album, The Place I Love, was tender and watery, and the catchy and hilarious song "Drink All Day", for which Harrison himself played a variety of instruments.
In addition to releasing former Wings guitarist Henry McCullough's Mind Your Own Business!, one of his principals also signed the Chicago-based R&B groupStairsteps.
Its biggest highlight is the soul hymn "O-o-h Child", and "2nd Resurrection" is the most unique album dark horse has ever released: the silky '70s soul music, with passionate harmonies, and flute solos and unique synth effects.
Stairsteps 《2nd Resurrection》
Dark Horse is a musician's paradise, but will Harrison's career really be smooth sailing? How did the 1974 nationwide tour affect his career?
In the next issue, we will talk about the unprecedented challenges facing Harrison, and his mysterious veil will be unveiled step by step.
(To be continued)