Beatles ’74 pt12

In a year jam-packed with new music from each of the four ex-Beatles, the 3rd and final studio album from the former fabs in 1974 was the widely anticipated, tour-supported George Harrison LP Dark Horse. In the wake of the Beatles' split (a full 4+ years earlier) George found himself uniquely poised for success amongst his colleagues - with arguably the lowest expectations for solo project output, combined with the soaring heights of his first full-fledged solo studio effort All Thing Must Pass. There was a time in the early 70's when George Harrison could do no musical "wrong". But audiences were growing increasingly frustrated with the preachy nature of Harrison's music, and that (combined with his noticeably strained voice and combative songwriting fodder) lead to the mixed reaction Dark Horse wound up receiving in December of 1974. Gone were the wall-of-sound pop gems of All Things Must Pass and the sweeping cinematic landscapes of Living In the Material World - replaced instead by ballads and grooves doused in pain, substance abuse and an existential confusion that permeated the quiet Beatle's personal life at that time. To say Dark Horse is a "break-up record" would be like calling She Loves You a "toe-tapper", and after years of solo dominance over John and Paul, George was once again back on his heels in the minds of fans, critics and contemporaries alike. But speaking of John, George and Ringo - one crucial step remained in the dissolution of their once-inseparable partnership -- and before 1974 was over, the world would see that final step fulfilled...

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