Thirty Three and a Third (1976)
1. Woman Don't You Cry For Me
2. Dear One
3. Beautiful Girl
4. This Song
5. See Yourself
6. It's What You Value
7. True Love
8. Pure Smokey
9. Crackerbox Palace
10.Learning How to Love You
 
George Harrison had a very interesting
career as a solo artist. His records seemed to be either very well
received, or unmercifully panned by critics and fans. It became obvious
in the seventies that maybe he just wasn't the same caliber of a songwriter as bandmates
Lennon and McCartney and there was a reason why he was regulated to only a couple of songs per
album. The best thing about all this is that Harrison
truly never seemed to care. His newfound belief in God and Eastern
religion seemed to truly have an impact on the gentleman, and he made
very clear what his priorities were, which weren't necessarily music,
and definitely not fame and stardom. All of this is to say that this
release here was probably his most "Harrison like".
It's not a blockbuster with any dynamite songs, nor is it an
embarrassment to his career and status as a former member of the
greatest rock and roll band ever. It's simply a collection of mostly
good songs that seems to highlight what George could do best - play
a mean guitar and write some very decent pop melodies. This is an album
that was definitely recorded in the seventies - the style has a very
laid back, heavy production feel. It almost sounds as though there are
too many instruments and too many musicians in the mix, but it all came
out quite well, with Harrison's nasally voice and slide guitar taking
prominence in the mix of each song.
For a guy who was awfully quiet and quite serious about his religious
leanings, Harrison seemed to have a rather wry sense of humor about him
as well, and sometimes it doesn't resonate particularly well on a rock
album. The title of this record is cute, the number representing not only the speed of
a long playing album, but also Harrison's age at the time of release.
He still seems bitter about the whole "lawsuit" thing, and he tries to
make light of it on the song This Song which doesn't quite meet
expectations. Strange that it was released as a single. Other than
that, this really isn't a "lyrics" album. He still sings about his
faith, but the mantras and references to gurus aren't as recognizable,
which means the tunes can resonate with more people. Good examples are
Dear One and Pure Smokey.
You wouldn't think George covering a Cole Porter tune would work at all, yet it strangely does. His cover of True Love is
arguably the best thing here. No, it doesn't quite "fit" well with
everything else, but it's not so far removed from anything that it might
be considered a deterrent. He does well. Other highlights include
Crackerbox Palace and Woman Don't You Cry For Me.
This album made everyone remember why they loved George in the first
place - not a dynamic personality, just a simple guy who played great
guitar music that could, if he wanted to, stand out and be his own
person.
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