George Harrison - Dark Horse & Extra Texture Thread

The only reason I am at all interested in the (cd) remasters is for 2 songs ; Bangladesh and the instrumental version of The Inner Light. Nothing else.
Listened to my '92 pressing of Dark Horse yesterday and it is quite adequate as is Extra Texture...the rest I have, and from what I've read so far my ATMP 2000 is probably better than the 2014 remaster and LITMW sounds great too. I have a remaster of Wonderwall (not 2014) that is as clear as a bell so I may just have to download the two I want and let that be it.

 

I have DH on the budget British reissue and it's sounds better than my US original...My ET is a U.S. Original and it's a bit muddy but I guess it's mixed that way...

 

Never had Extra Texture on CD until now (and I had to get it for that one measly bonus track). I only had the original LP previously. So when you flipped over the LP from Side 1, you got "A Bit More Of You" at the start of Side 2, which is a cute idea. But on CD, that 45-second snippet really sounds out of place.

But maybe I am used to how the LP was originally done. What do any newcomers to Extra Texture think about that little reprise of "You" in the middle of the CD? It is as strange to you as it is to me?

Arnie

 

Not strange so much..just completely unnecessary.

 

Yes, that would be a better way to describe it: completely unnecessary. In the LP format, at least, it makes sense. But the CD has no break where you need to turn the LP over. So you just get that 45-second burst of "A Bit More Of You" in-between "World Of Stone" and "Can't Stop Thinking About You".

Arnie

 

As one of the few fans of "Can't Stop Thinking About You", I can't stop wondering if people would appreciate the song more if they didn't hear it immediately following the unnecessary reprise of "You". The transition itself is awkward also, the reprise just doesn't set up "Can't Stop Thinking About You" very well.

Try this for an experiment: listen to Early Takes demo version of "The Light That Has Lighted The World" immediately before "Can't Stop Thinking" and see if you enjoy the latter more, with the mood now properly set.

Another point about CSTAY, the lead vocal gets a little better as it goes along, and the backing vocals in the second half of the song ring out in a pleasing ethereal way. Try to let the song wash over you without thinking about it's short comings and perhaps by the end the mantra-esque-ness of it all will soothe your inner savage beast

 

I'm afraid not. I don't care for that song, and neither does my girlfriend (who is a professional singer, so she really cringes). We listen to Rob Leonard's Friday night Beatles radio show, and one time they played the song all alone (without the reprise before it). George still repeated "Can't stop thinking about YOOUUOOOOWWOOOOOOOO" over and over again, anyway!

 

It's actually worse than just "completely unneccessary" - that darn cross-fade means that even if I skip "A Bit More of You", there's still a bit more of "A Bit More of You" at the beginning of "Can't Stop Thinking About You"!

 

I'm not sure what you're reading, or where you're reading it from (though it must not be from here), but there's nothing about the 2001 version of ATMP that's "better" that the new one (not even "as good as", just degrees of "worse").

Or did you mean to write 2010?

 

Paulie did it well with the two pieces of Ram.

George's attempt - not so much.

 

No I read here several times that ATMP 2014 sounds "boomy" to some people. I like (strange as it will seem to a lot of members here)my 2000 version.
Having said, that I shouldn't pass judgement until I have actually heard the new remaster myself.

 

I mentioned it earlier. I've only had the chance to compare a few tracks, but the 2014 is pretty muddy, IMO. The worst thing about the 2001 ATMP is that it's too bright. But it's a lot easier to take a bit of treble off that than it is to add treble to the 2014. The tracks that were included on the 2009 'Let It Roll' comp are somewhere inbetween. The 2001 ATMP certainly seems to be no louder overall than either LIR or the 2014 ATMP.

Noise Reduction is said to have been used on the 2001 version. I suspect the reluctance to use it on the 2014 version is why the top end has been so rolled off, to eliminate hiss 'naturally'. But at least the 2001 has some top end.

 

UK 1st press vinyl for Extra Texture. As long as its a UK press you'll hear the album at its best. Try and find a near mint one. I've got a Gereman 'Fame' label issue and it doesn't compare. Same with Dark Horse. UK 1st pressings all the way.

 

No. I understand why it's there. It also ties thematically into the next track.

I spun the 1992 CD of Extra Texture this morning and really enjoyed it. Will try the remaster later today.

 

Just found ET and DH and LITMW at Best Buy( believe it or not!)...I liked the original DH CD better( warmer to my ears)...ET I'd never had on CD but I love,love that l.p. so I think it sounds great!..But LITMW was the revelation...so clear and sublime...I just love the core band on the l.p. especially Nicky....he just feels in so much sound...what a beautiful l.p...wish ATMP were recorded as so...

 

She.

It's ok - you make a fair point. In 1969 George talked a lot about how boring Church was and how he thought it would be much better if people tried to reach God by singing and dancing (which was a big part of why he was attracted to the Hare Krishnas). He wanted to make spiritual music that was fun and enjoyable, and I think he lost sight of that with LitMW, which is a shame since he nailed it on ATMP. From 33 1/3 onwards though, he found a good balance again, IMO.

That said, I adore Be Here Now. I suppose it's mournful, but I find it mournful in a beautiful way. It's relaxing.

 

You rang?

Seriously, though...how the hell did I miss this thread?! Well, as many of you know, I'll defend Extra Texture to the death (not only my favourite Harrialbum but one of my favourite albums period...beyond that I won't repeat my sentiments, which can be found in numerous other Harrison/Extra Texture threads) and though Dark Horse has a few WTF?! moments ("Bye Bye Love" is IMO quite possibly the worst thing Harrison recorded outside of Electronic Sound) I've always looked upon it as being the anti-All Things Must Pass...and the 1974 tour is nowhere near as bad as its detractors make it out to be.

I haven't heard the new remasters (though I should probably check out the ET remaster)...my '91 ET CD and original Apple LP and my Green label Capitol Re-issue Dark Horse will do me...

EDIT: Hello! I just read that Extra Texture was also reissued as part of the Capitol budget SN series (SN 16217, to be exact) in 1981...I did not know that. I'm curious as to whether or not anybody out there in the forum has this pressing, and if it is an improvement on the original Apple SW 3420. If it's as good as the SN reissue Dark Horse I want one!

 

I've had Extra Texture on vinyl since it came out and have always liked it. Yeah, it's not Harrison's best album, but I enjoy it. While some of George's vocals are rather thin (but still better than on Dark Hoarse) the album certainly has its highlights, and a sharp sense of humor.

 

I'm sorry...as much as I love Extra Texture, aside from "His Name Is Legs" (which admittedly is like a five minute fourty five second inside joke- "You have to know Larry to understand it" as George explained), but I don't see a lotta chuckles on the album. Not that that's a bad thing, mind ya. I'd be inclined to say Extra Texture is Harrison's 'darkest' album; I've always categorized it alongside other mid 70's downers like Tonight's The Night by Neil Young and The Who By Numbers. Of course, for the people who criticize ET as being "depressing" etc probably don't know a lot about where Harrison's head was at at the time...once you take George's state of mind into consideration the tone of the album makes perfect sense.

331/3, though...now there, without question is where our Hari got his sense of humour back.

 

And all of those LPs came out in 1975. Strange coincidence, or ???

Arnie

 

I wasn't referring so much to the music as the packaging and other stuff going on:
1. The name of the album is a pun. Extra Texture (Read All About It).
2. The cover is textured - hence another pun joke.
3. The inside picture has "ohnothimagen" under George's picture and he has a really silly look on his face.
4. The last song, His Name Is Legs is pretty weirdly funny, as you point out.
5. The second song, The Answer's At the End, may point to the end of the album - as in, the answer to life's problems is having fun.
6. A Bit More Of You leads into a song called Can't Stop Thinking About You. Is 'you' a person, or the song?
7. "Danny Kootch doesn't appear on this record. Also not appearing on this record..."
8. The label has a drawing of an apple that has been eaten instead of the regular Apple logo.
9. The subtitle of the album "Read All About It" is over the credits on the back of the album. (You can read all about the album here.)

Admittedly, the music is pretty much a downer.

 

I LOVE Dark Horse, especially the 2 spiritually themed songs at the end. As for his hoarse voice being cited as a reason to dislike the album, not too many people take Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, and Leonard Cohen to task for their ravaged vocal cords. Extra Texture kicks off with the great "You" and a couple of the other songs have really pretty melodies, but overall, this is one of many albums sunken like a stone by too many slow songs in a row. When it finally picks up the tempo again at the end (the 45-second filler "A Bit More of You" hardly counts), it's for a very silly pedestrian funk song (His Name is Legs").

 

Hey, that's a good point, Arnie...gotta be a coincidence...and that's not even taking into consideration that Tonight's The Night was recorded in '73.

1. I feel ashamed re: the album title...all these years and I never even noticed that..."Extra! Texture! Read all about it!" A bad pun, granted, but still...
2. I think it was one of the other ET discussions where I pointed out that the orange album cover actually has the texture of an orange. Really, the ET packaging is such that can only be best appreciated with a vinyl copy; the CD doesn't do it justice.
3. Of course, the story behind the "OHNOTHIMAGEN" moniker (for George, not for yers truly) was that that was how he figured the media perceived him at the time: George Harrison...overexposed? The Quiet Beatle?!
4. Kudos to the poster in the other ET discussion who actually transcribed Legs Larry's double tracked rants in the song.
5. I wouldn't be surprised if "The answer's at the end" was another Frank Crispism, like most of the lyrics to the song are. It is a good philosophy to live by, though.
6. And, again, how many people when hearing the album for the first time were thinking "This "Can't Stop Thinking About You" better not be yet another reprise of "You", dammit!"
7. Eric Idle made that "Not appearing..." list as well, said list of which is possibly the most Pythonesque thing George ever put on an album cover.
8. The ET Apple logo is pure genius.
9. As with the album title, the "Read all about it" on the back cover thing never occurred to me. D'oh!

Yer right, Vic...for an album that is such a downer, the actual album packaging and title is the exact opposite...which is pretty twisted when you think on it, and could have only been a deliberate move on Harrison's part...

 

On 2014 Somewhere in England Unconsciousness Rules is 3:37 & on my old 7559-26614-2 it marks in at 3:06

 

Yes, the reissued/remastered CD (which came out around 2004) uses a longer version than the original LP.