Living in the material world...

Inspired by the "favourite-3-solo-Beatles-albums" thread I extended my coffee-shop-breakfast a bit today and came home with a second-hand "Living in the Material World"-CD. I've read so many bad reviews in old books that this album (and Extra Texture) never made it into my collection. What a pity....!!!
I'm overwhelmed by this album at this moment, maybe the last chance to hear a classic Apple album with Nick Hopkins on piano etc. for the very first time!!
Sonically I should have waited maybe for things to come (????????).... But where is the weak song? The only Harrison album without one was his self-titled effort from 1979 for me. I can't believe that I overlooked such a classic.... !!!

Martin

P.S. is there something like an "Apple" sound? I have the strong feeling under my headphones at this moment - and I think I should listen to "Doris Troy" again....

 

I have both the CD and vinyl of "Material World" and the CD sounds
like a pretty faithful transfer from the vinyl to these ears. As far as a
weak track maybe "Try Some,Buy Some", but when I listen it's from
beginning to end . A very underrated album IMHO, with some
fantastic guitar , especially the slide on 'Sue Me Sue You Blues".

 

Yes, maybe. But his singing is the problem there, in my opinion. When I listen to the production and the melody I'm beginning to like it.
A cover version will be on the upcoming Bowie album!!!

Martin

 

Living in the Material World had to live up to the "high expectations" that come from being the first studio album since All Things. After George wrote "Something" and "Here come the Sun" on Abbey (1969), did ATMP (1970) without J&P, did the Concert for Bangla Desh (1971), he was on a roll. Give Me Love did well as a single, but the album continued to emphasize George's religious philosophy that had started with ATMP. IOW, some people were put off by his preaching.
I've always liked the album, I have two vinyl US pressings and the CD. For those that have to have the best I recommend the UK vinyl pressing. Two months ago I was listening to that almost daily for a whole week. They are plentiful on eBay and for not much.

 

Material World on CD does have the feel of the original vinyl, but not in a good way. I felt that the original U.S. vinyl was very lackluster in sound and the CD makes matters worse by using no-noise.

Supposedly the Japanese CD backed off on the no-noise and therefore has a better sound, but I haven't heard one or the U.K. vinyl either.

I find Material World for the most part, kinda hard to listen to because of the lousy sound and the preachiness of the lyrics don't help either.

 

I've always thought "Don't Let Me Wait Too Long" could have been a nice successful single but...it never happened.

 

It was to be a follow up single from the LP, and even had a catalogue number assigned to it. But it never saw the light of day.

 

I love this album: The Light That Has Lighted the World and Be Here Now are two of my favorite George ballads. Living in the Material World, is to these ears, the last Beatle-related release to contain that indescribable sixties magic - John and Paul's 1973 albums Mind Games and Band on the Run don't come close to LitMW, imho.

I agree that Don't Let Me Wait Too Long could have been a Top 20 single if released at the time. I've always felt that Photograph would have fit perfectly into the slot occupied by Try Some Buy Some - George wrote it, and it would fit in well sonically with rest of the album. It would be wonderful to hear Ringo on George's album, just as it was wonderful to hear George on John's Imagine.

 

This album is really nice, and carries on a lot of classic ideas from ATMP. The vinyl is awesome (US).

 

Well Martin since LITMW was one of my three picks, maybe I was the one who inspired you to get it! What's important is that you love it, as do I. Yes, it couldn't help but suffer in comparison to ALL THINGS MUST PASS, but now 30 years later in my opinion MATERIAL WORLD is every bit the personal statement and musical masterpiece ALL THINGS was. There are such amazing lyrics, in addition to great melodies. Not enough guitar if you ask me but overall a very powerful single album. The CD's all sound awful but youse gotta have it, imo.

 

Material World is one of the few solo albums that get better with each passing year. MHO, of course.

 

George imitated current musical trends less often than any of the other Beatles, preferring just to do his own thing. As a result, his solo albums sometimes seemed a bit out of step at the time, but they generally seem less dated now. I think a lot of people are going to be reevaluating his solo albums in years to come.

 

It is wonderful.

"Though we started out quite poor...we got Richie on a tour"
Isn't that Ringo answering on drums or do you mean you want to hear Ringo's voice before or after a song starts? Ringo and Jim Keltner share Drum credits on the album with Jim Gordon drumming in Try Some, Buy Some.

 

I think it's best to pick up "Living in the Material World" now, if some here all ready hasn't. I have a funny feeling the remastered CD, when it come's out, it's going to be NoNoise and Compressed to death.

 

I just don't think Try Some Buy Some fits with the rest of the album. If I'm not mistaken, it was a leftover Ronnie Spector track from 1971 that George overdubbed his vocals onto two years later. Again, if I'm not mistaken, Photograph was recorded closer to the time that the rest of the LitMW material was recorded.

I'm looking forward to a remastered version of this album containing Miss O'Dell and other bonus tracks from the period.

 

Living In The Material World is, unfortunately, a weak followup to All Things Must Pass, IMO. Only three good cuts, "Give Me Love", "Sue Me", and "Don't Let Me Wait Too Long"(a hit single that never was). The rest is among George''s preachiest material(the part of George's writing that I often cannot bear to listen to). The original CD is no great shakes, soundwise.

Evan

 

In many ways, this is my favorite George record. It is leaner than "All Things Must Pass", and not as lightweight and "fluffy" as some of his stuff became (much as I dig that, too.)

Really, I think it's his most heartfelt album, from the gentle "Here Comes The Sun"-ish acoustic guitar notes on "Give Me Love" to the aching electric slide guitar solo at the end of the record on "That Is All".

I had avoided checking this album out for years, hearing so many scathing things from critics and the like. What do they know, huh?

 

Me too.

At least on Miss O'Dell (the B side of Give Me Love) it showed George in much more lighthearted mood, even cracking up during one of the verses.

Bob Dylan has been rumoured to have played the harmonica on this song by the way.

Also we need Deep Blue on such a reissue as well.

 

MIA big time!

 

Speaking of B-sides, when will "Deep Blue" ever make it onto CD? I've got a scratchy 45 that I've needle-dropped, but that's about it. And whenever any of my friends hear it at my house, they immediately say "I LOVED this song! I haven't heard it in YEARS! What CD is this?!?!"....

 

Some of George's best singing is on this LP. Check out Be Here Now, beautiful. His worst singing is on Dark Horse but I have a soft spot for that LP also. Agree on Deep Blue, hopefully it will make the re-issues. Lets pray the music on these new re-issues is left alone. The All Things Must Past remaster is a travesty.

Joe Lee

 

"Deep Blue"

I used to play this one a lot!

 

At www.georgeharrison.com, there are links "coming soon" for darkhorserecords.com and for "back catalogue", so perhaps we will finally see a reissue program of the post-All Things Must Pass albums in the not-so-distant future. In interviews over the past year, Dhani Harrison has alluded to the possibility of a box set containing unreleased material as well. I would love to have the oppurtunity to purchase reissues of the Concert for Bangladesh, Living in the Material World, Dark Horse and 33 1/3. Hell, I'd probably buy Gone Troppo if they reissued it.

 

I always felt that Be Here Now was the musical answer to Long, Long, Long. Both very gentle, almost whispered songs.

Some of George's prettiest melodies on this album. But I think it suffers from George's production. He tried to do a Spector & ended up with a muddy sound.

-BZync