George Harrison in 1974: Why Did He Decide To Tour?

Like many I have boots from this 74 tour. Were any of the shows multi tracked for possible live album release? I like the tapes and boots I have heard from 74 but playing to big arenas was probably a mistake. I think that was it for George live until the Japan tour with Eric Clapton and the one off show here in London UK 1992 (and was that multi tracked?).

 

That was kind of my point, the expectations and initial sales of LITMW were huge and were boosted by, at the gate, excellent reviews and a deserved no1 single.

I would imagine that despite its great sales (Gold is no joke) both the Record Company and George must have been a little disappointed in it not doing better.

Did they? I know the Beatles did not, John did not till '74's Mind Games, Paul did not do that for his first three albums and it was only on Band on the Run did his record company convince him to change tact.

I believe, though not 100% certain, that the UK acts were use to only releasing 1 single per album though in the States the record companies may release more. It is why there are so many non album singles prevalent in the early Beatles, Stones and Kinks UK discographies.

 

I'm in my early 60s. LITMW definitely felt like a step down or two (or ten) from ATMP to the teenage me!

I think the fact that a song doesn't totally suck hardly means that it's a hit single. And even "Give Me Love" was a major comedown from "My Sweet Lord" and "What Is Life."

I do have a soft spot for this one for some reason; it's even popped up in my own repertoire now & then. The arrangement isn't nearly bad as the vocals, which you've mentioned. But the song itself feels unfinished; it really needs a middle-eight!

 

A big mistake was to have 2 shows in one day in many cities. He didn’t have the voice to do that even when healthy.

 

That's true. So many things about that tour's circumstances are just weird.

I don't think George needed money. The Beatles Ltd. money was tied up in escrow, yes, but only for a short time further after this tour. Surely, if George was down to his last 3 or 4 million, he could have just waited a year...?

And I don't think George had any pretensions of being a frontman. He really wasn't into that, which is what makes this tour, in this style, so odd. I think this is why George used most of his 1974 energy on Splinter, and not on his own record. He just preferred working with others, in a collaborative spirit. Once he was exposed as a frontman / boss / leader, I think he wasn't comfortable.

 

He did 2 shows in Montreal. I went to the afternoon one, and even Ravi had called in sick with the flu! The Indian ensemble played the opening set but w/o the sitar soloist.

I was both in awe with first seeing my first Beatle, and quite underwhelmed by the show itself. I liked the new album and single though.

 

Ravi was in hospital after collapsing in Chicago with what was initially and incorrectly thought to be a heart attack. I don't know how many shows missed, but he missed Toronto as well.

 

Several podcasts on this tour featuring interviews, commentary, and performances.
- Hari's Contour 1: Deep Blue Throat
- Hari's Contour 2: Whip Deflation Now
- Hari's Contour 3: Krishna Krishna Krishna Cranky Krishna Krishna Krishna

 

Thanks. The word at the time for Montreal was that it was a bad case of flu IIRC.

 

This would be my take, more or less.

It was the natural, maybe inevitable next step that would solidify his status as a superstar who did not need John & Paul, the two who had marginalized him earlier.

Sadly, it had the opposite effect. It showed that he really could not dominate the pop scene without some form of collaboration. And in less than a year, Paul would seize the "Solo Beatle Crown" for himself and never relinquish it.

 

So, indirectly, George is pissing on Splinter and their albums.

 

The real question would be why didn't he tour more often. It seems like Harrison never did anything but complain about music. The same with Lennon. Never seemed like much fun being either of them.

They haven't played live in 4 years here and he doesn't even want to do this.

 

Expect he made some good money from it. That was the point of 2 shows a day. George was always about maximizing cashflow, hence his most overtly political song being Taxman.

 

I just wish GH had found a way to get past what was clearly an awful (if somewhat self-inflicted) experience with the '74 tour, to perform in public a little more regularly.

His performances on the 1985 Carl Perkins tribute, the 1990 Rockline interview, the 1992 Bobfest & that wonderful impromptu VH1 appearance in 1997 reveal a guy who clearly loved to play for people — if the situation was right.

 

george harrison has such a sinfully under-rated catalog of music, he really did a great job on his own.

i wish i had seen him live.

 

The Stones did two shows a day on many dates of the Exile tour in 1972. It was still a fairly common practice in the early 70s.

 

More relevant quotes from the same 1978 article I linked to above...

 

If he clearly loved to play for people he would have done it often. The fact that you could only list 4 times that he did says it all. The guy did not like to play live much at all and didn't even like to play often period. He even said he rarely practiced playing.

 

According to Michael Palin's diaries, he approached the Pythons about doing a joint tour in 1975 and in the promotion for 33 1/3 he also mentioned he 'd wanted to put a band together for a European tour but I guess he wasn't serious enough about it to actually do it but it is interesting that he was even considering touring which means there must have been some elements of playing live he did enjoy.

 

In the 1987 Cloud 9 press release titled, "George Harrison Talks About Old Guitars, New Songs and When We Were Fab" he says this...

 

I agree. The 1974 CSNY tour was trashed for years, and then Graham Nash put together a compelling 3-CD curated “best of” set that made a strong case that that tour wasn’t so bad after all. From our vantage point now, where rock is on life support, even the three big 1974 tours - Dylan, CSNY, Harrison - that may have seemed decadent or bloated at the time now seem like relics from a lost golden age. A CD/DVD set of George’s 1974 tour, on the model of the CSNY 1974 set, strikes me as the single biggest no-brainer project that Olivia and Dhani ought to pursue.

 

I think you could also say that Billy helped serve to promote George. Billy was a hot commodity at the time, his Nothing From Nothing single had just hit #1 in October, after having a #1 with Will It Go Round In Circles and touring with the Stones the previous year.

 

Perhaps the 1966 tour, with all its issues and insanity, tainted the idea for him. The 1974 tour might have reinforced that notion.

Just speculating.