Thirty Three & 1/3 [Bonus Tracks] [Remaster]

Performer: George Harrison
Artist: Tom Scott; Billy Preston; David Foster; Richard Tee; Emil Richards; Gary Wright
Engineer: Hank Cicalo; Kumar Shankar
Producer: George Harrison
Distributor: EMI Music Distribution

Notes: Personnel: George Harrison (vocals, guitar, synthesizer, percussion); Tom Scott (flute, saxophone, lyricon); Richard Tee (piano, organ Fender Rhodes piano); Billy Preston (piano, organ, synthesizer); David Foster (Fender Rhodes piano, Clavinet); Gary Wright (keyboards); Emil Richards (marimba); Willie Weeks (bass); Alvin Taylor (drums). Recorded in 1976. Includes liner notes by George Harrison. Personnel: George Harrison (vocals, guitar, synthesizer, percussion); Tom Scott (flute, saxophone, lyricon); Richard Tee (piano, Fender Rhodes piano, organ); Billy Preston (piano, organ, synthesizer); David Foster (Fender Rhodes piano, Clavinet); Gary Wright (keyboards); Emil Richards (marimba); Alvin Taylor (drums). Audio Remasterers: John Etchells; Simon Heyworth. Audio Remixer: Phil McDonald. Recording information: F.P.S.H.O.T. Photographer: Bob Cato. Forsaking the introspective, spiritual themes of many of his earlier recordings, THIRTY THREE & 1/3 was perhaps Harrison's finest album since his landmark debut, ALL THINGS MUST PASS. Released in 1976, THIRTY THREE & 1/3 spawned several hit singles, including "This Song" (an upbeat rocker featuring some jaunty organ playing by Billy Preston and a spoken word cameo from Monty Python's Eric Idle) and "Crackerbox Palace," a tuneful, mid-tempo pop song that offers a playful blend of mysticism and humor. The real highlights on THIRTY THREE & 1/3, however, are two lesser-known songs that could have come straight off of The Beatles' ABBEY ROAD album. "Beautiful Girl" (which was actually written in 1969 as a potential Beatles song) is a gorgeous love song that's driven by Harrison's shimmering 12-string electric guitar, while "Dear One" weaves a haunting, Indian-influenced melody with a big pop chorus to create an intensely moving song of devotion. Having suffered the humiliation of being sued successfully over "My Sweet Lord," George Harrison turned the ordeal into music, writing "This Song," a Top 25 hit. Even better was "Crackerbox Palace," which would have fit in nicely on any Beatles album. The rest was slight, although Harrison covering Cole Porter's "True Love" is an interesting idea. This was Harrison's first album on his Dark Horse custom label, formed after the completion of his contract with EMI/Capitol in June 1976 and initially distributed by A&M. [Thirty Three & 1/3 was reissued in 2004 with "Tears of the World" as a bonus track.] ~ William Ruhlmann

Rolling Stone (3/4/04, p.68) - 3 stars out of 5 - "Harrison sounds audibly re-energized..."

George Harrison was always a fluid guitarist, but his voice and his skills as a songwriter came to full flower in the post-touring years of the Beatles. He became the first from that defunct band to release a work that was justifiably hailed as a masterpiece, the epic ALL THINGS MUST PASS. With his passing in 2001, the rock world lost one of its most deeply spiritual voices, whose signature slide-guitar style and early experiments with incorporating Eastern influences into rock were enormously influential.

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