Gone Troppo [Bonus Track] [Remaster]

Performer: George Harrison
Artist: Billy Preston; Gary Brooker; Jim Keltner
Distributor: EMI Music Distribution

Notes: Personnel includes: George Harrison (vocals, guitar, mandolin, marimba, synthesizer, bass); Ray Cooper (Fender Rhodes piano, marimba, synthesizer, percussion, effects); Billy Preston (piano, organ, keyboards, synthesizer); Mike Moran (piano, keyboards, synthesizer); Neil Larsen (piano); Gary Brooker (synthesizer); Willie Weeks, Herbie Flowers (bass); Jim Keltner, Dave Mattacks, Henry Spinetti (drums). Producers: George Harrison, Ray Cooper, Phil McDonald. Personnel: George Harrison (vocals, guitar, mandolin, synthesizer, marimba, background vocals); William "Bill" Greene (bass voice, background vocals); Billy Preston (piano, organ, keyboards, synthesizer, background vocals); Mike Moran (piano, keyboards, synthesizer, bass synthesizer); Neil Larsen (piano); Ray Cooper (Fender Rhodes piano, marimba, glockenspiel, percussion); Gary Brooker, Jon Lord (synthesizer); Jim Keltner (drums, percussion); Dave Mattacks, Henry Spinetti (drums); Vicki Brown, Pico Pena, Sarah Ricor, Radina Sloan, Joe Brown, Syreeta, Bobby King (background vocals). Audio Remasterers: John Etchells; Simon Heyworth. Generally overlooked in the ex-Beatle's solo discography, 1982's GONE TROPPO finds George Harrison flirting with radio-friendly, synth-driven pop hooks of the early-1980s, while still demonstrating his penchant for great, timeless melodies. The opener, "Wake Up My Love," establishes the light, breezy tone of the album, which continues through the Caribbean-via-Fab Four vibe of the title track. The languid love song "Unknown Delight" and the goofy doo-wop of "I Really Love You," which recalls Beatles novelty numbers such as "You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)," vary the record's feel and pace. The 2004 reissue includes an acoustic demo version of the song "Mystical One," which is arguably--given its intimacy and stripped-down production--the album's strongest track. Although George Harrison's solo career had faded from its early promise, through 1981 he could be counted on to turn in a gold-selling Top 20 album containing a Top 20 single every year or so. Then came the disastrous Gone Troppo, a half-baked affair led by the minor single "Wake Up My Love" that failed to make the Top 100 LPs. Clearly, Harrison could no longer treat his musical career as a part-time stepchild to his interests in car racing and movie producing if he wanted to maintain it. As it turned out, he didn't; this was his last album for five years. [Gone Troppo was reissued in 2004 with a demo version of "Mystical One" as a bonus track.] ~ William Ruhlmann Although George Harrison's solo career had faded from its early promise, through 1981 he could be counted on to turn in a gold-selling Top 20 album containing a Top 20 single every year or so. Then came Gone Troppo (led by the single "Wake Up My Love"), which failed to make the Top 100 LPs. This was his last album for five years. [Gone Troppo was reissued in 2004 with a demo version of "Mystical One" as a bonus track.] ~ William Ruhlmann

Rolling Stone (3/4/04, p.68) - 3 stars out of 5 - "GONE TROPPO might just be Harrison's most underrated album....[It] captures Harrison at his most relaxed and playful..." Uncut (4/04, p.118) - 3 stars out of 5 - "[A] return to form of sorts - amiable, light-hearted music made by a bunch of mates with nothing to prove..."

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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