Extra Texture (Read All About It)

[The Big Guy]

Released in 1975.

[Kylenz]

This record has too much of a foggy drifting bluesy sound to it, like background music in a bar. Only the last track (His Name Is Legs) grabs your attention and there's nothing particularly remarkable about that number either. It's quite a boring album, too middle of the road for me. I mean, I like MOR music if the songs are catchy and interesting and meaningful (think of all those classic AM radio mid-70s MOR hits like Shannon by Henry Gross and I'd Really Love To See You Tonight by England Dan and John Ford Coley) but there's nothing here that begs to stick in your brain. This is a very poor George Harrison LP in my opinion. 

[Derek]

There are a couple songs i like on here. But here's the sad part: I've. been looking like crazy for an MP3 of these songs but to no avail. I have come to a sad conclusion that NO part of this album is on an available MP3. I managed to get "You" and "The Answer's At The End" from someone who was kind enough who downloaded them for me. And that 2000 version of "This Guitar", but other than that..NADA! I don't like to leave gaps on my ipod. If i can just find "World Of Stone" on an MP3 somewhere, my collection ipod will be somewhat complete.

[Borris]

The longer I spend with George's solo works the greater I appreciate them, they have been slowly growing on me over many years, and one after another the reveal themselves to me. Paul has a great sense of musical design, but George puts the most craft into his music, and his music is the most sincere and genuinely emotional of any of the Beatles.

I found a really good appreciation of this album here:

http://www.freewebs.com/extratexture/harrisoul.htm

This sent me back to the album with fresh ears and what I discovered was that this is another really solid album. It is as though there is a quality in George's music that corresponds to his shunning of publicity/journalists. That the listener is required to approach the music with the same seriousness that George had before they start to see what is there. This is George's soul music, it is moving music.

[2 of 3]

Thanks for that Borris. That was an interesting read...but being a dumb guy, I'm not sure I "got" most of that. I got the gist of of the article I suppose...but most of it was like trying to understand some other persons interpretation of the Bible. I sort of got it...I guess?

[mervap]

A fascinating read....gonna have to ponder a bit.....hmmmmmm.

[Kylenz]

Hmm, after reading that review, I put Extra Texture on, and still feel no differently than before. 'You' has a good guitar part though. But it's so hard to find anything to hang my hat on when it comes to this album. 

[Borris]

I was listening to this album, sitting on the coach absorbed in the music and finding it really moving, I then got up made myself a hot drink, music still playing but listening a lot more casually and I didn't find it anything like as good. I came to the conclusion that this isn't an album you can put on and enjoy casually as background music. There are some really beautiful moments on this album, it is emotional. The album has a kind of Smokey vibe to it and i am thankful that it is different from any other George album.

In the article a linked to he talks about This Guitar can't keep from crying. The title of this song links so closely to My Guitar Gently Weeps that it does obscure the fact that the songs is very different and it has a good tune, it's just a good song. But because of that linkage your first reaction can easily be "it's not as good as While My guitar gently weeps", which isn't a very helpful reaction if you want to discover what it actually is. Tired of Midnight Blue is another track I love. The mood throughout the album is pretty consistent but slightly oppressive and heavy but also emotionally engaged.

Over time I am really coming to value each of George's solo albums more highly, this process of revaluation has happened with monumental slowness, like planets moving into conjunction.