Wednesday, April 1, 2009

George Harrison 10: Gone Troppo

Another Harrison album came and went with barely any notice. George didn’t care, Warner Bros. didn’t care, and radio didn’t care. Gone Troppo would almost be worth discussing if it were a phenomenally bad record, or surprisingly good. Unfortunately for the consumer, it’s neither.

“Wake Up My Love” was the single, another nod to the contemporary sound of Elton John. It was not a hit, unfortunately, since it’s pleasant enough. “That’s The Way It Goes” is also pleasant, featuring the bass voice of Willie Greene, who is also used extensively on the doo-wop cover “I Really Love You”. George had lately been putting odd covers on his LPs, and usually surprised us with his canny choices, but not here. “Greece” is an unfinished instrumental; there’s supposed to be some clever wordplay here and there, but the vocals are mixed so low they’re tough to decipher. “Gone Troppo” has a quirky island motif, with a hook that seems very close to that interlude before “Beware My Love” by Wings. Well, at least he doesn’t sound as grumpy.

“Mystical One” has some nice hooks that just aren’t sharp enough to stick. The same can be said for “Unknown Delight”, but at least this one has some touches reminiscent of the George Harrison album. “Baby Don’t Run Away” sounds odd coming out of his mouth. This would have had more emotional effect had he finished the song; as it is it seems more like a barely fleshed-out synth demo. “Dream Away” was first heard over the closing credits of the Python-related film Time Bandits. The best part is the chorus, which is always on the verge of meaning something, yet stays just out of grasp. “Circles” was another orphan from 1968, and one of his most depressing melodies.

And with that, we wouldn’t hear from him again for five full years. Again, there’s nothing wrong with this album. There’s also nothing right with it. He seemed to be stuck back in his mid-’70s hole, with all the antiseptic qualities of that era. At least, unlike many rock legends, he didn’t bother making a hideous album in 1983 or 1984.

George Harrison Gone Troppo (1982)—2
2004 Dark Horse Years reissue: same as 1982, plus 1 extra track

4 comments:

  1. I disagree. There is something wrong with this album, and your second sentence nails it. He didn’t have anything to say and didn’t care to say nothing in an interesting manner. He might not have been John or Paul, but he was better than Ringo, and this is George’s Ringo Rama where he just put something out to put something out. Gone Troppo makes me angry. It’s rock bottom, but at least there’s only one way to go when at rock bottom. The albums after Gone Troppo aren’t masterpieces but they show what he could do when he cared.

    JT

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  2. Excellent points. But I ask you: what's worse, an album like this that the creator didn't care about, or something that took a lot of time and effort but still sucks? To explore this, we're coming up on McCartney's mid-80s career, so stay tuned.

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  3. wasn't he putting in a lot of time with the pythons and world troubles and going through all sorts of family issues at this point? maybe he was just pulled too thin but had a contractual obligation to fulfill.
    dick

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  4. The contractual obligation may well have been a big factor. From here on out he made music on his own terms -- except for the occasional financial impetus -- and that usually worked out well for him and the audience. As we shall soon see.

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