Remember When George Harrison Went 'Troppo' and Then Went Away From Making Music
You know that old adage about a tree falling in the woods not making a sound if there’s no one to hear it? Well, along similar lines, what would happen if a former Beatle released an album that hardly anyone even knew existed?
That might be a slight exaggeration about the exposure level of George Harrison’s 1982 album Gone Troppo. But it was still a shockingly obscure album coming from a member of the greatest band in rock and roll history.
George Harrison went for the brass ring immediately after The Beatles broke up. His 1970 triple album All Things Must Pass set the bar for all solo records from members of the Fab Four to come. Throughout the first half of the 70s, Harrison remained quite active while recording, touring, producing, and staying in the white-hot spotlight.
He soon realized it wasn’t where he wanted to be. His marriage had crumbled, his vocal cords took a beating, and Harrison generally looked and sounded worse for the wear. In the second half of the 70s, he dramatically limited his exposure level from what it had been like in the first half.
The death of John Lennon at the hands of a gunman only strengthened Harrison’s resolve to stay out of the public eye as much as possible. He scored one of his biggest solo hits with his Lennon tribute song “All Those Years Ago” from the 1981 album Somewhere In England. But he didn’t exactly go out of his way to promote the record. The follow-up would receive even less fanfare upon arrival.
Source: americansongwriter.com/Jim Beviglia
