George Harrison’s 1973 LP hit album Living In The Material World — #1 US, #2 UK, the follow-on to his 1970 triple LP mega smash All Things Must Pass — has always been a curiously perplexing album for me. Musically it is quite beautiful, containing many fantastic songs including his second #1 single, “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth).” The music is largely spiritual in nature and that radiance permeates most of the recording.
But, there has always been something about the underlying sound of this album which always left me with a sort of blue melancholy when listening to it end to end. Of course, part of that has to do with the subject matter of the songs — for example, in the aftermath of the Beatles break up, Track 2 is the wry, bitter and self-explanatory “Sue Me, Sue You Blues.” There is no doubt a somber moodiness to many of the melodies here.
But, the overall slightly muted feel of the album always left me wondering if it might improve with a brighter remix. With the benefit of the Internet, I realize now that part of that sonic texture might have to do with how Living In The Material World was recorded: some of it was done at Apple’s own studio in London but apparently much of it was made in Harrison’s home studio.
Reissue producer Paul Hicks has thus done a great job making the most of these hybridized recordings, retaining the original spirit of the record while bringing a brighter, clearer sensibility to the music.
Once heavily compressed tracks like “That Is All” feel more open and air-y. The acoustic guitars pop nicely throughout the album and all the instruments feel more realistic and punchy. Harrison’s vocals also appear more vibrant in the context of the mix. Little production details pop more wondrously now, such as on the drone-based “Be Here Now,” which sends little sonic shooting stars (if you will) across the sound stage at points during the song.
Rays of sunshine such as “Try Some, By Some” — which was originally recorded as an Apple Records single by no less than Ronnie Spector of The Ronnettes (and later by David Bowie on 2003’s Reality) — sparkle on the new 50th Anniversary deluxe expanded edition of Living In The Material World. A gorgeous huge production with Phil Spector’s wall of sound orchestration, this is one of those songs which pushes all the right musical buttons on me, sending shivers down the spine every time I hear it.
The bonus disc presents a track-for-track alternate perspective of the music contained on Living In The Material World, including acoustic guitar and vocal versions of four songs plus alternate takes of the others. It is beautiful to hear “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)” stripped back to its folky essence.
Take 5 of “Sue Me, Sue You Blues” is a wonder as you can hear drummer Jim Keltner playing these incredibly gentle and super fast — yet muted — high hat cymbal pulsations which pushes the verses of this quirky tune along as the band members learn the arrangement. In contrast, by the time of the final take issued on the album we hear that this detail has been reined in a bit, with Keltner saving those pulsations for choice moments where the song most needed the lift. This is the kind of detail you can explore from an archival release like this.
This new vinyl pressing is excellent, and the expanded packaging is true to the originals and even nicer.
If you’ve always loved Living In The Material World and are looking for a better sounding upgrade or are simply curious to explore more of what went into making this beloved album, this new 50th anniversary deluxe edition is smart choice. This especially with the price reduced on Amazon down to about $43 which is very fair for a 2LP set like this which includes a poster and LP-sized booklet.
While there are CD and color vinyl variants available, there is also a super deluxe edition set which includes — among many additional bonuses — a Blu-ray Disc featuring Dolby Atmos and 5.1 surround remixes. We hope to get a copy of this edition at some point in the future and will review it accordingly at that time.
Mark Smotroff is a deep music enthusiast / collector who has also worked in entertainment oriented marketing communications for decades supporting the likes of DTS, Sega and many others. He reviews vinyl for Analog Planet and has written for Audiophile Review, Sound+Vision, Mix, EQ, etc. You can learn more about him at LinkedIn.
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