Next week, the first six solo albums from George Harrison will be released as a deluxe box set. Spanning eight discs, George Harrison: The Apple Years 1968-1975 features the newly remastered LPs accompanied by a bevy of unreleased live recordings and various demos and outtakes. Today, the Harrison estate has unveiled one such bonus track in the form of an early version of 1974’s “Dark Horse”.
The title track to Harrison’s fifth solo album, the original “Dark Horse” featured nearly a dozen accompanying singers and musicians. This demo strips away the added layers and leaves only Harrison, his lithe acoustic guitar, and the gentle noise of a few backing harmonies. Though not that much different from the final product, this truly “solo” rendition feels a bit more romantic, especially as Harrison delivers slightly cleaner, more robust vocals.
Listen in below (via Rolling Stone).
George Harrison: The Apple Years 1968-1975 is due out September 23rd via Capitol Records. Pre-orders are ongoing.
In addition to the throngs of archival material, the set also includes a DVD of several video features, notably a short film by Harrison’s widow Olivia, and a book of essays and unpublished photos. Other standout tracks include a previously-unreleased alternate take of “The Inner Light,” the previously-unreleased “Almost Shankara”, the CD debut of “I Don’t Care Anymore”, and much more.
The box set isn’t the only Harrison tribute in the works. During the week of September 22nd – 25th, artists such as Beck, Norah Jones, and Harrison’s son, Dhani, will appear on Conan to perform songs from Harrison’s solo catalog. That event is followed by the September 28th all-star tribute concert from Los Angeles’ Fonda Theatre, featuring the likes of The Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne and Steven Drozd, Spoon’s Britt Daniel, Brian Wilson, “Weird” Al Yankovic, and many more.
