"Far East Man" is a song written by English rock musicians
George Harrison and
Ronnie Wood
Ronald David Wood (born 1 June 1947) is an English rock musician, best known as an official member of the Rolling Stones since 1975, as well as a member of Faces and the Jeff Beck Group.
Wood began his career in 1964, playing guitar with a ...
, each of whom released a recording of the song in 1974. Wood's version appeared on ''
I've Got My Own Album to Do'', his debut solo album, and Harrison's on ''
Dark Horse''. Their only official songwriting collaboration, "Far East Man" is an affirmation of friendship in the face of life's obstacles and musically reflects the two guitarists' adoption of the
soul
In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being".
Etymology
The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...
genre. Written mostly by Harrison, the composition has been interpreted as a restatement of the humanitarian message expressed in his 1971 single "
Bangla Desh", and a tribute to Indian musician
Ravi Shankar
Ravi Shankar (; born Robindro Shaunkor Chowdhury, sometimes spelled as Rabindra Shankar Chowdhury; 7 April 1920 – 11 December 2012) was an Indian sitarist and composer. A sitar virtuoso, he became the world's best-known export of North In ...
.
The song originated during a period of romantic intrigue surrounding Harrison's marriage to
Pattie Boyd
Patricia Anne Boyd (born 17 March 1944) is an English model and photographer. She was one of the leading international models during the 1960s and, with Jean Shrimpton, epitomised the British female look of the era. Boyd married George Harri ...
and Wood's to his wife Krissie, which culminated in Boyd leaving Harrison for his and Wood's mutual friend
Eric Clapton. Wood recorded "Far East Man" in July 1974 at
The Wick
The Wick is a Grade I listed Georgian house in Richmond, Greater London, located at the corner of Nightingale Lane and Richmond Hill. The house, designed in 1775 by architect Robert Mylne for Lady St. Aubyn, was for many years the family ho ...
, his
Surrey home that had also become an established meeting place for many leading rock musicians. Harrison sang and played
slide guitar on this version, while other contributors included Wood's
Faces
The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affe ...
bandmate
Ian MacLagan,
Mick Taylor
Michael Kevin Taylor (born 17 January 1949) is an English guitarist, best known as a former member of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers (1967–1969) and the Rolling Stones (1969–1974). As a member of the Stones, he appeared on: ''Let It Bleed'' ...
of
the Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...
, and drummer
Andy Newmark. The Harrison recording took place at his
Friar Park
Friar Park is a Victorian neo-Gothic mansion in Henley-on-Thames, England, built in 1889. It was originally owned by eccentric lawyer Sir Frank Crisp and purchased in January 1970 by English rock musician and former Beatle George Harrison. ...
studio and features backing from
Billy Preston,
Tom Scott,
Willie Weeks
Willie Weeks (born August 5, 1947) is an American bass guitarist. He has gained fame performing with famous musicians in a wide variety of genres. He has been one of the most in-demand session musicians throughout his career. Weeks has also ...
and Newmark, all of whom then played on his
1974 North American tour with Shankar. Opening with a spoken dedication to
Frank Sinatra, the ''Dark Horse'' recording was marred by Harrison's damaged voice – a result of his rushing to complete the album's vocal parts in Los Angeles, while simultaneously rehearsing for the tour.
Several commentators have singled out "Far East Man" as a highlight of Harrison's 1974 album. While noting the two composers' troubled private lives during the song's creation, author Simon Leng describes it as "a wistful shrug of the shoulders set to music".
In 2002, Wood released a concert DVD titled ''Far East Man'', which included a live version of the track. Recorded in December 2001, two weeks after Harrison's death from cancer, this performance features
Andrea Corr
Andrea Jane Corr MBE (born 17 May 1974) is an Irish singer, songwriter, musician and actress. Corr debuted in 1990 as the lead singer of the Celtic folk rock and pop rock group The Corrs along with her three elder siblings Caroline, Sharon ...
and
Slash
Slash may refer to:
* Slash (punctuation), the "/" character
Arts and entertainment Fictional characters
* Slash (Marvel Comics)
* Slash (''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'')
Music
* Harry Slash & The Slashtones, an American rock band
* Nash ...
.
Background
![The Wick, Richmond Hill, Richmond, Surrey](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/The_Wick%2C_Richmond_Hill%2C_Richmond%2C_Surrey.jpg)
According to author Robert Rodriguez, "Far East Man" resulted from the "informal musical round robin" that existed in England during the early 1970s among
rock music
Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States an ...
's "elite".
[Rodriguez, p. 234.] From 1972 onwards, guitarist
Ronnie Wood
Ronald David Wood (born 1 June 1947) is an English rock musician, best known as an official member of the Rolling Stones since 1975, as well as a member of Faces and the Jeff Beck Group.
Wood began his career in 1964, playing guitar with a ...
's home in
Richmond, Surrey –
The Wick
The Wick is a Grade I listed Georgian house in Richmond, Greater London, located at the corner of Nightingale Lane and Richmond Hill. The house, designed in 1775 by architect Robert Mylne for Lady St. Aubyn, was for many years the family ho ...
– was a regular location for these get-togethers, at which the participants included ex-
Beatle George Harrison,
Eric Clapton, Wood's
Faces
The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affe ...
bandmates, and members of
the Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...
.
Situated over a bend on the
River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...
, The Wick was also where rehearsals took place for Clapton's
comeback concerts at the
Rainbow Theatre in January 1973. Harrison and his wife
Pattie Boyd
Patricia Anne Boyd (born 17 March 1944) is an English model and photographer. She was one of the leading international models during the 1960s and, with Jean Shrimpton, epitomised the British female look of the era. Boyd married George Harri ...
attended the Rainbow shows, on 13 January, and became friends with Wood and his wife, Krissie.
During this period, Harrison and Wood participated in
Alvin Lee
Alvin Lee (born Graham Anthony Barnes; 19 December 1944 – 6 March 2013) was an English singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known as the lead vocalist and lead guitarist of the blues rock band Ten Years After.
Early life
He w ...
's recording of "
So Sad
"So Sad" is a song by English rock musician George Harrison that was released on his 1974 album ''Dark Horse (George Harrison album), Dark Horse''. Harrison originally recorded the song for his previous album, ''Living in the Material World'', ...
", a Harrison composition reflecting the failure of his marriage to Boyd. In October 1973,
the Woods stayed at
Friar Park
Friar Park is a Victorian neo-Gothic mansion in Henley-on-Thames, England, built in 1889. It was originally owned by eccentric lawyer Sir Frank Crisp and purchased in January 1970 by English rock musician and former Beatle George Harrison. ...
, Harrison's estate in Oxfordshire, where he and Wood recorded together.
[Badman, p. 109.] They also began writing "Far East Man",
[Madinger & Easter, p. 444.] about which Harrison says in his 1980 autobiography, ''
I, Me, Mine
''I, Me, Mine'' is an autobiographic memoir by the English musician George Harrison, formerly of The Beatles. It was published in 1980 as a hand-bound, limited edition book by Genesis Publications, with a mixture of printed text and multi-colour ...
'': "We stumbled on it and other things ..."
[Harrison, p. 292.]
Beatles biographer
Peter Doggett
Peter Doggett (born 30 June 1957) is an English music journalist, author and magazine editor. He began his career in music journalism in 1980, when he joined the London-based magazine ''Record Collector''. He subsequently served as the editor ...
describes Friar Park as having become "a haven of adventurous intrigue" in 1973, with Harrison conducting an affair with
Maureen Starkey
Maureen Starkey Tigrett (born Mary Cox; 4 August 1946 – 30 December 1994), also known as Mo Starkey, was a hairdresser from Liverpool, England, best known as the first wife of Ringo Starr, the Beatles' drummer. When she was a trainee hair ...
, the wife of his former bandmate
Ringo Starr,
[Tillery, p. 93.] and Clapton urging Boyd to leave her husband for him. The romantic entanglements and party lifestyle were reflected in the content of Harrison's subsequent album, ''
Dark Horse'', which he likened to the television soap opera ''
Peyton Place''. During their stay at Friar Park, Wood began an affair with Boyd and the couple flew to the Bahamas,
[Clayson, p. 329.] while Harrison and Krissie Wood holidayed together in Portugal. These details were kept from the press,
but in late November 1973, Wood issued a statement from The Wick saying: "My romance with Patti Boyd is definitely on."
[Badman, p. 113.] Given these developments, Rodriguez notes the irony in "Far East Man" being "a rumination on letting a friend down".
[Rodriguez, p. 235.]
The song began as an
instrumental
An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to inst ...
collaboration, which Harrison then finished alone. In ''I, Me, Mine'', Harrison recalls that he and Wood came up with the melody to the verses together, but that, at Wood's request, he later turned it into a song by writing the words and adding a
middle eight
The 32- bar form, also known as the AABA song form, American popular song form and the ballad form, is a song structure commonly found in Tin Pan Alley songs and other American popular music, especially in the first half of the 20th century.
...
.
The title came about because the Faces had just returned from a tour of the Far East and Wood was wearing a T-shirt that carried the slogan ''Far East Man'', a play on the phrase "far out, man".
Harrison also says he "brushed up the lyrics a bit" before recording his own version for ''Dark Horse''.
Composition
Harrison biographer Simon Leng describes the
chord sequence in "Far East Man" as "a grin-making exploration of
major and
minor seventh
In music theory, a minor seventh is one of two musical intervals that span seven staff positions. It is ''minor'' because it is the smaller of the two sevenths, spanning ten semitones. The major seventh spans eleven. For example, the interval fr ...
s that oozes smoochy
soul
In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being".
Etymology
The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...
".
[Leng, p. 156.] In the view of musicologist Thomas MacFarlane, the sequence "unfolds with such ease" as if in
slow motion
Slow motion (commonly abbreviated as slo-mo or slow-mo) is an effect in film-making whereby time appears to be slowed down. It was invented by the Austrian priest August Musger in the early 20th century. This can be accomplished through the use ...
, and the song evokes an original style beyond its initial debt to soul artists such as
Marvin Gaye and
Al Green. He cites this as an example of Harrison's pan-cultural style, since the raw elements are Western yet the relaxed delivery conveys "an Eastern approach to worldly matters".
Author Ian Inglis interprets "Far East Man" as being about Indian classical musician
Ravi Shankar
Ravi Shankar (; born Robindro Shaunkor Chowdhury, sometimes spelled as Rabindra Shankar Chowdhury; 7 April 1920 – 11 December 2012) was an Indian sitarist and composer. A sitar virtuoso, he became the world's best-known export of North In ...
,
[Inglis, p. 47.] at whose request Harrison had staged
the Concert for Bangladesh
The Concert for Bangladesh (or Bangla Desh, as the country's name was originally spelt)Harry, p. 135. was a pair of benefit concerts organised by former Beatles guitarist George Harrison and Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar. The shows were he ...
in August 1971. According to Inglis, with the new nation of
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
still beset by problems in 1974, and conflict clouding the issue of friendship generally for Harrison, "this is one friendship he is determined to preserve".
The choruses therefore promise: "I won't let him down ... I won't let him drown ..."
Harrison later credited Shankar as "probably the person who has influenced my life the most", since "Indian music was like a stepping-stone to the spiritual path". Inglis views the song as reflecting Harrison's commitment to "all the things that India has given him".
[Inglis, p. 48.]
Leng identifies "Far East Man" as a "hopeful song", where, despite his confusion, Harrison's "answer is to follow his instinct, his heart".
Leng sums up the conclusion that Harrison provides in the middle eight's final line ("Can only do what it tells me"): "He surveys the problems of love, social strife, and disconnection from spiritual values, but decides that taking his own advice is a good enough start."
While echoing this interpretation, theologian
Dale Allison
Dale C. Allison (born November 25, 1955) is an American New Testament scholar, historian of Early Christianity, and Christian theologian who for years served as Errett M. Grable Professor of New Testament Exegesis and Early Christianity at Pittsb ...
also highlights Harrison's "humanitarian impulse, his regrets about the world's current state,
ndhis faint
utopian
A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia'', describing a fictional island society ...
hope for something better" as being evident in the lyrics to "Far East Man". Allison likens the song to Harrison's 1971 compositions "
Bangla Desh" and "
The Day the World Gets 'Round
"The Day the World Gets 'Round" is a song by English musician George Harrison, released on his 1973 album '' Living in the Material World''. Harrison was inspired to write the song following the successful Concert for Bangladesh shows, which we ...
", and suggests that in the choruses to "Far East Man", Harrison is stating "his determination to help impoverished and oppressed peoples half a world away".
As reproduced in his autobiography, Harrison's original lyrics for the final verse include lines that he changed after recording the song with Wood. Referring to the lyrics in Harrison's version, Allison describes his outlook as offering "a melioristic hope ... that people might be able to make the world a truly better place":
Ronnie Wood's version
Recording
In ''Ronnie'', his 2007 autobiography, Wood writes that The Wick was "a hive of recording activity as well as a thriving debauchery camp" during the year-long creation of his first solo release, ''
I've Got My Own Album to Do''. The album title originated from contributors such as Harrison and
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...
"nagging me to let them go home" and work on their own projects. Wood assisted Jagger in writing and recording the Rolling Stones' 1974 single "
It's Only Rock 'n Roll
''It's Only Rock 'n Roll'' is the 12th British and 14th American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 18 October 1974 by Rolling Stones Records. It was the last Rolling Stones album to feature guitarist Mick Ta ...
" during this period, and he similarly reciprocated Harrison, by playing on the former Beatle's Christmas single, "
Ding Dong, Ding Dong
"Ding Dong, Ding Dong" is a song by English rock musician George Harrison, written as a New Year's Eve singalong and released in December 1974 on his album '' Dark Horse''. It was the album's lead single in Britain and some other European coun ...
".
The session for "Far East Man" took place at Wood's home studio in July 1974,
[Spizer, p. 264.] during the same month that Boyd left Harrison and joined Clapton on tour in North America.
[Tillery, p. 94.] According to his recollection in ''I, Me, Mine'', Harrison wrote much of the song's lyrics while driving to Wood's house to record the track.
The session was a significant one for Harrison, since it introduced him to the
rhythm section he subsequently used on his
North American tour with Shankar – bassist
Willie Weeks
Willie Weeks (born August 5, 1947) is an American bass guitarist. He has gained fame performing with famous musicians in a wide variety of genres. He has been one of the most in-demand session musicians throughout his career. Weeks has also ...
and drummer
Andy Newmark.
Discussing the song in 2012 on
Sky Arts HD
Sky Arts (originally launched as Artsworld) is a British free-to-air television channel offering 24 hours a day of programmes dedicated to highbrow arts, including theatrical performances, movies, documentaries and music (such as opera perfor ...
's ''The Ronnie Wood Show'', Wood said that Weeks played on the track;
however, his 1974 LP credits list Rolling Stones lead guitarist
Mick Taylor
Michael Kevin Taylor (born 17 January 1949) is an English guitarist, best known as a former member of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers (1967–1969) and the Rolling Stones (1969–1974). As a member of the Stones, he appeared on: ''Let It Bleed'' ...
on bass.
The other musicians were
Ian MacLagan of the Faces, on electric piano, and
Jean Roussel
Jean Alain Roussel (born 1951 in Port Louis, Mauritius) is a Musician, Composer, Record Producer, Arranger, Educator and 'Music and Life Coach'.
He is best known for keyboard work from the 1970s through today, playing regularly with Cat Stev ...
,
Cat Stevens' regular keyboard player,
on organ.
Wood produced the recording with
Gary Kellgren
Gary Kellgren (April 7, 1939 – July 20, 1977) was an American audio engineer and co-founder of The Record Plant recording studios, along with businessman Chris Stone.
Career
Engineering
Kellgren was a successful and well respected audio en ...
,
[Castleman & Podrazik, p. 201.] the co-owner of New York's
Record Plant studios.
![Rod Stewart and Ron Wood - Faces - 1975](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/Rod_Stewart_and_Ron_Wood_-_Faces_-_1975.jpg)
Rodriguez describes the musical arrangement on the song as "a slow soul groove" and views Wood's version as "more Harrisonian" than Harrison's later reading. Harrison's
slide guitar and harmony vocals are prominent in the mix,
but he was only credited for his songwriting contribution.
[Bud Scoppa, "Ronnie Wood ''I've Got My Own Album to Do''", '']Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'', 7 November 1974; available a
Rock's Backpages
(subscription required; retrieved 4 April 2014).[Inner sleeve credits, ''I've Got My Own Album to Do'' LP (]Warner Bros. Records
Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...
, 1974; produced by Ron Wood & Gary Kellgren). Wood recalled Harrison teaching him the song's vocal parts for "eighteen hours", since Harrison's own singing contribution had to be kept to a minimum in order to satisfy the requirements of "his publishers".
["George Harrison and 'Far East Man'"](_blank)
''The Ronnie Wood Show'', episode 4, Sky Arts HD
Sky Arts (originally launched as Artsworld) is a British free-to-air television channel offering 24 hours a day of programmes dedicated to highbrow arts, including theatrical performances, movies, documentaries and music (such as opera perfor ...
, 2012.
Release
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...
released ''I've Got My Own Album to Do'' on 23 September 1974. "Far East Man" was sequenced as the second track, following Wood's collaboration with Jagger, "
I Can Feel the Fire
I, or i, is the ninth letter and the third vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''i'' (pronounced ), plural ...
". The album also included contributions from
Keith Richards
Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943), often referred to during the 1960s and 1970s as "Keith Richard", is an English musician and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the co-founder, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-princi ...
and Faces vocalist
Rod Stewart,
and was critically well received.
Like Harrison, Wood continued to incorporate soul music in his solo recordings, working with former
Valentino Bobby Womack
Robert Dwayne Womack (; March 4, 1944 – June 27, 2014) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. Starting in the early 1950s as the lead singer of his family musical group the Valentinos and as Sam Cooke's backing gui ...
on his 1975 album ''
Now Look''. By the time of that album's release, Wood had replaced Taylor in the Rolling Stones, leading to Stewart announcing the break-up of the Faces in December 1975. Although Wood and Harrison never officially co-wrote another song after "Far East Man",
their friendship continued, with Wood announcing in 1996 that he and Harrison were recording together.
The song appears on Wood's career-spanning compilation ''
Anthology: The Essential Crossexion'', released in 2006. In their respective reviews for
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
and ''
musicOMH'', Thom Jurek and Barnaby Smith each identify "Far East Man" as a highlight of the two-disc set.
George Harrison's version
Recording
![Willie Weeks 2007](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/Willie_Weeks_2007.jpg)
Harrison taped the basic track for his version of "Far East Man" at Friar Park over August and September 1974.
[MacFarlane, p. 91.] Retaining Newmark and Weeks from the sessions with Wood, he brought in keyboard player
Billy Preston and saxophonist and arranger
Tom Scott,
[Spizer, p. 265.] both of whom would also be part of his all-American tour band. Leng describes "Far East Man" as "the first Harrisong to tap into 1970s soul" and recognises the "supreme soul credentials" of Newmark, as the former drummer with
Sly and the Family Stone
Sly and the Family Stone was an American band from San Francisco. Active from 1966 to 1983, it was pivotal in the development of funk, soul, rock, and psychedelic music. Its core line-up was led by singer-songwriter, record producer, and multi ...
, and Weeks, whose bass playing on
Donny Hathaway's
self-titled live album had impressed many rock musicians of the time. Newmark later recalled of his and Weeks' first sessions for Harrison: "We were completely thrilled to be asked to play on his record … It was the most exciting thing to happen to me. I had to keep pinching myself to remember it was real."
[Leng, p. 157.]
At the start of the song, Harrison delivers a spoken dedication to
Frank Sinatra,
[Huntley, p. 111.] adding: "We love you, Frank, and we hope you include this one at
Caesars Palace on your next live album."
This message referred to Sinatra's adoption of the Harrison composition "
Something
Something may refer to:
Philosophy and language
*Something (concept)
*Something, an English indefinite pronoun
Music
Albums
* ''Something'' (Chairlift album), 2012
* ''Something'' (Shirley Bassey album), 1970
* ''Something'' (Shirley Scott ...
",
which he lauded as "the greatest love song of the past fifty years". MacFarlane recognises the dedication as an example of Harrison
breaking the fourth wall between performer and audience, as he immediately draws the listener's attention to "the medium rather than just the musical content".
Harrison played all the guitars on the track, including a slide guitar part.
Author Elliot Huntley describes the musical arrangement as "very West Coast" with Scott's "bachelor-pad saxophones" complementing the slide guitar lines, and Preston's electric piano recalling his solo on the Beatles' "
Don't Let Me Down".
[Huntley, pp. 111–12.] Inglis likens Scott's horn parts to the "soul stylings" of
King Curtis
Curtis Ousley (born Curtis Montgomery; February 7, 1934 – August 13, 1971), known professionally as King Curtis, was an American saxophonist who played rhythm and blues, jazz, and rock and roll. A bandleader, band member, and session musician ...
,
Junior Walker
Autry DeWalt Mixon Jr. (June 14, 1931 – November 23, 1995), known professionally as Junior Walker, was an American multi-instrumentalist (primarily saxophonist and vocalist) who recorded for Motown during the 1960s. He also performed as a sess ...
and
the Funk Brothers
The Funk Brothers were a group of Detroit-based session musicians who performed the backing to most Motown recordings from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972.
Its members are considered among the most successful groups of stud ...
.
Harrison's commitment to his other projects – such as starting up a new record label,
Dark Horse Records
Dark Horse Records is a record label founded by former Beatle George Harrison in 1974. The label's formation coincided with the winding down of the Beatles' Apple Records and allowed Harrison to continue supporting other artists' projects whil ...
, and organising Shankar's European concert revue, the
Music Festival from India – affected progress on the album. According to authors Chip Madinger and Mark Easter, Harrison had to overdub much of his vocals while in Los Angeles for tour rehearsals, in October. Combined with his having to sing during the rehearsals, the overexertion damaged Harrison's voice, compromising his performance on songs such as "Far East Man".
His throat condition worsened during the subsequent tour, earning Harrison highly unfavourable concert reviews from a number of critics, who objected also to the substantial stage-time afforded Shankar's ensemble.
Release
''Dark Horse'' was released on
Apple Records
Apple Records is a record label founded by the Beatles in 1968 as a division of Apple Corps Ltd. It was initially intended as a creative outlet for the Beatles, both as a group and individually, plus a selection of other artists including Ma ...
on 9 December 1974 in the United States, towards the end of the Harrison–Shankar tour.
[Madinger & Easter, p. 443.] Harrison sequenced "Far East Man" as the penultimate track, between "
Dark Horse", the album's
lead single
A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date.
Release s ...
in the US, and the pop-''
bhajan'' "
It Is 'He' (Jai Sri Krishna)".
Given Harrison's marital problems, and the generally unfavourable reception given to his tour and album, author
Gary Tillery
Gary Tillery is an American writer and artist known for his biographies focusing on the spiritual lives of famous figures, and for his public sculptures. His 2009 book, ''The Cynical Idealist'', was named the official book of the 2010 John Lennon ...
describes his new relationship with
Olivia Arias as "the one bright spot in the problematic year". Having met Arias in Los Angeles in October, Harrison used a photo of her on the face label for side two of the ''Dark Horse''
LP. Writing in 1981, ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' critic
Bob Woffinden
Robert Woffinden (31 January 1948 – 1 May 2018) was a British investigative journalist. Formerly a reporter with the ''New Musical Express'', he later specialised in investigating miscarriages of justice. He wrote about a number of high-profi ...
viewed the inclusion of this image, combined with the more upbeat message of side-two songs such as "Ding Dong" and "Far East Man", as Harrison ushering in Arias, his future wife, and farewelling Boyd.
Critical reception
Along with Jim Miller's opinions in ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' magazine, Woffinden's 1974 album review for the ''NME'' was one of the most scathing critiques.
[John Harris, "Beware of Darkness", '']Mojo
Mojo may refer to:
* Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo
Arts, entertainment and media Film and television
* MOJO HD, an American television network
* ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film
* ' ...
'', November 2011, p. 82. Woffinden bemoaned how on ''Dark Horse'', "the radiant light of George's spirituality is planted firmly under a bushel and darkness is not confined to equine matters". He also wrote: "
Far East Man'seems to have most chance of independent survival, especially as the song turned up in quite pleasant shape on Wood's ''I've Got My Own Album to Do'', but here again the production effectively smothers it, and Harrison's drab vocals complete the assassination."
[Bob Woffinden, "George Harrison: ''Dark Horse''", '']NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'', 21 December 1974; available a
Rock's Backpages
(subscription required; retrieved 22 November 2013).
By contrast,
Michael Gross of ''
Circus Raves'' magazine viewed ''Dark Horse'' as the equal of Harrison's acclaimed 1970 triple album ''
All Things Must Pass
''All Things Must Pass'' is the third studio album by English rock musician George Harrison. Released as a triple album in November 1970, it was Harrison's first solo work after the break-up of the Beatles in April that year. It includes the h ...
'' and praised the song and its arrangement, writing: "Scott again excels on 'Far East Man', with a horn solo that would vindicate any context in which it was put."
[Michael Gross, "George Harrison: How ''Dark Horse'' Whipped Up a Winning Tour", '' Circus Raves'', March 1975; available a]
Rock's Backpages
(subscription required; retrieved 8 October 2013). In a similarly positive assessment for ''
Melody Maker'', Brian Harrigan opined that the album "should certainly do a tremendous amount to salvage George's battered reputation" but found the extended playout to "Far East Man" overlong – an example, he said, where "you can have just too much of a good thing".
[Brian Harrigan, "Harrison: Eastern Promise", '' Melody Maker'', 21 December 1974, p. 36.] Sue Byrom of ''
Record Mirror
''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper between 1954 and 1991 for pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after the '' NME'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK album chart was published in '' ...
'' said it was her favourite track on ''Dark Horse'', adding that had side one of the LP "contained the variety and progression of the second
ide it would be a great album".
Among more recent commentators, Simon Leng considers "Far East Man" to be among Harrison's best compositions and "one of its writer's most beguiling pieces", while AllMusic's Richard Ginell describes it as "exquisite".
[Richard S. Ginell]
"George Harrison ''Dark Horse''"
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
(retrieved 5 April 2014). Leng admires the "especially attractive" middle eight and views the track as "a musical acceptance of life as an unfathomable riddle … a wistful shrug of the shoulders set to music".
[Leng, p. 156.] Ian Inglis says it typifies the album's erratic quality, since a "lovely melodic passage" in the chorus "is never fully developed elsewhere", although he compares the song favourably with Marvin Gaye's 1971 album ''
What's Going On''.
In an April 2004 article in ''
Blender
A blender (sometimes called a mixer or liquidiser in British English) is a kitchen and laboratory appliance used to mix, crush, purée or emulsify food and other substances. A stationary blender consists of a blender container with a rotating me ...
'' magazine,
Paul Du Noyer
Paul Du Noyer (born Paul Anthony Du Noyer; 21 May 1954) is an English rock journalist and author. He was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, and educated at the London School of Economics. He has written and edited for the music magazines '' NME'', ' ...
deemed "Far East Man" to be the "standout track" on an album that displayed an "uncharacteristic spell of rock star excess" on Harrison's part.
Reviewing the
2014 reissue of Harrison's Apple catalogue, for ''
Mojo
Mojo may refer to:
* Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo
Arts, entertainment and media Film and television
* MOJO HD, an American television network
* ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film
* ' ...
'', Tom Doyle describes the song as "the excellently smooth
Steely Dan-ish Far East Man". Joe Marchese of ''The Second Disc'' writes of the "impeccable" musicianship found throughout ''Dark Horse'' and adds: "There are many stellar moments, such as 'Far East Man', with Scott contributing his trademark
jazz-rock
Jazz fusion (also known as fusion and progressive jazz) is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, amplifiers, and keyb ...
saxophone on a deliciously fab slice of '
yacht rock
Yacht rock (originally known as the West Coast sound[That ' ...](_blank)
'."
[Joe Marchese]
"Review: The George Harrison Remasters – 'The Apple Years 1968–1975'"
''The Second Disc'', 23 September 2014 (retrieved 29 September 2014). Blogcritics' Chaz Lipp similarly finds "a lot of rewarding listening" on ''Dark Horse'', and highlights the track as "a smooth soul collaboration with Ron Wood that, once heard, lodges itself in the brain". In his review of the 2014 reissues, for ''
Record Collector
''Record Collector'' is a British monthly music magazine. It was founded in 1980 and distributes worldwide.
History The early years
The first standalone issue of ''Record Collector'' was published in March 1980, though its history stretches ba ...
'', Oregano Rathbone cites "Far East Man" as an example of how each of Harrison's Apple albums after ''All Things Must Pass'' "contains shivery moments of release".
[Oregano Rathbone]
"George Harrison – The Apple Years 1968–75"
''Record Collector
''Record Collector'' is a British monthly music magazine. It was founded in 1980 and distributes worldwide.
History The early years
The first standalone issue of ''Record Collector'' was published in March 1980, though its history stretches ba ...
'', December 2014 (retrieved 4 December 2014).
Other versions
Before leaving for Los Angeles in October 1974, Harrison performed a portion of "Far East Man" during an interview with
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering ...
's
Alan Freeman
Alan Leslie Freeman, MBE (6 July 1927 – 27 November 2006), nicknamed "Fluff", was an Australian-born British disc jockey and radio personality in the United Kingdom for 40 years, best known for presenting '' Pick of the Pops'' from 1961 to ...
.
[Badman, p. 138.] Harrison began playing the song, on acoustic guitar, in reply to Freeman asking whether he had felt let down by friends in the past.
["That's Entertainment"](_blank)
Contra Band Music, 10 October 2012 (retrieved 8 October 2013). The interview was broadcast in the UK on ''Rockspeak'', in December, but delayed until September 1975 in America,
where it formed part of Freeman's syndicated show ''Rock Around the World''.
[Madinger & Easter, p. 445.] Along with Harrison's performances of "Dark Horse", "
Awaiting on You All" and "
I Don't Care Anymore
"I Don't Care Anymore" is a song written, performed, and produced by English drummer Phil Collins (with co-production by Hugh Padgham). It was the second US single from Collins' second solo album, '' Hello, I Must Be Going!'' (1982). It did no ...
", this recording is available only on bootleg compilations.
Following his troubled tour with Shankar, Harrison's only other tour as a solo artist took place in December 1991, when he and Clapton performed a series of well-received
concerts in Japan. In 2002, various Japanese musicians recorded the Harrison tribute album ''Gentle Guitar Dreams'', for which
Hiroshi Takano contributed a cover version of "Far East Man". Takano later included it on ''Tokio Covers'', his 2013 collection of cover recordings, released to commemorate his first 25 years as a recording artist.
''Far East Man'' live DVD
Beginning on 8 December 2001, less than two weeks after Harrison succumbed to cancer at the age of 58, Wood played the song during his shows in Dublin and London,
[ 8th–12th December"">"2001 > 8th–12th December"](_blank)
The Rolling Stones Complete Works Database (retrieved 3 April 2014). in support of his sixth solo album, ''
Not for Beginners''.
[Terry Kemp]
"Ronnie Wood – ''Far East Man''"
DVD.net (retrieved 8 October 2013). A live version filmed on 11 December at the
Shepherd's Bush Empire
Shepherd's Bush Empire (currently known as O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire for sponsorship reasons, and formerly known as the BBC Television Theatre) is a music venue in Shepherd's Bush, West London, run by the Academy Music Group. It was originally ...
, west London, appeared on the 2002 concert DVD ''Far East Man''. Among Wood's band were his son Jessie (on guitar) and daughter Leah (vocals),
the latter being Wood's eldest child by his second wife,
Jo Karslake.
[Wood, pp. 202–03, 274.]
The performance of "Far East Man" includes guest appearances by
Andrea Corr
Andrea Jane Corr MBE (born 17 May 1974) is an Irish singer, songwriter, musician and actress. Corr debuted in 1990 as the lead singer of the Celtic folk rock and pop rock group The Corrs along with her three elder siblings Caroline, Sharon ...
and
Slash
Slash may refer to:
* Slash (punctuation), the "/" character
Arts and entertainment Fictional characters
* Slash (Marvel Comics)
* Slash (''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'')
Music
* Harry Slash & The Slashtones, an American rock band
* Nash ...
.
Wood introduces the song as "brilliant!", before saying of Harrison: "And we shall miss that man ..."
[Selection 9 ("Far East Man"), ''Far East Man'' DVD (Steamhammer, 2002; directed by Charlie Lightening).]
Personnel
Ronnie Wood version
According to the 1974 LP credits (except where noted):
*
Ron Wood Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald.
Ron or RON may also refer to:
Arts and media
* Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character
* Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character
*Ron Douglas, the protagonist in '' Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...
– lead and backing vocals,
electric guitars
*
George Harrison –
slide guitar,
harmony vocal
*
Ian McLagan
Ian Patrick McLagan (; 12 May 1945 – 3 December 2014) was an English keyboardist, best known as a member of the rock bands Small Faces and Faces. He also collaborated with the Rolling Stones and led his own band from the late 1970s. He was i ...
– electric piano
*
Jean Roussel
Jean Alain Roussel (born 1951 in Port Louis, Mauritius) is a Musician, Composer, Record Producer, Arranger, Educator and 'Music and Life Coach'.
He is best known for keyboard work from the 1970s through today, playing regularly with Cat Stev ...
– organ
*
Mick Taylor
Michael Kevin Taylor (born 17 January 1949) is an English guitarist, best known as a former member of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers (1967–1969) and the Rolling Stones (1969–1974). As a member of the Stones, he appeared on: ''Let It Bleed'' ...
– bass
*
Andy Newmark – drums
George Harrison version
Adapted from
Bruce Spizer
David "Bruce" Spizer (born July 2, 1955) is a tax attorney in New Orleans, Louisiana, who is also recognized as an expert on the Beatles. He has published thirteen books, and is frequently quoted as an authority on the history of the band an ...
's book ''The Beatles Solo on Apple Records'' (except where noted):
*
George Harrison – lead and backing vocals, rhythm guitar,
slide guitar
*
Tom Scott – saxophones
*
Billy Preston – electric piano
*
Willie Weeks
Willie Weeks (born August 5, 1947) is an American bass guitarist. He has gained fame performing with famous musicians in a wide variety of genres. He has been one of the most in-demand session musicians throughout his career. Weeks has also ...
– bass
*
Andy Newmark – drums, percussion
Notes
References
Sources
* Alagmir, Mohiuddin, ''Famine in South Asia: Political Economy of Mass Starvation'', Oelgeschlager, Gunn & Hain (Cambridge, MA, 1980; ).
*
Allison, Dale C. Jr, ''The Love There That's Sleeping: The Art and Spirituality of George Harrison'', Continuum (New York, NY, 2006; ).
* Badman, Keith, ''The Beatles Diary Volume 2: After the Break-Up 1970–2001'', Omnibus Press (London, 2001; ).
*
Bockris, Victor, ''Keith Richards: The Unauthorised Biography'', Hutchinson (London, 1992; ).
* Bonanno, Massimo, ''The Rolling Stones Chronicle'', Plexus Publishing (London, 1990; ).
*
Boyd, Pattie (with
Penny Junor
Penelope Jane Junor (born 6 October 1949) is an English journalist and author.
Early life and education
Born in Leatherhead, Surrey, Junor was educated at Benenden School in Kent. Her father was the newspaper editor Sir John Junor and her bro ...
), ''Wonderful Today: The Autobiography'', Headline Review (London, 2007; ).
* Castleman, Harry & Podrazik, Walter J., ''All Together Now: The First Complete Beatles Discography 1961–1975'', Ballantine Books (New York, NY, 1976; ).
*
Clayson, Alan, ''George Harrison'', Sanctuary (London, 2003; ).
*
Doggett, Peter, ''You Never Give Me Your Money: The Beatles After the Breakup'', It Books (New York, NY, 2011; ).
* The Editors of ''Rolling Stone'', ''Harrison'', Rolling Stone Press/Simon & Schuster (New York, NY, 2002; ).
*
Harrison, George, ''I Me Mine'', Chronicle Books (San Francisco, CA, 2002
980 ).
* Huntley, Elliot J., ''Mystical One: George Harrison – After the Break-up of the Beatles'', Guernica Editions (Toronto, ON, 2006; ).
* Inglis, Ian, ''The Words and Music of George Harrison'', Praeger (Santa Barbara, CA, 2010; ).
*
Kahn, Ashley (ed.), ''George Harrison on George Harrison: Interviews and Encounters'', Chicago Review Press (Chicago, IL, 2020; ).
* Lavezzoli, Peter, ''The Dawn of Indian Music in the West'', Continuum (New York, NY, 2006; ).
* Leng, Simon, ''While My Guitar Gently Weeps: The Music of George Harrison'', Hal Leonard (Milwaukee, WI, 2006; ).
* MacFarlane, Thomas, ''The Music of George Harrison'', Routledge (Abingdon, UK, 2019; ).
* Madinger, Chip & Easter, Mark, ''Eight Arms to Hold You: The Solo Beatles Compendium'', 44.1 Productions (Chesterfield, MO, 2000; ).
* O'Dell, Chris (with Katherine Ketcham), ''Miss O'Dell: My Hard Days and Long Nights with The Beatles, The Stones, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, and the Women They Loved'', Touchstone (New York, NY, 2009; ).
* Rodriguez, Robert, ''Fab Four FAQ 2.0: The Beatles' Solo Years, 1970–1980'', Backbeat Books (Milwaukee, WI, 2010; ).
*
Spizer, Bruce, ''The Beatles Solo on Apple Records'', 498 Productions (New Orleans, LA, 2005; ).
* Sulpy, Doug & Schweighardt, Ray, ''Get Back: The Unauthorized Chronicle of The Beatles' Let It Be Disaster'', St. Martin's Griffin (New York, NY, 1997; ).
*
Tillery, Gary, ''Working Class Mystic: A Spiritual Biography of George Harrison'', Quest Books (Wheaton, IL, 2011; ).
*
Townshend, Pete, ''Who I Am'', HarperCollins (London, 2012; ).
*
Woffinden, Bob, ''The Beatles Apart'', Proteus (London, 1981; ).
*
Wood, Ronnie, ''Ronnie'', Macmillan (Sydney, NSW, 2007; ).
External links
"Far East Man" at the George Harrison YouTube channel
{{authority control
1974 songs
George Harrison songs
Songs written by George Harrison
Songs written by Ronnie Wood
Song recordings produced by George Harrison
Music published by Oops Publishing and Ganga Publishing, B.V.
British soul songs