George Harrison was always the one looking for the exit. Not the exit from the stage, necessarily, but the exit from the noise. By 1973, the guy had seen everything a human being could possibly see in terms of fame. He’d been a Beatle. He’d seen the screaming girls, the business lawsuits, and the heavy burden of being "the quiet one" in the biggest band in history.
George Harrison: Living in the Material World isn’t just a title of an album or a documentary; it’s basically the manifesto of a man trying to keep his soul while everyone else wanted a piece of his image.
The Album That Defined the "Ex-Beatle" Struggle
When we talk about George’s solo career, everyone jumps to All Things Must Pass. I get it. It’s the triple-album beast with the Phil Spector "Wall of Sound." But honestly, Living in the Material World is where you actually find the man. Released in May 1973, it was a weird, beautiful, and sometimes "preachy" (depending on who you ask) look at his internal tug-of-war.
He recorded most of it at Apple Studios and Abbey Road, but it feels like it was born in the gardens of his massive estate, Friar Park. He wanted to "liberate" the songs from the heavy production of his previous record. He was the sole producer this time—mostly because Phil Spector’s erratic behavior and drinking made him a bit of a nightmare to work with in the studio.
The title track is basically a summary of his life. One minute he’s singing about the "spiritual sky," and the next he’s name-dropping "John, Paul, and Ritchie." It’s a literal inventory of his transition from being a mop-top to being a seeker.
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Why the Critics Were Split
At the time, people didn't know what to make of it. "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)" was a massive hit, sure. But the rest of the album? It was a bit too "Krishna-heavy" for the mainstream press in '73. They called it austere. Some even called it boring.
If you listen to "Sue Me, Sue You Blues," you hear a guy who is totally fed up with the legal battles of the Beatles' breakup. It’s raw. It’s grumpy. It’s George.
Scorsese and the Masterpiece Documentary
Fast forward to 2011. Martin Scorsese—yeah, the Goodfellas guy—decided he needed to tell George’s story. He spent five years on it. He went through mountains of home movies, unheard demos, and letters.
The documentary, also titled George Harrison: Living in the Material World, is a three-and-a-half-hour epic. It’s not your typical "behind the music" special. Scorsese treats George’s life like a spiritual journey rather than a rock star’s timeline.
- Part One covers the Liverpool years and the chaos of the Beatles.
- Part Two is where it gets heavy, focusing on his solo years, his gardens, and his eventual death in 2001.
One of the coolest things about the film is how it uses Dhani Harrison (George’s son) to read his father's letters. It’s eerie how much they sound alike. You get interviews with everyone: Ringo, Paul, Eric Clapton, and even Yoko Ono. They all talk about him with this weird mix of love and confusion because George was a man of contradictions. He loved God, but he also loved fast cars and expensive guitars. He was a vegetarian who could be incredibly biting with his sarcasm.
The Material World Charitable Foundation
George didn’t just sing about wanting to help; he actually did it. After the logistical and tax-related nightmare of the Concert for Bangladesh, he realized he needed a better way to move money to people who needed it.
He founded the Material World Charitable Foundation in April 1973. He didn't just give a one-time check. He assigned the publishing royalties from nine of the eleven songs on the Material World album to the foundation. Forever.
That means every time "Give Me Love" plays on the radio today, a portion of that money is still going toward causes George cared about. That’s a legacy that actually does something. It wasn't about the tax write-off; it was about the fact that he felt "the material world" was a trap unless you used it to lift others up.
Friar Park: The Sacred and the Mundane
You can't talk about George Harrison without talking about Friar Park. He bought this 120-room Victorian neo-Gothic mansion in 1970 for about £135,000. It was a wreck. He spent the rest of his life fixing the gardens, planting trees, and building a 16-track studio he called FPSHOT (Friar Park Studio, Henley-On-Thames).
He’d be out there in denim overalls, digging in the dirt. People would walk by and think he was the gardener. He loved that. In his mind, gardening was just another form of prayer. It was his way of escaping the "material world" while literally being in the middle of it.
What Most People Get Wrong About George
The biggest misconception is that he was just "the quiet one" or "the bitter one."
Watching the Scorsese doc or reading Olivia Harrison’s companion book (which is a 400-page beast full of private photos), you realize he was probably the most "awake" of the four. He wasn't bitter about the Beatles; he was just finished with it. He wanted to move on to the next thing, which happened to be the internal life.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Seekers
If you want to actually understand the "Material World" era of George Harrison, don't just put on a "Best Of" playlist. Do this instead:
- Listen to the 50th Anniversary Remix: The 2023 remix of the album cleans up the "dry" sound of the original 1973 release. It lets the slide guitar breathe.
- Watch the Scorsese Doc in Two Sittings: It’s long. Don't rush it. Watch the Beatles half, then wait a day and watch the solo half. The transition feels more earned that way.
- Read "I Me Mine": George’s autobiography is less of a narrative and more of a collection of his thoughts and lyrics. It’s the best way to get inside his head without a middleman.
- Support the Foundation: If you’re moved by his message, check out the Material World Foundation. They still fund arts and diverse philosophies today.
George Harrison’s journey through the material world ended in 2001, but the map he left behind is still pretty useful. He showed that you can be at the very top of the world and still feel like you’re missing something—and that it’s okay to go looking for it, even if everyone else thinks you're crazy for leaving the party early.