Cloud Nine (George Harrison album)

Occupation

• George Harrison - vocals, guitar, keyboard, sitar
• Jeff Lynne - guitar, bass guitar, vocals, keyboard
• Eric Clapton - Guitar
• Elton John - Piano
• Gary Wright - Piano
• Ringo Starr - drums
• Jim Keltner - Drums
• Ray Cooper - percussion, drums
• Jim Horn - Saxophone
• Bobby Kok - Cello
• Vicki Brown - vocals on Shanghai Surprise (Bonus Track )

Cloud Nine is the thirteenth album, or the ninth solo studio album by George Harrison after the breakup of the Beatles. It was on November 2, 1987: published ( USA 3 November 1987). In the U.S., the album reached the eighth place in the UK and number ten on the charts; in Germany it was also placed at number 15.

• 3.1 Got My Mind Set on You / Lay His Head
• 3.2 When We Was Fab / Zig Zag
• 3.3 This Is Love / Breath Away From Heaven

Genesis

Cloud Nine was a five-year break from the music business Harrisons ahead. After his last album Gone Troppo is Harrison had mostly retired from the music business. During this time he devoted himself instead, especially his film production company HandMade Films.

George Harrison wrote for the movie Water - The film, which was produced by his production company, two titles: Focus of Attention and Celebration. In the period between 1984 and early 1985 took the Dylan Harrison composition I Do not Want Do It for the soundtrack of Porky's Revenge on. This piece was published on 22 April 1985 in the U.S. as a single in a remixed version, producer Dave Edmunds was. Another recorded Dylan composition Abandoned Love has not been legally published.

On 21 October 1985 Harrison was the guest of Carl Perkins, the TV special Blue Suede Shoes in the " Limehouse Television Studios " in London - A Rockabilly Session with Carl Perkins and Friends recorded, additional guest musicians have included Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton and Dave Edmunds. George Harrison played guitar on several songs and sang the title Everybody's Trying to be My Baby and Your True Love. The song Glad All Over was sung by George Harrison and Carl Perkins. The television broadcasting in January 1986. Publication on CD only took place in June 2006.

Between February and July 1986, George Harrison took to music for the soundtrack of the feature film Shanghai Surprise in Los Angeles. This film was also produced by Handmade Films and premiered in August 1986. Stars of the movie are Madonna and Sean Penn. George Harrison is seen in a small supporting role. The following tracks have been recorded and can be heard during the movie: Shanghai Surprise ( bonus track the re-release ), Breath Away from Heaven, Some Place Else, Zig Zag ( bonus track the re-release and single B- side) and Hottest Gong in Town. During Breath Away from Heaven and Some Place Else was re-recorded for the album Cloud Nine, Hottest Gong in Town was released in June 1992 Songs by George Harrison Two. In this limited release, there is a four - track EP with a picture book, of which all copies were signed by George Harrison. A soundtrack album was not released, only Shanghai Surprise was released as a promotional single.

In January-August 1987, George Harrison went with Jeff Lynne as producer in his recording studio, as he had recovered his joy of music, as he said:

"I'm at ease with myself, maybe. I'm happy to be making records, by getting away from the music business I was in a good mood to do it you know, it's just the fun of doing it and trying to sustain the energy and the interest. "

" I guess I 'm at peace with myself Lot. It gives me pleasure to receive plates; the retreat from the music business has been good for me, I was in a good frame of mind, you know, it's just fun to do it and to try to maintain the energy and interest. "

On the album had many well-known guest musicians, including Ringo Starr ( drums), Eric Clapton (guitar) and Elton John ( piano). For so Harrison Cloud Nine was a return to his musical roots. Harrison literally:

" I thought, I'm not going to make one of them you know sort of clattery records like everybody else Seems to be doing this period. I'm going to make a record like something like I did twenty years ago. Just like a rock ' n ' roll tape making a record. We had real saxes and real guitars, real pianos, real drums, real people playing real songs. "

"I thought to myself, I will not make such a ramshackle album as it seems most did at that time. I'm going to make the album as I did twenty years ago. A rock-' n'- roll band makes an album, no more and no less. We had real saxophones and real guitars, real pianos, real drums and to real people who simply play real songs. "

During the recording of two titles were recorded with Duane Eddy, The trembler and Theme for Something Really Important that have appeared on his album Duane Eddy on 30 January and 5 February 1987.

On 5 and 6 June 1987 Harrison broke the shots and came into the Wembley Arena as part of the Prince's Trust Concert in London and sang the songs Here Comes the Sun and While My Guitar Gently Weeps, which in August 1987 on the album Recorded Highlights of the Prince's Trust Concert were released.

As with previous albums George Harrison took an older third party composition on here Got My Mind Set on You by Rudy Clark from the year 1962. This title was chosen as the first single. The second single When We Was Fab includes lyrically and musically diverse allusions to the music of the Beatles, the album was also originally bear the title Fab. The song Devil's Radio carries no religious views of George Harrison, but Harrison's only humor. Just for Today is supported by the statement, only one thing to do and not all at the same time. The remaining songs are either love songs or be supported by a positive mood.

Both Warner Brothers and George Harrison made ​​during the publication phase a lot of promotion work in the form of advertising and appearances of the artist in the media.

Title list

All tracks were written by George Harrison, except where otherwise noted.

Page one

Page Two

Bonus tracks (2004)

• Shanghai Surprise - 5:07
• Zig Zag - 2:45

The bonus tracks are from the produced by HandMade Films feature film Shanghai Surprise.

ITunes bonus tracks ( 2007)

• Got My Mind Set On You (Extended Version)

Single releases

Got My Mind Set on You / Lay His Head

The first single Got My Mind Set on You appeared in October 1987 and reached number one on the charts in the U.S. and was thus the third number -one hit for George Harrison and so far the last number -one hit of an ex-Beatle, in United Kingdom the single reached number two in Germany and number seven on the charts.

The B-side Lay His Head was originally recorded for the album Somewhere in England, and appeared again in February 1988 Songs by George Harrison This limited Publications is a four - track EP with a picture book, all of whose copies signed by George Harrison.

In Europe, the 12 " vinyl maxi single was released: Got My Mind Set On You (Extended Version) / Got My Mind Set On You (Single Version) / Lay His Head, where the A - side is an extended mixing in the UK. the maxi single was released as a picture disc and the 7 " vinyl single in a limited cardboard box with two postcards.

When We Was Fab / Zig Zag

The Beatles homage When We Was Fab followed on 25 January 1988 as the second single. The cover of this single was designed by Harrison's friend Klaus Voormann and reached number 23 on the charts in the U.S., in the UK the single reached number 25 in Germany and 40th place

The B-side Zig Zag was recorded for the soundtrack of Shanghai Surprise. In Europe, also 12 " vinyl maxi-single and 3" CD was released: When We Was Fab ( unextended version ) / Zig Zag / That ' s the Way It Goes (Remix) / When We Was Fab ( Reverse End) is the unextended version the normal album version, while the reverse was end version extended by one minute and 20 seconds by parts of the song can be heard backwards. that's the Way It Goes ( Remix ) is a neuabgemischte version of Jeff Lynne of the song originally on was released the album Gone Troppo.

In Britain, the maxi single was released as a picture disc and the 7 " vinyl single in a limited cardboard box with a poster and a cut-out sheet, similar to the album Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band modeled.

This Is Love / Breath Away From Heaven

In June 1988 ( USA: May 1988), the last single from the album This Is Love followed. It reached number 55 in the UK in the charts and could not place in the United States and Germany. This Is Love / Breath Away from Heaven / All Those Years Ago / Hong Kong Blues: In Europe, also 12 " vinyl maxi-single and 3" CD was released.

Reissues

First published in CD format was made in November 1987 parallel to the record release without bonus tracks.

In March 2004, the album in a newly remastered version on CD in the EMI Group with the bonus tracks Shanghai Surprise and Zig Zag was re-released.

Since October 2007, the album George Harrison as a digital download on iTunes, with the added bonus track Got My Mind Set On You (Extended Version ) is available.

More information

For the album three music videos were produced:

Got My Mind Set on You: Because Harrison did not like the first rotated to the single video, a second was recorded as the first under the direction of Gary Weis, who also directed some episodes of the U.S. show Saturday Night Live and The Beatles parody The Rutles. In the second video Harrison sitting in a chair in a haunted house (with moving furniture ) and plays guitar. In between, he suddenly springs up and puts an acrobatic dance routine down ( which was clearly shot with a double).

When We Was Fab: In the video for the single is Harrison playing guitar against a wall by the roadside. Various other musicians come and go, including Ringo Starr, which carries with itself a never-ending Keyboard through the picture, on the Harrison plays thanks to third-hand. Overall, the video features many psychedelic special effects.

This Is Love: The video shows Harrison playing guitar with friends at different locations in Hawaii.

In the United States in early 1988 have been published two more promotional singles that were not available when buying singles: Cloud 9 as a CD single and Devil's Radio 12 " vinyl single with an independent image cover.