George Harrison’s 'Living in the Material World’ getting a 50th Anniversary Edition
George Harrison's highly acclaimed second solo album, Living in the Material World, recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. Released in May 1973, just five weeks after The Beatles' 1970 dissolution, the album showcased Harrison's enduring exploration of spiritual themes through its thoughtful lyrics. The album and its lead single "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)" both reached No. 1 on the U.S. charts simultaneously, underscoring its resonance with audiences.
The album's success further solidified George Harrison's winning streak that had begun with the triple LP All Things Must Pass, which topped the U..S charts in early 1971. Later that year, Harrison organized two groundbreaking benefit rock concerts at Madison Square Garden in New York, aiming to raise awareness and funds for the starving refugees of Bangladesh. The live album The Concert for Bangladesh, another triple LP, became a commercial triumph and global bestseller, ultimately earning the prestigious Grammy Award for Album of the Year.
The classic album Living in the Material World has been lovingly remixed from the original tapes by triple GRAMMY? Award-winning engineer Paul Hicks (The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, John Lennon). This 50th anniversary release, overseen by Dhani and Olivia Harrison, features a sonic upgrade that will deliver a brighter, richer, and more dynamic sound than the original.
An acoustic version of the song "Give Me Love" is now available as the first release from the new collection. Listen below,
Available November 15th, via Dark Horse Records/BMG, Living in the Material World 50th Anniversary Edition will be available in a variety of physical and digital formats including a Super Deluxe Edition Box Set:
Limited to 5,000 units globally, the Super Deluxe Edition box set features the album on 2LP (180g) and 2CD, which includes the newly remixed original album and a bonus disc containing 12 previously unreleased early renditions of every song on the main album. Additionally, the set includes a Blu-Ray of all album tracks and previously unreleased tracks in Dolby Atmos, and an exclusive 7” single of the never-before-heard recording of ‘Sunshine Life For Me (Sail Away Raymond),’ featuring Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, and Rick Danko from The Band, alongside Ringo Starr.
Housed in a rigid slipcase, the box set contains a beautiful 60-page hardcover book curated by Olivia Harrison and Rachel Cooper, with unseen imagery and memorabilia from the era, handwritten lyrics, studio notes, and tape box images. Also included is a 12-page Recording Notes booklet, drawing from original Living in the Material World production notes, photographs, and reel-to-reel session tapes housed in the George Harrison Archive. For the first time, the Harrison archive team offers an in-depth, chronological account of the album’s creation, revealing insights that have never been shared with the public before.
Alongside the super deluxe format, the album will also be available on 2LP and 2CD Deluxe Editions, both of which pair new mixes of the original album with session outtakes. The 2LP Deluxe Edition will be presented in a gatefold sleeve with a 12-page booklet, while the 2CD Deluxe Edition comes in a Clamshell Box with two printed wallets, a 20-page booklet, and a poster. The main album will also be offered individually as a 1CD, 1LP, and limited edition 1LP color vinyl exclusives available from the official George Harrison online store (Purple Color Vinyl), Amazon (Clear Color Vinyl) and Barnes & Noble (Orange Color Vinyl). All formats are available for pre-order now.
Of the release, Olivia Harrison shares: “I hope you revisit Living in the Material World or discover it for the first time, and as you listen, share George’s wish for himself and mankind….. Give me Love. Give me Peace on Earth.”
Dhani Harrison adds: "Finally, we are overjoyed to present to you the 50th anniversary package of George Harrison's Living in the Material World. For those of you who are just discovering this album; This record was released in service and with deep love for all our Brothers and Sisters around the world who populate this dualistic system we live in called Earth. Peace be upon all sentient beings.”
“The things most people are struggling for are fame or fortune or wealth or position – always, that’s their main ambition and desire in life, to be rich or famous or to have a good reputation, and really none of that is important because in the end, death will take it all away,” George Harrison himself later explained. But he was also keen to correct a common misapprehension: “I do not exclude myself, and I write a lot of things in order to make myself remember.”
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