The idea of the "concept" album was not new when George Harrison was writing his songs for Dark Horse.  The Beatles, The Kinks, The Who, Pink Floyd, and Frank Zappa had all claimed concept album composition at one point.  To a lesser degree, Paul McCartney laid claim to a concept album with Band on the Run but, as is the case with many of these albums, their concept is thin and often forgotten several songs into the album.  Sgt. Pepper, Dark Side of the Moon and Arthur are all very clever albums, conceptualy, but fail to execute the concept through to the end.  Sgt. Pepper is supposed to be a live band playing a concert but what live band brings a full symphony on tour with them and a handful of Indian musicians?  Furthermore, why is the audience completely silent for all but the first and last songs?  Dark Side of the Moon's concept was essentialy a shopping list of things that can drive a person mad (war, money, time) but lacked any real conceptual continuity.  The problem with many concept albums is the confusion between continuity and connection.  Bleeding one song into the next does not make the songs connected thematicaly and that is where we lose the continuity.  For a concept album to work, the songs have to be connected by a theme and progress a plot that is believable and not simply be connected as is the case in many classic "concept albums" like Dark Side of the Moon.  Of course this is not to say that these albums are any less stunning in their production or in the quality of music, it is simply saying they are not the models of strong concept albums that critics have made them out to be.

It is rarely, if ever, argued amongst Beatle fans that any of the four musicians released a strong concept album in their solo careers but, in fact, the strongest album of all, from a strictly conceptual standpoint, is the album regarded as Harrison's weakest.  Often critisized for lackluster production, straigned vocal chords, and preachy lyrics, Dark Horse stands out as the most cohesive record by any of the solo Beatles.  Dark Horse tells the story of Hari, a musician who has been tempted by desire.  We follow Hari down his path of self destruction as he falls into alcoholism and depression and we see the consequences of his mistakes as he looses his love.  It is when Hari hits rock bottom that he finds God and reafirms a faith that he once held dear.  His life makes a 180 degree turn Hari's back on top, triumphant in the race of life.  Is Dark Horse an intimate look at the inside of George Harrison's mind or is it simply a collection of songs in a random order that can be interprited as a story?

It is no secret that Harrison was going through a tough time in his life at the time of recording Dark Horse.  He was in the midst of losing his wife of many years to his best friend, throat problems haunted his voice, legal battles raged on from that breakup a few years before and new legal battles had arrisin from the inadvertant plagerism of "He's So Fine."  Although, so far, it would seem Harrison was going to be the most successful of the solo Beatles (having acheived three number 1 albums, several radio hits, and a monumental concert), his life was about to take a dark turn.  One can only speculate what was going on in the mans mind during these times but it had to have been insane for him to have all this going on while writing an album and planning an American tour. 

The Dark Horse album reflects all of these hard times beautifuly and while this album may not be the strongest in terms of production it holds it's own in terms of meaning and heart.  The album opens with a song called Hari's on Tour (Express).  Based strictly on the title, since it is an instrumental, we are lead to believe that Hari is a rock star.  We can assume, or imagine but another ex-Beatle took care of that already, that this song is a piece that he's playing in concert in front of his adoring fans.  It is in the next song, Simply Shady, that we see the darker side of rock and roll.  Hari has finished the concert and now has the chance to party.

Somebody brought the juicer
I thought I'd take a sip
Came off the rails so crazy
My senses took a dip
Before the bottle hit the floor
And I'd had time to think
I was blinded by desire
The elephant turned pink

The elephant turning pink is a saying someone uses when they have become extremely drunk.  It is obvious, from the lyrics, to determine that this song is about drinking and partying but if you read between the lines you can see that Hari immediately feels guilty for his actions when he says things like "my senses took a dip" and "No sooner had I sown it/When I began to reap".  Hari's drinking problems only worsen as the song goes on to tell the story.  He begins to use alcohol as a means of life support;to get him through a day.

And as I started drowning
I clung onto a straw
That somehow kept me floating
While my madness craved for more

This type of self-medication will haunt Hari and he knows it, "The action that I've started/Sometime I'll have to face" but he refuses to acknowledge his problem in the present and only acknowledges that he'll have to deal with it some day down the line. 

The album continues with the growing depression that is often born from over drinking.  So Sad opens with a seasonal metaphor:

Now the winter has come
To eclipse out the sun
That has lighted my love for sometime
And a cold wind now blows
Not much tenderness flows
From the heart of someone feeling so tired
And he feels so alone
With no love of his own
So sad, so bad, so sad, so bad

Winter is the most depressing season of the year.  People often overeat spend too much money on the holidays while the skies are grey, the weather is cold and it's raining.  Hari's winter has not come in a seasonal sense, rather, it is an emotional winter.  Depression has come over his soul and is ecliping all that is good in his life.  It is turning Hari into a cold, emotionless wreck who has turned away from all the things he once loved, including his woman. 

In the next song, Bye Bye Love, Harri reveals a bitter side of himself.  Having given up on life in general, Hari also gave up his relationship and when his woman left him for another man, instead of being hurt and remorseful, he was happy to see her gone.  He also proves true what he sang in the song prior "Not much tenderness flows" when he reveals, "Now I'm into romance/I shy away from love".  Harri is no longer interested in developing a meaningful relationship with a woman but is interested in having a good time for an evening and leaving in the morning.  Hari's life is truly upside-down but it is at this low point in his life that he realizes he has more worth than he's giving himself credit for and he looks towards religion to pull him out of his shambles.  Maya Love reveals a realization of Hari's selfworth, importance and ability to love and his desire to relieve himself of his self-imposed burdens.

Maya Love - Maya Love,
Maya Love is like the sea
Flowing in and out of me

Hari's path to enlightenment continues with the song Ding Dong Ding Dong where he realizes it is time to "Ring out the old/Ring in the new".  In a sense, it is time to leave his past behind and embrace a healthy, meaningful future.  He's no longer going to hide from his emotions in alcohol or be cruel to the ones he loves but embrace all the things that make him truly happy, "Ring out the False/Ring in the true."

Now clean and sober, Hari is on a quest to prove himself.  It is time to let everyone know that, yes he was on the bottom, but now he's back on top.

You thought that you knew where I was and when
But it looks like they've been foolin' you again,
You thought that you'd got me all steaked out
But baby looks like I've been breaking out

I'm a dark horse
Running on a dark race course
I'm a blue moon
Since I stepped from out of the womb
I've been a cool jerk
Looking for the source
I'm a dark horse.

Being the dark horse is like being the underdog.  You've got all the odds stacked against you but you still come through and win the race in the end.  Hari knew he was going to win this battle despite the odds being stacked against him at every turn.  Hari finds this strength, as hinted to in Maya Love, in eastern philosophy.  He has reafirmed his faith in God and through God will come through this phase of life triumphant and strong.

All these ups and those downs
Makes me question what love is
Is it a lie or worthwile
I won't let him down
Got to do what I can
I won't let him drown
He's a far east man

Hari continues with his religious revelation by leaving us all with an upbeat chant in It Is "He" (Jai Sri Krishna).  The album is over after the chant and we are left with a conclusion of the story.  Hari had his ups and he had his downs but, through the power of faith, he overcame these obsticals and was the definitive dark horse.

Is it a stretch to assume that Harrison intended this album to be a cohesive story?  Probably.  I would assume that Harrison was just making another album of rock songs to be released and gave very little thought to creating a 40 minute story.  Is it a stretch to interpret these songs as such?  No.  When you read the lyrics you can see a true story being told that is only enhanced by the music.  The album begins with an uptempo number and is followed by progressively slower, sadder songs.  The delivery and writing of the parts mirrors the dark lyrics only getting darker as the album progresses.  It isn't until Maya Love, when Hari begins to overcome his demons, that the music begins to pick up pace again.  Maya Love is an up tempo piece with a funky groove and Dark Horse has a natural relavtory feel to it.  It is He, the closer, is a simple chant sung over an infectious up tempo melody so filled with happy hooks that you smile just listening to it.

Dark Horse isn't one of my favorite albums by Harrison.  The production isn't up to Harrison standards (and I mean the mix and sound, not his hoarse voice which I think adds a little charm to the tracks) and some of the songs sound a little rushed but some of my favorite songs are on this album.  I understand why critics pick on it a lot but critics don't listen to the album, they only hear it.  If you listen to this album and really follow the story, you'll find that it is a very strong, emotional and powerful album with a lot to offer in terms of meaningful impact.  A lot of us are dark horses running on dark race courses and maybe this album can help us come back from the deep waters we were plunged in to.  Give this album another look.  Take 40 minutes out of your day, plug in the headphones, pour a glass of wine and really listen to this album.  What it lacks in "wall of sound" production value, it makes up for in heart. 

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