George Harrison thrived whenever folks underestimated him the most. When The Beatles broke up, the “Quiet Beatle” outperformed his more-renowned bandmates with his first solo album All Things Must Pass. And when people wrote off his solo career in the ’80s, he delivered the smash Cloud Nine, which put him back on top of the pop charts against all odds.
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Cloud Nine proved a confident, exciting artistic statement, one that combined classic rock and roll songcraft with sharp production. But it might not have occurred in quite the same manner if Harrison hadn’t hooked up with a simpatico producer who happened to know a thing or two about writing pop hits.
A Dark Horse Rides Again
When news sprang in 1987 that Harrison was making a new solo album, the rock and roll world wasn’t exactly shaken to the core. Yes, he was an ex-Beatle, so that would always carry weight. But he had shown little interest in going all-in with his solo career since the early ’70s. Harrison hadn’t toured in a decade, and he did less than the minimum in promoting Gone Troppo, his listless 1982 album that came and went without making much impact.
Now here he was five years later, trying to compete in a vastly changed music scene. But he had a secret weapon. After appearing at a benefit with him, Harrison sent word to Jeff Lynne to ask if Lynne might consider producing the ex-Beatle. Lynne was considering walking away from music after shuttering Electric Light Orchestra, the hitmaking group he had fronted to massive success. But the chance to work with one of his idols was too tempting to pass up.
Lynne worked pretty much side-by-side with the artist at Harrison’s home studio in his Friar’s Park estate in England. Harrison brought songs he had written for the project, but the two also wrote a few together, most notably “When We Was Fab.” The two built up most of the songs together, with drummer Jim Keltner often providing the foundation.
From there, overdubs were added by famous friends like Eric Clapton, Elton John, and Ringo Starr. At one session, Harrison and company started playing along to a drum sample of Keltner’s. They started in on the chords to the long-lost ’60s song “Got My Mind Set on You.” Little did they know they were creating a chart-topping single.
A Full Cloud
Cloud Nine found Harrison singing and performing with vigor and effervescence, qualities that had long seemed missing from his records. Songs like “Wreck of the Hesperus,” “Fish on the Sand,” and “Devil’s Radio” rocked with amiable good humor. Harrison also displayed his introspective leanings on feathery ballads “Someplace Else” and “Just for Today.” “This is Love” and “That’s What It Takes” split the difference with lush mid-tempo melodies.
The fact Harrison reached back into his Beatle bag also thrilled his fans. The title track sounded like the horn players from “Savoy Truffle” had been waiting in the studio for 20 years for their callback. And “When We Was Fab” managed to honor the Beatle years without taking them too seriously.
The album proved to be the gift that kept on giving. Harrison called in some old buddies to record a B-side for the single release of “This Is Love.” That song was held back. Instead, “Handle with Care” turned out to be the lead single from a little supergroup called the Traveling Wilburys.
Sadly, health problems and a terrible stabbing incident in a home invasion made it difficult for Harrison to properly follow the album up. His next studio release, also made with Lynne’s help, was the posthumous Brainwashed, which didn’t arrive until 2002. That album carries many of the same charms as Cloud Nine, which build upon George Harrison’s estimable legacy and left the doubters in awe.
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