5 Little-Known Tidbits Behind the Making of ‘Cloud Nine’, George Harrison’s Massive Comeback Album

Cloud Nine brought George Harrison roaring back into the limelight after years of playing the role of reticent star. Collaborating with Jeff Lynne of ELO, Harrison embraced a mainstream approach and scored a massive hit because of it.

Videos by American Songwriter

Several of the album’s songs have since become among the most beloved of the Harrison catalog. But you might not know everything that went on behind the scenes, including these five tidbits about the making of the album.

George’s All-Star Band

For the most part, Cloud Nine was very much a two-person affair. George Harrison and Jeff Lynne did the lion’s share of the writing, producing, and instrumental work on the record. Jim Keltner handled the bulk of the drumming as an unofficial third member of the team. But special guests did pop up now and then. For example, the title track featured an all-star band of sorts. Session legend Jim Horn plays the sax on the track. Elton John is there on piano. And Eric Clapton played the moody lead guitar that weaves through the track.

Eurythmical

Even though he wasn’t in the public eye much throughout the 80s, the idea that Harrison had become a shut-in of sorts was always overblown. As a matter of fact, he clearly kept his ears open to what was going on around him in the world of music. He spent time with the Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart when Stewart and Annie Lennox were touring to support their Revenge album in 1986. That experience helped influence the sound of “Devil’s Radio”, as Harrison dove back into more of a rocking mode than he’d inhabited in years.

From a Flop to a Hit

In terms of album releases, Harrison did indeed take five years between releasing Gone Troppo in 1982 and Cloud Nine in 1987. But he didn’t completely abandon music for that whole time. In 1986, Harrison continued his sideline career as a movie producer by throwing the weight of his Handmade Films company behind Shanghai Surprise, starring then-couple Sean Penn and Madonna. The film was a flop. But the soundtrack contained versions of “Breath Away From Heaven” and “Someplace Else”, ballads Harrison would re-record for Cloud Nine.

The Walrus Wasn’t Paul

“When We Was Fab” found Harrison embracing his Beatle roots more than he ever had before as a solo artist. With Jeff Lynne helping him out, he conjured a track that sounds very much like 1967-era Fab Four. He even coaxed Ringo Starr into delivering his signature drum fills. The video suggests that Paul McCartney contributed, thanks to the presence of a left-handed bass player in a walrus suit. The ever-cheeky Harrison even suggested in an interview that it was Macca, wearing the costume, because he was too shy to appear on camera. But McCartney was not hiding in plain sight, as prior commitments kept him from appearing in the video.

A Monumental Visit

When folks first heard “Got My Mind Set On You” blasting out of radio speakers in 1987, they assumed that Harrison was indulging his love of rockabilly in writing the track. Most found out soon enough that the song was actually a cover of a 1962 R&B track by James Ray. But fewer know that Harrison actually found the song during his first trip to America to visit his sister in 1963. That’s the time when Beatlemania was soaring in Great Britain but hadn’t yet gripped the US. It meant Harrison could do things like shop for records without being noticed.

Photo by Eugene Adebari/Shutterstock