Why George Harrison Was “Fed Up” With the Music Industry in the 1980s

Everybody, well, mainly everybody, seemingly knows the name George Harrison. He is one of the most famous guitar players of all time, and a former member of the most famous band of all time, The Beatles. Harrison was an innovator, a trailblazer, and a musician who extensively experimented with a plethora of different sounds. One decade of music that isn’t known for this type of musical experimentation—The 1980s.

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By the time the 1980s rolled around, Harrison was well underway in his solo career. Specifically, Harrison had released acclaimed albums, All Things Must Pass, Living in the Material World, Dark Horse, as well as three others. Harrison was cranking out music, but in the 80s, he cut that number in half, as he only released three solo albums during the decade. Matter of fact, Harrison took a five-year hiatus between the albums Gone Troppo and Cloud Nine.

There is no definitive reason as to why Harrison’s musical production slowed down, and we aren’t here to assume. However, in a 1980s interview with Guitar Player Magazine, Harrison divulged his displeasure with the business antics and redundant musical tropes of the decade.

Similar Sounds and in the Box Thinking: George Harrison’s Reasons

Regarding his irritation, Harrison told the publication, “I was fed up with the record business, which was partially, I suppose, my own fault because I just got tired of having all of the responsibility and not having somebody else to bounce off of-but also partially because of the way it was going,” per Guitar World, via Showbiz Cheat Sheet.

In terms of the music, Harrison further explained his displeasure by stating, “Of course, there’s stuff now that I do like; I mean, there’s always been some good stuff that I enjoyed. But the mass of stuff, it all just sounds the same to me…I just got so sick of it.”

George Harrison’s grievances with the 80s music industry seemingly revolved around two main themes: categorization and redundancy. And as we know through both past comments and his diverse music, Harrison is not a fan of either of those things. He attested to that fact in the interview by saying, “Just all this marketing thing—how everything has to be a certain way, otherwise you don’t have a chance of getting it on the radio.”

Luckily, Harrison got to break away from this mold when he released his 1987 album, Cloud Nine. Furthermore, he also got the chance to work collaboratively once again, as he released the 1988 album, Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1, in 1988.

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