Right from 1970 onward, George Harrison has always made his albums with great songcraft and care. This box, while not perfect, delivers on many different levels and should be in the music library of all George Harrison fans as well as more-casual Beatles fans.

The DVD and book it is housed in are simply magnificent. How great is it to see footage of George live in Japan in 1991 with Eric Clapton! Seeing him play a stinging slide on tracks such as "Cheer Down" and "Cloud Nine" remind of his unbelievable talent.

(If only he had toured more than he did. But that's another story.)

The book is crafted, again with care, with beautiful and rare photographs and an interesting collage of news clippings from the era of 1974, when he launched Dark Horse Records. The notes by Rolling Stone's David Fricke help complete the package.

Of course, it is mostly about the music. The six albums are all wonderfully remastered, with CD booklets containing awesome rarely seen photos. Much more complete than the original CD reissues of the early 1990s.

Music-wise, the clean sound helps really bring home the sheer brilliance and multi-layered ear candy that are "This Song," "Beautiful Girl," "It's What You Value" from 1976's 33 1/3; "Love Comes to Everyone," "Blow Away" and "If You Believe," from 1979's self-titled album; "Mystical One" and "Unknown Delight" from the highly underrated Gone Troppo. There isn't enough time to go into the gems on 1987's Cloud Nine, or to run down the career-spanning gems delivered live with Eric Clapton on the Live in Japan SACD (Don't worry, it also plays on a standard CD player).

A slight negative is the lack and variety of bonus tracks: Almost all George Harrison fans know about the travesty of Somewhere in England, and the four rejected songs. One of those, strangely enough, is a bonus track on the excellent 33 1/3. But the other three are nowhere to be found. CAPITOL, PLEASE REMEMBER SONGS SUCH AS "Flying Hour," "Lay His Head" and "Sat Singing" ON ANY FUTURE ANTHOLOGY (WHICH HAS BEEN LONG-RUMORED)... Too bad "Cheer Down" didn't make it either. But at least there IS the Live in Japan version!

The olive green box with the distinctive top-opening lid is so beautiful, too. The 1974 photo of George, amid the leaves of God's nature which he adored, and the stunning Dark Horse logo really are awe-inspiring for Harrison fans and should open the eyes, and ears, of many other music fans who have always been reluctant to give the "Quiet Beatle" his due as a solo act.

The timing of this release also is great, following the acclaimed "Brainwashed" and "Concert for George" DVD (both highly recommended) and his Grammy for the pop instrumental "Marwa Blues." His induction in March into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a soloist can only help shine the light of awareness on even more people! To that, I can only say, "It's about time!" God Bless You George, Olivia and Dhani for this wonderful treasure that I will always cherish!!!

After briefly being in print on CD in the early '90s only to disappear soon after, MOST of George's ouput on Dark Horse records is finally available again in beautifully-remastered sound and impressive packaging.

Each of the six albums represented in this box are available individually but, let's face it. A true Harrison fan will want the whole shebang. In addition to the original albums, the box includes a great little booklet with commentary by Olivia Harrison and David Fricke and an exclusive DVD.

Any further details concerning this set would be redundant, but there are a couple of issues that need to be addressed, most importantly the absence of the three "new" tracks from the still-out-of-print _The Best of Dark Horse(1976-1989)_ ("Poor Little Girl", "Cheer Down", and "Cockamamie Business"). Is it safe to assume that we'll have to buy _Best of Dark Horse_ when and if it's reissued just for those three great songs???

Then there's the issue of tracks from "Shanghai Surprise". The title track of the movie along with the rollicking "Zig Zag" (originally the B-side of "When We Was Fab") are presented as bonus tracks on _Cloud 9_, but what of "The Hottest Gang in Town", which is featured on the DVD? It's just as good as "Zig Zag" and far surpasses "Shanghai Surprise" but yet was left off.

Finally, there's the previously-addressed issue of _Somewhere in England_. If George saw fit to reissue it with the original, rejected cover then why didn't he include the four "lost" tunes as bonus tracks?! Yes, "Tears of the World" is a bonus track on _33 & 1/3_, but it doesn't belong there! (That's just me being nitpicky. Sorry!) Perhaps an additional bonus disc of the long-gone _Songs by George Harrison_ EP would have been appropriate for this box.

Oh well. What we DO have here is a good chunk of the most underrated Beatle solo music in one tidy package. Overall, the quality of this collection outweighs any faults. Purchase and enjoy!

Why must the music industry continually attempt to rip-off the fans??

This box set is an ABSOLUTE RIP-OFF!

Thankfully,each album IS available seperately. As for the DVD,read below.

The good news is some of the discs include new/original art concepts. "Somewhere In England" now uses the original photo collage cover. "Cloud Nine" uses an alternate back cover photo.

The "bonus" tracks,on each CD,are nothing more than DEMOS. What happened to the known unreleased songs? Such as "Flying Time","Lay His Head" & "Sat Singing"? Where are "Cockamamie Business","Poor Little Girl",and "Cheer Down" from the "Best of

As for the DVD it too is INCOMPLETE. Spending more time on "Live In Japan",and being sure to include BOTH versions of "Got My Mind Set On You"...instead of including "True Love","Blow Away","All Those Years Ago",and "Dream Away".Why not just release a Harrison Music Video DVD? ( and include the pre-Dark Horse videos too! )

I love George's music,particularly "33 & a 1/3",but this set leaves a lot to be desired,especially considering the cost! Buy the discs individually,at your leisure,and give the karmic finger to those who wish to rip you off!

This music is about melody, beauty, outstanding guitar craft, and escaping from the world of illusion. George Harrison was always dissed by the muzo press because he told the truth about himself, them and the whole slimy music biz. This is REAL music.

I agree with Music Fan from mid-Atlantic USA about the skimpy liner notes - it's funny that "Rolling Stone" (David Fricke writes for them) always slaughtered Harrison's music after "Material World" - now they love him! The liner notes that guy wants to read are in the book "The Music Of George Harrison" by Simon Leng.

First of all, I really appreciate George Harrison. By all accounts, he was always trying to live, do and be right. His music is a testimony to this. Few other real rock stars are singing songs about life in God (or god...he sings about both).

The Dark Horse Years is a great way to find out who George was within his music. Honestly, much of this music is plagued with an 80's sound...but that doesn't, for me at least, negate the songs lyrically or musically. In spite the 80's sound, George Harrison's rarely acknowleged talent comes bursting through on every song. "Gone Troppo" is my favorite of the albums within this set. George sounds like he feels good on this album. You can hear it. All other albums in this set are very enjoyable. The videos are good,too, and you get to hear George discuss how some of his songs came about.

The "Live in Japan" cd is excellent and fresh. Eric Clapton and George Harrison are a truly powerful duo. You also get to witness some of this on the video.

If you are a die-hard Beatle fan, The Dark Horse Years is for you. Ringo is on many songs, too.

One of the best things about this set of music is that it is the actual albums for these years. Songs are presented on each album in the order they were originally meant to be heard or in the order we are used to hearing them. Why aren't more artist compilations like this?

2 other albums that are essential to round out the George Harrison collection: "All Things Must Pass" and "Living In a Material World."