Wonderwall Music: George Harrison and the First Beatle Solo Album
You might expect the first Beatle solo album to be a big, splashy pop record. Instead, on November 1, 1968, George Harrison quietly released Wonderwall Music, a film soundtrack alive with shehnai, sarod and psychedelic rock. It was the first solo album by any member of the Beatles and the very first LP on the band's brand-new Apple label. Fifty-eight years later, it remains one of the most fascinating curiosities in any Beatles collection.
A Soundtrack for a Psychedelic Film
The music was written for Wonderwall, the debut feature from director Joe Massot. The film follows a lonely professor who becomes obsessed with his glamorous neighbor, a model named Penny Lane, played by Jane Birkin. With very little dialogue, the movie needed music to carry the mood, and Harrison's score filled that space.
He later described his approach as a chance to make what he called a "mini-anthology of Indian music." By then Harrison had fallen hard for Indian classical music, and the soundtrack gave him a way to share that passion with rock fans.
From Abbey Road to Bombay
Recording began at Abbey Road in late 1967, with more sessions elsewhere in London. Then, in January 1968, Harrison traveled to EMI's studios in Bombay (now Mumbai) to record local musicians on instruments such as the shehnai, sarod and santoor. Those sessions gave the album its exotic, dreamlike character.
The Western side of the record had its own surprises. The Liverpool band the Remo Four, featuring keyboardist Tony Ashton, played on several tracks. On the rocking "Ski-ing," Harrison was joined by Ringo Starr and Eric Clapton, whose appearance was credited under the playful pseudonym "Eddie Clayton."
The Bombay trip produced one more treasure. During those sessions Harrison also recorded the backing track for "The Inner Light," which ended up as the B-side of the Beatles' 1968 single "Lady Madonna."
A Cult Classic With a Long Reach
Wonderwall Music was never meant to be a blockbuster, though it did crack the top 50 on the U.S. album chart. Its influence turned out to be bigger than its sales. Its blend of rock and Indian sounds still feels adventurous today, and in 1995 Oasis borrowed the album's title for a Top 10 hit that introduced the name to a whole new generation.
For collectors, the album is a great reminder that the Beatles' solo story didn't begin with a bang, but with a bold experiment. It's a record that rewards a quiet evening, a good pair of headphones and an open mind, and it still sounds like nothing else in the Apple catalog.
Do you have Wonderwall Music in your collection? Tell us in the comments whether you own it on vinyl, CD or a later reissue, and which Beatle solo album you think is the most underrated.