Customer Rating:      Summary: My favorite GH album Comment: I have a confession to make: When Harrison passed away back in 2001, I didn't think too much of it because I wasn't introduced to George Harrison until a co-worker (die hard fan of the beatles) played some of his songs to me. Then about 2 years ago I bought one GH album because I thought he was good. Then I purchased 2 more because I thought he was great. Now I have about 6 GH albums including Cloud Nine, so right now George Harrison is one of my favorite singers. Not so much of the fact that he was a beatle, rather, his post-beatle music, leader of the traveling wilbury's and might I add a fine man. Granted it took me a while to get to know George and all of his hard work, but once I did I considered him as one of my favorite singers.
The songs on this album I rate as favorites of mine:
1. Got my mind set on you
2. devil's radio
3. zig-zag
4. this is love
Bottom line, I'm glad I have this album and I'm glad that I've gotten the opportunity to learn about George Harrison. Thanks George!
Customer Rating:      Summary: Ultra-kill Comment: Cloud Nine is a likeable album that's also slightly melancholic. The music is professionally-constructed adult pop that would sound great on a long car journey, and I have no doubt that George Harrison was thrilled with it, and that the album was exactly what he wanted. It's much poppier and less pretentious than Harrison's earlier work, and slightly less interesting because of it. There's absolutely nothing about Krishna consciousness, and he doesn't try to sing about the human condition, or the problems that face the world; the album is a collection of vague love songs, with the exception of "When We Was Fab", which is a parody of The Rutles.
Way back in the 1970s Harrison was often criticised for sticking to a formula. His songs tended to have gloomy minor-key mid-tempo arrangements with slide guitar. The slide guitar is still present in Cloud Nine, but the songs are generally upbeat and often cheerful, which would have been unthinkable circa 1973. His voice has matured well and it is a shame he didn't record it more often. As any fule kno, this was George's first record for ages, and his last record until he died; he hid in a tree and sniped the 1980s. Headshot.
None of the songs are bad. "That's What it Takes" sticks out, because it sounds like The Thompson Twins or Cutting Crew, but on that level it works well. Compared to something from All Things Must Past it is cheesy, but All Things Must Past was seventeen years old in 1987. Most of the people buying Cloud Nine would have no memory of it. "Got My Mind Set on You" is one of those guilty pleasures that works best in short bursts. I'll put it this way; if you were listening to the album in your car, you'd nod your head to "Got My Mind", and sing along, but you'd make sure that it was not playing when you pulled in to the driveway. You'd skip to "Fish on the Sand" or the title track, both of which are fab. In fact the title track is a grower, and has the best guitar playing of all.
The production has dated, but well. It's definitely late-80s, but not cheesy late-80s, with the exception of some synth stabs on "This is Love". The drums reverberate in the Phil Collins style, and the arrangements are ultraprofessional and a bit fussy, but likeable. It's interesting to compare the album with Paul McCartney's Press to Play, which came out the year before. Conceptually, the two albums are similar; they are both big-budget late-80s pop records that were produced on huge automated digital mixing desks in top studios. Whereas Press to Play is offensively excessive, excessively offensive, tasteless, hollow, and smug, Cloud Nine is generally low-key, catchy, toe-tapping, tasteful, a bit shallow, but pleasant.
It's also interesting to compare Cloud Nine with David Bowie's Never Let Me Down, which came out the same year, but I am too tired for that.
In summary, Cloud Nine will never be on anybody's "ten best rock albums of all time" list, indeed it will probably never be on anybody's "ten best rock albums of 1987" list - it falls between too many stools - but I like it, and that's what counts.
Customer Rating:      Summary: Music that shares what's in our hearts Comment: From the first note to the last, this is an exceptional recording. The compositions, lyrics, rhythm section and soloists all shine throughout. George Harrison's voice has rarely sounded better. And he's as clean a bottleneck guitar player as anyone I've heard. The sound quality of the recording couldn't be improved upon.
These performances come from the hearts of musicians famous for their ability to wear their hearts on their sleeves. Essential listening for all pop music fans.
Customer Rating:      Summary: OH! the pleasant memories! Comment: When I was a baby , my mother brought home an album that would begin my love for music, the album was "All things must pass" , little did either one of us know was it would be mine at the young age of six , it was an album that never left me and I still listen to it now and even during my teen years in th eighties when it wasn't cool by my peers to listen to such a relic at that time. So lets go back to 1987 the year of the release of "Cloud Nine". I was 17 and it was to be my senior year of high school onward to 1988 , this was a Xmas present from a friend , and not only was this great , this album too stuck with me . these songs bring back so many memories this would be the soundtrack to my final year of high school , as well as a farewell to those things at that time that "MUST PASS AWAY". George truly shined on this album and it was a shame he was never again to repeat such an effort. Now I am preparing for my 20 year high school reunion, where I will truly be a "Fish out of sand", with memories of a girl I will have my mind set on, and if "just for one night" my old friends and I regroup like "We were Fab", then like the music of this album I will truly be on "CLOUD NINE".
Customer Rating:      Summary: GH fan Comment: After being a movie producer for a few years George finally got back to what he does best. Great Harrison release for fans or even a great 80s CD.
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