Gone Troppo, George Harrison’s tenth solo album, was released in the United States on 8 November 1982.
It was released on his Dark Horse label, and included the singles ‘Wake Up My Love’, ‘I Really Love You’, and ‘Dream Away’.
Gone Troppo was released without fanfare on 5 November 1982 in the UK, and three days later in the US.
With the album, Harrison fulfilled his contractual obligations to Warner Bros, the distributors of his Dark Horse releases. Harrison refused to promote Gone Troppo, grant interviews, or make videos for its two singles, and Warners were similarly unwilling to get behind the release, placing no press advertisements to inform record buyers about the album.
As such, it was scarcely surprising that it failed to trouble the charts. It did peak at number 31 in Norway, but in the UK it failed to chart at all. In Canada it reached number 98, and on the US Billboard 200 it went no higher than 108.
When I did my last album, Gone Troppo, at that period I felt that I had done so many things in the past, and I didn’t feel, you know, I never really spent time promoting that record, and I didn’t really give the record company much help, put it that way. But at the same time, the record business was going, it seemed – from the way I could see it – to be going through all these strange things that had happened since…
Rolling Stone, August 1987
Also on this day...
- 2024: Paul McCartney live: Estadio BBVA, Guadalupe
- 2018: Paul McCartney live: Nagoya Dome, Nagoya
- 2017: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Parker Playhouse, Fort Lauderdale
- 2016: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Neal S Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu
- 2013: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Estadio Luna Park, Buenos Aires
- 2011: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Estadio Luna Park, Buenos Aires
- 2005: Paul McCartney live: HP Pavilion, San Jose
- 1993: UK album release: Paul Is Live by Paul McCartney
- 1989: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Yokohama Arena, Yokohama
- 1989: Paul McCartney live: Rotterdam Ahoy, Rotterdam
- 1975: Wings live: Hordern Pavilion, Sydney
- 1974: George Harrison live: Oakland Arena, Oakland
- 1968: George Harrison produces Is This What You Want? by Jackie Lomax
- 1968: John and Cynthia Lennon are divorced
- 1966: Mixing: She Loves You
- 1965: Recording: Beatle Speech, Think For Yourself, The Beatles’ Third Christmas Record
- 1964: The Beatles live: Empire Theatre, Liverpool
- 1963: The Beatles live: Ritz Cinema, Belfast
- 1962: The Beatles live: Star-Club, Hamburg
- 1961: The Beatles live: Cavern Club, Liverpool (evening)
- 1960: The Beatles live: Kaiserkeller, Hamburg
Want more? Visit the Beatles history section.
I remember seeing dozens of copies of this in the discount “cut-out” bins in the local record shops and department stores back then. No one wanted it. We all figured that if George didn’t bother to promote it, it wasn’t worth getting.