Gone Troppo

Although George Harrison's solo career had faded from its early promise, through 1981 he could be counted on to turn in a gold-selling, Top 20 album containing a Top 20 single every year or so. Then came the disastrous Gone Troppo, a half-baked affair led by the minor single "Wake Up My Love" that failed to make the Top 100 LPs. Clearly, Harrison could no longer treat his musical career as a part-time stepchild to his interests in car racing and movie producing if he wanted to maintain it. As it turned out, he didn't; this was his last album for five years. — William Ruhlmann