George Harrison - Hari's On Tour (Express)

About "Hari's On Tour (Express)"

"Hari's on Tour (Express)" is an instrumental by English musician George Harrison, released as the opening track of his 1974 album Dark Horse. It was also the B-side of the album's second single – which was "Ding Dong, Ding Dong" in North America and most other territories, and "Dark Horse" in Britain and some European countries. Among Harrison's post-Beatles solo releases, the track is the first of only two genuine instrumentals he released from 1970 onwards – the other being the Grammy Award-winning "Marwa Blues", from his 2002 album Brainwashed.

Harrison recorded "Hari's on Tour" in April 1974 at a spontaneous session held at his home, Friar Park. A slide guitar-based composition, the track also features saxophonist Tom Scott and the latter's jazz-rock band L.A. Express, who were touring as Joni Mitchell's backing group at the time. It was the first Harrison song to feature Scott, who became a regular collaborator and served as band leader during Harrison's only series of concerts in North America, the highly publicised "Dark Horse Tour" with Ravi Shankar. "Hari's on Tour (Express)" was played as the opening number throughout this tour, over November and December 1974.

Although music critics and Harrison biographers have generally viewed the album track in an unfavourable light, several concert reviewers identified it as an effective opener for the shows. "Hari's on Tour" is one of only two songs from the 1974 tour to have been released officially, after a live version was included on the limited-edition Songs by George Harrison 2 EP in 1992. This live recording was taken from the Washington, DC stop on the tour, during which Harrison met with President Gerald Ford at the White House.