On this day in 1968, George Harrison became the first Beatle to release a solo album

In 1965 The Beatles discovered classical Indian music and were inspired by the instrumentation, and soon started using traditional Indian instruments on their own songs between 1966 and 1968. George Harrison was particularly taken by Indian culture and musical style and practiced with the instruments more than any other member. 

By 1968 Harrison was beginning to grow frustrated with the direction of the band, in particular with the creative domineering of Lennon and McCartney, and decided to work on solo compositions as a way of having his own musical output. This decision coincided with his deal with American filmmaker Joe Massot, whom he had met on the set of Help! in early 1965, to make the soundtrack for Massot’s film Wonderwall.  

With full artistic control, Harrison decided to use the opportunity to further showcase Indian musical style, recording in Bombay alongside some of the country’s best musicians and utilising a variety of traditional instruments, particularly more obscure ones than had been used with The Beatles. The album had no dialogue or vocals, bringing even more focus to the instrumentation. The music was carefully designed to match the film in terms of timing and mood, impressing Massot with the accuracy with which he illustrated and enhanced the on screen themes.

The album, titled Wonderwall Music was released on the 2nd of November, and would be the first release on The Beatles’ new label, Apple Records, as well as the first solo album from one of the band. Despite being predicted to perform poorly due to its lack of lyrics and its status as a soundtrack album, Wonderwall Music charted surprisingly well in the US, with a sixteen week run on the pop charts, peaking at number 49 in March of 1969. Critical reviews were overwhelmingly positive, praising Harrison for his choices of instrumentation and ability to perform outside of The Beatles. Perhaps most importantly, Harrison later regarded Wonderwall Music as his most enjoyable album to make.