 In its 13 February 1975 issue , Rolling Stone magazine derided George Harrison 's North American tour with Ravi Shankar over November – December 1974 , and the accompanying Dark Horse album , as " disastrous " . Previously viewed as " the surprise winner of the ex @-@ Beatle sweepstakes " , in the words of author Nicholas Schaffner – the dark horse – Harrison had disappointed many fans of his former group by failing to acknowledge the Beatles ' legacy , both in the content of his 1974 shows and in his dealings with the media . In addition , his commitment to launching his Dark Horse record label had left Harrison rushing to finish the album while rehearsing for the concerts ; as a result , he contracted laryngitis and sang hoarse on much of the recordings and throughout the tour . While Dark Horse sold well initially in America , it failed to place at all on Britain 's top 50 albums chart . 
