The song originated during a period of romantic intrigue surrounding Harrison 's marriage to Pattie Boyd and Wood 's to his wife Krissie , which culminated in Boyd leaving Harrison for his and Wood 's mutual friend Eric Clapton . Wood recorded " Far East Man " in July 1974 at The Wick , his Surrey home that had also become an established meeting place for many leading rock musicians . Harrison sang and played slide guitar on this version , while other contributors included Wood 's Faces bandmate Ian MacLagan , Mick Taylor of the Rolling Stones , and drummer Andy Newmark . The Harrison recording took place at his Friar Park studio and features backing from Billy Preston , Tom Scott , Willie Weeks and Newmark , all of whom then played on his 1974 North American tour with Shankar . Opening with a spoken dedication to Frank Sinatra , the '' Dark Horse '' recording was marred by Harrison 's damaged singing voice – a result of his rushing to complete the album 's vocal parts in Los Angeles , while simultaneously rehearsing for the tour
1974 North American tour with Shankar
George Harrison and Ravi Shankar's 1974 North American tour
Far East Man