Leng, the first author to write purely on Harrison's career rather than on his standing as a musical celebrity, considers "Dark Horse" to be a "remarkably revealing album" and writes: "Any voyeur who wanted to know the intimate details of his personal life didn't need to buy "National Enquirer", they just needed to hear this disc." While bemoaning the state of Harrison's voice and the "sonic patchwork" nature of the set, Leng notes that both "So Sad" and "Far East Man" were received positively when first released on albums by Alvin Lee & Mylon LeFevre and Ron Wood, respectively. The difference in winter 1974–75, Leng continues, was that, by championing Ravi Shankar's Indian music segments during the tour and neglecting his duties as an ex-Beatle in America, Harrison had "committed the cardinal counterculture sin – he had rejected 'rock 'n' roll'".