Due to the extended recording period, "Living in the Material World" was issued at the end of a busy Apple release schedule, with April and May 1973 having already been set aside for the Beatles compilations "1962–1966" and "1967–1970" and for Paul McCartney & Wings' second album, "Red Rose Speedway". Schaffner recorded in his book "The Beatles Forever": "For a while there ... album charts were reminiscent of the golden age of Beatlemania." Preceding Harrison's long-awaited release was the acoustic single "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)", which became his second number 1 hit in the United States. This was accompanied by a billboard and print advertising campaign, including a three-panel poster combining the album's front and back covers, and an Apple publicity photo showing Harrison, now free of the heavy beard familiar from the "All Things Must Pass"–Concert for Bangladesh era, with his hand outstretched, mirroring Wilkes' album cover image.