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Digger,
in his retrospective fashion, reviews George Harrison's 1970s masterpiece All Things Must
Pass
Following George Harrison's untimely death last year, I decided to revisit his most
acclaimed album, which was re-released before his sad demise, and to reconsider George's
contributions to our musical well-being. The review copy of the CD was kindly provided by www.octipas.com
This article is the intellectual property of www.retrosellers.com and cannot be
reproduced without express permission.
Photograph © Strato
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This album was, as the famous phrase goes, digitally remastered in 2001. Of course, this
was in its new manifestation as a 2 CD package. With typical wit, George had taken the
opportunity to have some fun with the original graphics as well as giving us some
insightful and exhaustive sleeve notes. And we got some obligatory bonus tracks.
All, bar one Dylan song and one collaboration between George and Bob, are Harrison
compositions. There was a great deal of fuss made about this album in 1970, and rightly
so. George had been living in his big brother's shadow, figuratively speaking naturally,
for most of the sixties. John Lennon and Paul McCartney were an impossible act to beat if
you were looking for recognition as a song-writing talent. And, strangely, the
musicianship of the individual Beatles, whilst not in question, was never as strongly
recognised as it was with other bands. It took the split of The Beatles for people to see
what a force George was (and had been during his involvement with The Beatles). The
quality of the songs, the playing and production on this album made it a milestone and
certainly made people sit up and take note.
George was already admired by his peers as one of our greatest guitarists, and he had
friends such as Eric Clapton, the ill-fated and talented Badfinger boys Pete Ham and Tom
Evans, Ringo, Dave Mason and producer Phil Spector to draw on. So good was this album that
people almost immediately started looking back and 'discovering' that it was George who
wrote Something (and not Lennon & McCartney as Sinatra wrongly assumed when he
recorded it), that it was George who provided the innovatory feedback on I Feel Fine and
the mystical impetus for the Sergeant Pepper period. George had come out of the shadows.
The album reflects George's life-time preoccupations with love, self-awareness and
spiritual fulfilment, but it is not a heavy, corny or dated album. It's an amalgam of fun,
melodious and beautiful tunes, thoughtful lyrics and is, in effect, George's Sergeant
Pepper. I find it ironic that it appeared so soon after the split - almost like an 'I told
you so' and brilliant timing from George.
What don't I like about the album? The new version of My Sweet Lord, with sixties rocker
Joe Brown's daughter Sam on vocals, may appeal to some. But I prefer the original. There's
also an extra backing track to What Is Life and this serves no purpose from what I can
see, unless one wants to indulge in a spot of Karaoke. It's even odder because George's
muffled tones can be heard in the opening bars.
Despite us all knowing how ill he was, when the news broke that George had died last year,
I cried. Why was that? It was because I had the previous day been watching a re-run of a
Ready Steady Go episode where he was interviewed by Cathy McGowan and was hysterically
witty in that dry way that only George could be. And, when he died, I knew we had lost a
great British statesman, comedian, musician, philanthropist, visionary, champion and hero.
This album represents George's best work and his spirit. Every home should have one.
ALL THINGS MUST PASS
CD 1
1. I'd Have You Anytime
2. My Sweet Lord
3. Wah-Wah
4. Isn't It A Pity
5. What Is Life
6. If Not For You
7. Behind That Locked Door
8. Let It Down
9. Run Of The Mill
Additional Tracks:
10. I Live For You
11. Beware Of Darkness
12. Let It Down
13. What Is Life
14. My Sweet Lord (2000)
CD 2
1. Beware Of Darkness
2. Apple Scruffs
3. Ballad Of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll)
4. Awaiting On You All
5. All Things Must Pass
6. I Dig Love
7. Art Of Dying
8. Isn't It A Pity (Version 2)
9. Hear Me Lord
Original jam:
10. It's Johnny's Birthday
11. Plug Me In
12. I Remember Jeep
13. Thanks For The Pepperoni
14. Out Of The Blue
This article is the intellectual property of www.retrosellers.com and cannot be
reproduced without express permission.
Photograph © Strato
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