All Things Must Pass

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This article is about the album. For the song, see All Things Must Pass (song).
All Things Must Pass
Studio album by George Harrison
Released 27 November 1970
22 January 2001 (remaster)
Recorded 26 May 1970 – September 1970
Genre Rock
Length 105:59 (1970)
126:17 (2001)
Label Apple/EMI
Producer George Harrison
and Phil Spector
Professional reviews
George Harrison chronology
Electronic Sound
(1969)		 All Things Must Pass
(1970)		 The Concert for Bangla Desh
(1971)
Alternate cover
Cover of 2001 remaster
Cover of 2001 remaster
Singles from All Things Must Pass
  1. "My Sweet Lord"
    Released: January 15, 1971
  2. "What Is Life"
    Released: February 15, 1971
  3. "My Sweet Lord (re-release)"
    Released: January 14, 2002

All Things Must Pass is a triple album by George Harrison recorded and released after the break-up of The Beatles. The first triple album by a solo artist, the original vinyl release featured two records of rock songs, while the third, entitled "Apple Jam" was composed of informal jams led by Harrison with musician friends and other famous musicians.

Received as a masterpiece upon its 1970 unveiling, All Things Must Pass is widely considered to be one of the best albums made by a Beatle as a solo artist. It is certified 6x Platinum by the RIAA.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Background

The outpouring of the wealth of material on All Things Must Pass took many critics by surprise, with Harrison having long been overshadowed by the talents of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, despite the fact that some of his later period Beatles inclusions ("While My Guitar Gently Weeps," "Something," and "Here Comes the Sun") were hailed as highlights of their respective albums. Consequently, as Harrison had only placed just a few songs on any given Beatles album, he had amassed many compositions by their break-up, enabling him to release many of them simultaneously on All Things Must Pass.

Harrison had been accumulating the songs he recorded for the album as far back as 1966; both "The Art of Dying"[1] and "Isn't It a Pity"[2] date from that year. In bootlegged conversation from the Get Back sessions, Harrison revealed that John had rejected "Isn't It a Pity" three years before, and that he (Harrison) had considered offering the song to Frank Sinatra.[2] Harrison picked up several more songs in late 1968 while visiting Bob Dylan and The Band in Woodstock, New York. He and Dylan co-wrote "I'd Have You Anytime" and "Nowhere to Go" (also known as "When Everybody Comes to Town") at this time, and Dylan showed him "I Don't Want to Do It."[3] All three songs were attempted at some point in the sessions for All Things Must Pass, but only "I'd Have You Anytime" made the album.

The January 1969 "Get Back" sessions saw early appearances of several other songs that would be considered for All Things Must Pass, including the title track, "Hear Me Lord", "Isn't It a Pity", "Let It Down", and "Window, Window",[4] but nothing came of them at the time. The tense atmosphere fueled another song, "Wah-Wah", which Harrison wrote in the wake of his temporary departure from the band.[5] He began writing "My Sweet Lord" while touring with Delaney & Bonnie in late 1969,[6] and would later utilise their backing group "Friends" as an important part of the All Things Must Pass sound. He made one last detour before beginning work on All Things Must Pass, visiting Dylan while the latter was starting sessions for New Morning in May 1970, learning "If Not For You" and participating in a now-bootlegged session.[7]

[edit] Recording sessions

Recorded from May to August 1970 at Abbey Road Studios, and then further recording and mixing at Trident Studios from August to September 1970, Harrison enlisted the aid of Phil Spector to co-produce the album, giving All Things Must Pass a heavy and reverb-oriented sound, typical for a 1960s/1970s Spector production — but a sound Harrison would subsequently regret with the passage of time. In the electronic press kit that accompanies the 30th Anniversary reissue George is asked what he thinks of the album now thirty years later and he says, "...too much echo."

In late May 1970, before recording the album, Harrison sat in a studio with Spector and ran through fifteen songs on guitar, with occasional support from an unknown bass player. These demos (eventually bootlegged as Beware of ABKCO! due to an altered line in his performance of "Beware of Darkness") showed him in the process of weighing his material, as eight of the songs would be either substantially reworked or not appear on the finished album. Among these early outtakes, three have been officially released in one form or another: "Everybody, Nobody" was an early version of "The Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp", "Beautiful Girl" would be finished for Thirty Three & 1/3, and "I Don't Want to Do It" would wait fifteen years until being revisited for the soundtrack of Porky's Revenge. Five other songs, "Cosmic Empire", "Mother Divine", "Nowhere to Go," "Tell Me What Has Happened With You," and "Window, Window", have not seen official release.[8], along with other tracks such as "Gopala Krishna", "Dehradun" and "Cosmic Empire" that did not make the final cut.[9] Two demos of songs that did make the album, "Beware of Darkness" and "Let It Down" (with overdubs from 2000), would eventually be released on the remastered All Things Must Pass. Full discs of electric outtakes from the recording sessions would also leak on bootlegs in later years, and some of those tracks were also included in the remaster. Multiple takes of songs from the album appear on a bootleg three-disc box set The Making of All Things Must Pass along with other releases.

The album features the talents of Ringo Starr, members of Badfinger, Eric Clapton and the other members of Derek and the Dominos, future Yes drummer Alan White, keyboard players Billy Preston, Gary Brooker and Gary Wright, as well as a young, early-Genesis (then led by Peter Gabriel)( Phil Collins. Bob Dylan, a close friend of Harrison's, co-wrote "I'd Have You Anytime" with him, while Harrison covered Dylan's "If Not For You", which had been recently released on Dylan's New Morning album. Alan White stated that John Lennon may have played on "If Not For You."[10] Though uncredited, Maurice Gibb was also present in the recording session having been friends with Ringo Starr, and played keyboards on "Isn't It A Pity", though there is no definitive evidence as to which version. [11]

Bobby Whitlock recalls a very jovial and collaborative atmosphere at the sessions, as George Harrison "included everyone on everything he did because there was enough for all."[12]

[edit] Reaction and aftermath

All Things Must Pass' lead single was "My Sweet Lord", which proved an enormously popular recording, reaching #1 worldwide, and earned Harrison a copyright infringement suit from the publishers of The Chiffons's 1963 hit "He's So Fine" — a grievance that would not be settled for years. A judge later found that Harrison had unintentionally copied the earlier song; this prompted Harrison to later write "This Song". He also bought the publishing rights to "He's So Fine" to prevent future suits. The album itself reached #1 in the UK for eight weeks, and spent seven weeks at the top in the U.S., where it was certified six times platinum, making All Things Must Pass Harrison's most commercially successful and generally best-loved album.

Anglo-Australian pop singer Olivia Newton-John's cover of Harrison's "What Is Life" reached the UK top twenty in 1972. (The year before, she reached the top ten with a cover of Dylan's "If Not For You", arranged similarly to Harrison's version; in the US, her version became her first successful pop single, reaching #25. She would cover another song from All Things Must Pass, "Behind That Locked Door").

A remastered edition of All Things Must Pass, supervised by Harrison, was released in 2001, just months before his death; it contained bonus tracks, including a partially re-recorded additional version of "My Sweet Lord". It also included a newly colourised version of the originally monochrome cover. With the original version of the album being concurrently deleted, the remastered edition of All Things Must Pass is the only commercially available version of the release.

On July 29, 2006, The Official UK Charts company changed their records because there was a postal strike when the album had originally been on the charts. At the time, record retailers would send in documents saying how many records had been sold, but because of the strike they could not during an eight-week period in 1971. All Things Must Pass, which had originally peaked at number 4 (with Simon and Garfunkel's Bridge Over Troubled Water at number one), now has been given the number one spot for all eight weeks.[13]

In 2003, the album was ranked number 437 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

[edit] 2001 re-release

In 2000, George Harrison personally oversaw the remastering of All Things Must Pass - the beginning of a re-issue project that was to see all his albums refurbished. Harrison lived long enough only to witness All Things Must Pass' re-release in January 2001 on his own GN Records imprint, distributed by EMI.

Besides the colourfully re-imagined cover art, the two studio albums have been split across the two CDs, with bonus material appearing at the end of the first disc, and the "Apple Jam" - with an adjusted sequence - concluding the second disc.

Harrison participated in Web chats and magazine interviews to promote the reissue. It was a big seller, reaching No. 4 in Billboard's Pop Catalog Chart as well as sparking a critical reconsideration of Harrison's greatest work and solo career as a whole. After Harrison's death in November, 2001, the reissue returned to the upper regions of the same catalog chart.

[edit] Track listing

[edit] Original release

All songs written and composed by George Harrison, except where noted. 

Side One
# Title Notes Length
1. "I'd Have You Anytime" (George Harrison/Bob Dylan)   2:56
2. "My Sweet Lord"     4:38
3. "Wah-Wah"   Thanks to the O'Hara-Smith Singers, Cyril, Betty, and Tommy Boy 5:35
4. "Isn't It a Pity (Version 1)"   Originally written in 1966 7:08
Side Two
# Title Notes Length
1. "What Is Life"     4:22
2. "If Not for You" (Bob Dylan)   3:29
3. "Behind That Locked Door"   Written for Bob Dylan following his performance at the Isle of Wight 3:05
4. "Let It Down"   Written and performed during the Get Back sessions 4:57
5. "Run of the Mill"     2:49
Side Three
# Title Notes Length
1. "Beware of Darkness"     3:48
2. "Apple Scruffs"   Written about the Apple Records groupies nicknamed "Apple scruffs" 3:04
3. "Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll)"   Frankie Crisp was the original proprietor of Harrison's mansion Friar Park 3:46
4. "Awaiting on You All"     2:45
5. "All Things Must Pass"     3:44
Side Four
# Title Notes Length
1. "I Dig Love"     4:55
2. "Art of Dying"   Features 19-year-old Phil Collins on percussion 3:37
3. "Isn't It a Pity (Version 2)"     4:45
4. "Hear Me Lord"     5:46
Side Five (Apple Jam)
# Title Notes Length
1. "Out of the Blue" (Jim Gordon/Carl Radle/Bobby Whitlock/Eric Clapton/Gary Wright/George Harrison/Jim Price/Bobby Keys/Al Aronowitz)   11:14
2. "It's Johnny's Birthday" (Based upon "Congratulations" - Bill Martin/Phil Coulter) Recorded in August 1970 with Ringo Starr and presented to John Lennon on his 30th birthday 0:49
3. "Plug Me In" (Jim Gordon/Carl Radle/Bobby Whitlock/Eric Clapton/Dave Mason/George Harrison)   3:18
Side Six (Apple Jam)
# Title Notes Length
1. "I Remember Jeep" (Ginger Baker/Klaus Voormann/Billy Preston/Eric Clapton/George Harrison) Uses white noise from Harrison's 1969 Electronic Sound album track "No Time or Space". "Jeep" was the name of Clapton's dog that had been stolen 8:07
2. "Thanks for the Pepperoni" (Gordon/Radle/Whitlock/Clapton/Mason/Harrison)   5:31

[edit] 2001 remaster

All songs written and composed by George Harrison, except where noted. 

Disc One
# Title Notes Length
1. "I'd Have You Anytime" (George Harrison/Bob Dylan)   2:56
2. "My Sweet Lord"     4:38
3. "Wah-Wah"     5:35
4. "Isn't It a Pity (Version 1)"     7:09
5. "What Is Life"     4:22
6. "If Not for You" (Bob Dylan)   3:29
7. "Behind That Locked Door"     3:05
8. "Let It Down"     4:57
9. "Run of the Mill"     2:49
10. "I Live for You"   New vocal and instrumentation from George and Dhani in 2000, alongside Pete Drake's 1970 steel guitar 3:35
11. "Beware of Darkness"   An acoustic run-through of the song recorded on 27 May 1970 3:19
12. "Let It Down"   An acoustic run-through of the song recorded on 27 May 1970, with a keyboard overdub effected in 2000 3:54
13. "What Is Life"   An early mix of the song's backing track on 9 August 1970 with piccolo trumpet and oboe 4:27
14. "My Sweet Lord (2000)"   A re-working of the original recording with new overdubs in 2000, including backing vocal from Sam Brown 4:57
Disc Two
# Title Length
1. "Beware of Darkness"   3:48
2. "Apple Scruffs"   3:04
3. "Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll)"   3:46
4. "Awaiting on You All"   2:45
5. "All Things Must Pass"   3:44
6. "I Dig Love"   4:55
7. "Art Of Dying"   3:37
8. "Isn't It a Pity (Version 2)"   4:45
9. "Hear Me Lord"   5:46
10. "It's Johnny's Birthday" (Based upon "Congratulations" - Martin/Coulter) 0:49
11. "Plug Me In" (Gordon/Radle/Whitlock/Clapton/Mason/Harrison) 3:18
12. "I Remember Jeep" (Baker/Voormann/Preston/Clapton/Harrison) 8:07
13. "Thanks for the Pepperoni" (Gordon/Radle/Whitlock/Clapton/Mason/Harrison) 5:31
14. "Out of the Blue" (Gordon/Radle/Whitlock/Clapton/Wright/Harrison/Price/Keys/Aronowitz) 11:16

[edit] Personnel

The following musicians are credited on the 2001 release:

[edit] Cover versions

[edit] Charts

[edit] Albums

Country Charts (1970)
Peak position Weeks
Canada 1 (10) 32
Norway 1 (9) 30
Australia 1 (8)
United States 1 (7) 38
United Kingdom 1 (8) 24
Italy 1 (2)
Japan 4 11
Finland 10
Country Charts (2001 Reissue)
Peak position Weeks
Japan 46 2
France 68 5
United Kingdom 68 2

[edit] Singles

Year Single UK US CH DE AU NO IE JP SE
1971 "My Sweet Lord"/ "Isn't It a Pity"[14] 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 4 -
1971 "What Is Life"/ "Apple Scruffs" -[15] 10 1 - 4 7 - 19 -
2002 "My Sweet Lord" (Reissue) 1 94 69 - - 18 - 96 56

[edit] References

  1. ^ Leng, Simon (2003). The Music of George Harrison: While My Guitar Gently Weeps. London: Firefly Publishing. pp. 71. ISBN 0-946719-50-0. 
  2. ^ a b Sulpy, Doug; and Schweighardt, Ray (1997). Get Back: The Unauthorized Chronicle of The Beatles' Let It Be Disaster. New York: St. Martin's Griffin. pp. 269. ISBN 0-312-19981-3. 
  3. ^ Leng, Simon. 2003. The Music of George Harrison: While My Guitar Gently Weeps. p. 32.
  4. ^ Unterberger, Richie (2006). The Unreleased Beatles: Music & Film. San Francisco: Backbeat Books. pp. 231–232. ISBN 0-87930-892-3. 
  5. ^ Leng, Simon. 2003. The Music of George Harrison: While My Guitar Gently Weeps. p. 60.
  6. ^ Leng, Simon. 2003. The Music of George Harrison: While My Guitar Gently Weeps. p. 45.
  7. ^ Leng, Simon. 2003. The Music of George Harrison: While My Guitar Gently Weeps. p. 50.
  8. ^ Unterberger, Richie. 2006. The Unreleased Beatles: Music & Film. p. 286-288
  9. ^ "The Music of George Harrison: While My Guitar Gently Weeps", Simon Leng, p. 54, SAF Publishing Ltd, 2002, ISBN 094671950
  10. ^ Tiano, Mike. "Alan White & The Beatles". Notes From The Edge. http://www.nfte.org/interviews/AW_Lennon.html. Retrieved on 2007-12-04. 
  11. ^ http://www.columbia.edu/~brennan/beegees/1970.html
  12. ^ Bobby Whitlock interview
  13. ^ "Number one for Harrison at last". icLiverpool. http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100regionalnews/tm_objectid=17476343&method=full&siteid=50061&headline=number-one-for-harrison-at-last-name_page.html. Retrieved on 2007-12-04. 
  14. ^ In the United Kingdom, "My Sweet Lord" was released as a double-A-side single with "What Is Life"
  15. ^ In the United Kingdom, "What Is Life"was released as a B-Side of a single "My Sweet Lord".

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Abraxas by Santana		 Billboard 200 number-one album
January 2, 1971 – February 19, 1971		 Succeeded by
Jesus Christ Superstar by Original Cast
Preceded by
Pendulum
by Creedence Clearwater Revival		 Australian Kent Music Report number-one album
March 22, 1971 – May 16, 1971		 Succeeded by
Pearl by Janis Joplin
v • d • e
George Harrison
Studio albums
Live albums
Soundtracks
Experimental albums
Compilations
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GeorgeHarrison.com
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