All Things Must Pass

Product Description:

Includes 5 bonus tracks.

Personnel: George Harrison (vocals, guitar); Sam Brown (vocals); Dhani Harrison (acosutic guitar, Fender Rhodes piano, background vocals); Badfinger (guitar, percussion); Dave Mason, Eric Clapton (guitar); Pete Drake (pedal steel guitar); Bobby Keys (tenor saxophone); Jim Price (trumpet); Billy Preston, Gary Wright, Bobby Whitlock, Gary Brooker (keyboards); Carl Radle, Klaus Voorman (bass); Ringo Starr, Alan White, Jim Gordon (drums, percussion); Ray Cooper, Mal Evans (tambourine).

Engineers: Ken Scott, Philip McDonald, Ken Scott.

Includes liner notes by George Harrison.

Digitally remastered by Jon Astley.

Personnel: George Harrison (vocals, guitar); Ringo Starr (vocals, drums); Sam Brown (vocals); Dave Mason, Joey Molland, Pete Ham, Tommy Evans (guitar); Eric Clapton (guitars); Pete Drake (pedal steel guitar); Bobby Keys (tenor saxophone); Jim Price (trumpet); Billy Preston (piano, organ); Dhani Harrison (Fender Rhodes piano); Gary Wright, Bobby Whitlock (keyboards); Klaus Voormann (bass instrument); Carl Radle (bass guitar); Jim Gordon, Alan White (drums); Mal Evans, Ray Cooper (tambourine); Mike Gibbins (percussion).

Recording information: 1970 - 2000.

Though George Harrison's solo albums for most of the 1970s and early '80s were uneven, often slapdash affairs, 1970's ALL THINGS MUST PASS is a brilliant piece of work. Produced by Phil Spector, whose expansive, majestic arrangements and sonic flourishes suit Harrison's songs perfectly, ALL THINGS MUST PASS eclipses everything the other Beatles recorded at the time (excepting John Lennon's PLASTIC ONO BAND). This sprawling double record gives the impression of Harrison being uncorked and pouring forth all of the songs and ideas edged out by Lennon and McCartney during the Beatles years.

The title and the melancholic black and white cover photo match the mood of the music, which brims with an armchair wisdom, and the weary, disillusioned air that permeated the early '70s in the counter-cultural wake. Yet the album also boasts an abiding sense of spirituality and tenacious optimism, as on the lullaby-like hit single "My Sweet Lord" and "Isn't It a Pity," a compassionate study of human suffering. "What Is Life" and "Awaiting on You All" continue these themes, but Spector's bright pop polish lends a counterweight, making the record feel light and deeply personal at once. Despite some lengthy, formless jams, as on the 11-minute-plus "Out of the Blue," ALL THINGS MUST PASS stands among the great records of the early '70s.

Harrison's grand statement, ALL THINGS MUST PASS proved that "the quiet Beatle" had a lot to say. Weaving his interest in Indian religion together with a strong set of tunes, the 3-LP set proved to be more than an "all-star" album; it was a set of songs that ranged from gentle ("Beware Of Darkness" and the contemplative title track) to stirring (the world-wide hits "My Sweet Lord" and "What Is Life?"). He also payed tribute to the fans who waited outside Abbey Road studios for a glimpse of the Beatles ("Apple Scruffs").