George Harrison Estate Releases New Mix of 'All Things Must Pass' Title Track
0Of all his post-Beatles undertakings, George Harrison was especially fond of All Things Must Pass, the 1970 triple-LP set he released months after the group had officially imploded. “It was a really nice experience making that album — because I was really a bit paranoid, musically,” Harrison said a few years later. “I remember having those people in the studio and thinking, ‘God, these songs are so fruity!’ I’d play it to them and they’d say, ‘Wow, yeah! Great song!’ And I’d say, ‘Really? Do you really like it?’ I realized that it was OK.” For the album’s 30th anniversary in 2000, Harrison oversaw a new mix of it, which included a remake of its ubiquitous hit “My Sweet Lord.” Now, to commemorate today’s 50th anniversary of the album, Harrison’s estate is releasing a sparkling new mix of the title track of “All Things Must Pass,” which also previews a more expansive project in the works. All Things Must Pass began coming together early in 1970, just as the Beatles were collapsing. Harrison had actually been the first Beatle to release a solo album when Wonderwall Music, the East-meets-West soundtrack for the trippy film Wonderwall, came out in 1968. But for his first, song-oriented solo album proper, Harrison recruited producer Phil Spector, who’d overseen the final version of the Beatles’ Let It Be that year. Harrison was pleased enough with the result that he turned to Spector as a collaborator on All Things Must Pass. Spector’s contribution included the use of multiple guitarists, keyboardists, and drummers on some tracks, which lent Harrison’s songs the Wall of Sound feel Spector had trademarked. Flashback: Bob Dylan Sings an Impromptu 'Yesterday' With George Harrison in 1970 Yacht Rock Babylon Farewell, Peter Green: The Timeless Blues Perfection of Fleetwood Mac's Original Guitar Hero 25 Best Pixar Movie Characters For additional support, Harrison also turned to friends like Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton (and the other members of Derek & the Dominos), upstart drummer Phil Collins (who played congas on one track), keyboardist and Beatles pal Billy Preston, and bassist and long-time Harrison friend Klaus Voormann. Comparing Harrison’s approach to Lennon’s, Voormann says: “John was really quick. George took his time. He got comfortable. He… made a little altar. … He made the studio into his little home. He knew what he wanted. We would just listen and play our parts, and hardly ever would George say, ‘I don’t like this.'” The songs told the story of Harrison’s life in multiple, sometimes undetectable ways. With subtle references that probably went over the heads of most fans, “Wah-Wah” and “Run of the Mill” were jabs at fractious Beatles meetings and their chaotic business. “Beware of Darkness” was his take on the less savory side of the music business, and his newfound devotion to Hare Krishna was front and center of “My Sweet Lord” and “Awaiting on You All.” All Things Must Pass established Harrison as his own creative force as