All Things Must Pass

[The Big Guy]

Released in 1970.

[Kylenz]

All Things Must Pass is a solid contender for best solo Beatle album for sure, just for the sheer amount of material it has. Even if you think of it as a double album (think of Apple Jam as a bonus record), there's still tons of great music, perhaps let down by a couple of dull patches but that's par for the course. Guys like Pete Ham of Badfinger, Eric Clapton, Ringo, Phil Collins had his first recording session as percussionist, big names playing with him. Phil Spector gives it the 'wall of guitars' treatment. Huge hit songs like What Is Life, My Sweet Lord, If Not For You (later covered by Olivia Newton-John), standouts like Wah Wah, Awaiting On You All, Let It Down, the beautiful title track and Isn't It A Pity, I Dig Love with those cool drums that echo-back, the opener I'd Have You Anytime, the breezy Apple Scruffs - you could go on to name at least 10 songs all of stellar quality that would rub the noses of the likes of Band on the Run and Plastic Ono Band right into the dirt!

Given that George demoed some of these songs while still in The Beatles, and that he got fed up during the Let It be sessions, imagine if The Beatles never recorded Abbey Road... you could add Something and Here Comes The Sun to the arsenal as well! The quality of his songwriting output at this time was simply mindblowing.

[2 of 3]

Yeah, what were George Martin and the others thinking? Harrison didn't just write these song in clumps and release them...they were around during the Beatles for sure. You can bet, they all heard them too. They should have pulled George aside at this time and asked him if he wanted to release a solo album. We may have gotten a few more years of the Beatles.

[mervap]

It never ceases to amaze me how the other 3 Lads could have missed some of these songs...surely George would have been noodling around between takes and have played some of the riffs that ended up on this great album. A pox on them! "The Art of Dying" is quite overlooked sometimes, as is "Beware of Darkness".

[Kylenz]

"The Art of Dying" is quite overlooked sometimes, as is "Beware of Darkness".

You have just mentioned my two favourite songs on this album! I left them out of my last post because I was going to name them as my faves!! 

Re. George's songs in The Beatles - it was made probably quite clear to him that Paul and John 'ran the show'. As John became less interested in 'being a Beatle' and Paul stepped into that void and took more control, George must've felt a lot of frustration and realise it was never going to be 'his band'. He will forever just be that quiet guy who sings a couple of songs and everything's hunky dory. Paul has described the power base of The Beatles as 4 equal corners in a square, but I feel it was more of a trapezium shape in all reality!

[mervap]

Re. George's songs in The Beatles - it was made probably quite clear to him that Paul and John 'ran the show'

I'm remembering a scene in the Mark Wahlberg movie "Rock Star"...he's just come into the studio brimming with songs and ideas for 'Steel Dragon' to record. Then the band leader tells him all the songs have been written and they are uninterested in any of his stuff...just sing, dammit! I think "The Art of Dying" could have been a dance re-mix hit, if such things would have interested George.   

[Kylenz]

I think "The Art of Dying" could have been a dance re-mix hit, if such things would have interested George.   

Do you mean..... like this? http://tinyurl.com/ypscgf
This is just a little something I made up quickly on the computer - with more tweaking it could be a dancefloor smash! 

[chris]

i love this record. and it is abso-fricken-lutely in the running for finest solo beatle album ever. george was truly an underappreciated songwriter. if he wan't behind those other two guys in his first band...he surely would have lead his own band (if that was indeed what he wanted to do)

tons of great songs here. what is life. art of dying (great, great opening riff), beware of darkness, wah wah...so many.

one bone to pick though, i am not in any way a fan of spector's wall of sound. i will contend that this album is a success in spite of phil spector. his production just muddles the sound, usually covering up the original rhythm guitar layed down in the first place. but the album is so good, i am just nitpicking.

it is a shame many of these songs couldn't have been done with the beatles. they had a way of playing a song (it evolving along the way) until they had it just right. nothing wrong at all with the way george released these songs. but who knows what may have happened.

by the way...the demo version of all things must pass...on the beatle's anthology...is perfection just as it is.

[Kylenz]

Re. George's songs in The Beatles - it was made probably quite clear to him that Paul and John 'ran the show'

I'm remembering a scene in the Mark Wahlberg movie "Rock Star"...he's just come into the studio brimming with songs and ideas for 'Steel Dragon' to record. Then the band leader tells him all the songs have been written and they are uninterested in any of his stuff...just sing, dammit!

Apparently one of the reasons Bread broke up was because James Griffin was annoyed that none of his songs ever made it as singles, never got the recognition he thought they deserved. Neglecting the fact that David Gates wrote such amazing A-sides that were usually head and shoulders above the rest of their material anyway. There's no way Griffin stood a snowball's chance in hell of making an A-side for Bread. I once had his solo album 'Breaking Up Is Easy' and it was on a par with Ringo The 4th for quality. The thing with George is that his songs were genuinely classy and fully deserved the exposure. In a band, you'd be a fool to turn good material and talent away.

[Derek]

"one bone to pick though, i am not in any way a fan of spector's wall of sound. i will contend that this album is a success in spite of phil spector. his production just muddles the sound, usually covering up the original rhythm guitar layed down in the first place. but the album is so good, i am just nitpicking."

Ironicly, ATMP, is my fav SoloBeatle album, but Phil....he shouldve NEVER touched the Beatles in ANY way. Sometimes i wonder what ATMP would sounded like if George Martin produced. One song, for example, "Wah-Wah", i LOVE that song...but..its just too freakin' loud with that "Wall of Sound" thing going on there. Theres other songs on ATMP like that too. I have to agree with Paul McCartney 100% on Phil Specter. He never liked him or his style...and for dang good reason.

[Kylenz]

I love the 'busy-ness' (is that even a word?) of Wah Wah, it's a cacophony for sure, but it sounds like a joyous party! Like, everybody joining in.. the horns and guitars all chiming in. But it's not all loud. 'Apple Scruffs' and 'If Not For You' are nicely done, and 'I Dig Love' has just the right amount of sparseness going on. For an album tagged with the 'wall of sound' it has some varied arrangements going on, quite diverse!

[Paperback Writer]

The best way I've heard sections of this album played (the singles and B-sides) was on a GIANT Wurlitzer Jukebox and it's ennormous speakers while in college (with a few brews  )  I believe this was the perfect vehicle for the Spector Sound. 

[2 of 3]

There is that bootleg of George playing the  tracks to Phil, just on acoustic guitar...just giving him a run through of the songs. Brilliant stuff. :)

[rockmusicnut]

I have the 30th anniversary and it is quite a great album.  It is interesting how he explains the way it worked with the credits and how he gave credit at least when the 30th anniversay was released.  I tend to go for the darker songs and the jam songs are cool also.