Recorded just months after The Beatles decided to go their separate ways in 1970, George Harrison's finest solo offering celebrates it's 31st year with this special re-release.
Harrison's previous single-handed outings - 1968's 'Wonderwall Music' and '69's 'Electronic Sound' - had been instrumental offerings but 'All Things Must Pass' is, as the man says in the sleevenotes, his first album of 'songs'.
Largely written as the Fab Four were fading away, 'All Things Must Pass' boasts an all-star line-up which includes Harrison's oldest mucker Eric Clapton - around the same time that old Slowhand wrote the Derek & The Dominos track 'Layla', a thinly veiled love song to Harrison's then wife Patti Boyd- The Delaney and Bonnie Band (soon to become Derek and the Dominos); Ringo Starr and Badfinger.
Originally released as a triple album, this new version comes as a two CD package - the first half of which is superb, Harrison combining his gift for melody with spiritual mysticism -that's hippy nonsense to you. 'I'd Have You Anytime' - Harrison's songwriting collaboration with Bob Dylan - is a dreamy, autumnal love song, 'My Sweet Lord' is one of the most uplifting, life-affirming songs ever, 'Wah-Wah' is a meaty rock groover which Oasis must have heard at least once and 'Isn't It A Pity' is a simple, simply beautiful ode to peace and love with a reprise of 'Hey Jude'.
'What Is Life's Northern soul style stomp mixes with Spencer Davis's 'Keep On Running', the Dylan-penned 'If Not For You' could have prompted Ocean Colour Scene's more reflective country-tinged moments -as could 'Behind That Locked Door'- while the huge brassy, ebbing and flowing epic of 'Let It Down' is ruddy marvellous indeed ladies and gentlemen!
The only ever-so slight drawback at times is the large and lavish production -Phil Spector in the chair a year before he twiddled and slid knobs on Lennon's 'Imagine'- which sometimes detracts from the songs - in the sleevenotes Harrison himself says "All these years later I would like to liberate some of the songs from the big production that seemed appropriate at the time".
The inevitable extra tracks (five in all) aren't much either - 'My Sweet Lord 2000' featuring Sam Brown and an instrumental version of 'What Is Life', don't really enhance the listener's pleasure.
On CD2 meanwhile the Dylan-esque, harmonica-powered, busk of 'Apple Scruffs' -with it's Beatles style harmonies- the title track's warm ode to hope, the pyschedelic rock-out of 'Art Of Dying' and the gorgeous 'Hear Me Lord' are classics all.
Listen to this for the first time and you'll be hard pressed to understand why 'All Things Must Pass' is often overlooked and seldom mentioned in the same breath as 'Imagine'.
