Like the best archival releases from Bob Dylan and The Grateful Dead, All Things Must Pass 50th Anniversary – Super Deluxe Edition is one of those vault packages executed with care as meticulous as its concept is purposeful. The curators have shed light on virtually all aspects of the creative processes, then and now, that gave birth to George Harrison’s first solo album.
When the late Beatle was preparing the thirtieth-anniversary package of his debut in 2001, he admitted to resisting the temptation to remix the album from its original Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound” sonics. In his stead a decade later, the late Beatle’s son Dhani has overseen that task and has also collaborated with engineer Paul Hicks (who also worked on reissues of latter-day Beatles albums) to selectively exhumed three CDs full of outtakes that, along with a Blu-ray disc, comprises the musical components of this Super Deluxe Edition.
The original album appears in its modified form on two CDs, along with forty-seven demo recordings, session outtakes and studio jams on three more compact discs. Also inside the approximately 7” by 7” box is a replication of the full-color poster of Harrison as included in the original three-LP set as well as a sixty-page booklet curated by George’s spouse Olivia: featuring previously unseen imagery and memorabilia from the era in which the album was created as well as reproductions of handwritten lyrics, diary entries, and studio notes, there’s also comprehensive track-by-track notation most illuminating in its exposition of the logistics of the sessions as well as the preparations prior to them.
The remixed audio of All Things Must Pass may or may not be the most revelatory element in the package, but it is something to behold nonetheless. The additional presence of the sonics will enfold a listener, even on acoustic-based tracks such as that of “I’d Have You Anytime,” Harrison’s co-write with buddy Bob Dylan. The mountainous arrangement of “Let It Down” sounds all the more imposing as the brass is no longer kept at such a distance via Phil Spector’s reverb and echo-drenched production; it’s no small oversight the accompanying material here does not shed more light on John Barham’s musical contributions here, but that hardly denies what an advantage it is to now actually hear the layers of orchestrations he devised.
The depth and breadth of such instrumentation suits the expansive likes of material like this title tune. But other more finely-wrought touches become readily apparent too, such as the organ and piano courtesy Procol Harum’s Gary Brooker and Gary Wright, at that time a member of Spooky Tooth (and subsequently to become the creator of 1975’s The Dream Weaver ) With Moog synthesizer unobtrusively integrated into the arrangements (Pete Drake’s pedal steel remains redundant when it appears on “Behind That Locked Door,” to name just one), the dense ambiance is no longer virtually impenetrable and is ideally suited for the Atmos sonics on this sixth disc.
Yet the skeletal nature of George’s run-throughs with just Ringo Starr on drums and Klaus Voorman (he of Revolver cover art) on bass also enlighten, perhaps even as much as Harrison’s solo renditions of fifteen additional compositions: the latter brought his wealth of original material to the recordings virtually fully-formed. There’s a simplicity and clarity to those thirty cuts that might’ve benefited more of the album, so the thought occurs that, had George himself had another chance to revisit this record, he might well have considered excising some songs of lesser substance such as “Apple Scruffs” and “I Dig Love.” Or even re-sequenced a modified track listing (in the form of a single LP?): in that case, the contrasting production values would suffice in providing the necessary pacing, whether lavish (“My Sweet Lord”) or not (the spare solo expression of spiritualism via Dylan’s “If Not For You”).
Of course, freed from the constraints of his role(s) in the Beatles and out of the shadows of the Lennon/McCartney composing team, Harrison had the ideal opportunity to express himself independently and, with his enthusiasm further nurtured further by all manner of friends eager to accompany him–including Eric Clapton, Peter Frampton and Dave Mason, among many others—the tendency was understandably to include rather than exclude (although he did pare down the available material by roughly half). Unfortunately, the sly wit so representative of George’s sense of humor, evident in the previously-unreleased likes of “Cosmic Empire,” is sorely lacking elsewhere, except in the tongue-inc-cheek titles of the so-called ‘Apple Jams” that remain intact within this set.
Instead, an air of superiority and condescension afflicts what is otherwise the most infectious piece of music of the formal eighteen tracks,“Awaiting On You All.” Not to mention the dour likes of “The Art of Dying;” better some superior songcraft had taken the place of the latter or even the borderline whiny “Wah Wah:” “Sour Milk Sea,” a close cousin of that latter sentiment, was written after a discordant Beatles Let It Be session (and while it had previously appeared as Apple Records artist Jackie Lomax’ first single in 1968, keyboardist Billy Preston had early access to “My Sweet Lord” and “All Things Must Pass”).
Whether or not motivated by label demands for product availability during the fourth quarter (like The Beatles a/k/a The White Album), the rapidity at which this project progressed is remarkable even if it resulted in a glossing over of such decisions. The text entries in the aforementioned booklet further clarify that efficient timeline, as much or more as the dialogue between the Harrison offspring and Hicks illuminates the joy and passion they share(d) in their work together. Multiple nuances abound on All Things Must Pass 50th Anniversary – Super Deluxe Edition too, ranging from the slight green tinting applied to the black and white cover photo as well as minutiae like the fact that it was Delaney Bramlett who introduced George to the slide guitar technique that would become the signature of his guitar style in later years.
Both long-time fans, as well as curious dilettantes, may well experience numerous epiphanies large and small when immersed in all this content, the end result of such enlightenment a state of mind (heart and soul) George Harrison himself would no doubt appreciate.
