All Things Must Pass - Harrison, George (CD 2001)

Throughout Pop history, there have been albums which posses such an overwhelming beauty that they manage to completely excuse the mannerisms and egos of their creators- this is the case of Brian Wilson s dorkyness on Pet Sounds ; of Roger Water s narcissistic visions on The Wall ; and it is most certainly also the case of George Harrison s preachiness on All Things Must Pass , his recently re-released masterpiece.

You see, by all human logic, All Things Must Pass should be an abomination. Let loose from The Beatles, George Harrison produced a three (!) record set so orchestrated and bloated that it made Abbey Road seem like The King Of The Delta Blues Singers by comparison. Take a look at the lyrics sheet, and you re filled immediately with a sense of dread- not only are we force-fed line after line of religious diatribe (making it seem like we re reading a hare krishna pamphlet), but we are also faced with song titles as inane as Apple Scruffs and (oh dear God) I Dig Love . Add to this the embarrassing pictures of ol George hanging with his dwarf homies on a field with a nuclear power plant behind it and you re just about willing to take this back to the store and buy some Black Flag instead.

But then you put the CD in the stereo and, ahhh, what a pleasant surprise! The beauty of it all is such that comparisons to Astral Weeks or Forever Changes do not seem even mildly heretic. Suddenly, you understand why it sold so well in 1971, and at the same time wonder why no one has been singing it s praise for the past thirty years.

The greatness of All Things Must Pass is hard to put into words, because it isn t so much Pop as it is music. And I don t mean this in a Beck-ish, impossible to define way either.

You see, 20th/21st century Pop (Jazz and some forms of Avante Garde excluded) has never been really that much about music. A critic s job doesn t rely on explaining the music (which is impossible, anyway), but on documenting it s surroundings- in any given review, you will find just as many anecdotes on a performer, listings of influences and personal experiences as documentation of the work itself.

And this ain t the critic s mistake, either-the typical Pop album (be it good or bad) achieves it s identity by a variety of factors, including historical context, the singer s personal life, the lyrics, the influences and (more often than not) things as trivial as an album cover.

But there exists a realm beyond that, one where beauty does not need to be explained nor dissected. It s a rare occasion when someone wanders there- but The Beatles excelled at it, and this is why it comes as no surprise that George Harrison could wander into it yet again.

Thus, the only acceptable way to review this album would be just saying pretty! and drooling alot-unfortunately, this would earn me a NR. So, I will try to bring up some of the most important factors of this work, though you really need to hear it yourself.

All Things Must Pass characterises itself mostly by the gigantic, larger than life orchestral sound of it, one that is reminiscent as much of Phil Spector (who co-produced) as of The Beatle s latter-day extravaganzas. Over this, George brings us annoying religious rants that nevertheless do not destroy the charm of the songs, but rather enhance it.

Most people will be mainly familiar with My Sweet Lord , the oft maligned song full of hallelujahs and hare krishnas. It s actually one of the worst tracks on here- though much better than the Chiffons song it plagiarises, He s So Fine (incidentally, The Chiffon s One Fine Day is better than both, but that s beside the point). Not as much of the orchestral grandeur is present, and the lyrics are trite even by All Things Must Pass standards. It s a shame that this is the song Harrison will be most remembered for- there is so much better stuff on here.

Like I d Have You Anytime , for instance, the slow and lovely opening tune of the album. Or Beware Of Darkness , the grim track that opens CD2. Both of these are great examples of the ATMP sound, sumptuous and grand- as is What Is Life? , a track so downright perfect that it s already in my all-time fave top20. Not only does it s use of a horn section remind one of the fab four in their glory days; the stomping rhythm also invents Glam Rock! No, really- just call it Whut Iz Lyfe? and it could be a Slade smash.

It s followed by If Not For You , a throughoutly enchanting cover of the Dylan classic that even Olivia Newton John couldn t ruin. This marks the beginning of a rather ill advised Country section- Behind That Locked Door is plain uninspired, as one would expect when a Liverpuddlian tries to be Hank Williams. Fortunately, the raunchy Let It Down picks things up, and Run Of The Milll is a true highlight- even the lyrics ring true, with George righteously slamming the shallowness of ordinary life.

Not everything is gold, of course- Awaiting On You All is such fanatic bullsh*t that not even a winning tune can save it, and songs like Wah Wah and I Dig Love are just plain embarrassing. Furthermore, there s a rather unnecessary extended jam at the end that messes up the perfect ending of Hear Me, Lord (where Harrison pleads forgiveness for having ignored his deity for so long- hey, don t laugh, man. At least he means it). But still, the good outweighs the bad by a very large margin, and the whole sound of this album has to be heard to be believed.

After The Beatles broke up, their sound seemed lost. Paul McCartney was unable to capture it again, and John Lennon didn t want to. But in 1971, George Harrison completely possessed it, and added a few merits of his own. Who would ve thought that, eh?