“All Things Must Pass,” but some of them sure have a way of hanging around.
George Harrison’s sprawling fan-favorite album from 1970 returns in early August in a swarm of presentations, including one encased in a wooden crate.
A new stereo mix (Paul Hicks, Dhani Harrison) does the heavy lifting on all versions, but there are also a new surround mix and a Dolby Atmos mix.
“Since the 50th anniversary stereo mix release of the title track (in 2020), my dear pal Paul Hicks and I have continued to dig through mountains of tapes to restore and present the rest of this newly remixed and expanded edition of the album,” Harrison’s son, Dhani, said.
“Bringing greater sonic clarity to this record was always one of my father’s wishes and it was something we were working on together right up until he passed in 2001.”
Hicks remixed the recent and well-received box set of John Lennon’s “Plastic Ono Band.”
“All Things Must Pass” prices range from about $20 for the double CD set to $1,000 for the “uber” crated version (eight LPs, five CDs, one Blu-ray). There are also a five-CD set with Blu-ray; a “super deluxe” eight-LP set; a deluxe five-LP set; a three-CD set; a three-LP set; and a colored vinyl three-LP set. As well as digital.
“Formats contain various ephemera, including a scrapbook curated by Olivia Harrison, replica gnomes, original album poster and much more.”
The uber and super deluxe versions feature 70 tracks, including 47 demo recordings, session outtakes and studio jams, of which 42 are previously unreleased.
The Blu-ray disc includes hi-res stereo, 5.2 surround and Dolby Atmos mixes of the main album. It is included on the uber and super deluxe CD versions. The three-CD and five-LP versions have 17 tracks of demo recordings, session outtakes and studio jams. View configurations and other goodies on the George Harrison web site.
Key tracks include “My Sweet Lord,” “Isn’t It a Pity” and “Beware of Darkness.” The original triple album was Harrison’s third album, but the first straightforward solo project. The set’s third disc, the mostly instrumental “Apple Jam,” was described by Harrison as “kind of a bonus” for fans.
The sonics and production of “All Things Must Pass” have long been issues, ones that long bothered Harrison. He reportedly felt the songs were better than the dated production. The album was co-produced by Phil Spector (“Let It Be”), known for his “wall of sound” approach.
The set was a popular holiday item in 1970, coming seven months after the breakup of the Beatles. The last major rerelease of “All Things Must Pass” was for the 30th anniversary.
The rerelease follows the “Plastic Ono Band” campaign and, quite possibly, precedes a half-century retelling of the Beatles’ “Let It Be.” While Harrison continued to have success throughout his solo career, “All Things Must Pass” remains his iconic and by far most popular album, so this rerelease seems a one and done for greatly expanded Harrison works.
Release date is Aug. 6. Via Capitol/UMe.
living in the material world, eh_
A snip at £800 I will have a play and a spare …
The “Uber Deluxe” set is a wonder for this die hard Beatles fan. I’ve had the set for over 3 weeks and it is still revealing gems. Like Harrison, I’ve always felt that the Phil Spector mixes were over the top. The “Wall of Sound” approach felt out of step with the songs. The new mixes tone the horns down considerably ( the limitations of 8 track recording meant that there were other instruments sub mixed onto a single track). Now, every track sounds fantastic! Which ever version you choose, you’ll find the music is given a new, contemporary sound. I don’t think any Harrison/Beatles fan will be disappointed.