George Harrison- All Things Must Pass (1970)

George Harrison- All Things Must Pass (1970)

By: Ghost Writer

Lennon and McCartney might have been top songwriters and main creators in The Beatles, but is the "silent Beatle", George Harrison the one who manages to bring us something as beautiful as I'd Have You Anytime, a song co-written with the legendary Bob Dylan that reminds me strongly of some of the best ethereal musical moments of a genius like Brian Wilson, and is precisely that ethereal and spiritual side the one Harrison tries to capture on All Things Must Pass, I can't say it is an illuminating record, because as it bares Harrison's soul, it has its moments of darkness and pain, and if that wasn't enough, Harrison even spews some venomous poison on the massive Krishna rock of Wah Wah, a definite favorite of mine, with its red hot guitars, vibrant bass (by the always underrated Klaus Voorman) and Hindu beats, all that along a stellar vocal performance by George.

Again the upbeat formula repeats for What Is Life, but this time the massive Phil Spector treatment is fully applied in order to create a powerful "wall of sound" thanks to an ultra-catchy guitar line by George and an strident brass section working in conjunction in such a marvelous way, and then the totally welcomed inclusion of If Not For You, a Dylan original, featuring the beautiful trademark slide guitars of George and Billy Preston sympathetic piano lines.

The record falls into some excess, its length obviously and tour de forces like Let It Down, a powerful stylistic exercise with Spector heavy production taking a prominent role, working wonderfully on songs like Run of the Mill, and then getting back on raw entries like the half cooked Beware of Darkness, and then becoming a bit overwhelming on Apple Scruffs, the amazing thing with All Things Must Pass is that although George was the "silent Beatle", here, ironically, his music speaks louder than his words, with an amazing long stream of good songs not wasting any of the space on this impressive three record set, I seriously doubt Lennon and McCartney or any old or contemporary artist could attempt such a feat.