Ice B. on George Harrison and All Things

When All Things Must Pass first came out I, too, was blown away. The songs, lyrics and music were just all so good. Unlike the Beatles' White Album which had some good songs on it - but also some clunkers and some downright odd songs - George's All Things was a complete box set of wonderful and totally enjoyable music. The song "All Things Must Pass" is one of my ten favorites. As I grow older, it still makes me feel good and I smile at all the things that have happened since 1970.

When the Beatles broke up, there were all kinds of stories about how only John and Paul would continue to be successful. I remember listening to Ram by Paul. I traded it in for a Turtles album at Recycle Records in Foothill Farms. John's Plastic Ono Band was pretty good, but then they had Clapton and Voormann and they played some good blues and rock.

It was December 1970, during my senior year in high school. After getting the mid-month pay from my dishwasher job, I remember going to Tower Records on Watt Avenue in Sacramento. George's All Things was on display in the middle of the "B" isle, across from the Beatles bin. KZAP-FM had been playing All Things one side at a time. I picked up a copy, added it to my armful of records and headed to the front counter. (At that time Tower was the place to go at night and it was always packed. It was a destination place with a very eclectic and happy atmosphere.)

When I got home I remember opening up the boxed Harrison album. After I listened to all three records, I realized that this was one of the reasons the Beatles break-up was inevitable; they never would have given George such freedom on a Beatles album.

From then on, I became a big fan of George's albums. I own some of John's albums and Ringo's cassettes. For me, the best post-Beatles music consisted of the Harrison albums. I even liked the music and songs he contributed to the film "Time Bandits." And, of course, the Traveling Wilburys wouldn't have been the same without George. Ice B.

Notes: George Harrison was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an individual musician, as well as for being a member of Those Guys. Ice B. is an artist and social critic based in Sacramento, California.

Looking back at one of the best albums ever...

Anyone putting together a listing of the best albums from the period of 1970 on must give strong consideration to including George Harrison's All Things Must Pass somewhere near the top. All Things reached number one when originally released - as did the single My Sweet Lord - and reached number four on the best selling albums list when it was re-released as a boxed 2-CD set with finely re-mastered sound (and extra tracks) in 2001.

"Released in late 1970, the album was a work of majestic beauty. Fans and critics hailed it as his personal masterpiece. Many still consider it the best Beatles 'solo' album." Contemporary Musicians, Volume 2, Gale Research, 1989.

All Things is said to have been the first three-album set ever released by a single musician, and I'm still tremendously impressed by the breadth and scope of its ambition. George himself looked back in 2001 and said, "The big production that seemed appropriate at the time, (may) now seem a bit over the top with the reverb in the wall of sound."

Of course, George didn't really create the album by himself. Phil Spector produced it. Eric Clapton and Dave Mason augmented George's lead guitar work, the fine musicians in Badfinger and the Dominoes (as in Derek & the...) all contributed, Ringo played at least half of the recorded drum work, Billy Preston and Gary Wright played organ, and Klaus Voormann and Carl Radle put down the bass lines. Whew! As if this was not enough, a young Phil Collins played the congas on several tracks.

The only quibble I've ever had with All Things is that the original version of Isn't It A Pity seemed to go on a bit too long, in the vein of Hey, Jude. So I prefer the shorter version included as a bonus in the 2001 version. Perhaps the other issue is that the length of the whole collection makes it - like a movie that runs three hours or more - a hard collection to find time for...

With this in mind, I've given some thought to putting together a single CD compilation; an easy-to-travel-with version. I've come up with the following tracks list - in my preferred order - which comes in at 76:44:

What is Life / If Not for You / I'd Have You Anytime / Behind That Locked Door / My Sweet Lord / Wah-Wah / Beware of Darkness / Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll) / Awaiting on You All / All Things Must Pass / I Live for You (bonus song) / I Dig Love / Let It Down / Isn't It A Pity (version II) / Run of the Mill / Art of Dying / What is Life (instrumental version) / It's Johnny's Birthday (instrumental jam) / Plug Me In (instrumental jam) / Beware of Darkness (alternate acoustic version)

Next: Ice B. on All Things and George Harrison