For his 82nd birthday we look back on one of the best solo albums in history.
There are these albums that age and show radiance for decades after their publication. George Harrison’s All Things must pass is such a work – melodic, introspective and deeply human. Published in 1970, marked the official start of Harrison’s solo career. It should be a musical liberation after the years in the shadow of Lennon and McCartney.
The fact that Harrison only went to the solo race as the third of the ex-Beatles no longer plays a role today. Because while McCartney played experimentally with LO-FI ideas and Lennon radically bleed out on Plastic Ono Band, Harrison rely on abundance, width, spirituality-and on Phil Spectors Wall-of-Sound production that gave the songs an almost hymnic size .
The single “My Sweet Lord” not only became the first number 1 hit of an ex-beat, but also to the icon of a spiritually charged pop, which opened up to the “Hare Krishna” choir as well as an (unintentional) plagiarism dispute. But Harrison’s songwriting not only shines here: “What is life” explodes in euphoric melody, “Isn’t it a pity” cries quietly over interpersonal alienation, and his instrumentals at all-star jams show a musician who, despite all the opulence sinks into the ego.
George Harrison recorded one of the best solo albums of all time
It also found its deserved place in the music express list of the 50 best solo albums (07/2021). “, Go into the bathroom and just let everything run. ‘ This is how George Harrison describes the recordings about this opulent solo, ”Frank Sawatzki explained to us at the time. “If there was one, who’s first? ‘Competition among the ex-Beatles after the separation in 1970, George Harrison only started as third, but his triple album got great attention.” And our author found: “Harrison’s singing lead guitar drew the most beautiful Kringel in a gospel-like wall-of-phil-spector sound” and “became a melody of a triumphal pop song.”
Today, on Harrison’s 82nd birthday, we are reminiscent of the greatness of this album. Harrison may have been the “silent beatle”, but he still speaks to us with this album.