"All Things Must Pass" by George Harrison - **

First released: 1970

If this is your favorite George Harrison album, don’t read this review. George Harrison’s first real solo album and one for me is somewhat overrated and overblown. While I like Phil Spector’s “wall of sound” technique appropriate for other releases, here it seems quite out of place. The album has always struck me as extremely padded and noisy, yet it is usually considered George’s crowning achievement during his solo years. Don’t get me wrong, some of George’s best songs are on this album, but they would have been that much better, if they weren’t so overproduced. Sorry Phil.

The 2001 CD reissue adds some alternate takes of some songs, an outtake ("I Live For You") and a brand new version of "My Sweet Lord" called "My Sweet Lord (2000)". This last one adds nothing to the album.

The album was originally padded out to three discs. If one would discard ("Isn’t it a Pity (Version Two)") or shorten some tunes ("Isn’t it a Pity (Version One)" and "Hear Me Lord") and thrown out the third "Apple Jam" disc, "All Things Must Pass" would be a greater single disc release. As it is, I find the thing too much to take in one sitting. With the advent of CD burners, I have made my own single disc version, which is far superior to the released version. George was just showing off.