All Things Must Pass, the landmark triple-album recorded by George Harrison after the dissolution of The Beatles, is set to receive an expansive 50th anniversary edition. It’s out August 6th, and as a preview of things to come, the late songwriter’s estate has shared the previously unreleased track “Run of the Mill (Take 36)”.
The actual date of the 50th anniversary was November 27th of 2020, and Harrison’s team celebrated with a new audio mix for “All Things Must Pass”. Now, they’ve gone through and fleshed out the full two-hour collection.
This new edition was executive produced by George’s son Dhani Harrison, with product production from David Zonshine and mixing by Grammy-winning engineer Paul Hicks. Together they set out to make the album “sound brighter, fuller and better than ever before,” according to a statement.
There’s a precedent for disliking the original production by Phil Spector, and it started with Harrison himself. When working on the 2001 remaster, he wrote, “I still like the songs on the album and believe they can continue to outlive the style in which they were recorded.” He added, “it was difficult to resist re-mixing every track. All these years later I would like to liberate some of the songs from the big production that seemed appropriate at the time”.
All Things Must Pass was last remastered in 2014, but this iteration comes in several packages, each full of extras befitting half a century of music. The Uber Deluxe Edition is packaged in an artisan wooden crate with eight LPs, five CDs, one Blue-ray audio disc, and two books: a 96-page scrapbook curated by his widow Olivia Harrison, as well as a 44-page chronicle of the making of All Things Must Pass. For the superfan, the collection contains 47 outtakes and demos, including 42 that have never before been released.
The Super Deluxe Edition comes with the same package of LPs, CDs, and Blue-ray, but sans the wooden box and with only 60 pages of scrapbook. Besides that, the album will also be available as a double CD, triple LP, or limited edition three-disc color vinyl.
In a statement, Dhani Harrison spoke about the monumental task of remixing a classic album. He said,
“Since the 50th anniversary stereo mix release of the title track to my father’s legendary All Things Must Pass album 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 you now see and hear before you. 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. Now, 20 years later, with the help of new technology and the extensive work of Paul Hicks we have realized this wish and present to you this very special 50th Anniversary release of perhaps his greatest work of art. Every wish will be fulfilled.”
You can hear that newfound clarity on “Run of the Mill (Take 36)”. Whereas the original washes over both ears in one towering wall of sound, this remastered outtake picks out each individual instrument, using the benefits of stereo technology for something more layered and delicate. Check it out below.
The 50th anniversary edition of All Things Must Pass arrives August 6th, and pre-orders are ongoing. If you’re in a nostalgic mood, be sure to revisit Bob Dylan’s recent 1970 set that features nine unheard songs with George Harrison.
All Things Must Pass (Super Deluxe Edition) Tracklist:
Disc One (Main Album)
01. I’d Have You Anytime
02. My Sweet Lord
03. Wah-Wah
04. Isn’t It A Pity (Version One)
05. What Is Life
06. If Not For You
07. Behind That Locked Door
08. Let It Down
09. Run Of The Mill
Disc Two (Main Album Cont.)
01. Beware Of Darkness
02. Apple Scruffs
03. Ballad Of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll)
04. Awaiting On You All
05. All Things Must Pass
06. I Dig Love
07. Art Of Dying
08. Isn’t It A Pity (Version Two)
09. Hear Me Lord
10. Out Of The Blue *
11. It’s Johnny’s Birthday *
12. Plug Me In *
13. I Remember Jeep *
14. Thanks For The Pepperoni *
* = Newly Remastered/Original Mix
Disc Three (Day 1 Demos – Tuesday 26 May 1970)
01. All Things Must Pass (Take 1) †
02. Behind That Locked Door (Take 2)
03. I Live For You (Take 1)
04. Apple Scruffs (Take 1)
05. What Is Life (Take 3)
06. Awaiting On You All (Take 1) †
07. Isn’t It A Pity (Take 2)
08. I’d Have You Anytime (Take 1)
09. I Dig Love (Take 1)
10. Going Down To Golders Green (Take 1)
11. Dehra Dun (Take 2)
12. Om Hare Om (Gopala Krishna) (Take 1)
13. Ballad Of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll) (Take 2)
14. My Sweet Lord (Take 1) †
15. Sour Milk Sea (Take 1)
Disc Four (Day 2 Demos – Wednesday 27 May 1970)
01. Run Of The Mill (Take 1) †
02. Art Of Dying (Take 1)
03. Everybody/Nobody (Take 1)
04. Wah-Wah (Take 1)
05. Window Window (Take 1)
06. Beautiful Girl (Take 1)
07. Beware Of Darkness (Take 1)
08. Let It Down (Take 1)
09. Tell Me What Has Happened To You (Take 1)
10. Hear Me Lord (Take 1)
11. Nowhere To Go (Take 1)
12. Cosmic Empire (Take 1)
13. Mother Divine (Take 1)
14. I Don’t Want To Do It (Take 1)
15. If Not For You (Take 1)
† = Previously Released
Disc Five (Session Outtakes and Jams)
01. Isn’t It A Pity (Take 14)
02. Wah-Wah (Take 1)
03. I’d Have You Anytime (Take 5)
04. Art Of Dying (Take 1)
05. Isn’t It A Pity (Take 27)
06. If Not For You (Take 2)
07. Wedding Bells (Are Breaking Up That Old Gang Of Mine) (Take 1)
08. What Is Life (Take 1)
09. Beware Of Darkness (Take 8)
10. Hear Me Lord (Take 5)
11. Let It Down (Take 1)
12. Run Of The Mill (Take 36)
13. Down To the River (Rocking Chair Jam) (Take 1)
14. Get Back (Take 1)
15. Almost 12 Bar Honky Tonk (Take 1)
16. It’s Johnny’s Birthday (Take 1)
17. Woman Don’t You Cry For Me (Take 5)
Blu-ray Audio Disc (Main Album Only; Surround, Atmos, Hi-Res)
01. I’d Have You Anytime
02. My Sweet Lord
03. Wah-Wah
04. Isn’t It A Pity (Version One)
05. What Is Life
06. If Not For You
07. Behind That Locked Door
08. Let It Down
09. Run Of The Mill
10. Beware Of Darkness
11. Apple Scruffs
12. Ballad Of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll)
13. Awaiting On You All
14. All Things Must Pass
15. I Dig Love
16. Art Of Dying
17. Isn’t It A Pity (Version Two)
18. Hear Me Lord
19. Out Of The Blue
20. It’s Johnny’s Birthday
21. Plug Me In
22. I Remember Jeep
23. Thanks For The Pepperoni
