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When George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass was released in November 1970, The Beatles seemed to be in the rearview mirror.  The Fab Four had last recorded together in August 1969.  John Lennon privately announced his intentions to leave the group in September of that year; in April 1970, Paul McCartney formalized the breakup with a press release announcing he was no longer working with the band.  All Things Must Pass was titled after Harrison’s majestic, elegiac composition which was written and first demoed during his time with The Beatles.  But upon its release, the title could have been taken to refer to the group.  All things must pass…even the existence of the world’s most successful rock band.  But that break-up provided the opportunity for the group’s individual voices to flourish.

Harrison, in particular, knew he had a lot more to give than had been heard on the Beatles’ records.  His expansive triple album topped the charts in more than ten countries including the U.S. and U.K., earned two Grammy nominations, and yielded the chart-topping double A-side single “My Sweet Lord” and “Isn’t It a Pity” as well as another worldwide success, “What Is Life.”  The album has been reissued many times over the years, most notably via a 2001 CD edition supervised by Harrison which added five bonus tracks, a 2010 LP version of the original album, and a 2014 CD retaining the bonus cuts.  Now, in commemoration of its 50th anniversary, it’s about to arrive in its most comprehensive iterations yet – and in an all-new remix.

The long-awaited 50th anniversary campaign encompasses the following formats, all due from Capitol/UMe on August 6:

• Super Deluxe 5CD/1BD;
• Super Deluxe 8LP;
• 5LP (Remixed Album plus 17 bonus tracks);
• 3CD (Remixed Album plus 17 bonus tracks);
• 3LP (Remixed Album Only on standard black vinyl);
• 2CD (Remixed Album Only);
• Limited Edition 3LP (Remixed Album Only on green and black splatter vinyl); and
• Uber Box Set.

At the heart of all the versions is the new mix of the original album by Paul Hicks, overseen by executive producer Dhani Harrison.  The digital single release last year of “All Things Must Pass” proved a tantalizing preview of Hicks’ work.  At the time, Dhani Harrison commented, “We’ve been digging through mountains of tapes, and they just kept coming – boxes and boxes of them. Making this album sound clearer was always one of my dad’s greatest wishes and it was something we were working on together right up until he passed. But with the help of new technology and the work of Paul Hicks on this project, we are now able to make that happen. We can’t wait for you all to hear everything we’ve been working on and your patience will be rewarded next year.”  It’s anticipated that much of Spector’s thick trademark sound will be jettisoned as the mixes are stripped down to emphasize the organic playing of the band and clarity of the vocals.   Another sample of Hicks’ work is streaming now: Take 36 of “Run of the Mill.”  This beguilingly different version of the song has never been bootlegged.  Note that the Apple Jam recordings have not been remixed.

The 5 CD and 8 LP super deluxe iterations are fulsome, boasting 70 tracks including the remixed album and 47 demo recordings, session outtakes, and jams (42 of which are previously unreleased).  The Blu-ray Audio disc which accompanies the 5CD presentation offers the main album remix in high resolution stereo, 5.1 surround, and Dolby Atmos.  A 60-page scrapbook curated by George’s widow Olivia Harrison presents previously unpublished images and memorabilia including tape boxes, handwritten lyrics, diary entries, studio notes, track-by-track annotations, and more.  The box also includes a replica of the original album poster.

5LP and 3CD deluxe editions have the original album plus 17 bonus tracks, while 3LP and 2CD standard editions replicate the original album only in the new remix.

A special limited edition “Uber Box Set” has the 5 CDs, 8 LPs, and Blu-ray Disc housed in a custom wooden crate (approximately 12.4″ x 12.4″ x 17.5″) plus an expanded version of the scrapbook (96 pages) and a second, 44-page volume of archival interviews and more.  The book comes with a wooden bookmark made from a felled Oak tree (Quercus Robur) in George’s Friar Park estate plus a variety of swag: 1/6-scale replica figurines of Harrison and the gnomes (!) as seen on the album’s cover; a limited edition illustration from Klaus Voormann; Rudraksha beads housed in custom-made boxes; and a copy of Paramahansa Yogananda’s Light from the Great Ones.  This release is exclusively available from GeorgeHarrison.com, uDiscovermusic.com, and Sound of Vinyl.

These releases promise to shed new light on Harrison’s sprawling masterwork.  His “proper” solo debut after the soundtrack Wonderwall Music (1968) and experimental Electronic Sound (1969) still stands today as his finest and most richly varied solo achievement.  The sessions took place in May-October 1970 with a large “cast” comprising Eric Clapton and other members of Delaney and Bonnie and Friends (including Clapton’s Derek & The Dominoes bandmates Carl Radle, Bobby Whitlock, and Jim Gordon), Ringo Starr, Gary Wright, Billy Preston, Klaus Voormann, Bobby Keys, Pete Drake, Peter Frampton, Dave Mason, all four members of Badfinger, Gary Brooker, Ginger Baker, orchestrator John Barham, and producer Phil Spector.  The latter applied his dense Wall of Sound to the searching compositions inspired by Dylan, The Band, and Delaney and Bonnie’s Americana explorations.  Harrison and his band took in rock-and-roll, gospel, pop, blues, folk, R&B, soul, and Indian music to create the album’s diverse sound.

Dylan co-wrote the opening ballad “I’d Have You Anytime” and Harrison also introduced his friend’s sweetly romantic “If Not for You.”  (Among the previously unreleased highlights on the new collection are demos of both songs as well as the “lost” Dylan-Harrison collaboration “Nowhere to Go” and Bob’s “I Don’t Want to Do It” which George released much later on the Porky’s Revenge soundtrack.)  In addition to “All Things Must Pass,” George’s original songs included the effusive “My Sweet Lord,” boisterous “What Is Life” and “Wah Wah,” and moving “Art of Dying,” “Beware of Darkness,” and “Awaiting on You All,” all of which reflected his spiritual beliefs.  The LP’s fifth and sixth sides were dedicated to spontaneous, instrumental “Apple Jams” as well as “It’s Johnny’s Birthday,” a vocal spoof on Cliff Richard’s hit “Congratulations” originally recorded by Harrison as a gift to John Lennon for his 30th birthday.  Blending the earthy and the ethereal, All Things Must Pass showcased both sides of the artist as he found his solo voice.  Its final songs were culled from dozens demoed by Harrison; in 1992, he remembered that “I didn’t have many tunes on Beatles records, so doing an album like All Things Must Pass was like going to the bathroom and letting it out.”  Numerous songs didn’t make the album but can be heard here, including “Cosmic Empire,” “Going Down To Golders Green,” “Dehra Dun,” “Mother Divine,” and “Sour Milk Sea” which George gifted to Apple artist Jackie Lomax.

This celebration of George Harrison’s enduring art is due from Capitol/UMe on August 6.  You’ll find pre-order links for all formats as well as the core track listing below.

George Harrison, All Things Must Pass: 50th Anniversary Editions (album originally released as Apple STCH 639, 1970)

5CD/BD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
8LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
5LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
3CD (contains CD 1, CD 2 & CD 5, below): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
3LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2CD (contains CD 1 & CD 2 only): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Limited Edition 3LP: GeorgeHarrison.com/uDiscoverMusic.com/Sound of Vinyl
Uber Box Set: GeorgeHarrison.com/uDiscoverMusic.com/Sound of Vinyl

CD 1 (Remixed Album)

1. I’d Have You Anytime
2. My Sweet Lord
3. Wah-Wah
4. Isn’t It a Pity (Version One)
5. What Is Life
6. If Not for You
7. Behind That Locked Door
8. Let It Down
9. Run of the Mill

CD 2 (Remixed Album, continued)

1. Beware of Darkness
2. Apple Scruffs
3. Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll)
4. Awaiting on You All
5. All Things Must Pass
6. I Dig Love
7. Art of Dying
8. Isn’t It a Pity (Version Two)
9. 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

CD 3 (Day 1 Demos – Tuesday 26 May 1970)

1. All Things Must Pass (Take 1) †
2. Behind That Locked Door (Take 2)
3. I Live For You (Take 1)
4. Apple Scruffs (Take 1)
5. What Is Life (Take 3)
6. Awaiting On You All (Take 1) †
7. Isn’t It A Pity (Take 2)
8. I’d Have You Anytime (Take 1)
9. 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)

CD 4 (Day 2 Demos – Wednesday 27 May 1970)

1. Run Of The Mill (Take 1) †
2. Art Of Dying (Take 1)
3. Everybody/Nobody (Take 1)
4. Wah-Wah (Take 1)
5. Window Window (Take 1)
6. Beautiful Girl (Take 1)
7. Beware Of Darkness (Take 1)
8. Let It Down (Take 1)
9. 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)

CD 5 (Session Outtakes and Jams)

1. Isn’t It A Pity (Take 14)
2. Wah-Wah (Take 1)
3. I’d Have You Anytime (Take 5)
4. Art Of Dying (Take 1)
5. Isn’t It A Pity (Take 27)
6. If Not For You (Take 2)
7. Wedding Bells (Are Breaking Up That Old Gang Of Mine) (Take 1)
8. What Is Life (Take 1)
9. 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 (Remixed Album Only plus Apple Jams; Surround, Atmos, Hi-Res)

1. I’d Have You Anytime
2. My Sweet Lord
3. Wah-Wah
4. Isn’t It A Pity (Version One)
5. What Is Life
6. If Not For You
7. Behind That Locked Door
8. Let It Down
9. 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

(†) denotes previously released track