Welcome to Split Record Review, where two writers come together and discuss an album. If you didn’t notice my shallow Beatles reference, I’ll continue talking about “All Things Must Pass” by George Harrison, one-fourth of the legendary band that split apart the same year this record was released: 1970.
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Clocking in at just under two hours, it’s reasonable to say I won’t be mentioning all 23 tracks in this review; rather, I’ll talk about tracks that Henry omitted from yesterday’s review, most of which are on the second half of the track list. This is also my first time listening to this seminal album, so apologies in advance if I’m less experienced with analyzing the Beatles’ lore.
“If Not For You” is heavily inspired by Bob Dylan, as it’s written by him and considered a cover of one of his songs. While it’s undeniably a Harrison song, my indifference toward Dylan as a musician correlates with my disinterest in this track. “All Things Must Pass” is definitely bloated, so I’ll argue this song could’ve been scratched to make the album a clean 22 tracks.
“Let It Down” is filled with anguish, an emotion that plagues parts of this record, though it’s typically unsuspecting. The brass fills and choir-like vocals are reminiscent of multiple songs from Spiritualized’s “Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space.” Both albums portray sadness and grief with grandeur, a dichotomy I think is common yet intriguing in music.
“Apple Scruffs” has some of the best harmonizing on the record, along with wonderful harmonica embellishments. After reading about what “Apple scruffs” are, I enjoy the idea of Harrison being the one to break away from the Beatles cult and start his own, praising his followers along the way—as cults do. This is all in good fun and not what happened, but this was during the time of Charles Manson.
“Awaiting on You All” is intoxicating with energy from the tambourine and more brass, along with the optimistic repetition of “If you open up your heart,” a great sentiment, especially since “heart” can be interchangeable with “mind” here.
“I Dig Love” is good vibes all around. The title is a sign of the early ‘70s, and so is the song with Ringo Starr drumming, electric and slide guitars, as well as piano and organ throughout. “Hear Me Lord” is an ambitious track, though my favorite parts are when it’s just Harrison with no backing vocals, minimizing him to a simple man stripped from stardom begging for forgiveness.
“Out of the Blue” is the longest and one of the album’s simpler cuts, as it’s an 11-minute jam. While I’d prefer jams by Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band, the many musicians on this one keep it intriguing, as the keyboards gain more prominence as the track progresses, while the drums go through a rollercoaster of volume, helping define each section’s energy.
“Plug Me In” is more consistent with impressive and energetic playing across the board, as it’s another jam session. I could go with or without this part of the record with no Harrison vocals, but what’s here is admirable. Anything is better than “Electronic Sound,” or is it?
Speaking of which, is that the fabled Moog synthesizer on “I Remember Jeep?” Though it’s longer at eight minutes, so is my favorite song from the Beatles: “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” which also uses the Moog. It’s crazy to say, but “Thanks for the Pepperoni” stands out purely for its title since it’s a continuation of “Plug Me In.” Nevertheless, Harrison and crew don’t miss.
Although my attitude about this record wasn’t entirely favorable, I really did enjoy it and am thankful to my co-columnist Henry and Life Editor Ben Lassy for throwing me into the ‘60s and ‘70s music scene throughout the year. I will also echo Henry’s words that we greatly appreciate you all humoring our music column, and it’s been a great ride. I’m graduating real soon, but I’ll be watching Life from the sidelines and look forward to seeing what other music we will look at!