#82

George Harrison

All Things Must Pass (1970)

"Apple scruffs and some stuff about candy, and pigs and other obvious allegory because I am pretty inconsistent. Also resentment and Hindu is a good religion." -- George Harrison

I have a complicated system for deciding the best tracks to discuss for an album. When I hear a good song I put five stars in iTunes next to it.

Then I revisit these 5 star songs while I write the post. I know it is a bit wonky, but try to stay with me.

I want to bad mouth this album for a variety of reasons, but then I look at my iTunes and see the number of five star songs and am wholly chastened.

This is a good album. But I swear it gets more boring as I revisit it. But I keep revisiting it. I suppose you could call it death through familiarity. I really didn't want to do this review.

It feels like I am forcing myself to eat a bucket of oatmeal without sugar. I like oatmeal, but c'mon. A whole bucket?

This is a long fucking album. It was a triple album. Poor Georgie had labored under the crippling yoke and attendant international superstardom of the Lennon/McCartney team for nearly a decade, and Harrison had a terminal case of creative blue balls. But this bucket of an album has many chunks of undercooked oatmeal in it.

Make no mistake. I am a zealous Beatles apologist. I have that poster of the boys in headshot profile in black and white, and I use it as a holy blessing over the entryway of wherever I am living (except here in Koreasburg). But this album can at times be either a big, jangly, lifeless mess or a soulful outpouring of genuine expression of the human condition. It depends on the song and on my mood.

But I am overly familiar with this album for a reason. Oatmeal is good for you, and John Tesh says there is nothing better you can eat for breakfast, every single day. If you aren't familiar with this album, become so. Then you can let it sit in your brain banks like a bellyful of hot carbs on a cold day. You will be a better person for having it in your psyche.

MYKS:

There are enough good singles on this album to make your own, regular length mix of George Harrison,

but I am just gonna give you my faves. You should know most of these songs already.

Unintentional plagiarism of "He's So Fine" or not, this song gets me in a churchy feeling. In the good, holy way, not the dressing in semi-casual, fighting sleep in the pews, xenophobic, science hating way.

This one does the same thing. The guy knew how to be really unpretentious, inviting, and personal with his religion. He's a personal guidepost for me in that respect. What, a brother can't be sincere?

I just like this one. It's fun, jumpy, and good jangly instead of distracting jangly.

While his guitar gently shreds. The man could really play guitar. Unless Clapton is playing on this one. I'm not going to check. I don't care. This song just rocks socks.

Next:

#81

David Bowie
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders from Mars (1972)

There won't have to be much listening done on my part for this one. Personal Top 5 all time. I think I could actually sing the whole album to you, in sequence.