All Things Must Pass
After being overlooked and ultimately rejected by the Beatles, 'All Things Must Pass' would find its own road to success. If George Harrison's role as supporting act to Lennon-McCartney wasn't lifted after his Abbey Road hits like 'Something' and 'Here Comes the Sun', this album would ensure his position as a legend in his own right.
George began composition on 'All Things Must Pass' in 1968, during the creative period of the Beatles' self-titled or 'White Album' sessions. With collaborators like Bob Dylan ('If Not For You' and 'I'd Have You Anytime') and Billy Preston, Harrison was in good company. His involvement at the time with the Hare Krishna movement can be heard on 'My Sweet Lord', smoothly combining the Hindu bhajan tradition with gospel music, an original musical pairing. However, in 1971, Bright Tunes Music Corporation filed suit against him alleging copyright infringement of the late Ronnie Mack song 'He's So Fine'. Ultimately, Harrison retained the rights in the UK and North America, and Allen Klein (ABKCO Music & Records) was awarded the rights elsewhere in the world. This ruling was a personal blow for Harrison, effecting him to the point that he stated he was "too paranoid to write any new songs".
Concert for Bangladesh
Organized by Harrison and Ravi Shankar, the Concert for Bangladesh was a pair of benefit concerts held in August of 1971 at Madison Square Garden and released as a live triple album ('The Concert for Bangladesh', George Harrison and Friends, pictured on the right) and a film (released in 1972 and directed by Saul Swimmer). Featured artists included Harrison, Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan (both of whom had ancestral roots in Bangladesh) Ringo Starr, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, Leon Russell, and the band Badfinger. The goal was to raise international awareness as well as funds for refugees from East Pakistan, following the Bangladesh Liberation War-related genocide.
Due to the managerial mistake of not registering the event beforehand with UNICEF mixed with the high retail prices of the album, the event soon became controversial. The two concerts did manage to raise close to $250,000 for Bangladesh relief and the accompanying album and film added close to $13.5 million to the pot. Today, sales of the DVD and CD of the concert continue to benefit the George Harrison Fund for UNICEF.
Notable songs from 'All Things Must Pass' featured on the Concert for Bangladesh album included, 'Wah-Wah', 'My Sweet Lord', and my personal favorite 'Beware of Darkness' (featuring Leon Russell). This would be the first time Harrison played 'My Sweet Lord' live and he would go on to perform the tune at every one of his concerts, thereafter.
Favorite song on the album: Beware of Darkness
BONUS - Beware of Darkness Live at Concert for Bangladesh featuring Leon Russell linked below
'My Sweet Lord' vs 'He's So Fine'
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