LookBack #21: All Things Past

This week's Classic Track LookBack looks back at an album that was released in late November 1970. Actually it's a triple album, not to mention a multi-platinum LP. George Harrison's All Things Must Pass still stands as the best selling post-Beatle release.

My Sweet Lord

The album opens with My Sweet Lord, a song which gently suggest we embrace the concept of a "higher being" rather than one specific religious denomination or even one specific definition of said "higher being." Side by side it embraces Hindu and Christian beliefs. It features co-producer Phil Spector's "wall of sound" and George's slide guitar technique. This peaceful song with its peaceful message was also the subject of a plagiarism claim, alleging that its sound copied that of a 1963 hit by girl group, the Chiffons, called He's So Fine. Personally, I don't see the intent to copy. For me, it's just a really good song. Yet for some reason no one asked me what I thought. But enjoy listening to it.

My Sweet Lord

Apple Scruffs

The song Apple Scruffs can be found on the B side of the 45 What is Life, as well as on All Things Must Pass. But who were theese Apple Scruffs?

The name was coined by George Harrison as the Beatle years raced toward their inevitable close. It referred to a group of fans who congregated outside Apple Corps and hung out within easy sight of London's Abbey Road Studios. In both cases, they were hoping for a glimpse of one of the group members, or maybe even some interaction with one of them.

Please note that the original version of Apple Scruffs has proved itself to be difficult to find. While I usually choose YouTube as video source because of its accessibility, Vimeo was the only place that I could find it. If you have trouble accessing it, please just let me know.

Apple Scruffs

George Harrison - Apple Scruffs from ana diaz on Vimeo.

Wah-Wah

And for our third song? You might wonder why I singled out Wah Wah instead of Isn't It a Pity which was the flipside of My Sweet Lord? Or I could have picked the hit single that asks the alltime conundrum of questions, What is Life?

Well I could fashion an explanation that sounds really intellectual, even artistic, while saying nothing at all. I'm pretty good at that and might even be doing just that right now. But the truth is that I just like the song, the sound of it when I say it, and the way George sings it. Is that baseless, groundless, shallow and even weak? Ok, I can live with that. But I can also tell you that George wrote Wah Wah following an argument with Paul McCartney during the Beatles Let It Be sessions. Ride with whichever explanation you like. They're both true. Then listen to George sing the song. I bet you'll like it too.

Wah-Wah



Till next time, that's another Classic Track LookBack at rock history. And speaking of rock history, check out Maindog Sound's Storified tweets all in one place or check out the original tweets in last week's Twitter's Rock History hashtag #rockhistory tweets and their rockin' music links right here.