Five decades after it was released, George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass is back on the charts, with the new 50th anniversary edition, released August 6 via Capitol/UMe, landing at No. 7 on the Billboard 200. The album’s additional charting achievements include No. 1 placements on the Top Rock Albums, Catalog Albums, and Tastemaker Albums charts and the No. 2 slots on the Top Albums Sales and the Vinyl Albums charts, just behind Billie Eilish on both. Upon release in 1970, Harrison’s first post Beatles solo album was met by unanimous critical acclaim and spectacular commercial success, spending seven consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and eight weeks atop the UK’s official albums chart. All Things Must Pass’ return to the Top 10 marks the first time since 1971.
The album has been incredibly well received around the world with impressive charting in several countries, including No. 6 on the Official UK Albums Chart, No. 2 in Germany, No. 3 in both Belgium and Switzerland, and #5 in the Netherlands.
“UMe is honored to be entrusted by the Harrison Estate with celebrating such an important and influential album,” said Bruce Resnikoff, President & CEO of UMe.
In celebration of its 50th anniversary, All Things Must Pass has been reissued in an array of formats, from the lavish and incredibly limited edition Uber Deluxe to the expansive Super Deluxe Edition box set to a variety of CD and vinyl configurations, in addition to streaming and download configurations. Harrison’s masterwork has been completely remixed from the original tapes and expanded with 47 (42 previously unreleased) demos and outtakes, allowing listeners to enjoy and explore the album and the legendary recording sessions like never before. Decades in the making and lovingly crafted by the Harrison family, the album was remixed to fulfill Harrison’s longtime desire. Executive produced by Dhani Harrison and mixed by triple GRAMMY® Award-winning engineer Paul Hicks (The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, John Lennon), with the product produced by David Zonshine, the new mix transforms the album by sonically upgrading it - making it sound brighter, fuller and better than ever.
To coincide with the release of the anniversary editions, the iconic cover of All Things Must Pass, depicting Harrison and his garden gnomes, has been recreated in larger-than-life fashion as a public, living art installation in London’s Duke Of York Square, King’s Road, Chelsea. The installation opened August 6th and will be available to visit until this Friday, August 20th. Designed by world renown floral artist Ruth Davis, of All For Love London, the beautiful, interactive installation features gigantic versions of two gnomes which have been created out of flowers and foliage. The oversized gnomes, the largest measuring five meters, sit atop a large circle of turf, and are surrounded by the seasonal, impermanent beauty George embraced during his life. In the center is a wooden stool and an exaggerated pair of rubber gardening boots, similar to the ones seen on the cover, inviting people to take a seat, put their feet in the boots and create their version of the classic album photo while enjoying the garden.
The gnome installation is detailed in a new video released today that includes Olivia and Dhani Harrison talking about the historic cover and what went into the making of the tribute. Watch here: https://GeorgeHarrison.lnk.to/GnomeDoc
Hailed by Rolling Stone as “the War and Peace of rock and roll” and “an intensely personal statement and a grandiose gesture,” All Things Must Pass was met by unanimous critical acclaim and spectacular commercial success, spending seven weeks at #1 on Billboard’s “Top LPs” chart and eight weeks atop the UK’s official albums chart (though chart records until 2006 mistakenly stated that it had peaked at #4). Currently certified 6x platinum by the RIAA, All Things Must Pass later received a 1972 GRAMMY® Award nomination for “Album of the Year,” while “My Sweet Lord” earned a GRAMMY® nod for “Record of the Year.” “What Is Life,” the album’s second single, also became an international hit, reaching the top 10 in the US and Canada as well as #1 in Australia and Switzerland.
All Things Must Pass has only grown in influence and stature in the half-century since its initial release, including induction in the GRAMMY® Hall of Fame and inclusion on The Times of London’s “The 100 Best Albums of All Time” and Rolling Stone’s 2020 listing of “The Top 500 Albums of All Time.” Pitchfork declared it to have “changed the terms of what an album could be.”
For more information, configurations, and track listings, please visit GeorgeHarrison.com
50th ANNIVERSARY CREDITS
Executive Producer: Dhani Harrison
Product Producer: David Zonshine
2020 Re-Mixed & Produced in Stereo & Atmos by: Paul Hicks
Creative Director: Dhani Harrison
Book curated by: Olivia Harrison and Rachel Cooper
Art Direction: Darren Evans
Archive Research: Don Fleming, Richard Radford and Ryan Williams
