For an album that’s sold millions, launched George Harrison into the stratosphere, and changed the very idea of what a “solo Beatle” could sound like, All Things Must Pass still holds onto a few secrets. Beyond the anthems and the grandeur, it’s a universe of whispered collaborations, spiritual awakenings, and creative outbursts that spilled far beyond a triple LP.
Phil Collins played on it… or so he thought.
In 1970, a young Phil Collins was invited to play congas on “Art of Dying.” He showed up, played his part, and left with stars in his eyes. But when the album came out—no Phil. Years later, Harrison cheekily sent him a tape of his “performance” with his congas barely audible, replaced by laughter. Harrison gave him a credit on the 30th anniversary reissue of the album, but Collins’ playing does not appear on the track. You don’t forget your first Beatle session, even if you’re technically not on the record.
The gnomes on the cover weren’t just gnomes.
The iconic album cover shows George sitting cross-legged at Friar Park, surrounded by four garden gnomes. A quirky photo? Sure. But to many—including critics at the time—it was a tongue-in-cheek metaphor. George towering above four silent figures, no longer one of the Fab Four, was his subtle but cheeky way of declaring independence. “I’m not in your band anymore,” the gnomes say without speaking.
The first track he recorded was a shot at McCartney.
“Wah-Wah,” the first track laid down for the album, was Harrison’s sonic middle finger to the toxic energy in the Beatles’ final days. Written the day he temporarily quit the band during the Get Back sessions, it’s both blistering and cathartic. The wall of sound production only heightens the emotional release.
Bob Dylan co-wrote the album’s very first song.
“I’d Have You Anytime” is the gentle opener that sets the tone for All Things Must Pass—and it came straight from George and Bob Dylan jamming at Bob’s house in Woodstock. Harrison asked Dylan to let him in, and Dylan answered with the chorus. Dylan didn’t perform on the album, but his spirit is in every groove. Their friendship would stretch into the Traveling Wilburys, but this was the first real musical handshake.
It launched more than just Harrison’s solo career—it launched Derek and the Dominos.
Eric Clapton didn’t just show up to help out a friend. The sessions were so electric that Clapton, along with Bobby Whitlock, Jim Gordon, and Carl Radle, decided to form their own band: Derek and the Dominos. You can hear the energy that would later define Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs right there in “Apple Jam.” So yes, George’s solo album gave birth to another classic rock legend.
For George, All Things Must Pass was a declaration of independence, of talent, of spirituality, and of what happens when a quiet Beatle finally speaks loud enough for the world to listen. More than five decades later, its stories still unfold like hidden verses. We may never know all the secrets locked in those tapes, but these five remind us: George wasn’t just catching up—he was leading the way.
