The 500 - #433 - George Harrison - All Things Must Pass

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

Album # 433

Album Title: All Things Must Pass
Artist: George Harrison
Genre: Rock, Folk Rock
Recorded: May to October, 1970
Released: October, 1970
My age at release: 5
How familiar was I with it before this week: Fairly Well
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: What is Life?
Selected by my wife Angela, who tells me that the lyrics always make her think of me. (How lucky am I?)

"What I feel, I can't say
But my love is there for you, any time of day
But if it's not love that you need
Then I'll try my best to make everything succeed
Tell me, what is my life without your love
Tell me, who am I without you, by my side?"

George Harrison has always been my favourite Beatle. I'm not sure if it started when I learned he was the youngest or that the fans called him The Quiet One. It might have been because he garnered the least attention. Paul and John were the principal songwriters and the frontmen. Ringo...well, he was called Ringo...and was The Funny One.  

I know that my affinity for George was galvanized in the late 70s when I learned that he was helping to finance the Monty Python film The Life of Brian. I was a massive Monty Python fan in my youth. I still am, but between the ages of 12 and 16 I found the comedy troupe intoxicatingly funny.

Left to Right: Terry Jones, Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam & Michael Palin

In 1978, when Life of Brian was set to go into production, a sizeable chunk of the budget disappeared. It seems that Lord Delfont, chairman of the film's distribution firm EMI, had finally read the script and was appalled by the content. He immediately pulled the plug and the Pythons were short two million pounds. Cast member Eric Idle reached out to his wealthiest friend, George Harrison, with whom he had worked on the parody mockumentary The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash the previous year. 

Harrison agreed to help but went a step further by establishing his own production and distribution company: HandMade Films. Life of Brian was saved and, as Idle put it, became "the most anyone's paid for a cinema ticket in history." Twenty-six more films followed over the next decade, including cult classics Time Bandits, Withnail and I, and How to Get Ahead in Advertising. All of this is chronicled in the 2019 documentary An Accidental Studio.

The most memorable connection I have with All Things Must Pass is melancholy. George died from lung cancer on November 29, 2001. The next evening, I was in the studio at CHRW - Radio Western where I hosted a bi-weekly radio program. I opened the show with this album. I wasn't sure which track to play so, I put the needle down on side one and let it run to the end. As I sat in the broadcasting booth, headphones on, eyes fixed on the album cover, each song seemed to take on a deeper and more meaningful significance. I reflected on George - - again, my favourite Beatle - - who, after rescuing the Pythons, may actually have been The Funny One.