“All Things Must Pass” (1970) – Billy Preston * Written by George Harrison * Produced by Billy Preston and George Harrison * LP: Encouraging Words * Label: Apple
Billy Preston’s Beatle connections went all the way back to 1962 Liverpool, when the starstruck foursome warmed up for their idol Little Richard, who included Preston in his touring group. So when Preston sat in on organ for their Get Back sessions in 1969, the comfortable music he made with them testified of their old-friend status. He recorded two albums for their Apple label, That’s the Way God Planned It (1969) and Encouraging Words (1970), with co-production and guitar work by the symbiotically God-conscious George Harrison. For Encouraging Words, Harrison allowed Preston to roll out two of his own songs, “My Sweet Lord” and “All Things Must Pass,” in September 1970, two months before he’d release his own versions. For his iteration of “All Things Must Pass” (which puts parentheses around “must” on the label), Preston adapts the song to an arrangement reminiscent of Nat King Cole’s “The Christmas Song,” working its way up to the IV in the verse beginnings, then scooting back down (III-II-I). By then the Christmas season market had become (and would continue to be) a major part of the Beatles’ commercial legacy, with Harrison’s All Things Must Pass release date of November 27, 1970, being a case in point. It’s hard not to hear Preston’s approach as some sort of St. Nicholas eye-wink, complete with falling snowflake strings at the end.