The one hundred ninety-sixth album: #196 George Harrison - All Things Must Pass
Listening to this album, it's clear that by the end, the Beatles were far more of a constraint to George Harrison's creativity than they were a help. Whie he may not have started out as one, the 23 tracks on this album come out with a decent variety in song writing with a very clear definition that suit his performance. It harkens back more often to earlier Beatles tracks, including their harmonies, while the topics are at times personal and at times spiritual. A lot of these were written during Harrison's time in the Beatles, then produced and put together by big names, and it shows in how good the tracks sound. At the same time, there's something good about the relative purity of the song writing - not always too complex, but clearly carrying out its message. No other albums of his are on the list, but in part that feels like because the sophomore slump feels unavoidable after this, and 100 minutes of material is a lot to put out at once.
The last disc, the Apple Jam, obviously strays from that into a number of instrumental jams and (as I could have predicted) these are less of a hit with me. They don't sound bad, but on the whole the jazzier approach never does as much for me as a thought out, more deliberate song.
The album isn't anything heavy or swinging, Dylan's influence and writing is obvious, but there's somethig about the way it comes together with Spector's big (but not over the top) production and the performances that makes it bigger than that, switching tones without straying too far. It's a nice and coherent work without being the same, a nice balance to create an enjoyable album.