Bobby Whitlock on All Things Must Pass.


If you have any interest in George Harrison’s All Thinks Must Pass album---especially in it’s upcoming 50th Anniversary incarnation---you have GOT to watch Bobby Whitlock’s new YouTube video about the recording of the album! Bobby is the organist/pianist/harmony singer (and player of other assorted instruments) on the album, as well as the same (along with songwriter) in Derek & The Dominos.

Bobby was very recently contacted by George’s estate regarding his recollections of the recording of ATMP, as his memory of that event far surpasses that of any other still-living participant, including Ringo and Eric Clapton. His recounting of the recording of the album is FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC! An utter joy to watch and hear. He and his wife/musical partner Coco Carmel recorded the video in their Texas home, and you may watch it on YouTube.

The video is very easy to find: Once on YouTube, do a search for "Bobby Whitlock", and click on his name. The first video in the queue is entitled "All Things Must Pass 50th/Just The Facts". I CANNOT wait for the newly-mixed version of the recordings (without Phil Spector’s gratuitous, grossly-excessive echo and reverb), to be offered in many different forms.
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Thanks for the info, @bdp24 .  The Whitlock interview seems like it will be very interesting.
Great perspective on what was going on
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ui2VSY6OTXI

Maybe ATMP will be one of my rare reissue buys this year? When a musician, and NOT a producer type talks about liking an upcoming reissue, that catches my attention.

I've been giving my original presses of both ATMP and Joni's "Blue" playtime lately. Blue is very good. ATMP...not so much.

I didn't go thru my typical 3-5 buys to find my "keeper," so perhaps I just have an extra bad copy. If I could remix it, the drums/bass would be centered better, along with George's vocal. The overall mesh of instruments often sounds mushy.

Wah Wah is a perfect example. So many instruments and things going on. SQ is wah wah.
This is a 50th anniversary remix supervised by Dhani. Thankfully for me, Jeff Lynne got nowhere near this project, as far as I know. It will not make your copy of the original mix disappear.

According to Dhani, George repeatedly said that he would like to do a remix of the album. Dhani has said it is not a de-Spectorization of the album, but more a little clean-up and clarifying, and bringing George’s vocals more to the forefront.

There are versions ranging in cost from $20 to $1,000. You can see the different versions by going to George Harrison | Official Merchandise – George Harrison | Official Merchandise

Some people will like it, some won’t. I am certainly anxious to hear it. It’s going to be released August 6th.

Great interview with Bobby Whitlock.  Good thing his wife was there to keep it moving.  I wish someone would do that for me.
Yeah @tomcy6, Whitlock strays off topic a lot in their videos, and CoCo reins him back in. He has a lot of stories to tell, all the videos a lot of fun. Unlike a lot of musicians from the late-60's and early-70's who have foggy memories of that time, Bobby's memory is very clear. He didn't get into chemicals until later in life, but made it back to sobriety about twenty years ago.
Just for the record (no, you know, pun intended): I have no interest in nor see the need for the past remixes Dhani did of Beatle albums (Sgt. Pepper, Abbey Road), first and primarily because I'm not that fond of those two albums (a minority opinion, I realize). But imo ATMP was in serious need of "fixing"---it sounds like the mics were at the far end of a cement tunnel, the voices and instruments at the other. IMO Spector got carried away, overdoing it.

I love Spector's Girl Group productions, but that approach to the recording of a Rock 'n' Roll band doesn't work for me. Bobby in an earlier video says the core band on ATMP (Bobby on organ, piano, and other assorted instruments, bassist Carl Radle---as well as Klaus Voorman, drummer Jim Gordon---along with Ringo and Alan White, Bobby identifying the drummer on each song, and George and Eric Clapton on guitars, with George, Bobby, and Eric singing) created it's own "wall of sound", no need for Spector to add to it electronically.

We're finally going to hear the sound the band created. Bobby was sent the files, and was very pleased with what he heard. Lots and lots of alternate takes, unreleased songs, and the early jams the band did in order to get to know each other, musically. Bobby says the tape was constantly rolling the entire time they were in the studio (just being installed in George's Friar Park home). Hundreds and hundreds of hours of music.

Bobby is as big a fan of Jim Gordon's drumming as am I (he refers to Jim as the best Rock 'n' Roll drummer of all time), and explains in one video why he couldn't play music with Keith Moon, another of his close friends when he was living in England. He does a great "air drum" imitation of the playing of both, for those interested in learning the difference between "ensemble" playing and, as Bobby put it, constantly soloing (ala Keith, Ginger Baker, etc.). See. it's not just me. ;-)