In November it will be 40 years since George Harrison released his masterpiece, “All Things Must Pass”.
It was the first triple LP ever released by a solo artist. Harrison had so many songs – many of them stored up from his Beatles days – that they sprawled across 2 LPs, plus a third disc called “Apple Jam” that was just that – George and his mates jamming in the studio.
In both the US and the UK the album came out in a black box with a matte, monochrome shot of Harrison on the front, sitting like an elf (complete with accompanying garden gnomes) in the garden of his Friar Park mansion.
The US cover of the original 3 LP box set
The box came with a huge poster of George (36″ x 24″), and each inner sleeve was in a different colour, complete with the printed lyrics to the songs it contained. Record one is in a light blue sleeve, record two is grey, and record three (“Apple Jam”) is mustard coloured.
The US box open with orange inner and light blue sleeve for record one
The US box open with the lyric sleeve for record two
The US box open with the mustard coloured "Apple Jam" sleeve
The US and UK labels were Apple – but in this time in bright orange:
On the first two discs there was the full Apple on one side, and a cut Apple on the other:
The “Apple Jam” disc (sides 5 & 6) had its own custom labels:
In Australia the packaging for the 3 x LP set was quite different. It was a specially designed triple fold-out cover (not a box set), with a shiny laminated finish on the outside:
The Australian release - front cover
The original release was a top-load cover (there was a later Parlophone label release which was side-load – see below). Here’s the rear cover for the Australian release:
The Australian release - rear cover with song list and artist details
The triple gate-fold opened up like this, and the inserts in which the records are held were made of high quality textured paper in the same colours as the US and UK box-set inner sleeves:
The Australian triple gatefold open on one side
The Australian triple gatefold open both sides
The original Australian issues also came with the giant George poster, and had the bright orange Apple labels - however this time in full on all four sides of each LP (in other words no “cut” Apples on sides 2 and 4):
Plus it also had the special Apple Jam labels for sides 5 & 6:
In the 1990′s in Australia came a vinyl re-issue of the set. It came in the same triple gatefold cover, but this time at a lower quality of paper. And it wasn’t on Apple Records, but the Parlophone label:
There were two 45 rpm singles released from the album at the time. These were “My Sweet Lord” and “What Is Life”. In Australia “My Sweet Lord” was backed with “Isn’t It A Pity” and a little bit unusually, the labels on each side had a full green Apple – kind of like a double “A” side:
In 2001 came an LP and a CD re-issue, both of which came as box sets. Here’s the deluxe vinyl box:
The EU 2001 re-issue vinyl box cover
Both the CD box and the LP box were expanded and remastered – containing five previously un-released bonus tracks: “I Live For You” (out-take); “Beware Of Darkness” (demo); “Let It Down” (alternate version); “What Is Life” (backing track); and “My Sweet Lord (2000)” (alternate version). Both box sets featured a colourised version of the original front cover image. Unlike the original 1970 LP box set, this one had a song list on the rear:
The vinyl was again three LP records – including the “Apple Jam” disc:
The vinyl box open - notice the booklet cover's statement on environmental degradation
The internal packaging was quite different to the original in a lot of ways. The inner lining (now purple) and the inner sleeves for example:
The vinyl 2001 reissue with the inner sleeve for Disc 1
A booklet replaced the giant poster, but still had some shots from the same photo shoot:
And the LP labels (the record was released on George’s own GN Records label) were different too:
The CD box set contained all the content of the triple LPs – but on two CDs:
The 2001 CD reissue cover - still in shrink wrap with original sticker
All the tracks on “All Things Must Pass” (2001) were remastered and/or remixed by George. He says in the booklet that on some tracks he wanted to “….liberate some of the songs from the big production that seemed appropriate at the time, but now seem a bit over the top with the reverb in the wall of sound”. I guess he means Phil Spector’s production work on the original. There are no hard feelings though as in the booklet George pays tribute to “….the amazing Phil Spector, who produced so many fantastic records in the sixties. He helped me so much to get this record made….God bless you Phil”. For more information on the complete story of the 2001 reissue see wikipedia
The CD box also had the coloured cover. Urbanisation and degradation of the environment gets worse from the front image, through to changes in each image on the inner sleeves, until the final scene on the booklet where George is literally overshadowed by a motorway and factories belching smog. Here’s the CD label:
Also from 2001 comes a 3 track CD single re-issue of “My Sweet Lord”:
The 2001 "My Sweet Lord" CD single cover
The disc contained “My Sweet Lord”, ”Let It Down” and “My Sweet Lord (2000)”:
For further information see also the official All Things Must Pass website, and the excellent Beatles Recorded Sound Index entry.
And click here for the Record Store Day 2010 limited edition of “All Things Must Pass”.
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I just scored what I think might be an unopened original pressing of All Things Must Pass. I removed the shrink wrap and found labels such as the first ones pictured on your webpage (under the text lines “The US and UK labels were Apple – but in this time in bright orange:” and “On the first two discs there was the full Apple on one side, and a cut Apple on the other:”). Are those pictures actual first-pressing labels?
Thanks for your time!
TD
Hi Thomas, Yes – those are original 1970 labels from the US pressing of “All Things Must Pass”. Hope this helps. Sounds like you might have found a really nice original copy there!
Thanks! The labels match exactly, so I believe it’s a first pressing. How sweet it is!
Thanks for your help.
TD
the box set pressing i have with the run-off groove numbers- 1U on all 6 sides and labels that say ‘mfd in the UK 1970′ comes in a usa box with orange inner, with a usa poster and usa inner sleeves, the strange thing is that sides 1.2,3 & 4 have the uncut, full Apple label like the Australian release instead of the cut apple on sides 2 & 4. My guess is that the Uk Lps were shipped over to America and packaged there using the usa box and inners? i cant come up with an answere as to why the 4 orange labels show the uncut apple? Any ideas?
Hi, Yes I guess that could have been the case. Did you but the set new in the USA?
Anyone else have any info on this one?
it was bought a few weeks back in a charity shop here in the uk for £30,
full details-
hinged box, matt picture on front of box , thickness of box 10mm, orange insides with ‘mfd by Apple records New York’
poster, printed in usa.
inner sleeves, (rough texture) printed in USA
labels, ‘mfd in uk 1970′ (sides 1,2,3 & 4 have the full uncut orange Apple label) sides 5 & 6 have the green labels.
run-off grooves,
(side 1) YEX 817-1U, 1. O?
(side 2) YEX 818-1U, 2. O?
(side 3) YEX 819-1U, 1. AR,
(side 4) YEX 820-1U, 2. ??
(side 5) YEX 821-1U, 2. RL
(side 6) YEX 822-1U, 1. GL.
There seems to be quite a few variations on this box set although ive not come across another copy that has the 4 full Apple labels on sides 1,2,3 & 4? others ive seen have the cut Apple on sides 2 & 4.
Lets hear your views.
I was checking my ATMP UK lp and my lps say IU on all sides, full apple, mfg in Uk, inner cover is orange with made and printed in Great Britain with card board separating between lp and inner end of box. Also my poster on the corner says made Printed in Gret Britain. I’m sure this is the first pressing. Any thoughts!!!
Ralph
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While looking at ATMP lp UK I noticed Eric Clapton not mentioned on inside cover. The two US versions I have, he’s listed on one of them but not the other. Interesting!
hi, my copy also has the uncut apples. i have a first uk variation 1st mother stamper indicated by a 1 at 9 oclock and the letters AL stamped on run out, indicating 38th press from the first mother. Around 500 LPs pressed per letter. this can be indicated by using the GRAMOPHLTD coding. G being first 500, A being 3rd 500, GR being 12th, etc, etc. First press is sometimes confused with 1st mother stamper. You may have a first mother stamper but the press might be in the hundreds. A true first press i.e 1 mother and G stamp would indicate one of the very first 500 pressed. Hope that all makes sense and helps!!
Ian
Hi, I’ve just received a copy of ATMP, it’s in a triple gatefold, UK version, on red apple with cut apples on sides 2 & 4, includes the green jam labels on sides 5 & 6. The back sleeve is pure black with a WHITE Apple logo in the middle with text stating: “2 George Harrison LP’s Plus 1 Apple Jam Session. 3 LP’s For The Price Of 2. Apple STCH 639″. This inside has the lyrics on the colours of the inner sleeves. It’s a top-loading sleeve. I have the Australian triple gatefold and it is different to this. Do you have any further info on this copy? I am thinking it was a later (poss. late 70s?) cheaper issue, without the inclusion of the box. Any info would be greatly appreciated!
Cheers, Adrian
Hello again Adrian, I just went onto the very good Apple Records collectors site http://www.applerecords.nl/ It is an unofficial site, but a fantastic resource of Apple pressings from around the world. Well documented with pictures, etc. In the column for George Harrison in the “LP” section, if you go to South East Asia you get this PDF with what looks like what you are describing: http://www.applerecords.nl/SEA%20LP%20George.pdf
Let me know if this is what you have got. Cheers.
Hi, I’ve just received a copy of ATMP, it’s in a triple gatefold, UK version, on red apple with cut apples on sides 2 & 4, includes the green jam labels on sides 5 & 6. The back sleeve is pure black with a WHITE Apple logo in the middle with text stating: “2 George Harrison LP’s Plus 1 Apple Jam Session. 3 LP’s For The Price Of 2. Apple STCH 639″. This inside has the lyrics on the colours of the inner sleeves. It’s a top-loading sleeve. I have the Australian triple gatefold and it is different to this. Do you have any further info on this copy? I am thinking it was a later (poss. late 70s?) cheaper issue, without the inclusion of the box. Any info would be greatly appreciated!
Cheers, Adrian
Hi Adrian, this is a new one on me and sounds very unusual and interesting. Does anyone else out there have any info? Please contribute to the discussion. Adrian – can you send me a couple of photos please?
Hello again Adrian, I just went onto the very good Apple Records collectors site http://www.applerecords.nl/ It is an unofficial site, but a fantastic resource of Apple pressings from around the world. Well documented with pictures, etc. In the column for George Harrison in the “LP” section, if you go to South East Asia you get this PDF with what looks like what you are describing: http://www.applerecords.nl/SEA%20LP%20George.pdf
Let me know if this is what you have got. Cheers.
Hi beatlesblogger,
Many thanks for your info on this. Yes, it does look exactly like the copy I have got. South East Asian copy, wow, very surprised by this. That’s a really great site on apple records.
Many thanks for all your help on this. Fantastic info!
All the best, Adrian
I have four of the ATMP 3-D lenticular covers. Would anyone have any idea how many are out there? Recently I bought the original neg used on the ‘Apple Jam’ cover. Would anyone have additional info on other ATMP artwork or negatives?