I'd Have This Bootleg Anytime

BOOTLEG REVIEW
Acetates and Alternatives, Vol. 2

George's best since "All Things Must Pass"! This single CD features the best of the tracks off the 3 CD bootleg set "The Making of 'All Things Must Pass'". Though some of the tracks are little more than filler, the CD shows a stripped down version of the well-known Phil Spector-ized tracks and show George at the top of his career.

Everyone knows the story of the original album. For those who don't, George had long complained of living in the shadows of Lennon and McCartney, complaining that they only let him have one track per album. When the Beatles broke up, Paul disappointed with his homespun "McCartney" album that sounded like it was recorded in his living room (it was!). John did better, though "Plastic Ono Band" was a long ways away from the lovable moptop days. Ringo make an unoffensive country album (that even hardcore fans didn't buy). So it was up to George to make the next "Beatle" album, and boy did he ever! "All Things Must Pass" made us all wonder if George was the genius of The Beatles. Well, as history showed, George never made a follow-up album that had the same impact or quality. So this bootleg is special, showing the making of the album that was to be George's best effort.

• It begins with a scratchy acetate of "I'd Have You Anytime", which the liner notes say is George and Dylan. Could be, but I didn't hear Bob singing. But the track is a great demo, with some off key singing and harmonizing. Very homemade sounding, similar to "McCartney".

• "My Sweet Lord" follows. I was hoping for a demo, but instead got a "rare" single mix that sounds an awful lot like the original mix. I love alternatives, but only when you don't have to play the two versions side by side to find the difference. I say "FILLER" for this track.

• "What is Life" is clearly a working version, with George singing just the first few words at the beginning of each new line. This is a great track for budding guitar players who want to hear the fuzz guitar without the vocals. This may be an out-fake, but it is interesting nonetheless.

• "Let It Down" is raw with just drums, bass and guitar and a single-tracked George vocal. Very clean and a great version. "Run of the Mill" is another great track, again stripped down. Both of these sound like the original tracks on the album, just unpolished.

• "Beware of Darkness" is excellent. A great alternate take. It is followed by a guitar ditty called "Mama You Been On My Mind". Not much of a "song". Sounds more like a guitar lick that was recorded between takes. But it makes a nice segue to "Apple Scruffs", the next fantastic track. To hear George reaching for the high notes on "scruff-a-uff-uff-uffs" is what boots are all about.

• "Waiting On You All" is minus the vocals. Interesting to listen to, though a guide vocal would have been nice. "All Things Must Pass" is called "rare" on the liner notes, but in fact is the "Anthology 3" version. "Art of Dying" will bring you right back to the '70s with the screaching electric guitars and "rock arena" sound, though there are no vocals. Sounds like the final track minus vocals. Out-fake??

• "Hear Me Lord" has the count-in and perhaps the same instrumental backing as the final version, but the vocal is not polished. Great "honest" sound to this track. "You" is a track left off the final album and has all the false starts, then leads into a very pop sounding track that sounds like "hit single". Though in it's raw stage played live in the studio, my only guess why it was left off "All Things Must Pass" is because it doesn't have the dark sound of the rest of the tracks.

• "It Don't Come Easy" with George on lead vocal! No kidding. Sounds almost identical to Ringo's track, except for the vocal and a "hari krishna" chorus that makes you want to smile. George just had to sneak that in.

• "Tell Me What Has Happened To You" is possibly the worst track George wrote since "You Know What To Do". Strange chords and a dark, dark sound make this one a track that will make you reach for the "skip" on your remote.

• "Nowhere To Go" closes the album with a simple vocal and electric guitar strum. It has a nice, peaceful feel to it and would have been at home on a Beatle album. Nice undiscovered track. You can almost hear the famous Beatle harmonies on this one.

In summary, do not pass by this bootleg if you see it. I actually stopped buying albums by George years ago, but this one reminds me how much we all loved "All Things Must Pass" and the great talent George has. Sound quality is excellent, except for the first track which has a little distortion. Packaging is excellent as well with an alternative ATMP cover and good liner notes inside. An excellent companion to the original album.

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