George Harrison’s Son Fixed 1 of the Former Beatle’s Biggest Songs So You Can Hear the Synthesizer In It
George Harrison‘s son, Dhani Harrison, remastered many of his songs. For example, he retooled one of the most famous songs from George’s album All Things Must Pass. During an interview, Dhani said he fixed the song so fans can hear the synthesizer in it. George’s widow, Olivia Harrison, discussed what it was like to hear the remastered version of All Things Must Pass.
George Harrison’s son felt he ‘rediscovered’ part of this hit song
All Things Must Pass is one of George’s most famous albums and one of the most famous albums by a former Beatle. George’s estate rereleased the album in 2021. During an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Dhani said the synthesizer on George’s hit “Isn’t It a Pity?” was inaudible before he retooled the song.
Dhani said the synthesizer was impossible to hear on the version of the song from the 2001 rerelease of All Things Must Pass. “I thought there were tracks that we just had muted, but they were in there,” he said. “The sonic soup in the middle was fogging it up. And then, suddenly, once you hear it you can’t unhear it. It was like rediscovering it again. It was kind of the same feeling I had when they did the remaster of Sgt. Pepper’s.”
What Olivia Harrison thought of the remastered songs
Olivia Harrison discussed how Dhani and his collaborator Paul Hicks changed the mixing on All Things Must Pass. “There were things that were smothered in there,” she said. “He said, ‘I’d like to liberate some of the songs from the big production. That seemed appropriate at the time.’
“So I think Paul and Dhani have been very balanced in how they’ve liberated some of them,” she added. “You still have the power behind it, but I think George is more present — and very intimate. Much more intimate than it was before. You feel a connection with him.”
The way the world reacted to ‘Isn’t It a Pity?’
“Isn’t It a Pity” became a hit after it was released as the B-side to “My Sweet Lord.” Both songs reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for 14 weeks. The songs’ parent album, All Things Must Pass, was even more successful. It remained on the Billboard 200 for 41 weeks, spending seven of those weeks at No. 1.
On the other hand, “Isn’t it a Pity?” was not a hit in the United Kingdom. The Official Charts Company reports the song did not chart in the U.K. Meanwhile, All Things Must Pass reached No. 1 in the U.K. The album remained on the chart for 32 weeks. “Isn’t It a Pity?” was somewhat popular back in the 1970s — but 2020s audiences can finally hear a “liberated” version of the song.
