On This Day in 1971, George Harrison Started a Seven-Week Run at No. 1 With His Fist ...

On this day (January 2) in 1971, George Harrison topped the Billboard 200 with All Things Must Pass. The triple-album marked his first release since The Beatles officially parted ways in April 1970. Musicians on the album include Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Alan White, Pete Drake, and many more.

Harrison began working on All Things Must Pass at EMI Studios the month after The Beatles officially broke up. Co-produced by Harrison and Phil Spector, sessions for the album stretched into October. Finally, after months of work, Harrison released the three-LP collection on November 27.

Upon its initial release, All Things Must Pass consisted of three LPs. The first two contained the album’s 18 official tracks, many of which were passed over for inclusion on previous Beatles albums. The third LP contained a collection of five live studio jams.
George Harrison Won the Race to the Top of the Singles Chart.

Paul McCartney was the first member of the Fab Four to score a No. 1 album after the band broke up. His album, McCartney, reached the top of the Billboard 200 on May 23, 1970, and stayed there for three weeks. Interestingly, Let It Be dethroned McCartney’s solo release.

Harrison, on the other hand, was the first former Beatle to score a No. 1 single. His song “My Sweet Lord” reached the top of the Hot 100 the day after Christmas 1970. It retained the top spot for four consecutive weeks. The single was still at the top when All Things Must Pass reached No. 1.

While “My Sweet Lord” was Harrison’s debut single as a solo artist, All Things Must Pass was not his first solo LP. He released two solo albums during his final years with The Beatles. First, he released Wonderwall Music in 1968. The next year, he released Electric Sound the next year. Neither of those albums saw much chart success.

All Things Must Pass topped charts in Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Source: Clayton Edwards/americansongwriter.com