All Things Must Pass Away: Harrison, Clapton, and Other Assorted Love Songs

George Harrison and Eric Clapton shared much more than guitar prowess, this book argues. It points out, among other similarities, that the friends and rivals both ranked among the most legendary musicians of their time; both were restless, driven, searching, and highly influential. In the middle of the swinging Sixties, Harrison brought Indian and Bengali music to the Beatles and was part of spread of Hindu revivalism to a Western audience; meanwhile, London graffiti proclaimed, “Clapton is God.” They collaborated on music that remains popular and widely heard today; they toured together; they both have been married to Pattie Boyd. Appropriately, Beatles authorities Womack (The Beatles Encyclopedia) and Kruppa (creator, Producing the Beatles podcast) have twinned Harrison and Clapton in a highly readable chronicle that centers on one acclaimed album from each of them: Harrison’s All Things Must Pass, and Clapton’s Derek and the Dominos album Layla and Assorted Love Songs, both from 1970. Womack provides fascinating insight into the creation of these two masterpieces and the contrasting working methods of the artists. Extensive interviews and a comprehensive bibliography are the icing on the cake.