George Harrison: 'all Things' In Good Time

This is an expanded edition Billboard Editor In Chief Timothy White's exclusive interview with George Harrison (which appeared in the Dec. 30, 2000, issue of Billboard), available only on Billboard.com.

"Let me in here/I know I've been here/Let me into your heart," sang George Harrison in the opening moments of "All Things Must Pass" (Apple/Capitol), his first proper solo album, which debuted on the Billboard charts in the issue dated Dec. 19, 1970.

Thirty years later, "I'd Have You Anytime" (co-written with Bob Dylan) and the rest of Harrison's transcendent 23-track solo project (No. 1 for seven weeks, with three hit singles and sales of 3 million copies) is back in a newly remastered edition with five bonus tracks, including "I Live For You," the lovely, previously unissued ballad from the original "All Things Must Pass" sessions.

The revamped "All Things Must Pass" -- which Harrison cites in self-penned liner notes as his "first solo album of 'songs' (as opposed to [film soundtrack] 'Wonderwall [Music,' Apple 1968] and 'Electronic Sound' [Zapple 1969] which were instrumental" -- emerges as promised ("The White Paper," Billboard, June 19, 1999) as part of a long-awaited schedule of new music and enhanced reissues of Harrison's solo work. (Sadly, Harrison spent early 2000 recovering from wounds inflicted in late December 1999 by a deranged 33-year-old male who broke into his home and repeatedly stabbed the former Beatle with a knife).

The arrival of "All Things Must Past" in stores Jan. 23 comes on the heels of the Beatles "1" album topping the charts in 30 countries as the smash of the season.

Harrison, Billboard's 1992 Century Award honoree, took a little time out from his own holiday respite to discuss a remarkable body of work that has plainly never left global music lovers' hearts.

George, how are you?

Ohhh, I'm OK, thank you. I've been up and down and round and round [laughs], but I feel really pretty good.

Your old band has got the No. 1 album around the world.

I know, it's funny, isn't it? It's interesting, and it's amazing, 'cause I've been out a couple of nights lately where there's been a lot of people, and there's lot of young people who are just so into it. It's great, it's really good, because you see kids who are 5, 6, and 17 -- that whole span -- and they genuinely like it.

The 1999 reissue of the "Yellow Submarine" film and music was a good opening chapter for some of these young ones.

I think because it's the same when people were 9 or 16 back in the '60s. They liked it then, and they like it now for the same basic reasons: