Listen to George Harrison’s Previously Unreleased “Cosmic Empire” Demo

It's part of the forthcoming 50th anniversary version of "All Things Must Pass"

George Harrison in Cannes, France, 1976. A new demo from his "All Things Must Pass" era was just unearthed.
George Harrison in Cannes, France, 1976.
Michael Putland/Getty Images

It’s technically already been more than 50 years since George Harrison released his classic 1970 triple album All Things Must Pass, but the late Beatle’s estate is officially celebrating the big occasion next month in the form of a massive 50th anniversary box set. Today, we’ve finally got our first taste of the release.

The 50th anniversary All Things Must Pass box set will be released by Capitol/UMe on Aug. 6, and in addition to the album’s original tracks, it features 30 demos — including 26 previously unreleased tracks and album outtakes like “Cosmic Empire,” “Going Down To Golders Green,” “Dehra Dun,” “Sour Milk Sea,” “Om Hare Om,” “Window Window,” “Beautiful Girl,” “Mother Divine” and “Nowhere To Go.” To tease the release, the Harrison estate today released a lyric video for “Cosmic Empire,” a solo acoustic track recorded by the former Beatles guitarist on the second day of the All Things Must Pass sessions.

“Since the 50th-anniversary stereo mix release of the title track to my father’s legendary All Things Must Pass album in 2020, my dear pal Paul Hicks and I have continued to dig through mountains of tapes to restore and present the rest of this newly remixed and expanded edition of the album you now see and hear before you,” Harrison’s son Dhani said in a press release. “Bringing greater sonic clarity to this record was always one of my father’s wishes and it was something we were working on together right up until he passed in 2001. Now, 20 years later, with the help of new technology and the extensive work of Paul Hicks we have realized this wish and present to you this very special 50th Anniversary release of perhaps his greatest work of art. Every wish will be fulfilled.”

You can listen to “Cosmic Empire” below and preorder the 50th anniversary All Things Must Pass box set here.

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