eventually released in 1996 on the Beatles' outtake collection Anthology 3. Billy Preston's version Soon after Harrison had begun talking publicly about making a solo album, during the final months of 1969, he offered "All Things Must Pass", along with the more recent "My Sweet Lord", to Billy Preston for the latter's album Encouraging Words. Through Harrison's invitation, Preston had played keyboards for the Beatles once the Get Back/Let It Be sessions resumed at Apple Studio, where the 22-year-old Texan had impressed with his superior musicianship and convivial presence. Preston was soon offered a recording deal with Apple Records, Encouraging Words being the second album under the contract. Co-produced by Harrison, Preston's reading of "All Things Must Pass" betrays an obvious debt to his former mentor, Ray Charles. While Harrison's later recording is generally viewed as the definitive version, Bruce Eder of AllMusic considers this treatment of the song the superior of the two. Preston's version appeared in September 1970, five months after the Beatles' break-up. All Things Must Pass recording While completing his production on Preston's release, Harrison chose to record the song himself for what became the title track of his post-Beatles solo debut, the triple album All Things Must Pass. In describing "All Things Must Pass" as a "haunting hymn about the mortality of everything", author Elliot Huntley notes the added poignance in Harrison's version, due to the death of his mother in July 1970 after a long period of illness. With Phil Spector as his co-producer, Harrison taped the basic track at Abbey Road Studios between 26 May and early in June. Other participants included Clapton, German bassist Klaus Voormann and Starr, the latter another avowed Band fan. Leng credits the song's piano part to Bobby Whitlock, who also sang backing vocals with Clapton, his future bandmate in Derek and the Dominos. In his 2010 autobiography, Whitlock states that it was Preston who played the piano on "All Things Must Pass", while his own contribution was pump organ, or harmonium. Although Leng lists both Harrison and Clapton as having played acoustic guitar and Starr and Jim Gordon on drums, according to the personnel that Whitlock offers, neither Clapton nor Gordon played on the song. Among the overdubs on the track, Nashville session musician Pete Drake recorded a pedal-steel guitar part during a brief visit to London, to participate in sessions for Harrison songs such as "Behind