14 DAY TRIAL // It's been some time since the last round of 'Beatles on iTunes' and the band's albums are still not available for purchase from Apple's digital music service. In the meantime, fans might be interested in the solo works of the Beatles members, which are available.
George Harrison is now on the iTunes bandwagon, so to speak. The former Beatle is the latest featured addition to Apple's online digital music store, and the US front page highlights his 2001 "All Things Must Pass". The album is a double disc remaster, featuring alternate version tracks such as "My Sweet Lord" and "Isn't It a Pity."
All in all, nine albums are currently available, including "Cloud Nine," "Live in Japan" and "Living in the Material World." The rest of Harrison's catalogue will become available later on this year. While great news for Harrison fans, this also marks a moment in time, where one could argue that the Beatles are finally available on iTunes, although, it is somehow just not the same.
Despite previous reports that the Beatles catalogue on iTunes was imminent, there is still no Beatles album available for purchase, and no clear date for when any of them will become available. This is undoubtedly the longest, and slowest, saga of a band's music stepping into the digital download age. Unfortunately, despite the solo work of all four artists being available, this has no bearing whatsoever on the progress of their work together.
Earlier this year, the widow of George Harrison, Olivia Harrison, mentioned that while preparations are being made, it still take a while, maybe even as long as next year. On the subject of her husband's work on iTunes, Olivia Harrison said: "It is exciting that George's catalogue is finally available for downloading. He had begun the digital remastering of his albums but had no idea how the digital world would change the way we access and listen to music."