Brainwashed

George Harrison

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 19, 2002)
• Original Release Date: 2002
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B00006LSM3
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (240 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #11,071 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

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Completed by George Harrison's son Dhani and Jeff Lynne (Traveling Wilburys, Cloud Nine) after the ex-Beatle succumbed to a long illness in November 2001, Brainwashed is a bittersweet reminder of the myriad contradictions that made Harrison such a compelling figure. One of the most warm, melodically rich albums in a career pockmarked by personal frankness and professional indifference in its latter years, Harrison finds rewarding ways here to reconcile bitter assessments of the material world (the title track) with more fleshly concerns, as his jaunty take on the Arlen-Koehler chestnut "The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" ably demonstrates. Pushing the singer's distinctive dry voice to the forefront, and with Harrison's trademark slide guitar riffs as sinewy as ever, Lynne's showcase production is mostly spot-on and refreshingly restrained, while Dhani brings his own fresh, touchingly personal insights to the record. He double-tracked his own voice onto an old recording of his father chanting the traditional "Namah Parvati" and appended it as the album's spiritual benediction, a touching reminder that while musicians come and go, music can truly embody their spirit forever. --Jerry McCulley

Product Description

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

95 of 96 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dark Horse finishes with a sublime set, November 20, 2002

By	Fred Rudofsky (upstate NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Posthumous releases always seem to have the ghost of their author aboout them, with the inevitable questions: What if he or she had lived? Then what?Fortunately, George Harrison remained a creative, energetic spirit till the end (see "Horse to the Water" on the Jools Holland cd from last year) despite the challenges of recovering from a horrific attack at his Friar Park home and later facing the ravages of cancer. This album has wry and heartbreaking allusions to his bittersweet acceptance of his mortality. It's an incredibly moving, daring album about love, faith, and humor that not only will appeal to long-time fans but also to those new to Harrison.With assistance primarily from his son, Dhani, and friends such as Jeff Lynne and Jim Keltner, George delivers 12 songs, one of which is a spirited banjo-driven cover of "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea." The album bears repeat listening, and there are many notable moments when one can hear George expressing his fun in simply rocking out on the songs, which makes one think of the simple love he had making music in previous performances such as "Apple Scruffs", "Crackerbox Palace", and the Carl Perkins and Friends session from 1985. It appears the finality of working with his son inspired George to go for broke--it's a shame they had only worked together recently. Some of the standout songs include the rocking "Any Road", the surreal Dylanesque "P.2. Vatican Blues", the candid "Looking for My Life" (which would make a great single), and the scathing title track which attacks the hypocrisies of the material world with vigor. Harrison's guitar work is magnificent (check out the heartbreaking slide instrumental "Marwar Blues") and his vocals and harmonies soulful ("Rising Sun" and "Pisces Fish"). "Stuck Inside this Cloud" (perhaps an allusion to the rigors of chemotherapy and radiation treatments he endured) is one of the most distinctive, unusual pop songs to be released as a single in the new century. As a longtime Harrison fan, I'd rank this among his very best works, solo and with The Beatles. Sonically, it comes across as mixture of ALL THINGS MUST PASS and THE TRAVELING WILBURYS, and co-producer Jeff Lynne opts for an understated mix this time around. In terms of melody and lyrics, there's plenty to enjoy, too-- real turns of phrase and shifts in tone that show a deep appreciation of blues and jazz. Thank you, George, for your music, humor, and ongoing quest for the truth in the sound and the fury of life.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A WORTHY CONCLUSION TO A GREAT CAREER, November 21, 2002

By	"megrogan3" (Madison, WI) - See all my reviews

In his posthumous release "Brainwashed," George Harrison shares 11 new original songs, and offers a worthy conclusion to his wonderful career. We are very fortunate to be offered such a great peace of art nearly a year after his passing. The album is replete with his trademarks: the slide guitar, beautiful melodies, an appreciation for country and the blues, and even the ukulele. In this final recording George is introspective - "Looking for my Life," and "Pisces Fish," -- yet flippant, strumming the ukulele on "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea." He is optimistic in reassuring the listener "If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there," on "Any Road," and yet he is pessimistic, offering a list of social ills on the title track "Brainwashed."

George picks up where he left off with the Traveling Wilbury's -- a super group which among others included Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and the co-producer of this album -- Jeff Lynne. Similar to his work on John Lennon's unfinished songs, (Free as a Bird, and Real Love), while working on the Beatle's Anthology, Lynne, with the help of George's son Dhani, is successful in crafting complete songs around the demos George left behind for him.

The album is very strong - there is not a weak track. While not the epic that is his piece de resistance "All Things Must Pass," "Brainwashed" is triumphant, and certainly one of the peaks of his career. The release of "Brainwashed" in addition to the recent re-release of "All Things Must Pass," is a fitting conclusion to his career -- they are among the best works he has produced. Among my favorite songs are "Any Road," "P2 Vatican Blues (Last Saturday Night)," "Marwa Blues," "Stuck inside a Cloud," and "Rocking Chair in Hawaii."

"Any Road," with its joyous melody and great harmonies, invokes memories of George's days with the Wilbury's. "P2 Vatican Blues," with its slide guitar fills, is reminiscent of "I Dig Love," from "All Things Must Pass." Well known for his practice of eastern philosophy and religion, George reminds us of his beginnings, noting that he is an "ex-Catholic." "Marwa Blues," the album's only instrumental, is beautifully accompanied -- the backing strings are similar to those featured on the great Beatles song "Strawberry Fields Forever." In the DVD available with this album, Dhani says that "Stuck inside a Cloud" is his favorite track. Few would disagree. Its joyous guitar riff reminds me of his work on songs such as "Far East Man," from the album "Dark Horse." "Rocking Chair in Hawaii" is a wonderful return to the inspiration of the beginning of rock and roll-- the blues -- you would think that the Rolling Stones recorded this delta blues number 30 years ago.

In summary, this is a wonderful album. Even though it's been 15 years since George's last original album, Cloud 9, was released, it was worth the wait... I only wish that he hadn't waited so long to start recording again. But it looks like he had saved many wonderful songs over the years to record -- we are blessed to be offered such a wonderful collection music after his passing. Hopefully we will soon see a DVD release of The Concert for Bangladesh. If you enjoy this album I recommend the aforementioned "All Things Must Pass," along with "Living in the Material World," "Darkhorse," and the "Traveling Wilbury's. Thank you George, and thank you Dhani and Jeff for finishing the job.

31 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not perfect, but still a great & reverent farewell to George, May 8, 2003

By	28-year old wallflower "Eric N Andrews" (West Lafayette, IN) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

I was born the year John Lennon was murdered, so I can't imagine how people felt when that happened. But the Beatles' music is truly immortal, and it's certainly hard to believe that eventually one of them will pass on. When George Harrison died a year and a half ago from cancer, I truly felt like a close friend had passed away; not just because he was my favorite Beatle, but that like John, George was about to get back to making music again after a long hiatus. Too bad the fates weren't really on their side. But George certainly had plans to keep amazing us with music, as BRAINWASHED proves.

A considerable amount of people have complained that George would have hated how his final album turned out, but one should be reminded that George's son Dhani was given specific instructions by his father on how the album should sound. By all accounts, he followed through, and this is probably how George would have approved had he lived. Granted, it's not a perfect piece of work, but on the best moments of BRAINWASHED, George came close to outdoing his fellow former Beatle Paul McCartney by still creating strong music as they reach the big 6-0.

"Any Road" has been given the most favorable reviews, and for good reason because it is truly one of George's finest songs, especially from someone who's always had to take third place behind Lennon & McCartney (often unfairly). The song had been written years before & I believe was played by George on VH-1 when he was promoting the new Ravi Shankar album he had produced. George had not released any new music in years, and I'm sure had people wondering when, or if, a new album from him was coming along. "Any Road" was a good way to preface what became BRAINWASHED, and it's the kind of encouraging, upbeat number that always made George my favorite Beatle: even with the harsh, cruel world, he kept a forward-thinking attitude.

"Pisces Fish", "Looking For My Life", "Rising Sun" & "Rocking Chair In Hawaii" are other serene pieces of uptempo country rock-tinged pop that truly make you feel good, even if George perhaps knew his time on Earth was limited. Jeff Lynne's polished, high-gloss approach to production has often been criticized (most prominently on his work with Tom Petty), but he seems to find a good balance on these songs, making them seem like a logical extension of 1987's CLOUD NINE (George's previous studio album, also produced by Lynne).

Like his classic 1973 album LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD, George had an equal amount of cynicism along with the good vibes, and BRAINWASHED is no different. Maybe it's old age talking, but George does indeed have some bones to pick on songs like "P2 Vatican Blues [Last Saturday Night]" and the title track. The first song is a little bit of an afterthought & kind of shocking coming from someone as deeply religious as George, but the latter is the sore thumb of the album, being a little too mean-spirited to truly appreciate. It's great to see someone else who believes the media controls how we live, but at least be a little more objective.

Other songs have a feeling of George perhaps accepting his impending death, but not to the point where you need to dissect them to find hidden meanings. "Stuck Inside A Cloud", "Run So Far" (originally recorded by Eric Clapton), "Never Get Over You" & an old standard "Between The Devil & The Deep Blue Sea" are George's way of saying "I'm ready to leave this world for a better place". The best thing a listener could possibly say is "Godspeed, George". Even the instrumental "Marwa Blues" is just heavenly, and hopefully George will be making this kind of music up there.

It took me a while to listen to this album for two reasons. One was that I'm a compulsive buyer & have literally a hundred or so CDs to listen to yet; the other is that I was afraid of getting emotional upon hearing what truly is the last music George Harrison will ever give us. While your heart will no doubt get heavy listening to BRAINWASHED, it's comforting to know that George was maybe planning to return to music full-time and could have given us his best had he not passed. The music will not leave you brainwashed; in fact it the only thing to be washed & cleansed by it will be your soul.

Rest in peace, George. Say hello to John for us.