George Harrison - Brainwashed

 

George Harrison's poignant final album

12th and final studio album back on vinyl!

Brainwashed is the 12th and final studio album by former Beatles guitarist and songwriter, and solo musician, George Harrison. It was released posthumously on 18 November 2002, almost a year after his death at age 58, and 15 years after his previous studio album, Cloud Nine.

Brainwashed is an album that is musically varied and full of gems that sometimes, unfairly, get overlooked. The first recording for the album took place as far back as 1988, when "Any Road," written during the making of a video to promote Cloud Nine, was recorded. It was the only track from the album to be officially released as a single, in the spring of 2003; a minor hit in the U.K., but not the U.S.

"Any Road" was nominated for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 2004 Grammy Awards, something that George would no doubt have found ironic. The single's B-side, also included on the album, is the beautiful instrumental "Marwa Blues," one of George's finest moments on record. Like the A-side, this too was nominated for a Grammy, in the Best Pop Instrumental Performance category, and it justifiably won. The piece encapsulates everything that is brilliant about George's guitar playing and innate sense of melody.

Like much of the album, "Marwa Blues" features George's son, Dhani, on guitar and Jeff Lynne on keyboards and guitar (both credited as co-producers of the album). Brainwashed also features appearances from old friends, including drummer Jim Keltner and percussionist Ray Cooper, while Jon Lord plays piano on "Brainwashed." But the overriding vibe of the record is one of an intimate, home-grown affair with Dhani and Jeff.

One reason for the slow progress on the record was George's commitments with The Traveling Wilburys, whose second album came out in 1990, his production work on old friend Ravi Shankar's Chants Of India album, and work on The Beatles' Anthology series, which was broadcast in 1995.

 

 

Side A

1. Any Road

2. P2 Vatican Blues (Last Saturday Night)

3. Pisces Fish

4. Looking for My Life

5. Rising Sun

6. Marwa Blues

Side B

1. Stuck Inside a Cloud

2. Run So Far

3. Never Get Over You

4. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

5. Rocking Chair in Hawaii

6. Brainwashed

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