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Album Review
by SaschaS
15-11-2002
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| George Harrison's 'Brainwashed' tara |
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George Harrison: 'Brainwashed'
(Darko Horse)
George Harrison’s ‘Brainwashed’ is a celebration of (his) life
Posthumous albums – and it’s been only a year since the quiet Beatle left the planet – are not an easy matter to take in and review, might be an impression before the fact but George Harrison’s last studio album presents no such a problem. It is a good round-up to a career that resulted in occasional releases: ‘Brainwashed’ is a follow-up to the 1987 ‘Cloud Nine’.
This is an album Harrison worked on until two months before his untimely death and its title should be the opening track, ‘Any Road’, on several counts. These 11 new tracks and a cover of the old standard ‘Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea’, present an appraisal of Harrison’s career – in spirit. These songs are like revision of different periods of his career, a reflection of steps he took; it also is a confirmation that one’s taste-formatting years are it and you hardly ever grow out of it. (Men have additional problem of never vacating their infantile mind-set.) And then, any road you take always leads to the same destination.
The album was produced by the ‘third’ Beatle himself, his son Dhani and Jeff Lynne (of ELO and fellow Traveling Wilbury) and three songs are certainly under the latter’s influence. Which should be admissible into evidence based on the fact that ELO had based their entire work on the latter stages of The Beatles’ legacy. GH played electric and acoustic guitars (and the amplified kind proved that he’s an unsung guitar-maestro), ukulele, bass and keyboards. There were few guests, such as drummers Jim Keltner (seven tracks), Ray Cooper (one), pianist Jools Holland, bassist Herbie Flowers (who also handled a tuba)…
There is instrumental gorgeousness of ‘Marwa Blues’, the more trad is ‘F2 Vatican Blues (Last Saturday Night)’, ‘Pisces Fish’ is an utterly autobiographical song (by the way, this reviewer shares the birthdate with the reserved Scouser, bull-not), ‘Stuck Inside A Cloud’ questions out ignorance and arrogance to believe we know anything, while the title track, described by Dhani as “the truest song on the record”, ends with an Indian chant.
‘Brainwashed’ is a swell career-rounder, a true celebration of his life and audio interests; as Dhani remarked, ‘You couldn’t cram more of my dad’s real, true self into one album.” A noble farewell.
8/10
SaschaS
15-11-2002
George Harrison’s album ‘Brainwashed’ is released 18 November 2002 on Dark Horse/Parlophone
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