Brainwashed [Digipak] - George Harrison

On a cold, windy day, the twenty fifth of February 1943. Mrs Louise Harrison gave birth to the youngest of the clan and named him George. Born at 12 Arnold Grove, Waretree, Liverpool. Harold and Louise had been married thirteen years by now, and it would be almost another fourteen years to the date that George nervously picked up his guitar and went shakely with his close friend Paul McCartney, to see a group at the lesser know Wilson Hall in Garston ...
...of course here, that he met John Lennon, and after occasionaly 'filling' in for them when they were a guitar short, John finally gave in to both George and Paul's persistance, and George was officially allowed to join the band. After years of endless badly paid gigs at schools and village fetes and shortly before a trip to play the backbreaking all night, every night schedule in Hamburg, on August the 12th 1960, they renamed themselves as 'The Beatles.'
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On a cold, windy day, the twenty fifth of February 1943. Mrs Louise Harrison gave birth to the youngest of the clan and named him George. Born at 12 Arnold Grove, Waretree, Liverpool. Harold and Louise had been married thirteen years by now, and it would be almost another fourteen years to the date that George nervously picked up his guitar and went shakely with his close friend Paul McCartney, to see a group at the lesser know Wilson Hall in Garston known as the even lesser know QuarryMen. It was of course here, that he met John Lennon, and after occasionaly 'filling' in for them when they were a guitar short, John finally gave in to both George and Paul's persistance, and George was officially allowed to join the band. After years of endless badly paid gigs at schools and village fetes and shortly before a trip to play the backbreaking all night, every night schedule in Hamburg, on August the 12th 1960, they renamed themselves as 'The Beatles.'

George Harrison lay in the shadow of the famous Lennon/McCartney legend for the next ten years, although it was the quiet, shy genius of Harrison on several occasions that The Beatles had owed some gratitude. As well as an accomplished, self taught guitarist, he was the perfect songwriter, but had sadly, only been allowed to stretch his talented wings so far once or twice on an album, when John and Paul jumped in front with around ten killer songs. Enough to lead George away back into the background, the unsung hero.

Harrison didn't, as it has been said before about various artists, find true fame for his own sake til after he died. In 1970, he had experienced greatness with the release of his album 'All Things Must Pass' which brought to our ears 'My Sweet Lord.' His finest moment had come and it was because of this track and the fact that was released again again in 2002, three months after he died, it indeed put him on the world record list as the only artist to have reached the number one spot twice with the same track.

But it was with the album, 'Brainwashed' where he won a Grammy for Best Instrumental track. The track was called 'Marwa Blues.' In conclusion to this, and his remarkable contribution to the music industry, albeit, at times, a silent one, it was in 2004 where he was fianlly added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. A bit too late if you ask me......

'Brainwashed' was released a day and a year after he died (2002). It was an album he had been working on with his son Dhani and very close, life long friend, Jeff Lynne of ELO. It had done fairly well, it stayed in the album charts for four weeks and reached a highest position of number twenty nine, but I feel it would have had greater success if it had been released sooner. Its strange but true, death does sell. It was produced by George, Jeff and Dhani and it is mainly a collaboration of the three throughout the album. It was George's swansong and it was a perfect piece to gently drift out of this world on....

Track one, 'Any Road' is an uplifting piece. It is full of optimism and hope in the idea that it doesn't matter were you are going in life, you're going to get there if its fate. A simple idea with the backdrop of an enchanting country sound, in a backpacker mood. Its a true vagabond style. Throughout the album we get to hear all these amazing instruments that George could play, just never advertised too much, (or not enough). I have to stress, this is an album to listen to. Its not for dancing, or even driving too fast, its to be digested for its sadness, its humour and its very basic beliefs of, unfortunately a dying man. The listener feels that he has excepted it, and that the album is trying to say..'okay, its fine, i've dealt with this, and this is how i'm going to check out.' This is by no means a depressing record. 'Made In Heaven' was a wonderful piece of work by Queen, but it was depressing and probably alittle too much to bear for die hard Freddie Mercury fans, but there is a light shining to 'Brainwashed.' Its full of spirit and thoughtfulness, not unlike the man himself... The first track, we can hear a young son following in his father's footsteps as an accomplished guitarist. Dhani plays electric and backing vocals. It is beautifully mixed as George plays Accoustic, slide and Banjulele. It's jolly and the happy beat rambles along like an old station wagon. The listener will find himself tapping a foot and whislting over the next few days. Its George Harrison's version to 'Always look on the Bright side of Life.'

Track two 'P2 Vatican Blues (Last Saturday Night.) Its more of a rock and roll theme, and could have quiet been at home on The Beatles 'White Album'. In fact its true to old straining, fueding Beatles doing fabulous hard rock and roll like back in the very early days. The lyrics are amusing. Its a tongue in cheek religious track about a man struggling to keep his sins to a minimum. 'One our Father, three Hail Mary's each saturday night.' We get to hear, somewhere in the background, George on a Ukulele. Its almost asthough he is giving us a lat blast of what he could actually do, yet we might have never known.

'Pisces Fish' is track three, and its pace throughout is gentle and thoughtful. 'I'm a Pisces fish and the river runs through my soul.' Its now hard to imagine if there actually had been a Beatles if it hadn't been for Harrison or would we have had George Harrison if it hadn't been for The Beatles. What we can hear is that he was a little of both Lennon and McCartney. Harrison was a words AND music man. 'Smoke signals from the brewery, like someone in there found the latest Pope, in a vat of beer that keeps pumping out with fury, while the churchbell ringers tangled in his rope.' We wonder who this album is to. I feel that this was a personal album. It was probabaly Harrison having a word with God about his life, even so, the fact remains, that this is and was George Harrison's best work.

'Looking For My Life'... 'I never got any GCE's, I never knew things exploded' sounds again, that it should be sad and morose but it is surprising how uplifting and spirit warming this album actually is. Of course its not, thankfully, George Harrison having a go as some awful knew musical style that just deosn't suit him (I can see Madonna going out like that and not caring if anyone likes it or not) 'Oh Lord, won't you listen to tme now?' it almost feels as if we are intruding on a very private conversation between a man with a soulful of sorrowfulness at his life coming to an end. Its not unlike Topol when he looks up to the Gods (on stage) in 'Fiddler On The Roof.' (Except Topol wasn't dying) We do feel the tempo start to change and the album now takes on the form of the gentlness that was 'Something' and 'My Sweet Lord.' The style sounds so familiar to us now that we wonder if we have heard these tracks on an album somewhere before.

'Rising Sun,' is soft and gentle and the moody is still very hopeful but yet fitting for the prupose that this album was going to be for. We feel a sense of a man dealing with his own life, and we can hear within the lyrics of a man who is looking back over time, 'On the avenue of sinners I have been employed, working there til I was near destroyed' any era of The Beatles, and probably Hamburg before they were famous could be responsible for that line. It is easy to hear that Harrison has not changed his sound. there are artists who will always be known for the style and sound that they stumble across and stick with; U2, Simple Minds etc. Its the guitar that makes the destinction. We hear 'Rising Sun' and we swear blind its 'While Guitar Gently Weeps' or 'Give Me Love.' Its melodic and it sweeps across your ears while the lyrics sweep across your mind. Harrison created a style of his very own and no other artist could be in this catagory. Its a sound that very much belongs to George Harrison, and to be honest, it will probably be never done by anyone else again.

'Marwa Blues' is to this album, what 'Made In Heaven' the whole album was to Freddie Mercury. Its the perfect piece to remember Harrison by. If any other track comes close, its going to be of the same imaginative and unique quality. This piece is as perfect and 'chilled' as an instrumental Pink Floyd, or ELO, in fact, we can hear the strenght of Jeff Lynne's influence in the usage of violins to give the effect of the track having a fullness and depth about it. It's slide guitar could be the ideal backdrop to soaring Red Kites in the Welsh mountains. The gentle percussion of triangles and bells give it a slightly Eastern feel which is true Harrison. Its an idyllic interlude in this album, it gives the listener time to reflect on the artist we are hearing and now lost. It deserved its Grammy, it just should have been awarded in his lifetime.

'Stuck Inside A Cloud' is track seven, and we feel as if we are overhearing a man's open thoughts about life and the restraining, limited life he now experiences 'never slept so much, never smoked so much' despite his desperate lyrics, we do not hear the darkenss of his health. He is not a musician at the end of his tether, he is complete and in control of his feelings and they come through on a bright note. Harrison tracks were never over emotional, they are heart warming and touching. These tracks will never make you cry. Its only actually listening to the lyrics do we realise what its all about.

'Run So Far' sounds like a continuation of 'Stuck Inside A Cloud' but with different notes. The tempo is pretty much the same, and its only around now in the album that the tracks start to take on a sameness about them. Harrison was a fantastic performer, writer and musician, but one gets the feeling now, during this part of the album that it begins to lack the strength that it began with. The tracks were destinctable at first, but now, especially, this track, it sounds too middle of the road and on the flat side.

The same can also be said for 'Never Get Over You' could be at home on Fleetwood Mac's very dull album minus Mr Buckingham, 'Behind The Mask.' That album, as well as this track lay dull and uninteresting to our ears. Another track like this and the listeners will be threatening mutiny.

Thank God for 'Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea'. This track, immediately had me thinking of 'A Wink And A Smile' by Harry Connick Jr, from the film Sleepless In Seattle. It start with a cheeky riff on a Ukulele, and we even get to hear alittle Jools Holland and his trusted piano during the song. The lines 'I don't want you but I hate to lose you' feels as if we've got our tracks muddled up with 'It Had To Be You' Harry Nilsson's version. Its a I need you but I really can't stand you track. A bittersweet love (I think we've all had one of those) but its jazzy (not quite Chaz n Dave, but strangely close) it'll make you laugh out loud. George counts us in, and we're already shouting 'one two three four!...' it ic completed with a lovely shuffle, brushing drum accompliment. Why am I thinking about a song about 'Grandad'? Its a track which will have the listener swaying from side to side, you 'll either love it or hate it. It has a bass and tuba by a wonderfully named Herbie Flowers, the album is worth purchasing if only just to hear this one track.

'Rocking Chair in Hawaii' and we have a two octave duo that reminds me again of a cross between Nilsson and Chet Atkins. Its such a dreamy, swinging slowly in a hammock, it will have you nodding off. Please don't have this playing whilst driving. you'll be crossing soft verges before you know it.

Our last track is the title track, 'Brainwashed.' It sounds very Jeff Lynne with its 'ba ba baa' backing vocals that are destinctive ELO. The lyrics are alittle chanting, and this track sounds asthough it fell off Harrison's 1987 album 'Cloud Nine'. Its alittle Randy Newman as in the themes from Toy Story. Its has a rawer edge to it until with hear an interlude of tabla and harp. We hear a soft female voice reading from the Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali, or How to Know God. Lets face it, it wouldn't be a true Harrison album without a personal touch, as something like this is very close to his heart. At the very end of the album, we are transported back to the late sixties and we picture a long haired, long bearded Harrison sitting in Sgt. Pepper gear with a sitar acorss his crossed legs. This piece of chanting is performed by Dhani and his father and we feel as if we have gone full circle with George Harrison, back to the point in the dying embers of The Beatles when Harrison branched out and away from the safety of the Lennon and McCartney statures and dipped his toes in the waters of experiment and mystery. It was the point when Harrison truly started to grow as a performer, and not just a bit writer for the Beatles when they needed to fill a hole in a album.

In conclusion to this tour around a mans last thoughts, it is an album that needs to be listened to. If anyone new to Harrison's work as a solo artist, I'd chose this album, still holding its price, and probably will do for some time to come due to it being his last album, it captures the boundless, formative and influential artist that he, in his own right, really was. 

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