Customer Reviews

Brainwashed

5 star:		(199)
4 star:		(84)
3 star:		(23)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

"Brainwashed" is a fitting coda to the great, yet sublime, musical talents of George Harrison. Unlike anything you'll hear in contemporary music-land, "Brainwashed" is infused with spritiually tinged melodies, sly lyrics and "plenty of that guitar". All the songs are excellent and connect with the listener in a subtle way. My favourites, besides the radio-friendly "Any Road", "Stuck inside a cloud", "P2 Vatican Blues" and "Brainwashed" include a haunting paen to spiritual awakening "Rising Sun" and the hymnlike ballad "Pisces Fish". George's gorgeous signature slide guitar-playing is featured throughout. This album is a must. Go out and get "Brainwashed".

I ordered George Harrison's final album, "Brainwashed," without having heard a single track, and I'm glad I did. Although his voice sounds a little thin at times from the throat cancer that would tragically take his life in November of 2001, the overall sound of the CD is terrific, and the song selections are classic Harrison. "Rising Sun" reminds me of the Beatles, or at least the way the Beatles would sound if all members were alive and performing today; a masterpiece of a song. George also does a cool remake of a 1930 song I hadn't heard before, "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" (co-composed by Harold "Over the Rainbow" Arlen). Great guitar work throughout the CD, wonderful tight harmonies by all, super contributions from George's son Dhani, and a CD I recommend without qualification.

One of George's best recordings, and one of the better post-Beatle recordings that any of the Fab Four did. A very personal record that gets better with each listening. Recommended!

I WEPT upon hearing Marwa Blues for the first time, and I don't cry at the drop of a hat. No song has ever struck me quite like this one. I literally had to listen to it a couple more times to believe my ears. I'm very fond of all the songs on this album - George's irreplaceable style as always, but in my opinion, Marwa Blues glowingly shines over all the others. This is a lush, stunning and heartbreakingly beautiful instrumental that has to be heard to be believed. It is one of the most wonderous things my ears have ever been blessed with. To bittersweetly savor such delicate and deep musical beauty flowing from this man's soul in his last days on earth, along with the knowledge that there would be no more music from him was overwhelming to me and the tears just flowed. Throughout our lives, we pick up and carry, in our heart, little pieces of all the things we love most. Marwa Blues has a permanent place in my heart forever. My life is a little richer just for having heard it........... Yes, it's THAT good.

I also feel the need to stand up and defend Jeff Lynne from the ridiculous flack he has caught from his part on this album. I was thrilled when I heard that Jeff was going to collaborate on this project. He is a musical genius who creations I've always been a great fan of, and Jeff and George have always been a magical combination for me. Jeff, as well as George, has his own distinct musical style, and Jeff was unfairly critized by some for simply being true to that style. If people want a different sound, then they should listen to a different artist.

A real fine album I must say. It contains 12 fantastic songs.
The album is touching, warm and a bit autobiographic as well.
"Stuck inside a cloud" for example is about George suffering from cancer, and goes right trough the spine.
Then again, songs like "Brainwashed" and "P2 vatican blues" proof that George has never lost his humor, nor his fabulous way of writing songs.

For a Harrison-fan, as well as a Beatle-fan, this is a must-have!

Brainwashed (2002.) George Harrison's tenth solo album.

After George Harrison reissued his classic album All Things Must Pass, rumors spread that he was recording a new album. Unfortunately, he died of brain cancer on November 29, 2001, and these rumors were forgotten. But, in 2002, these rumors were turned into solid fact - the new album, Brainwashed, was finally released. Harrison's Traveling Wilburys bandmate and former Electric Light Orchestra frontman Jeff Lynne helped to complete the album following his death. How does Harrison's final album measure up? Read on for my review of Brainwashed.

The album kicks off with the pop-rocker Any Road. This song was a very good choice for the album starter, because it's nothing short of excellent. My personal favorite track on the album is the second one, P2 Vatican Blues (Last Saturday Night.) This is classic-styled rock as only Harrison could do, and it's a shame this song will probably never get the proper credit. The ultra-slow and melodic Pisces Fish comes next. Once again, this is a very good track. Harrison even serves up an instrumental, which is entitled Marwa Blues. It's a shame he didn't do more instrumentals, because this one really captures his ability to make music well. Also, as you may have heard Paul McCartney say in the Concert For George CD/DVD, Harrison was a fan of the ukulele. And in The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea, it's the main instrument. It's a "happy" little tune that is quite good. The album closes with the title track, Brainwashed. This track has some good lyrics in that they are both funny and will make you think, but unfortunately, the lyric delivery is poor due to Harrison's diminishing health. That's a shame, because the song had true potential. Still, it's a good song despite this. Overall, this is a pretty good album.

In addition to the standard version of this album, there is a special edition version available. The tracklists of both releases are the same, but the special edition includes a "making of" DVD, a guitar pick, and a ton of other little bonuses. If you're a die-hard fan, shell out the extra cash and get the deluxe version, but if you're just a regular-level fan of his, you'll be fine just getting the regular one.

Brainwashed was a very good way for Harrison to end his musical career. However, if you're just getting into Harrison's music for the first time, this isn't that good of a starting point. All Things Must Pass should be the first Harrison album any new fan buys (don't bother with the so-called "Best of George Harrison" that covers from 1965-1975 - that compilation isn't very good.. George was a musical making genius - may he rest in peace.

Beautiful, eloquent, moving. A true work of art. "All Things Must Pass" comes first but this is a close second. RIP dear George.

I swear anything that Lynne touches becomes Cheese. Why must he mess up this recording, Full moon Fever and Trav. Wil. stuff. Everything sounds the same! And futhermore Harrison never wanted all the production on this. What a fool Lynne is; he is not and never will be a producer and furthmore ELO blows.

Bottom line, I love this album. I absolutely love it. I am speaking as a fan, not a music critic. And as a fan, I see nothing to critisize in Brainwashed. The first couple of times I listened to the album, it didn't grab me. By the third time through I realized I was completely hooked. The album has so many great songs that it is hard for me to even pick a favorite. And the songs are so touching. If I have a glass or two of wine I find myself weeping over the beauty embodied in this great music. It's truly a gift from George to anyone who bothers to listen. Buy it. Listen to it. You won't be sorry. It's beautiful.

When George Harrison succumbed to cancer in November 2001, he had been working on his first new solo album since 1987's "Cloud Nine." Fortunately, he had enough new songs in the can before his death to complete the album, albeit new songs that were missing instrument & vocal overdubs here & there. So, it was up to George's son Dhani Harrison and longtime friend Jeff Lynne (of ELO fame) to put on the finishing touches, and release the album to the world. The album, "Brainwashed," was released at the end of 2002, and it's a very fond farewell to this great, gifted musician. Although Harrison's voice sounds a bit thinner on "Brainwashed" (no doubt due to his cancer), he still sings with great warmth and feeling, and his guitar playing is, as always, wonderful. And the songs are all excellent, feel-good numbers that could have come from no one else *but* the man known as the quiet Beatle. Favorites include "Any Road," the fun "P2 Vatican Blues (Last Saturday Night)," the lovely instrumental "Marwa Blues" (for which Harrison won a posthumous Grammy award), the gorgeous pop of "Stuck Inside A Cloud," Harrison's cheerful ukelele rendering of the old favorite, "Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea," and the closing title track, which ends, appropriately enough, with Harrison and his son Dhani performing a spiritual chant.While it's sad that George Harrison is no longer with us, he will live forever through his music, and his musical legacy has now been given a beautiful final chapter with "Brainwashed." Farewell George, and God bless.