What people search:
 | Title : Brainwashed
Author : Harrison, George
Release Date : 20021119
Binding : Audio CD
Regular Price : $18.98
Amazon.com Price : $13.49
(29
%)
VISIT AMAZON.COM'S PAGE |
Editorial Reviews :
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.
Buyer 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.
(by megrogan3)
back
What people search:
|
|
