George Harrison's Last Album

[Truth Teller]

Last Tuesday marked the relase of Brainwashed ,the last album by George Harrison recorded during the last year of George's life.



Brainwashed is the perfect bookend to All Things Must Pass,the same way John Lennon's last album Double Fatasy was the perfect bookend to Plastic Ono Band,the difference being that John did not know Double Fantasy would be his last album,George knew Brainwashed would be his last.

When Geroge recorded All Things Must Pass his moter was dying of brain cancer,his marriage was troubled with his best friend [Eric Clapton ] involved,he had resentments with Lennon and Mc Cartney [and maybe George Martin] over how many [or more to the point how few] of his songs were used or taken seriously on Beatles albums [he even later admitted he was angry that Lennon and/or Mc Cartney never asked him to write a song with him [them].

And even though he was glad The Beatles were over ,a major life change like that [even if it's needed] does bring about mourning.

During the year Brainwashed was being writtten and recodred Geroge was dying of brain cancer,still recovering from a near fatal stabbing and having strained realtionships with both his sister and Mc Cartney ,that's enough to wear anybody down.

Like in All Things Must Pass ,George Harrison in Brainwashed turns to his Hindu faith,but [just like ,say "My Sweet Lord"] Geroge's feelings about his faith can be found in what all people feel about their faiths.

Some of my favortie tracks in Brainwashed are
"Any Road" ,"Pices Fish" [I especially like the lyrics "Somes days my life feels like fiction,other days it's really quite serene.I'm a living proof of all life's contradictions"].

"Marwa Blues" is a instrumental that probaly has the most beautiful slide guitar playing he ever did.

"Stuck Insdie a Cloud" is one of the most moving songs I have ever heard,in it he admits he's terminaly ill and closes "Talking to myself,crying as we part.Knowing as you leave me I also lose my heart".

I don't know who he means by "we",his family,the world,it might about the last time he saw Paul and Ringo.

His cover of the swing song "The Devil in The Deep Blue Sea" is great,even then,there seems to be a deeper meaning to it,in that it's a song about paradoxes and contridctions.

It's followed by "Rocking Chair In Hawaii",whose first lyrics come from a Jimmie Rodgers [that father of country music] song,the rest of the song is done in a Jimmie Rodgers style.

Since Jimmie Rodgers and "The Devil In The Deep Blue Sea" were among the first music Geroge ever heard [his father was a record collector who loved both swing era jazz and early country music ] I don't think it's a concidence these two songs are back to back.

The final track "Brainwashed" is a track that I think everyone should hear after the recent election,and the likelyhood of war.

It says we're [from early birth] brainswhed by our schools,media,miilitary,captialism and lots of other things.

That "nothing's worse than ignorance" and we are on "Bull-t Avevnue" ,but there is a solution to "the rot",the songs ends saying [in effect] George has found the soultion and has moved on to a better place.

Other musicans on the record include:George's son Diahni,Jeff Lynne and Jon Lord [of Deep Purple].

[RedLine99]

I always liked his stuff the best and was surprised he never did more solo stuff. And yeah, he is a Pisces.

Jon Lord...whoopee. He lives?

[Truth Teller]

Originally posted by RedLine99

Jon Lord...whoopee. He lives?

He plays piano on the song " Brainwashed" .

[dhaas]

This day last year...a look back.