Last Albums: George Harrison - Brainwashed (2002)

Released almost a year after his passing in 2001, Brainwashed is among George Harrison's top albums. It was completed by his son, Dhani, along with Jeff Lynne, his good friend and former bandmate in The Traveling Wilburys.

Knowing that he was dying, The late Beatle - who would have turned eighty years old today - gave Dhani and Lynne the tapes to an unfinished album along with instructions on how he wanted it completed.

Anyone who is more than a little educated about Harrison knows his reputation as a loner and as the serious Beatle is not completely accurate. He wasn't really a recluse, he just never behaved in ways or traveled in circles that would attract the press's attention. He never held public bed-ins for peace on his honeymoon as another member of his first band did.

Harrison's serious side and his adherence to Hinduism was often reflected in his songwriting but he also possessed a lightheartedness that showed through in much of his work. Both sides are represented on Brainwashed.

Both parts of the guitarist's personality are spread throughout the album as he faced his impending demise. Harrison sounds contented on "Any Road," his last single that opens the album. He gets philosophical without getting depressing. The track was inspired by a sign he and Dhani saw while walking on a beach in Hawaii. It read, "If the wind blows, you can always adjust your sails, but, if you don't know where you're going, then any road will take you there."

"The Devil and The Deep Blue Sea" - originally recorded in 1931 by Cab Calloway and later by Benny Goodman and a host of others - is an acoustic track featuring the star playing his beloved ukulele accompanied by an old-fashioned tuba that is sure to bring a smile to your face. It sounds like the singer was having a great time.

"Marwa Blues" became the b-side to "Any Road." It's a rare Harrison instrumental and is a perfect way to hear him show off his skills on the slide guitar unencumbered by any vocals. It won a Grammy in 2004 for Best Pop Instrumental Performance.

Other standouts include "Stuck Inside A Cloud" and "Rocking Chair In Hawaii."
Brainwashed is not All Things Must Pass. It wouldn't be fair to expect that from this truly underrated musician, but it ranks as a really solid album by a man who wrote many classic songs. If you rank all of the solo long players by any of the four Beatles, it definitely belongs in the top ten.
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Last Albums discusses music that was recorded as new material and intended to be released to the public as a complete album but not necessarily the last one. Live albums, greatest hits or "best of" collections and compilations do not count, nor do posthumous releases of leftover tracks cobbled together to make a final album.

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