George Harrison
“Brainwashed”
2002
Holland pressing (Dark Horse Records, 5419691)
From wikipedia:
Brainwashed is the final studio album by George Harrison. The album was released in 2002,
almost a year after Harrison's death at the age of 58. As a posthumous release, Brainwashed
garnered much attention upon its unveiling.
Harrison had begun recording the tracks that would eventually see issue on Brainwashed as
early as 1988 (with "Any Road" being written during the making of a video for "This Is Love"
from the Cloud Nine album) and would continue to do so in a sporadic manner over the next
decade and a half. After recuperating from being attacked in his home by Michael Abram on
30 December 1999 Harrison focused more on getting his album finished, simultaneously sharing
his ideas for all its details (from the sound of the finished songs to the album's artwork)
with his son Dhani — information that would ultimately prove very valuable.
Harrison had successfully battled throat cancer in 1997; in 2001 he underwent surgery to
remove a cancerous growth from one of his lungs, and radiotherapy for lung cancer which had
metastacised to his brain. Once he realised it was an irreversible situation, he worked further
on the album's songs—in conjunction with Dhani and his old collaborator Jeff Lynne—until he
was unable to do more. Harrison's final work on the album was done at a recording studio in
Switzerland shortly before his trip to the United States for cancer treatment. On 29 November,
Harrison died, leaving Brainwashed not quite finished, but with a guide to completing it in
the hands of his son and Lynne.
After a few months away from the project, both the younger Harrison and Lynne returned to
working on George's final songs and adding the appropriate instruments—as per their composer's
specifications—to the recordings. So close to completion was the project that the two used
the exact timetable and session bookings which George had booked himself. After some difficult
but rewarding sessions, the work was done and George Harrison's final album was completed.
Brainwashed received very positive reviews upon its November 2002 release, just as a live
tribute of Harrison by an assembly of his musical contemporaries, entitled Concert for George,
took place at the Royal Albert Hall. It sold respectably—though perhaps slightly below
expectations—reaching #18 in the US and going gold, and #29 in the UK, where "Any Road"
became a Top 40 hit single in spring 2003. In 2004, Brainwashed's "Marwa Blues" won the Best
Pop Instrumental Performance Grammy. The album had also been nominated for Best Pop Vocal
Album, as well as Best Male Pop Vocal Performance (for the track "Any Road").
Personnel
George Harrison - vocals, lead guitar, slide guitar, Dobro, ukulele, keyboards, bass, percussion
Jeff Lynne - bass, guitar, piano, keyboards, percussion, backing vocals
Dhani Harrison - guitar, Wurlitzer electric piano, backing vocals
Jim Keltner - drums
Additional Personnel:
Mike Moran - keyboards (3)
Marc Mann - keyboards (3), string arrangement (6)
Ray Cooper - percussion (6), drums (10)
Jools Holland - piano (10)
Mark Flannagan - acoustic lead guitar (10)
Joe Brown - acoustic guitar (10)
Herbie Flowers - bass (10), tuba (10)
Bikram Ghosh - tabla (12)
Jon Lord - piano (12)
Sam Brown - backing vocals (12)
Jane Lister - harp (12)
Isabela Borzymowska - reading from "How To Know God" (The Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali) (12)
The tracks included are:
1."Any Road" – 3:53
2."P2 Vatican Blues (Last Saturday Night)" – 2:38
3."Pisces Fish" – 4:52
4."Looking for My Life" – 3:49
5."Rising Sun" – 5:27
6."Marwa Blues" – 3:40
7."Stuck Inside a Cloud" – 4:06
8."Run So Far" – 4:05
First recorded by Eric Clapton on his Journeyman album in 1989, with Harrison on guitar
9."Never Get Over You" – 3:25
10."Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" (Harold Arlen/Ted Koehler) – 2:34
11."Rocking Chair in Hawaii" – 3:07
12."Brainwashed" – 6:05
The setup used:
-Technics SL-1900 direct drive turntable running an Ortofon 2M Black cartridge
-Underwood/Parts Connexion performance-modified PS Audio GCPH phono preamp
-E-MU 1212M sound card
The audio was captured at 192/32-bit (float)
All pops & clicks were removed manually in Audition. No EQ or NR has been added.
Sample rate conversion to 96kHz & 44.1kHz and down-converting to 16-bit audio was
accomplished via iZotope RX Advanced.
Artwork is included for those who care for it.
Enjoy,
-DLedin