George Harrison - Brainwashed

Brainwashed is the twelfth and final studio album by English musician George Harrison, originally released in November 2002 via Dark Horse Records.

Harrison went quiet not long after the second Traveling Wilburys album, surfacing only for The Beatles' Anthology in the mid-'90s. He was recording all the while, yet he died before completing the album that would have been the follow-up to 1987's Cloud 9.

His son, Dhani, and his long-time friend/collaborator Jeff Lynne completed the recordings, released nearly a year after George's death.

Given its baggage it's easy to be suspicious about the merits of Brainwashed prior to hearing it. Posthumous efforts often feel incomplete, Harrison's albums were frequently inconsistent, and Lynne favours ornate, cinematic productions that run contrary to George's desire for this project to be simple and low key - nothing that would suggest that Brainwashed would be a success.

Defying all odds, Brainwashed isn't just a success, it's one of the finest records Harrison ever made. It's a quiet, subtle gem, one that strikes close to the heart of Harrison's music. It's intimate, alternately insightful and cheerfully lightweight, balancing his trademark black humour with silliness and good humour.

Anyone searching the album for his views on mortality - as he faced not only cancer, but an attacker that nearly took his life - will surely find it, but this is not a sombre album, it is a warm album, the sound of someone enjoying life without losing his wry sense of humour.

This same spirit carries over to the music, with Harrison abandoning the idea of getting a hit and simply relaxing, primarily by playing a lot of ukulele and guitar. There aren't any major songs here, but there are no down moments and it all holds together well and it's a fitting way to say goodbye.

The album peaked at #18 on the US Billboard 200 and #29 on the UK Albums charts.

Check out the tracks: “Stuck Inside A Cloud”; "Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea"  and “Any Road”.

This LP record is reissued (February 2017) on 180 gram heavyweight vinyl featuring remastered audio housed in a gatefold sleeve replicating the original album artwork, pressed in Europe.