Guest Author - Chris Curtis
When George Harrison succumbed to cancer on November 29, 2001, he had been working on a new studio album release with his only son Dhani Harrison and long term friend Jeff Lynne. Completed post-humously,
Brainwashed is set to be released on November 19th, nearly one year following his passing and 15 years following his last studio release. The album is released in partnership with Dark Horse (Harrison's signature label) and EMI Recorded Music.
Harrison's philosophy for the album was described during an interview with Rolling Stone Magazine: He said, "I don't listen to anything, and I don't read the papers, and I don't watch TV, and I don't go to concerts. And so my music, it doesn't matter if I did it twenty years ago or if I did it tomorrow. It doesn't go with trends. My trousers don't get wider and tighter every six months. My music just stays what it is, and that's the way I like it." He titled the work 'Portrait of a Leg End'.
The title song, 'Brainwashed' is said to be a soliloquy about his former manager who Harrison felt betrayed his trust. He wrote the song as a way to purge his negative feelings toward the betrayal. The first single to be released from the album is expected to be 'Stuck Inside a Cloud.'
Friend and pianist Jools Holland is one of the talents contributing his music on the Harrison album. His 2001 album "Small World Big Band" has the privilege of including Harrison collaborative final recorded song with his son Dhani, "Horse to the Water". The final song was not included in the new studio release.
The new release features 11 new compositions penned by Harrison and a cover of Cab Calloway's standard 'Between The Devil and The Deep Blue Sea.'.
The full track listing for Brainwashed is:
1. "Any Road"
2. "Vatican Blues (Last Saturday Night)"
3. "Pisces Fish"
4. "Looking for My Life"
5. "Rising Sun"
6. "Marwa Blues"
7. "Stuck Inside a Cloud"
8. "Run So Far"
9. "Never Get Over You"
10. "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea"
11. "Rocking Chair in Hawaii"
12. "Brainwashed"
