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George Harrison's Parting Gift

A new CD by George Harrison, Brainwashed, appears in record stores today, almost a year since the guitarist and former Beatle died of cancer. It's Harrison's first record of new material since his last CD, Cloud Nine, was released in 1987 — a record produced by longtime collaborator Jeff Lynne. Lynne and Georges only son, Dhani Harrison, talk with All Things Considered director Bob Boilen (who's also host of the online music show All Songs Considered) about putting the finishing touches on Brainwashed.

Dhani Harrison remembers his father recording Cloud Nine, when he was just 9 years old. "I used to play cricket every day, and all the musicians played every day," he tells Boilen. "It was good fun times." Now Dhani Harrison is 24 — about the age George Harrison was when he took a trip to India that changed his life. The spiritual life of both father and son is evident in the lyrics of the songs on Brainwashed:

"The soul does not love. It is love itself/It does not exist. It is existence/It does not know. It is knowledge itself."

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In 1988, a determined Bob Boilen started showing up on NPR's doorstep every day, looking for a way to contribute his skills in music and broadcasting to the network. His persistence paid off, and within a few weeks he was hired, on a temporary basis, to work for All Things Considered. Less than a year later, Boilen was directing the show and continued to do so for the next 18 years.