George Michael RIP (53)

Like I said, perhaps I should give it another chance!

 

I kinda like "Nikita" - at least I can remember all of it, which is more than I can say for what most of his contemporaries were producing by that point...

 

Final edition of this for 2016...

 

I suppose it's better than Blue Jean & Spies Like Us

 

Actually I'm just recently listening to it for the first time because of all the raves on SHF! Always loved the Wham stuff and solo up to LWP

 

Ew. I think I just broke out in a rash.

 

Or, how about the follow up to "Nikita"... "Wrap Her Up", featuring one George Michael on backing vocals. I own up to liking it, but if I'm being honest, it's a terrible, silly song. I love George's falsetto vocals, and his picturesque quote about them in Smash Hits: "It sounded like I had my willy in a garotte".

 

Wrap Her Up is ok but kind of meh.

 

Yeah, those keyboard lines can sound really cheesy. I think they would have been amazing lines if real brass were used. That is actually how I imagine them when listening to the song.

I remember getting the album and falling in love with Everything She Wants. Then it was released and I saw the video. Even though I was only in 6th grade I used the little bit of allowance that I had to buy the single with the hopes that it was the video version. That is how much I loved it. I got really excited that the video version was on Twenty Five so I could hear it again as my vinyl was pretty worn out.

Ok, now I think I should listen again to the album version to hear the differences.

 

I did not realize that he had 6-7 Wham hits in the US, which account for about 30% Wham outputs. A Different Corner charted at No. 7, a surprise as the song is not particular catchy but really beautiful.

 

yeah. I only thought WHAM had 3-4 hits here in the US max and "last christmas" isn't even listed on that list of his big hits

 

Some fans are preparing nice things. You should expect to hear LWP II and some other cool stuff in the new year.

1. Too Funky
2. Do You Really Want To Know
3. Disco (Mix #5)
4. Safe
5. Crazyman Dance
6. Happy
7. Thank You
8. Killer
9. Papa Was A Rolling Stone
10. Calling You (Wembley - Night 4)
11. Tonight
12. Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me (Wembley - Night 4)

13. Disco (Mix #2)
14. Crazyman Dance (Mix #9)
15. Killer (Acoustic Mix w/ Strings)
16. Calling You (Wembley - Night #1)
17. Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me (Wembley - Night #1)
18. Disco (Mix 6 - Instrumental)
19. Killer (Acapella Mix)

20. Somebody No Love (No solo Mix)

21. Praying For Time (Piano Version)
22. Waiting For That Day (Unplugged)
23. They Wont Go When I Go (Take #4)

 

A few days ago I tried to create LWP II. Not sure if I did a great job as I don't have any unreleased George (unlike Prince). I included the 3 tracks from Red Hot Dance, the b-side, Tonight, and some tracks that were never on a regular album (so there are a few tracks that don't date around 90-91. This looks interesting!

 

What's great about this song is George Michael's backup vocals on the chorus and the obvious George arrangement, melody and lyrics.
Had this been a GM song it would have been one of his biggest hits.
Great song and really one of his best.
I don't care if it's credited to both of them.
I know GM's style and tendencies too well to believe Estus had a significant amount of input.

 

Don't forget George did back-up vocals on David Cassidy's 'The Last Kiss' too. I'm pretty sure that's why it was a big UK hit in 1985.

 

The vocal has very GM characteristics (as @Nostaljack pointed out in post #900), so it had to be that Deon's just carefully following a guide vocal by George.

 

He also did backing vocals on Andrew Ridgeley's "Red Dress", which could be the low point of his career (lowering the bar set by "Wrap Her Up").

(Viewer warning: Contains scenes of Andrew shirtless and rocking out):

 

I STILL haven't listened to any of Andrew's stuff.

Him being shirtless would be a big pulling point back then, though.

Edit.Have just listened to this. He seems to be going for an 80s hairband vibe. It's not horrendous, but Alvin Stardust's 'Red Dress' is better.

 

I think LWP means the most to those who experienced it through a similar experience as George did.
I was losing my 3 1/2 year girlfriend at the time and Something to Save, Waiting For That Day, Cowboys and Angles, Waiting (Reprise) were written for me it seemed.
Praying For Time and Mother's Pride represented how I felt about others issues and Freedom 90 and Heal the Pain were there to make feel like there was some hope once I healed more.

 

I had a very similar experience when I discovered that album. It's probably why I connected with George's writing so much.

 

Andrew had nothing to say and no interesting way to say it. He rocked harder but that's about it. His album justifiably bombed. Yikes!

Ed

 

I worked for Universal at the time, and we did much of the marketing and sales for DreamWorks (along with the Geffen Records staff and the people hired specifically for DreamWorks). Yes, they pulled out all the stops to promote this album. As I mentioned before (may have been in a different thread), Universal held a worldwide convention in 1995 and that is where David Geffen came to kick off the start of the label. They played us "Jesus To A Child," and then George came out to speak to us. A bunch of us got to meet him after as well. George focused his personal promotional efforts on Europe since he was better received there, but the label certainly worked that album for a solid year. I've seen other people blame the lack of success on "label ineptitude," but really, it's US radio that killed the record here - they just weren't interested in playing him anymore. JTAC went top 10, but that's partly because we seeded the marketplace with free copies of the cassette single for stores to sell at $.49 each, so that certainly helped with the SoundScan numbers and the chart placing. "Fastlove" did well on its own, but the rest of the singles, including "Spinning The Wheel" and "Star People '97" died a quick death, even though multiple versions of each were released.

As for Ladies & Gentlemen, I think Sony US did a fair job getting the record out and promoting it. "Outside" had some exposure. The main problem (beside the fact that it was a double CD) is that the president of MCA Records (Jay Boberg) prevented Sony from including "As," the duet with Mary J. Blige. George released a statement specifically condemning Jay for this. I truly believe that song would have had a shot at being a "comeback" hit for him, had it been allowed to be released here.

 

And for me, it was totally different: I was 17 in September 1990, an introvert, no girlfriend (... ever), and the album really spoke to me. I loved it immediately. George had that rare ability to write songs that were both personal and universal, and always believable. You felt it. I loved "Cowboys And Angels". Like, it described a relationship in terms well beyond my level of comprehension. But I felt every word. I couldn't name the feelings, but I had them. He was a brilliant writer, but also a master of setting a mood in a song.

 

Jay held back on that tune because of "the bathroom incident" as I mentioned earlier. He figured it death for Mary J to be associated with that so he stopped the single. It didn't surface on U.S. copies of any album by George Michael or Mary J. Blige.

Ed

 

Yeah, I'm not sure why Andrew seemed to have a fixation on being a rocker. Perhaps @Bobby Morrow knows. It's like he wanted to say, hey, you think I'm just the guy from Wham! who had no talent, but look: I'm really a rock guy! see? But that wasn't really believable. I like to think it was just a fun project he wanted to do, and he didn't seriously think it would be a hit or that people would be sold on the idea of him as a rocker.