Pop & Miscellaneous

George Michael - Ladies and Gentlemen (The Best Of George Michael) [1998]

2009-10-13T15:53:19Z

George Michael - Ladies and Gentlemen (The Best Of George Michael) [1998]

CD 1:
01 Jesus to a Child
02 Father Figure
03 Careless Whisper
04 Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me
05 You Have Been Loved
06 Kissing a Fool
07 I Can't Make You Love Me
08 Heal the Pain
09 A Moment with You
10 Desafinado
11 Cowboys and Angels
12 Praying for Time
13 One More Try
14 A Different Corner

CD 2:
01 Outside
02 As (With Mary J. Blige)
03 Fastlove
04 Too Funky
05 Freedom 90
06 Star People 97
07 Killer - Papa Was A Rollin' Stone
08 I Want Your Sex (Part II)
09 The Strangest Thing 97
10 Fantasy
11 Spinning The Wheel
12 Waiting For That Day
13 I Knew Your Were Waiting (For Me) (With Aretha Franklin)
14 Faith
15 Somebody To Love (With Queen)

Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael is a greatest hits collection released by George Michael in 1998.

The collection of 28 songs (29 songs are included on the European and Australian release) are separated into two halves, with each CD of the double set containing music of a particular theme and mood. The first CD, titled "For the Heart", predominantly contains Michael's hit ballads, while the second CD, "For the Feet", comprises mostly his popular dance tunes.

Ladies & Gentlemen is notable for containing a large number of compilation tracks and duets that have not previously appeared on a George Michael album, including his US number-one duet with Aretha Franklin, "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)", previously available on Aretha Franklin's 1986 album Aretha; "Desafinado", the duet in Portuguese with Brazilian legendary singer Astrud Gilberto; and the Elton John duet "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me", from John's 1993 album Duets.

Ladies & Gentlemen was released by Michael through Sony Music Entertainment as a condition of severing contractual ties with the label (Michael departed Sony with a great deal of acrimony and publicity prior to the release of Older in 1996). He would later return to Sony to release his 2004 album Patience.

"Outside" was the first single from the album. The song was a humorous look at his arrest shortly before the release of the album for soliciting a policeman in a public restroom.

"As", Michael's duet with Mary J. Blige, was released as the second single in many territories around the world. It reached number four on the UK Singles Chart. The track was left off the North American release of the album. There were rumours that Blige's label was uncomfortable with Michael being gay, but this is contradicted by Blige's embracing of her large gay fan base.

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George Michael - Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 (1990)

2017-01-02T15:50:06Z

George Michael - Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 (1990)


  1. Waiting For That Day - Sample You Can't Always Get What You Want
  2. Praying For Time
  3. Freedom! '90
  4. They Won't Go When I Go
  5. Something To Save
  6. Cowboys And Angels
  7. Waiting For That Day
  8. Mothers Pride
  9. Heal The Pain
  10. Soul Free
  11. Waiting

George Michael – producer, drums, percussion, guitars, bass, keyboards, horn arrangements
Mixed and engineered by Chris Porter
Danny Cummings – drums, percussion
Ian Thomas – drums, percussion
Deon Estus – bass
Phil Palmer – guitar
Chris Cameron – keyboards, horn arrangements, string arrangements
Anthony Patler – keyboards
Andy Hamilton – saxophone

George Michael's follow-up to the massive success of Faith found him turning inward, trying to gain critical acclaim as well as sales. Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1 is not an entirely successful effort; Michael has cut back on the effortless hooks and melodies that crammed not only Faith but also his singles with Wham!, and his socially conscious lyrics tend to be heavy-handed. But the highlights -- the light, Beatlesque harmonies of "Heal the Pain," the plodding number one "Praying for Time," and also "Waiting for That Day" as well as the Top Ten "Freedom" -- make a case for his talents as a pop craftsman. --- Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AllMusic Review

George Michael’s multi-platinum solo debut Faith put the former Wham! pin-up in the same league as ‘80s-pop renaissance men like Michael Jackson and Prince. He wrote, performed, and produced almost all of his own material, and his follow-up, the starkly personal Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1, was no exception. In fact, the album simultaneously elevated Michael to a level above his contemporaries and effectively set his professional downfall into motion. “I won’t let you down/I will not give you up/Gotta have some faith in the sound,” he seems to plead rather than promise on “Freedom,” a track which directly references Wham!, Faith, MTV, and his once marketable ass-ets. (That said, it’s hard not to read into Michael’s vie for freedom as more than just artistic: “There’s something deep inside of me/There’s someone else I’ve got to be.”)

What with the U.S. still in a gluttonous ‘80s state of mind, the album’s first single, “Praying for Time” (Michael’s “Imagine,” if you will), was a striking bit of socially-conscious pop that seemed a few years ahead of its time. A spare, live rendition of “They Won’t Go When I Go” is just as moving as Stevie Wonder’s original gospel-tinged search for salvation, while “Mothers Pride,” a requiem for a generation of lost husbands and sons and the women they left behind, is still poignant despite being tied to the first Gulf War against the singer’s wishes. Of course, Michael tackles love and relationships as well: “Something to Save” addresses the breaking point of an indecisive relationship; “Waiting for That Day” finds the singer recovering from a broken heart; and the jazzy “Cowboys & Angels” addresses an unrequited love that is both masochistic (“It’s the ones who resist that we most want to kiss/Wouldn’t you say?”) and sadistic (“It’s the ones who persist for the sake of a kiss who will pay”).

Prejudice continues Michael’s deliberate blend of old-school R&B, rock, and pop that began on Faith, only this time the sound is much more organic, even authentic. Tracks like “Waiting (Reprise),” which finds Michael struggling to negotiate his super-stardom (“You look for your dreams in heaven, but what the hell are you supposed to do when they come true?”), are downright folky, both lyrically and musically. But not all of Prejudice is glum or listless: “Soul Free,” the only bona fide uptempo tune besides the hit “Freedom,” mixes a hip-hop drum loop, a reggae-infused melody, and Michael’s signature bouncy keyboards and falsetto. The overall heaviness of the album, however, may have alienated fans who wanted Michael back to the way he used to be. And the fact that there was never a Vol. 2, which was rumored to be the feel-good dance record said fans were probably waiting for, makes this one seem all the more sacred. --- Sal Cinquemani, slantmagazine.com

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George Michael - The Very Best (1995)

2009-10-13T15:56:52Z

George Michael - The Very Best (1995)


01 Killer/papa Was A Rolling Ston 
02 Careless Whisper 
03 Faith 
04 Last Christmas 
05 Father Figure 
06 Too Funky 
07 I Want Your Sex 
08 I Knew You Were Waiting (For M...) 
09 These Are The Days Of Our Live 
10 Don't Let The Sun Go Down On 
11 Somebody To Love 
12 Freedom '90 
13 Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do?)

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George Michael – Faith (1987)

2016-12-29T15:01:35Z

George Michael – Faith (1987)


  1. Faith
  2. Father Figure
  3. I Want Your Sex
  4. One More Try
  5. Hard Day
  6. Hand to Mouth
  7. Look at Your Hands
  8. Monkey
  9. Kissing a Fool
  10. Hard Day
  11. A Last Request (I Want Your Sex)

Robert Ahwai - Guitar
John Altman - Horn
J.J. Belle - Guitar
Hugh Burns - Guitar
Chris Cameron - Keyboards, Organ, Piano, Vocals (Background)
Mark Chandler - Horn
Betsy Cook - Keyboards
Andy Duncan - Percussion
Deon Estus - Bass
Lee Fothergill - Guitar
Malcolm Griffiths - Horn
Shirley Lewis - Vocals (Background)
Roddy Matthews - Guitar
George Michael - Arranger, Bass, Composer, Keyboards, Multi Instruments, Vocals 
Lord Monty - Guitar
Danny Schogger - Keyboards
Steve Sidwell - Horn
Paul Spong - Horn
Jamie Talbot - Horn
Richard Taylor - Horn
Rick Taylor - Horn
Ian Thomas - Drums
Steve Waterman - Horn

A superbly crafted mainstream pop/rock masterpiece, Faith made George Michael an international solo star, selling over ten million copies in the U.S. alone as of 2000. Perhaps even more impressively, it also made him the first white solo artist to hit number one on the R&B album charts. Michael had already proven the soulful power of his pipes by singing a duet with Aretha Franklin on the 1987 smash "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)," but he went even farther when it came to crafting his own material, using sophisticated '70s soul as an indispensable part of his foundation. Of course, it's only a part. Faith's ingenuity lies in the way it straddles pop, adult contemporary, R&B, and dance music as though there were no distinctions between them. In addition to his basic repertoire of funky dance-pop and airy, shimmering ballads, Michael appropriates the Bo Diddley beat for the rockabilly-tinged title track, and proves himself a better-than-decent torch singer on the cocktail jazz of "Kissing a Fool." Michael arranged and produced the album himself, and the familiarity of many of these songs can obscure his skills in those departments -- close listening reveals his knack for shifting elements in and out of the mix and adding subtle embellishments when a little emphasis or variety is needed. Though Faith couldn't completely shake Michael's bubblegum image in some quarters, the album's themes were decidedly adult. "I Want Your Sex" was the most notorious example, of course, but even the love songs were strikingly personal and mature, grappling with complex adult desires and scarred by past heartbreak. All of it adds up to one of the finest pop albums of the '80s, setting a high-water mark that Michael was only able to reach in isolated moments afterward. ---Steve Huey, AllMusic Review

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George Michael – Older (1996)

2016-12-27T13:18:35Z

George Michael – Older (1996)


01-George Michael - Jesus To A Child
02-George Michael - Fastlove
03-George Michael - Older
04-George Michael - Spinning The Wheel
05-George Michael - It Doesn't Really Matter
06-George Michael - The Strangest Thing
07-George Michael - To Be Forgiven
08-George Michael - Move On
09-George Michael - Star People
10-George Michael - You Have Been Loved
11-George Michael - Free

George Michael – lead vocal, bass, keyboards, drums, percussion, programming, arranger, producer
Hugh Burns – guitars
Danny Jacob – guitars
Alan Ross – guitars
John Themis – guitars
David Austin – keyboards
Chris Cameron – keyboards, strings
David Clews – keyboards
Jon Douglas – keyboards, producer 2, 4), arranger (4)
Stuart Brooks – trumpet, flugelhorn
John Thirkell – trumpet, flugelhorn
Chris Davis – saxophone
Andy Hamilton – saxophone
Phillip Smith – saxophone
Fayyaz Virji – trombone
Steve Sidwell – trumpet

Older is the album that many observers initially believed Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1 to be -- a relentlessly serious affair, George Michael's bid for artistic credibility. It's an album that makes Listen Without Prejudice sound like Faith. Michael has dispensed with the catchy, frothy dance-pop numbers that brought him fame, concentrating on stately, pretentious ballads -- even "Fastlove," the album's one dance track, lacks the carefree spark of his earlier work. Although Michael's skills as a pop craftsman still shine through -- several songs are well-constructed ballads that rank with his best material -- his earnestness sinks the album. It is one thing to be mature and another to be boring. Too often, Michael mistakes slight melodies for mature craftsmanship and Older never quite recovers. When melodies do pop up, he doesn't deliver them with enough force to make an impact, and the album slowly disappears as a result. --- Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AllMusic Review

Somehow, 31 years after Wham!’s first appearance on the charts, George Michael is still charting new music. (Distressing, isn’t it, the thought of having Lady Gaga on the charts for 31 years.) His staying power rivals that of Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney – and while one may struggle to find work that merits such comparisons on, say, Fantastic, there’s little doubt that the writer of Older deserved some serious millions (it sold a meager 6x platinum wholesale in the UK) and just a couple decades of our time. The US wasn’t nearly as interested in Experimental George, which is fine, because what does America know.

Remember that big jazz revival of 1996? Neither does anyone else, didn’t happen. With Older, Michael found an industrial dance/soul/jazz niche no one had bothered to explore and planted himself there.

Older is dark in every discernible way, prompted by the death of Michael’s partner Anselmo Feleppa in 1993. The content of the album is plotted around that event, but because Michael wasn’t out at the time, few in music criticism or among his fans knew the cause for such gloominess. And what gloominess it is – if Faith is the walk to the cliff, Older is the leap off. Colossal ballads “Jesus to a Child” and “You Have Been Loved” clearly reference Feleppa’s death. Industrial jazz masterpiece “Spinning the Wheel” addresses the fear of contracting HIV, while “The Strangest Thing” and “To Be Forgiven” describe a deep, unsettling vulnerability. And just in case we weren’t sure Michael had turned nihilistic, there’s a song actually called “It Doesn’t Really Matter.” He goes to great lengths to prove himself hopeful, as on “Move On” and “Free,” and that effort is laudable given his experience. But it’s not convincing.

Stylistic consistency is possibly Older’s greatest strength. 9 of 11 tracks are written in a minor key. Reverberation, Michael’s preferred method for conveying very serious seriousness, is turned up on nearly every track. The pop and jazz camps each claim about half the tracks, and only two tracks could be reasonably described as up-tempo. Present are a few hip hop and house beats, and quite a lot of muted trumpet and saxophone. Michael’s vocals are excellent as always, controlled and clear, but not exhibitionist; “Spinning the Wheel” is perhaps the best vocal performance of the bunch, but it’s mellow as can be.

Michael’s ability to translate his oversized grief into a restrained song makes this album unusually skillful and authentic. An outstanding achievement. ---swisely.wordpress.com

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George Michael-Symphonica (Deluxe Edition) (2014)

2016-12-28T15:32:04Z

George Michael - Symphonica (Deluxe Edition) (2014)


01.Through (5:10)
02.My Baby Just Cares For Me (1:57)
03.A Different Corner (4:14)
04.Praying For Time (4:58)
05.Let Her Down Easy (3:51)
06.The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (5:24)
07.Feeling Good (3:16)
08.John And Elvis Are Dead (4:31)
09.Roxanne (4:21)
10.One More Try (5:15)
11.Going To A Town (4:45)
12.Cowboys And Angels (7:24)
13.Idol (4:30)
14.Brother Can You Spare A Dime (4:53)
15.You Have Been Loved (5:41)
16.Wild Is The Wind (4:15)
17.You've Changed (4:45)

George Michael’s first album in 10 years offers few surprises – as might be expected of a live offering, even if – unlike the pop he is best known for – it is recorded with a full orchestra. Documenting his 2010-11 tour, it’s co-produced by the late Phil Ramone, whose early experience working with Frank Sinatra comes in handy on the featherbed orchestral arrangements of “Through” and “A Different Corner”, as well as the languid cabaret jazz of “Cowboys And Angels”, a slinky blend of loping double bass, sparse piano chords and subtle shivers of strings.

The majority of the set is covers, ranging from the sumptuous piety of “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” to swaggering big-band versions of “Feeling Good” and “My Baby Just Cares For Me”.

They show Michael does the swing thing with a much more natural grace than Robbie Williams. And rather than the kind of grating “Let’s face it, Robbie, you’re a little bit gay” bromance indulgences of Williams’ last album, here the latter song’s suggestive connotations are more coyly restricted to a wry eyebrow-twitch, Michael changing the line about Liberace to refer to “Ricky Martin’s smile”.

The arrangements are for the most part sensitively handled, with nice touches like the subtle oboe underscoring the poignant flush of shame in the opener “Through” (“All this cruelty and money instead of love/ People, have we no shame?”). The luxurious-upholstered reading of the Depression anthem “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” does rather betray the song’s spirit, however. Several other song choices also reflect the singer’s political attitudes, including the guilty-liberal hand-wringing of “Praying For Time” (“These are the days of the empty hand/ We hold on to what we can”), an agnostic “John And Elvis Are Dead” set to small, pulsing waves of strings, and a thoughtful cover of Rufus Wainwright’s anti-American broadside “Going To A Town”.

By contrast, Elton John’s “Idol” seems a tad laborious, the tribute to an elder statesman of pop rather clumsily redirected towards its writer.

The most effective piece here is the most unexpected: a cover of Terence Trent D’Arby’s “Let Her Down Easy” crooned with a rare tenderness and empathy.

Competently organised and confidently delivered, it’s an engaging set, but ultimately, like all live albums, essentially a souvenir. And the reliance on cover versions rather than the opportunity to unveil new material, as is customary, does nothing to scotch rumours that the singer has finally hung up his microphone for good.

When Michael’s website was replaced with a closed curtain last December, his people hurried to deny assumptions that this represented the end of his career, claiming that 2014 would be an exciting year musically for him. Since it’s hard to imagine Symphonica alone being the cause of widespread excitement, one can only surmise that the coming months will see his decade-long silence broken in a more conclusive manner. Can an album of new material, perhaps, be waiting in the wings? ---Andy Gill, independent.co.uk

George Michael to artysta wielki i nieśmiertelny. Jego głos jest taki sam od czasów powstawania jego najlepszych przebojów i ciągle zachwyca tak samo. Jego najnowszy krążek Symphonica wydaje się projektem unikatowym i szalenie ciekawym. Piosenkarz zdecydował się na odważne połączenie coverów takich gwizd jak John Elton, czy Nina Simone.

Gdy w 1987 roku George Michael wydał swój debiutancki solowy album zatytułowany Faith razu przykuł on uwagę całego świata muzyki pop. Do dziś pozostaje jednym z ważniejszych punktów w tym gatunku, jako miara dla każdego artysty, który swą twórczością chce zaskarbić sobie uznanie publiczności, a co ważniejsze krytyków. Na płycie Faith znalazły się jedne z największych hitów George’a Michaela, między innymi Father Figure, One More Try, Faith, Kissing A Fool oraz I Want Your Sex. Kolejne albumy osiągały podobne sukcesy, a sam George udowadniał, że połączenie talentu z tytaniczną pracą się opłaca i pozwala tworzyć muzykę jakiej chce się słuchać. Tym razem pokusił się on na nagranie albumu podczas trasy koncertowej.

Całość materiału została nagrana podczas trasy koncertowej pod tym samym tytułem w latach 2011 – 2012. Za produkcję albumu odpowiada nie kto inny jak legendarny Phil Ramone wraz z samym George’em. Podczas trasy koncertowej Symphonica, George Michael występował wraz z towarzyszącą mu orkiestrą na najbardziej prestiżowych arenach w Europie. Tak jak w przypadku koncertów, album stanowi wyselekcjonowany zbiór kompozycji z dorobku muzycznego artysty – zarówno przeboje z jego wczesnych nagrań, jak i utwory jego ulubionych wykonawców. Otrzymaliśmy zatem przypomnienie twórczości Georga Michaela wraz z jego wizją wielkich przebojów wielkich artystów, w sumie 14 utworów.

Całość jest bardzo subtelna i wysmakowana. Muzyk płynie, koi i uspokaja a wokal Michaela doskonale współgra z orkiestrą, która go wzmacnia i podkreśla, by w odpowiednim momencie pozwala się rozwinąć i zabłysnąć.

Krążek promował singiel Let Her Down Easy z pięknym i przykuwającym uwagę klipem. Sama kompozycja bardzo magiczna. George Michael ma w sobie pewien urok i naturalny dar docierania gdzieś do wnętrza słuchacza poprzez muzykę jaką tworzy i w jaki sposób ją wykonuje. Jego głos zabiera nas w inny wymiar. ---Marta Mrowiec, allaboutmusic.pl

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