You know what not enough greatest hits albums start with? Politicised UK hip-hop tracks from 1982, that's what. Yet here we find 'Wham! Rap (Enjoy What You Do)' telling the three million unemployed not to give up on the life they want while the backing singers butchly chirp 'D.H.S.S.!' Has there been a band - pop or otherwise - since that have gone for such an enticingly bizarre opening gambit? Alright, probably, but not exactly on an everyday basis, which is part of what makes The Final something of a prince among its peers. To new listeners, it's bound to be full of genuinely unaccountable surprises.
For those who were fans at the time, it's a marvellous vindication. And for those for whom Wham! Were the enemy in the 1980s, it shows them unexpectedly ripe for reassessment. Not that they actually were seen as the enemy in the early days. In fact, the NME wouldn't be this excited about pop rap again until the resistance-anihilating emergence of Betty Boo almost a decade later, and the attraction is pretty clear even now.
Subsequent singles would move the band further into the white-boy soul territory that the likes of 'No Parlez' and the early Style Council singles would occupy to tremendous commercial and critical effect, and their penchant for teenage kicks coupled with a sharp observational edge (consider, for instance, 'Young Guns (Go For It)'s reference to 'sleepless nights on an HP bed') rang far truer than the fantastical farces then peddled by the rest of the New Pop brigade. Plus, they had a keen ear for the iconic moment (the dropped-out instrumentation at the 'caution pays' point of 'Young Guns' still delights, while Dee C Lee's cartoon purr on 'Bad Boys' is a hoot, and that single's 'wooh!wooh!' S were clearly custom-built for their ubiquity), and, while ' Club Tropicana' was roundly criticised as being too Thatcherite, hindsight renders it an interesting snapshot of a culture in flux. 'Y Viva Espana', eleven years earlier regarded holidays as impossilby exotic, while 'Girls And Boys', eleven years later, would paint them as blase bacchanalia, whereas, for Wham!, there was fun to be had in the world becoming available to all. And didn't the world just welcome them for it?
Neil Tennant's often spoken of the Pet Shop Boys having an imperial phase in '87/'88, but, really, it had nothing on the one illustrated here, since, frankly, few do. 'Wake Me Up Before You Go Go', 'Careless Whisper', 'Freedom', 'Last Christmas' (included here in its 'Pudding Mix', which is essentially the familiar version with an inexplicable hula intro) and 'Everything She Wants' all reached number two or above in under eight months, and all remain key elements of the pop canon. It's interesting, hearing them back-to-back, to note that all five are driven by real or imagined infidelity (fascinatingly, in later years George Michael's 'Spinning The Wheel' would be effectively the horrific moment at which his 'Wake Me Up.' Self actually wakes), which makes it all the more intriguing that they were so utterly embraced, and also that there's some startlingly audacious songwriting going on at this stage. 'Last Christmas' in particular demands a staggering amount of conviction to sidestep the risk of cheese overload, yet George manages to perform lines like 'Happy Christmas' / I wrapped it up and sent it / With a note saying I loved you / I meant it' (awful written down, obviously) unbeatably.
And anyone that can tackle the Doris Day and guilty feet lyrics that well as well has to be applauded for sheer chutzpah even if the tunes themselves were lacking, which their enduring populist winningness would indicate is very far indeed from the case. Of course, like everyone else involved in Band Aid (with the notable exception of U2), their momentum would dissolve immediately thereafter, and reinventing themselves in 1985 as the All-New, All-Different SexWham!
Really didn't help. After all, 'I'm Your Man' might still work on some terms, and can thankfully blot out all memory of the Alfie Moon version when listened to now, but the truth is that, for reasons that are rather clearer now, George couldn't really do sex all that well at that point (in retrospect, this makes 'Fastlove and 'Outside' even greater achievements), but by then their work was pretty much done anyway.
He sounds far more at home in balladeering mode on 'A Different Corner', which cemented his Terribly Serious reputation in spite of the fact that the shuttlecocks-in-shorts era really wasn't that distant a memory by then, and 'The Final Single', all of which appears here bar the re-done 'Wham! Rap', is a decent enough coda to the pair's career: 'The Edge Of Heaven' is, by their own standards, marginally by-numbers, although 'Battlestations', with its remarkable breathiness and oddly Soft Cell-reaclling synthesised brass, is this album's real curio, and the cover of Was (Not Was)'s 'Where Did Your Heart Go' proves to be a soaring fusion of their soulful roots and the grown-up pop instincts that George was keen to hone. And then there was no more, and, in fairness, there really doesn't need to be.
Afterwards, Andrew Ridgeley tried an ill-advised solo album before realising he could retire cheerfully to the south coast and live as Mr One Of Bananarama, while George, occasional troubles notwithstanding, put the whole of music royalty in his rolodex, met the man of his dreams, and carried on selling kajillions of records, which must count as happy endings all round. Even after 22 years, the Wham! Story remains an incredibly useful one for new bands, given that they managed to never outstay their welcome, never squander an ounce of goodwill, and never descend into acrimony, and, as an accompanying textbook to just what pop can do in the right hands, The Final still feels like a sizeable success today.
Link to this full album playlist: The Best of WHAM Album (1997) is a collection of the best hit from 1981–1986 by the British Pop group WHAM (consisting of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley). You can purchase their music here: WHAM - The Best of WHAM: Get more info on this great album on our website: For more great albums, vist our main website: Quick Note: Purchasing the albums or songs from the Amazon affiliate links above help to keep this channel viable and to create even more videos. MyCDMusic is not affiliated with any of the album’s recording company or any trademark(s) that is contained/mentioned in this video.
Are back on 28 November with a 2-disc anniversary edition of The Final, their farewell compilation album, from 1986. The pop duo of George Michael and Andrew Ridgely went out on a high 25 years ago, with this exceptional record that documents a short, but amazingly successful, career in pop. The Final contains six UK no.1 hits including both George Michael solo singles ( Careless Whisper and A Different Corner). In addition to the standard 14-track CD, the forthcoming deluxe edition will include a DVD with 13 fully restored videos (one short of the audio selection, since the track Battlestations didn’t have a video).
Inside: A t-shirt, two gold vinyl LPs and more Nothing on the album is exactly obscure, but for your enjoyment we present a lively walkthrough of the tracks on the record, with the odd bit of trivia thrown in for good measure! (Enjoy What You Do?) Not a hit in June 1982 when first released, but was subsequently re-released in January 1983 (after Young Guns (Go For It!)) when it reached no.8 in the charts.
Was rather political in a very simplistic way. The message was clear, working is for jerks. If you don’t enjoy what you do just stop “Cos the benefit gang are going to pay”.
It’s the 12″ version on The Final even though it’s only labelled as such on the vinyl version. In fact the 7″ version has never appeared on a Wham! CD since the 12″ version was on the first album Fantastic.
An ’86 remix Wham Rap ’86 was included as part of the 7″ double-pack and the 12″ of the last single Edge of Heaven. It’s also on the American compilation Music From The Edge of Heaven (a cut down version of The Final). Young Guns (Go For It!) The second single but the first hit. It reached no.3 in late 1982.
Again, it’s the 12″ version on The Final Bad Boys George Michael is on record as early as 1984 saying he “hates” this song. It’s the only Wham! Single not on the 1997 The Best Of Wham! Album, however it was present and correct on The Final back in 1986 which is not surprising since it was the biggest hit from their debut album, reaching no.2 in May 1983. The 12″ version is on the original vinyl of The Final but the CD is the standard version.
Club Tropicana The fourth and final single from the Fantastic album, reaching no.4 in the charts, in the summer of 1983. The b-side Blue (Armed With Love) was a rare example of George Michael putting a high quality new track on the flip-side of a single. This was recognised by it’s inclusion on the cassette and LP version of The Final, although it was not on the original CD and nor does it appear on the 25th anniversary re-release. This is a shame because it has only ever been issued on CD on a rather obscure Japanese CD single of Club Tropicana. Blue (Live In China), a significantly reworked live rendition, did appear on the US Music From The Edge of Heaven. Wake Me Up Before You Go Go The band’s first number one and the first single from the second album, the appropriately titled Make It Big.
There was no 12″ remix and the b-side was an instrumental. A classic pop song of the era. Careless Whisper George Michael’s first solo single was on the Wham! Album Make It Big, but released in the US as Wham! Featuring George Michael.
A transatlantic no.1, the version on The Final is actually the full length version, which also appears on Make It Big. Jerry Wexler originally produced this track before George decided to remake it himself. The Wexler version was given an official release, briefly, on the flipside of a limited edition UK 12″ but has never been released on CD (see video below for this rarely heard version). Freedom A third number one in a row from Make It Big, Freedom was Wham! At the peak of their powers.
There was a “Long Mix” 12″ version but the on The Final it is the standard mix albeit with a unique ‘outro’ when a trumpet comes in. Last Christmas (Pudding Mix) A double A-side with Everything She Wants, Last Christmas topped a ludicrously successful 1984 for Wham!, and George Michael in particular. Mimaki rasterlink pro 5 sg crack.
Only kept off the UK no.1 spot by the Band Aid, Do They Know It’s Christmas? Charity single, it sold over a million copies and is apparently the highest selling single in UK history not to get to the number one spot. The 12″ “Pudding Mix” was for years the de facto standard version of the song, appearing on The Best of Wham!
In 1997 as well as The Final. In fact it wasn’t until 2006 that the standard 7″ mix appeared on a Wham! /George Michael CD (his Twenty Five greatest hits album).
Everything She Wants (Remix) Another remix which replaced the standard 7″ mix on all the compilations. It’s easy to see why, since it’s far superior to the standard version which a whole extra verse at the end. George Michael has been quoted as saying that this was his favourite song from the Wham!
I’m Your Man Back to the top spot, in late 1985 with this standalone single. The Extended Stimulation 12″ version was on the Vinyl and Cassette of The Final but not the CD. The US compilation Music From The Edge of Heaven actually contains a unique remix which is very similar to the Extended Stimulation mix but doesn’t have the silly voices talking about ‘magic cars’ in the middle, and instead maintains the 7″ structure at this point. The cassette single contained an acappella version of the song and an instrumental called Do It Right was also on some formats. A Different Corner Another solo George Michael single makes an appearance on a Wham! A no.1 (what else) in April 1986.
There is a version of this track with an extended string intro but that is only on Music From The Edge of Heaven. In fact that version is not even on the UK 12″ single which just contains the standard 7″, the same as The Final. The instrumental version from the b-side is unreleased on CD. Battlestations One of the new tracks on the 7″ double-pack and the 12″ of the last single Edge of Heaven. A great song, Battlestations gave the best indication as to the direction George Michael would taking his music post-Wham!, with a fairly sparse stripped down approach and drum machines. Very Prince-like. This track could easily have been on his first solo album Faith.
Where Did Your Heart Go? Another new song, this time a solid cover of the Was (Not Was) song. It again formed part of the final E.P.
Although it was released separately later in 1986. The Edge Of Heaven The final single predictably hit no.1 in the UK charts. It managed to keep the effervescence of earlier Wham! Releases and was actually a really strong single to end on, even if it did feature a somewhat unnecessary guitar solo, that may or may not have been played by Andrew Ridgely. So there we have it. There is nothing not to like about this compilation. Were once pop royalty, along with bands like Culture Club and Frankie Goes to Hollywood.
Yes, they could be a bit silly, with the shuttlecocks, “Choose Life” T-shirts, day-glo teeth and the ‘Lady’ Diana haircuts. This was the 80s don’t forget. But the songs have stood the test of time – great pop songs – and that is what makes the difference. 1997’s The Best of Wham! missed out Bad Boys and had awful updates of some tracks ( Everything She Wants ’97, I’m Your Man ’96 – urgh!) so The Final remains the people’s Wham! Compilation of choice. The Final 2-disc 25th Anniversary Edition is released on 28 November on Sony.
Wham Greatest Hits Rar
I bought the double – length cassette of THE FINAL in ’88 in France and it included “Club Tropicana” Also the “a cappella” version of “I’m Your Man” was really based around the drum machine pattern (more akin to “Battlestations”) and included a slightly longer vocal. Also for the record, the “Extended Stimulation” 12″ version (TT6:52) of I’m Your Man and the unique MUSIC FROM THE EDGE OF HEAVEN were mastered at slightly different speeds – the US MUSIC FROM version (TT6:04) is slightly faster How many versions of “Wham Rap!” are there? I read that there was a second version released on 12″ for the 2nd release of the song as a single? (not including “Wham Rap’86”). “Freedom” with all it’s versions is a nightmare.
The “long mix” is just that, but another extended mix exists, and both without the 7″ outro. Another reason MAKE IT BIG needs a deluxe edition. There are also two extended versions of “Young Guns”, and then the two different mega-mixes from the FANTASTIC album. This could have been a really great 25th Anniversary edition if they had included all the extra bits you mentioned. To have had a “complete” version of The Final including all the stuff on the vinyl/cassette versions would have been awesome. It should all have been remastered and the videos should have been redone with a 5.1 soundtrack. I think its unfortunate that Wham keeps getting such short shrift.
Really there should have been anniversary editions of both Fantastic and Make It Big with all the versions and bonus stuff too. That would have been great and made this a little less disappointing.
This Music Has The 3 Ninja's Approval For QUALITY NEEDS Visit Please SEED for others to Enjoy! Cheers, Bubanee - Info - Quality.: CDRip - VBRV0 - Playlist Information.: ID3v2.3 - Album Art In Songs Ripped/Posted.: Bubanee - You Only Get Quality Here! George Michael & Wham!
Greatest Hits - 1. George Michael - Killer-Papa Was A Rolling Stone 11:20 2. George Michael - Careless Whisper 05:03 3. George Michael - Faith 02:40 4. Last Christmas 06:47 5. George Michael - Father Figure 05:38 6.
George Michael - Too Funky 05:28 7. George Michael - I Want Your Sex (part 1) 04:45 8. George Michael - I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) 04:00 9. George Michael - These AreThe Days Of Our Lives 04:39 10. George Michael ft.
Elton John - Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me05:49 11. George Michael - Somebody To Love 04:32 12. George Michael - Freedom '90 06:33 13. Everything She Wants '97 06:01 14. I'm Your Man '96 04:32 15. Where Did Your Heart Go 05:42 16.
Young Guns (Gor For It) 03:41 17. (Enjoy What You Do) 06:46 18. The Edge Of Heaven 04:37 19. Freedom 05:20 20. Like A Baby 04:16 21.
Best Of Wham Cd
Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go 03:51 22. Club Tropicana 04:30 23. Everything She Wants 06:29 24. I'm Your Man 04:06 25.
If You Were There 03:43 26. Last Christmas (Standard) 04:25.
Obviously, my little sister was the one who first got interested in George Michael. Also, one of my best friends was a big Wham! I simply dismissed it.
But, back then when I did listen to the radio, I heard a lot of this album, while I was waiting for music I DID want to hear (Inxs, Duran2, Wang Chung, etc). It didn't take long before I started to really like what I heard, and soon George became a figure that I was interested in hearing more from. The fact that Shep Pettibone did several of his mixes made it even that more enticing. Back then, I was hooked on Father Figure (hot model in the video), Hard Day and Kissing a Fool.
Later, I quickly added his cover of Jive Talkin' with Boogie Box High and his duet with Aretha, I Knew You Were Waiting For Me. For the album disc, I also added his song with Jody Watley and another Boogie Box High track (that really sucks, IMHO) As far as the mix disc goes, there aren't any surprises on it. All of the single mixes, including the remix that was on the album. It surprises me that there weren't any actual remixes of I Want Your Sex, just those three versions. You would've thought that a IWYS single would have an extended mix of Part I. Gore =- I was heavily into Death Metal and Hardcore Punk at the time, and yet I thought this album was fantastic.
I still think this is one of the greatest (best produced) 80s albums. It should officially be released in YOUR format!!! Btw, IWYS was in fact released as a 12' (I used to have the vinyl) before the album came out, with a 13 minute MONOGAMY MIX, which was actually just the three parts of the album joined together. Check it out at http://mp3monkey.net/mp3/iwantyoursexmonogamy.html.