Listening to “Wrap Her Up” from Elton John’s 18th (!) album released in 1985. He has George Michael joining on vocals.
Kinda mind-blowing to think that nobody knew either of these men were gay at the time. Sure, they are name-dropping a lot of gorgeous women in the outro, but still…
#TheMetalDogArticleList #MetalSucks
Heavy Rotation: Job For A Cowboy’s Nick Shinz Goes Deep on “Careless Whisper”
You'll never read a more in-depth take on a George Michael song than his.
George Michael's first solo album, 'Faith', was released 36 years ago today, 30 October 1987.
What is your favorite George Michael song? #igottahavefaith#georgemichael#faith
Back when I was writing on @boingbot, I'd slam out 10-15 blog posts every day, short hits that served as signpost and public notebook, but I rarely got into longer analysis of the sort I do daily now on Pluralistic. Both modes are very useful for organizing one's thoughts, and indeed, they complement each other:
First up, a musical interlude. I've been listening to #DJEarworm's amazing mashups since 2005 and while I've got dozens of tracks that shuffle in and out of my daily playlist, the one that makes me wanna get up and dance every time is "No One Takes Your Freedom," a wildly improbable banger composed of equal parts #ArethaFranklin, #TheBeatles, #GeorgeMichael and #ScissorSisters:
George Michael has made it into the studio to perform the number 1 song "Careless whisper".
Through the crowd surround him, George can emote alone on the stage, pristine in his white shirt and jeans. Much more restrained than his last studio visit - celebrating with Wham! twelve weeks ago - and almost as effective.
Sadly, George won't be at number one when we return to 1984 in two weeks' time. #TOTP#GeorgeMichael
There is this moment in Netflix's WHAM! documentary where Elton John is presenting George Michael with an award in 1985, and John offers this effusive praise of both him and Wham! It was a touching, validating moment for Michael, who had idolized John since he was a kid.
Well that was pleasant enough. But that's about all.
It was essentially Andrew telling the story from his point of view, intercut with (obviously) older interviews with George talking about the same period.
But there was very little contribution from anyone else: a couple of sentences from others whose lives intersected with the band such as Elton John and Simon Napier-Bell. Probably the most interesting bits were the two or three brief snippets from George's dad.
But why nothing from (or even about) the women in the band: Dee C Lee, Helen (Pepsi) or Shirlie? They would have known the band closer than anyone else other than the two front men. I'm not sure if they weren't asked to contribute, or turned down the opportunity; the latter seems unlikely especially for Shirlie.
Overall 6/10. Worth watching if you have a passing interest in 1980s pop or George Michael, but if you know the history already there's very little new there.
I only saw George once. At this gig, which was part of his 1988 Faith Tour. In the Tony Parsons penned biography “Bare”, George said that this was the best performance he’d ever given.
I couldn’t disagree. He sang Lady Marmalade as an encore, but I don’t think he ever recorded it. He was sensational.
"Wham," a new documentary about the band founded by Andrew Ridgeley and George Michael, has just landed on Netflix. Here's a review of the 92-minute film, which marks the 40th anniversary of their debut album "Fantastic." "Wham" includes archive footage and audio of Michael and Ridgeley, and scrapbooks created by Ridgeley's mother, and is most of all a celebration of the duo's enduring friendship.