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George Michael + Wham - The Collection (1983 - 2006) (MP3-EAC-320kBs)
Wham and George Michael Biographies
Wham
Wham! sparked something of a pop revival in the mid-'80s and could arguably be held responsible for sparking off the boy band trend of the '90s. They were unashamedly pop, to the point of padding the front of their trousers for television appearances. At the heart, however, was a string of catchy singalong singles written by George Michael (born Georgios Kyrriacos Panayiotou in London to a Greek restauranting family).
George met Wham!'s other half, Andrew Ridgeley, at school in the London suburb of Bushey, and in 1979 they started performing together as part of the ska-based band the Executive. When that group dissolved, they wrote songs, made demos, and rushed into a recording contract with the equally eager independent label Innervision, scoring an instant hit with "Wham Rap!" (they thought that "wham" was the sound they made when Michael and Ridgeley performed together). In order to move to a recording contract with Sony label Epic, Wham! was forced to walk away from most of the royalties from their debut album, Fantastic. None of that mattered when their 1984 single, "Wake Me up Before You Go Go," became a worldwide hit, accompanied by a video of the pair cavorting in their sportswear. Almost immediately, George Michael started thinking of a solo career, and released "Careless Whisper," issued in the U.S. under George Michael of Wham!
Wham!'s end came suddenly two years later, in 1985, reputedly when the group's manager, Simon Napier-Bell (later to manage Take That), decided to sell a share of his management to a South African entertainment conglomerate. Supposedly, as part of a stand against South African politics, George Michael immediately announced Wham!'s breakup. They gave their farewell performance before a sold-out audience of 72,000 fans at London's Wembley Stadium.
George Michael comfortably stepped straight into his own highly successful solo performing and recording career. Andrew Ridgeley's post Wham! album, Son of Albert, sold poorly and produced just one minor hit, "Shake."
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George Michael
Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou (George Michael) achieved fame in the duo Wham! in his native U.K. in 1982. Through 1986, he and his partner, Andrew Ridgeley, scored hit after hit in a variety of styles from rap to up-tempo pop to slow ballads. As songwriter and lead singer, Michael gradually overshadowed the group, and by the time they split, he was ready for a massively successful solo career. This began with the 1987 album Faith, which featured a series of chart-topping hit singles and sold more than seven million copies. That Michael had not achieved a similar critical success was evident from the title of his follow-up album, Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1, which must be considered a major commercial disappointment even though it sold a million copies, included two Top Ten hits, and hit number two. With Vol. 2 apparently shelved, Michael contributed several songs to the charity album Red Hot + Dance in 1992, and one of them, "Too Funky," reached the Top 20.
After the failure of Listen Without Prejudice, Michael engaged in a bitter legal battle with his record company, accusing them of not properly promoting the album and asking them to release him from his contract; he stated that he would refuse to release any records if he lost the lawsuit. He lost. After losing an appeal, Michael bought his way out of his Columbia contract and signed with the music division of Dreamworks, a fledgling entertainment corporation founded by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen. In 1996, he released Older, its sales clearly hampered by his long hiatus away from performing. In 1998, Michael made tabloid headlines when he was arrested for lewd conduct in a men's public restroom at a park near his Beverly Hills home; following the incident, the singer appeared on CNN and publicly revealed his homosexuality. The covers collection Songs from the Last Century followed in late 1999. Five years later he returned with Patience, an ambitious album featuring the politically charged single "Shoot the Dog." The 2006 compilation TwentyFive was followed by a world tour.
Wham - Album's & EP's (1983 - 1997)
Wham - Fantastic (1983)
CD Pressing Information
Label: Epic
Catalog#: EPC 450090 2
Format: CD
Country: Europe
Released: 1983
Genre: Electronic, Hip Hop, Pop
Style: Pop Rap, Synth-pop
Track List
01. Bad Boys 03:20
02. A Ray Of Sunshine 04:47
03. Love Machine 03:22
04. Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do?) 06:44
05. A Ray Of Sunshine (Instrumental Remix) 05:39
06. Love Machine (Instrumental Remix) 03:27
07. Club Tropicana 04:25
08. Nothing Looks The Same In The Light 05:56
09. Come On! 04:23
10. Young Guns (Go For It!) 03:56
11. Nothing Looks The Same In The Light (Instrumental Remix) 06:40
Wham - Make It Big (1984)
CD Pressing Information
Label: Epic
Catalog#: EPC 465576 2
Format: CD
Country: UK
Released: 14 Sep 1989
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop
Track List
01. 01. Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go 03:50
02. Everything She Wants 05:02
03. Heartbeat 04:44
04. Like A Baby 04:13
05. Freedom 05:00
06. If You Were There 03:37
07. Credit Card Baby 05:08
08. Careless Whisper 06:33
Wham - The Final (1986)
CD Pressing Information
Label: Epic, Sony Music Entertainment (UK)
Catalog#: CDEPC 88681, 01-088681-10
Format: CD
Country: EUROPE
Released: 1986
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop, Disco
Track List
01. Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do?) 06:42
02. Young Guns (Go For It!) 05:11
03. Bad Boys 03:19
04. Club Tropicana 04:28
05. Wake Me Up Before You Go Go 03:50
06. Careless Whisper 05:01
07. Freedom 05:20
08. Last Christmas (Pudding Mix) 06:45
09. Everything She Wants 06:29
10. I'm Your Man 04:03
11. A Different Corner 03:58
12. Battlestations 05:30
13. Where Did Your Heart Go 05:42
14. The Edge Of Heaven 04:38
Wham - Music From The Edge Of Heaven (1986)
CD Pressing Information
Label: Columbia
Catalog#: CK 40285
Format: CD
Country: US
Released: 1986
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop
Track List
01. The Edge Of Heaven 04:30
02. Battlestations 05:26
03. I'm Your Man 06:05
04. Wham! Rap '86 06:38
05. A Different Corner 04:32
06. Blue (Live In China) 05:42
07. Where Did Your Heart Go? 05:42
08. Last Christmas 06:43
Wham - Twelve Inch Mixes (1992)
CD Pressing Information
Label: Epic
Catalog#: 450125 2
Format: CD
Country: Austria
Released: 1992
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop
Track List
01. Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do) (Unsocial Mix) 06:43
02. Young Guns (Go For It) 05:11
03. Freedom (Long Mix) 07:06
04. Everything She Wants (Remix) 06:30
05. I'm Your Man (Extended Stimulation) 06:54
Wham - If You Were There (The Best Of Wham) (1997)
CD Pressing Information
Label: Epic
Catalog#: 489020 2, 01-489020-10
Format: CD
Country: UK
Released: 1997
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop
Track List
01. If You Were There 03:43
02. I'm Your Man 04:06
03. Everything She Wants 06:29
04. Club Tropicana 04:30
05. Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go 03:51
06. Like A Baby 04:16
07. Freedom 05:20
08. The Edge Of Heaven 04:37
09. Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do) 06:46
10. Young Gunes (Gor For It) 03:41
11. Last Christmas 06:48
12. Where Did Your Heart Go 05:42
13. Everything She Wants '97 06:01
14. I'm Your Man '96 04:32
George Michael - Albums (1987 - 2006)
George Michael - Faith (1987)
CD Pressing Information
Label: Epic
Catalog#: EPC 460000 2
Format: CD
Country: UK
Released: 1987
Genre: Electronic, Pop, Rock
Style: Pop Rock, Synth-pop
Track List
01. Faith 03:16
02. Father Figure 05:36
03. I Want Your Sex (Parts 1 & 2) 09:17
04. One More Try 05:50
05. Hard Day 04:47
06. Hand To Mouth 04:36
07. Look At Your Hands 04:37
08. Monkey 05:06
09. Kissing A Fool 04:35
10. Hard Day (Shep Pettibone Remix) 06:29
11. A Last Request (I Want Your Sex Part 3) 03:49
George Michael - Listen Without Prejudice Vol 1 (1990)
CD Pressing Information
Label: Epic
Catalog#: EPC 467295 2
Format: CD
Country: UK
Released: 1990
Genre: Pop, Rock
Style: Pop Rock, Vocal
Track List
01. Praying for Time 04:41
02. Freedom 90 06:30
03. They Won't Go When I Go 05:06
04. Something To Save 03:18
05. Cowboys And Angels 07:14
06. Waiting For That Day 04:49
07. Mothers Pride 03:59
08. Heal The Pain 04:39
09. Soul Free 05:31
10. Waiting (Reprise) 02:27
George Michael - Older (1996)
CD Pressing Information
Label: Virgin
Catalog#: 7243 8 41392 2 3, CDV 2802
Format: CD
Country: EUROPE
Released: 1996
Genre: Electronic, Rock
Style: Pop Rock, Downtempo, Synth-pop
Track List
01. Jesus To A Child 06:51
02. Fastlove 05:24
03. Older 05:33
04. Spinning The Wheel 06:21
05. It Doesn't Really Matter 04:50
06. The Strangest Thing 06:01
07. To Be Forgiven 05:21
08. Move On 04:45
09. Star People 05:16
10. You Have Been Loved 05:30
11. Free 03:00
George Michael - Ladies & Gentlemen (The Best Of George Michael) (1998)
CD Pressing Information
Label: Sony Music Entertainment (UK)
Catalog#: 491705 2
Format: 2 x CD Box Set
Country: UK
Released: 1998
Genre: Electronic
Style: Downtempo, Synth-pop
Track List (Disc 1 - "For The Heart")
01. Jesus To A Child 06:51
02. Father Figure 05:41
03. Careless Whisper 05:00
04. Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me 05:48
05. You Have Been Loved 05:29
06. Kissing A Fool 04:35
07. I Can't Make You Love Me 05:21
08. Heal The Pain 04:47
09. A Moment With You 05:42
10. Desafinado 03:20
11. Cowboys And Angels 07:14
12. Praying For Time 04:44
13. One More Try 05:53
14. A Different Corner 04:03
Track List (Disc 2 - "For The Feet")
01. Outside 04:43
02. As (With Mary J. Blige) 04:42
03. Fastlove 05:27
04. Too Funky 03:44
05. Freedom 90 06:28
06. Star People 97 05:36
07. Killer - Papa Was A Rollin' Stone 04:15
08. I Want Your Sex (Part II) 04:36
09. The Strangest Thing 97 04:34
10. Fantasy 05:01
11. Spinning The Wheel 06:08
12. Waiting For That Day 04:50
13. I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)
(With Aretha Franklin) 03:58
14. Faith 04:14
15. Somebody To Love (With Queen) 05:18
George Michael - Songs From The Last Century (1999)
CD Pressing Information
Label: Virgin
Catalog#: 7243 8 48740 2 5
Format: CD
Country: UK
Released: 1999
Genre: Jazz
Style: Swing
Track List
01. Brother Can You Spare a Dime 04:22
02. Roxanne 04:11
03. You've Changed 04:25
04. My Baby Just Cares for Me 01:45
05. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face 05:19
06. Miss Sarajevo 05:11
07. I Remember You 04:12
08. Secret Love 02:39
09. Wild Is the Wind 04:02
10. Where or When/It's Alright with Me 07:00
George Michael - Patience (2004)
CD Pressing Information
Label: Sony Music Entertainment (UK)
Catalog#: 515402 2
Format: CD
Country: UK
Released: 2004
Genre: Electronic
Style: House, Downtempo, Synth-pop
Track List
01. Patience 02:53
02. Amazing 04:25
03. John And Elvis Are Dead 04:23
04. Cars And Trains 05:51
05. Round Here 05:55
06. Shoot The Dog 05:07
07. My Mother Had A Brother 06:17
08. Flawless (Go To The City) 06:51
09. American Angel 04:07
10. Precious Box 07:39
11. Please Send Me Someone (Anselmo's Song) 05:26
12. Freeek! '04 04:28
13. Through 05:22
14. Patience (Pt.2) 01:30
George Michael - Twentyfive (2006)
CD Pressing Information
Label: Sony Music Entertainment (UK)
Catalog#: 88697 00900 2
Format: 2 x CD, Album
Country: Belgium
Released: 13 Nov 2006
Genre: Electronic
Style: Downtempo, Synth-pop
Track List (Disc 1 - "For Living")
01. Everything She Wants (with Wham!) 06:33
02. Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go (with Wham!) 03:52
03. Freedom (with Wham!) 05:20
04. Faith 03:15
05. Too Funky 03:46
06. Fastlove 05:28
07. Freedom! '90 06:30
08. Spinnng the Wheel 06:09
09. Outside 04:44
10. As (with Mary J. Blige) 04:43
11. Freeek! 04:32
12. Shoot the Dog 05:08
13. Amazing 04:25
14. Flawless (Go to the City) 04:50
15. An Easier Affair 04:38
Track List (Disc 2 - "For Loving")
01. Careless Whisper 05:04
02. Last Christmas (with Wham!) 04:27
03. A Different Corner 04:03
04. Father Figure 05:40
05. One More Try 05:53
06. Praying for Time 04:41
07. Heal the Pain (with Paul McCartney) 04:43
08. Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me (with Elton John) 05:48
09. Jesus to a Child 06:50
10. Older 05:34
11. Round Here 05:55
12. You Have Been Loved 05:28
13. John And Elvis Are Dead 04:23
14. This Is Not Real Love (with Mutya) 04:56
George Michael - CD Singles
Monkey (1987)
CD Pressing Information
Label: Epic
Catalog#: CD EMU 6
Format: CD, Maxi-Single
Country: UK
Released: 1987
Genre: Electronic
Style: Electro, Synth-pop
Track List
01. Monkey (Extended Version) 08:09
02. Monkey (Acapella) 03:46
03. Monkey (Extra Beats) 03:44
04. Monkey (7 Inch Edit) 04:48
Too Funky (1992)
CD Pressing Information
Label: Epic
Catalog#: 658058 2
Format: CD, Maxi-Single
Country: UK
Released: 1992
Genre: Electronic
Style: House, Downtempo, Synth-pop
Track List
01. Too Funky 03:48
02. Crazyman Dance 05:54
03. Too Funky (Extended) 05:37
Jesus To A Child (1996)
CD Pressing Information
Label: Virgin
Catalog#: VSCDX 1571, 7243 8 93273 2 8
Format: CD, Maxi-Single
Country: UK
Released: 1996
Genre: Electronic, Jazz, Rock
Style: Downtempo, Pop Rock, Contemporary Jazz
Track List
01. Jesus To A Child 06:53
02. Freedom '93 (Live Version) 06:06
03. One More Try (live Gospel Version) 05:25
04. Older (Instrumental) 05:19
Fastlove (1996)
CD Pressing Information
Label: Virgin
Catalog#: VSCDG 1579
Format: CD, Maxi-Single
Country: UK
Released: 1996
Genre: Electronic
Style: Downtempo, Synth-pop
Track List
01. Fast Love (Part I) 05:27
02. I`m Your Man '96 04:06
03. Fast Love (Part II - Fully Extended Mix) 09:28
Spinning The Wheel (The Dance Mixes) (1996)
CD Pressing Information
Label: Virgin
Catalog#: VSCDX 1595
Format: CD, Maxi-Single
Country: UK
Released: 1996
Genre: Electronic
Style: Progressive House, Deep House
Track List
01. Spinning The Wheel (Forthright Club Mix) 08:13
02. Fastlove (Forthright Edit) 04:25
03. Spinning The Wheel (Jon Douglas Remix) 06:40
The Older E.P. (1997)
CD Pressing Information
Label: Virgin
Catalog#: 7243 8 94029 2 6
Format: CD, EP
Country: UK
Released: 1997
Genre: Electronic
Style: Downtempo
Track List
01. Older 05:36
02. I Can't Make You Love Me 05:22
03. Desafinado 03:20
04. The Strangest Thing (Live) 06:02
Star People '97 (The Dance Mixes) (1997)
CD Pressing Information
Label: Virgin
Catalog#: VSCDX 1641
Format: CD, Maxi-Single
Country: UK
Released: 1997
Genre: Electronic
Style: House
Track List
01. Star People '97 (Galaxy Mix) 08:07
02. Star People '97 (Forthright Club Mix) 09:17
03. Star People '97 (Galaxy Dub Mix) 07:12
04. Star People '97 (Forthright Edit) 04:27
You Have Been Loved - Disc 2 (1997)
CD Pressing Information
Label: Virgin
Catalog#: VSCDX 1663
Format: CD, Maxi-Single, CD 2
Country: UK
Released: 1997
Genre: Electronic
Style: House, Synth-pop
Track List
01. The Strangest Thing '97 (Loop Ratz Mix) 08:47
02. The strangest Things '97 (Radio Mix) 04:42
03. You Have Been Loved 05:28
Outside (1998)
CD Pressing Information
Label: Epic
Catalog#: 666249 2
Format: CD, Maxi-Single
Country: UK
Released: 1998
Genre: Electronic
Style: Electro, Garage House
Track List
01. Outside 04:47
02. Fantasy 98 04:30
03. Outside (Jon Douglas Remix) 08:03
George Michael + Mary J Blige - As (1998)
CD Pressing Information
Label: Epic
Catalog#: EPC 666870 1
Format: CD, Single
Country: Europe
Released: 1999
Genre: Electronic, Hip Hop
Style: RnB/Swing, Garage House
Track List
01. As 04:44
02. A Different Corner (Live at Parkinson) 04:28
03. As (Full Crew Mix) 05:39
Freeek! - Disc 1 (2002)
CD Pressing Information
Label: Polydor (UK)
Catalog#: 570 681-2
Format: CD, Maxi-Single, Digipak CD1
Country: UK
Released: 2002
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Electro, Synth-pop
Track List
01. Freeek! 04:33
02. Freeek! (The Scumfrogs Mix) 06:41
03. Freeek! (Moogymen Mix) 08:29
Shoot The Dog (2002)
CD Pressing Information
Label: Polydor (UK)
Catalog#: 570 924-2
Format: CD, Maxi-Single, Enhanced
Country: UK
Released: 2002
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Synth-pop, Vocal
Track List
01. Shoot The Dog (Explicit Album Version) 05:03
02. Shoot The Dog (Moogymen Mix) 07:19
03. Shoot The Dog (Alexkid Shoot The Radio Remix) 03:57
Enhanced Video Track List
Shoot The Dog - Video (.mov "Quicktime" Format)
Flawless (Go To The City) - The Mixes (2004)
CD Pressing Information
Label: Sony Music Entertainment (UK)
Catalog#: 675068 2
Format: CD, Maxi-Single
Country: UK
Released: 2004
Genre: Electronic
Style: House
Track List
01. Flawless (Album Version) 06:53
02. Flawless (Jack'n'Rory Vocal Mix) 06:44
03. Flawless (Shapeshifters Remix) 07:01
04. Flawless (Boxer Mix) 05:56
05. Flawless (The Sharp Boys Hot Fridge Vocal Mix) 08:05
Amazing - The Mixes (2004)
CD Pressing Information
Label: Sony Music Entertainment (UK)
Catalog#: 674726 5
Format: CD, Maxi-Single
Country: UK
Released: 2004
Genre: Electronic
Style: House
Track List
01. Amazing [Album Version] 04:26
02. Amazing [Jack'n'Rory 7" Vocal Mix] 05:56
03. Amazing [Full Intention Club Mix] 08:08
Note
All of the above albums and CD Singles have been ripped to FLAC Lossless (Compression level 5) from our original CD collection using EAC.
All albums included artwork scans (except CD Singles)
ENJOY
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