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"...Waiting For That Day..."
"...I won't let you down...so don't give me up..."
For me George Michael was a fantastic singer-songwriter first and a conflicted gay man second. Frankly, I wish the British Press hadn't spent all those grubby years picking at the it-sells-newspapers scab that was the second.
I liked Michael's better-than-anyone-had-expected debut album "Faith" from October 1987 – most of it anyway. But his second album "Listen Without Prejudice, Vol.1" (a year long in the recording process) blew me away. I loved it. This was next level songmanship – sexy and cool – but it had that rarest of things going for it – commerciality with brains and heart. George even sounded like and gave a nod to his mentor and idol Stevie Wonder on that piano-led cover of "They Won't Go When I Go" on Side 1 (originally done by Stevie Wonder on his "Fulfillingness' First Finale" LP for Motown in 1974). Followed by the magnificence of "Something To Save" – the die was cast for me – our Georgios Panayiotou was hitting a musical stride that would shut up all the naysayers and camera creeps with dollar signs in their eyes.
But "Listen Without Prejudice, Vol.1" has been crying out for a celebration for decades now and with this October 2017 twofer (a sort of 2CD Deluxe Edition in all but name) – fans finally get something to get their teeth and broken hearts into. Here are the cowboys and angels...
UK released 20 October 2017 - "Listen Without Prejudice Vol.1/MTV Unplugged" by GEORGE MICHAEL on Sony Music/Epic/Aegean 8887518052 (Barcode 88875180527) is a 2CD Reissue/Compilation of Remasters that plays out as follows:
CD1 Remastered Album (48:19 minutes):
1. Praying For Time [Side 1]
2. Freedom! '90
3. They Won't Go When I Go
4. Something To Save
5. Cowboys And Angels
6. Waiting For That Day [Side 2]
7. Mothers Pride
8. Heal The Pain
9. Soul Free
10. Waiting (Reprise)
Tracks 1 to 10 are his second studio album "Listen Without Prejudice Vol.1/MTV Unplugged" – released 3 September 1990 in the UK on Epic Records 467295 1 (LP) 4 (MC) 2 (CD). It peaked at No. 1 in the USA and No. 2 in the UK.
CD2 MTV Unplugged Remastered (62:12 minutes):
1. Freedom! '90
2. Fastlove
3. I Can't Make You Love Me
4. Father Figure
5. You Have Been Loved
6. Everything She Wants
7. The Strangest Thing
8. Older
9. Star People
10. Praying For Time
BONUS TRACK
11. Fantasy featuring NILE RODGERS of CHIC
The trifold card digipak offers you new artwork on the front and rear with the famous people-photograph photo used for the original September 1990 release beneath the see-through CD trays on the inside. Many have complained about the glossy 16-page booklet with its impossible-to-read silver print and new liner notes from John Aizlewood done in 2016 when GM was alive – not upgraded given his passing in December 2016. There's some photos of handwritten lyrics, one or two other blurry sheets of photos and the usual reissue credits. But there isn’t a track-by-track on the album (who played what on what – Phil Palmer on Guitar etc) and CD2 barely proffers up anything except titles, writer credits and musicians in his band (no visual DVD either). It's all a tad underwhelming frankly – but then we get the great new sound.
The Remasters on the album was carried out at Air Studios by a team of four – RAY STAFF, JOHN WEBBER, NIALL FLYNN and DAVID AUSTIN. Both CDs sound fabulous – the audio on the live "Freedom '90" with his tight band in perfect unison is going to work your speaker-system big time.
Clocking up eight-million sales, the album seemed to be chockers with the most unlikely of singles – the anthemic "Praying For Time" hit the streets in August 1990 almost a month before the album came out on 3 September and did the No. 1 slot business almost everywhere. That gem was quickly followed in the UK by the gorgeous "Waiting For That Day" in October 1990 with America opting for "Freedom '90" instead ("Waiting For That Day" used lyrics from The Rolling Stones 1969 'Let It Bleed' album classic "You Can't Always Get What You Want" so Jagger/Richards got a credit on that one).
What I personally thought was one of the most accomplished songs on the record and surely a place for him in the pantheons of great Soul-Rock writers - "Heal The Pain" – became a single in February 1991 with a shortened "Cowboy And Angels" following in March 1991. Down under (Australia) even tried the Funk of "Soul Free" over on Side 2 as a single in July 1991 (good for them).
If I were to describe CD2 – the MTV offering – it would be class. It's so good it elicits a longing in to have been there. There is a beautifully arranged and played cover of the Mike Reid and Allen Shamblin song made famous by Bonnie Raitt - "I Can't Make You Love Me" (is on her "Luck Of The Draw" album from 1991). Stunning is the only word you can use for it. George then classes up the MTV proceedings with a nugget of his own – the huge array of backing singers giving real oomph to "Father Figure" – and again the band and the audio tight as a nut (Hugh Burns and Danny Jacob are the Guitarists doing such great complimentary work on Acoustics). Michael introduces the ballad "You Have Been Loved" before it goes into gorgeous Flugel Horn and softly arranged Strings – another clever choice and again reeking of suave.
George gives the crowd only one Wham song - "Everything She Wants" – and it swings sexy as lyrics talk about the perfect girl wanting what she cannot get – the backing singers lifting it up into Luther Vandross on fire material. He then brings it home with newer material – the Middle Eastern smooth of "The Strangest Thing" and the deeply autobiographical "Older" – both immaculate in their presentation (did that Trumpet). On a slightly lighter note, he introduces "Star People" and then gets the crowd to clap hands and boogie along (mama gave you up to the Funk of the Average White Band). George uses the funkier '97 version re-recorded for the single rather than the slower album cut. It ends on another winner – a huge orchestra sashaying in "Praying For Time" – so good – so damn classy. Coming after the professionalism of the live set, the Fantasy track with Rodgers feels like studio trickery that does no one any favours. It loud and garish and completely incongruous to what went before. But it is only a minor glitch on an otherwise deeply impressive two-disc listen.
George passed Christmas Day 2016 and when you hear his passionate vocal cry in the acoustic 'Reprise' version of "Waiting For That Day" that tail ends the original album, you just wish he had indeed gotten that second chance (God stopped keeping score).
A beautiful artist then and even if this twofer CD reissue could have been better presented - where it matters (music and audio) – it gives his considerable musical legacy a nod of a immaculate fedora...
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