Biography

Yorgos Kyriatou Panayioutou (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.

Albums

1. 1987 Faith Columbia
2. 1990 Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1 Columbia
3. 1996 Older DreamWorks
4. 1998 Older & Upper EMI
5. 1999 Songs from the Last Century Virgin
6. 2004 Patience Sony

Biography

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 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," and the plodding number one "Praying for Time," "Waiting for That Day," and the Top Ten "Freedom '90" — make a case for his talents as a pop craftsman. — Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Album Songs

1. Praying for Time (Michael) - 4:41
2. Freedom 90 (Michael) - 6:30
3. They Won't Go When I Go (Wonder/Wright) - 5:06
4. Something to Save (Michael) - 3:18
5. Cowboys and Angels (Michael) - 7:15
6. Waiting for That Day (Jagger/Michael/Richards) - 4:49
7. Mothers Pride (Michael) - 3:59
8. Heal the Pain (Michael) - 4:41
9. Soul Free (Michael) - 5:29
10. Waiting (Reprise) (Michael) - 2:25

Biography

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

Album Songs

1. Jesus to a Child (Michael) - 6:51
2. Fast Love (Douglas/Michael) - 5:24
3. Older (Michael) - 5:33
4. Spinning the Wheel (Douglas/Michael) - 6:21
5. It Doesn't Really Matter (Michael) - 4:50
6. The Strangest Thing (Michael) - 6:01
7. To Be Forgiven (Michael) - 5:21
8. Move On (Michael) - 4:45
9. Star People (Michael) - 5:16
10. You Have Been Loved (Austin/Michael) - 5:30
11. Free (Michael) - 3:00

Biography

Nearly two years after the release of Older, Virgin repackaged and reissued the album in the U.K. with the bonus disc Upper as a way of increasing the album's sales. Upper is a hodgepodge of B-sides, CD-Rom videos and web addresses, most of which is primarily of interest to hardcore fans, since the majority of the songs are remixes (only "(I Can't Stop But) You Know That I Want To" and "Safe" are non-LP tracks) and the videos are hard to watch on a computer screen.

Considering that Michael has a host of non-LP tracks in circulation, the resulting six-song collection is a bit disappointing, especially since the computer programs are unremarkable. Still, it's an acceptable collectable for diehard collectors, even if it isn't particularly rare or attractive. — Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Album Songs

1. Jesus to a Child (Michael) - 6:51
2. Fast Love (Michael) - 5:24
3. Older (Michael) - 5:33
4. Spinning the Wheel (Douglas/Michael) - 6:21
5. It Doesn't Really Matter (Michael) - 4:50
6. The Strangest Thing (Michael) - 6:01
7. To Be Forgiven (Michael) - 5:21
8. Move On (Michael) - 4:45
9. Star People (Michael) - 5:16
10. You Have Been Loved (Austin/Michael) - 5:30
11. Free (Michael) - 3:00
12. Fastlove (Pt. 2) (Michael) - 4:54
13. Spinning the Wheel [Forthright Mix] (Douglas/Michael) - 4:41
14. Star People 97 [Radio Version] (Michael) - 5:41
15. The Strangest Thing 97 [Radio Version] (Michael) - 4:40
16. You Know That I Want To (Michael) - 4:36
17. Safe (Michael) - 4:27

Biography

Unlike many covers albums, Songs From the Last Century is a cohesive, enjoyable diversion. With the help of co-producer Phil Ramone, George Michael has crafted a warm, intimate album built around a small combo of piano, guitar, bass, and drums. Orchestras, big bands, harps, and, on one occasion, a rock band, augment the basic combo, yet the flourishes never change the essential, close-knit nature of the group.

For the first time ever, Michael sounds relaxed. He's laying back, singing songs he loves, not worrying about chart success, and the end result is quite fetching, even if it isn't perfect. The main flaw with Songs From the Last Century is that it's so smooth, it's occasionally a little sleepy, a trait that's emphasized by Michael's fairly predictable taste in covers — "Brother Can You Spare a Dime," "My Baby Just Cares for Me," and "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," among others. Nevertheless, he does bring style and sophistication to these standards, even such often-covered yet still difficult tunes as "Wild as the Wind." When his selections are idiosyncratic — whether it's a jazzy reading of "Roxanne," the brassy "Secret Love," the little-remembered "I Remember You," or a revelatory reading of "Miss Sarajevo," a song commonly dismissed as a U2 side project — the album is delightful.

Certainly, Songs From the Last Century isn't a major work; it's a way for Michael to decompress and have some fun, and the diehards that stuck with him through the turbulent '90s are likely to be charmed. — Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Album Songs

1. Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? (Gorney/Harburg) - 4:22
2. Roxanne (Sting [1]) - 4:11
3. You've Changed (Carey/Fischer) - 4:25
4. My Baby Just Cares for Me (Donaldson/Kahn) - 1:45
5. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (Maccoll) - 5:19
6. Miss Sarajevo (Bono/Clayton/Edge [1]/Eno/Evans/Hewson/Mullen) - 5:11
7. I Remember You (Mercer/Schertzinger) - 4:13
8. Secret Love (Fain/Fain/Webster) - 2:39
9. Wild Is the Wind (Tiomkin/Washington) - 4:02
10. Where or When/Its Alright With Me (Hart/Porter/Rodgers) - 7:00

Biography

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Album Songs

1. 2004 CD Sony 92080
2. 2004 CD Sony International 515402