Everybody knows 'Careless whisper' as George Michael's first solo single, and I bought it 35 years ago when it came out. When I saw this Japanese release, credited to Wham! featuring George Michael I thought it was a nice one to add to my collection. 'Careless whisper' was first released on Wham!'s second album 'Make it big', of course, but it became a single credited to George Michael everywhere except in Japan.
Despite its success, George was never fond of the song. He said in 1991
that it 'was not an integral part of my emotional development ... it
disappoints me that you can write a lyric very flippantly—and not a
particularly good lyric—and it can mean so much to so many people.
That's disillusioning for a writer.'
My collection: 7" single no. 6202
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 17, 2019
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Careless whisper' / 'Careless whisper (instrumental)'
Showing posts with label Wham. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wham. Show all posts
Wednesday, 20 November 2019
Sunday, 31 January 2016
Young guns (go for it) - Wham!
When Wham! released 'Young guns (go for it)' in October 1982, it broke new ground for the duo George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. The single became a number 1 hit in Sweden, and reached number 3 in the UK. It was only their second single, and they were already on the way to superstardom.
While the single was entertaining, the extended mixes were intriguing. There were actually two remixes of this song. A 5'10 minute remix has become by far the most widespread, having had a release even on CD ('Best remixes' in Japan and 'The 12" album' in Europe). The 7 minute remix featured on this 12" single is much harder to find: it was only ever released on a 12" single in the USA and this one, made in Holland. And yes, you can find it on CD, if you are able to find the 1996 compilation album 'Club Epic' or the 2013 'Dance Classics Pop Edition vol. 10', released in the Netherlands. Why Sony Music have never made a definitive Wham! box set, I'll never know.
My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Kringloop Rijswijk, January 31, 2016
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Young guns (Go for it!)' [club remix] / 'Going for it'
Listen to the song
While the single was entertaining, the extended mixes were intriguing. There were actually two remixes of this song. A 5'10 minute remix has become by far the most widespread, having had a release even on CD ('Best remixes' in Japan and 'The 12" album' in Europe). The 7 minute remix featured on this 12" single is much harder to find: it was only ever released on a 12" single in the USA and this one, made in Holland. And yes, you can find it on CD, if you are able to find the 1996 compilation album 'Club Epic' or the 2013 'Dance Classics Pop Edition vol. 10', released in the Netherlands. Why Sony Music have never made a definitive Wham! box set, I'll never know.
My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Kringloop Rijswijk, January 31, 2016
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Young guns (Go for it!)' [club remix] / 'Going for it'
Listen to the song
Thursday, 25 December 2014
Last Christmas - Wham!
One of the best known Christmas songs of all time, 'Last Christmas' was originally released in 1984 but re-released almost every year since then. I already wrote about the 1989 re-release on this blog five years ago, but this time I'd like to present to you two re-releases that I bought earlier this year.
The 1985 edition featured 'Blue (live in China)' on the B-side and came in the same sleeve that was used every year since then. My copy, pictured above, was created in the UK and comes in the kind of thick cardboard sleeve that is so uniquely British.
The 1988 edition, pictured below, was made in Holland and inevitably looks cheaper. There is also an interesting mistake on the back cover, as it promises 'Everything she wants (live in China)', but apparently this is caused by them using the 1985 sleeve and simply replacing the line 'Blue' but leaving the line with 'live in China' intact.
I could of course have written two entries, but I'm sure this is more efficient. After all, we all have some Christmas duties to perform these days...
My collection: 7" single no. 5668 & no. 5471
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 23, 2014 & Kringloop Hebbes, Den Haag, July 25, 2014
Cost: 1 euro each
Tracks: 'Last Christmas' / 'Blue (live in China') & 'Last Christmas' / 'Everything she wants'
The 1985 edition featured 'Blue (live in China)' on the B-side and came in the same sleeve that was used every year since then. My copy, pictured above, was created in the UK and comes in the kind of thick cardboard sleeve that is so uniquely British.
The 1988 edition, pictured below, was made in Holland and inevitably looks cheaper. There is also an interesting mistake on the back cover, as it promises 'Everything she wants (live in China)', but apparently this is caused by them using the 1985 sleeve and simply replacing the line 'Blue' but leaving the line with 'live in China' intact.
I could of course have written two entries, but I'm sure this is more efficient. After all, we all have some Christmas duties to perform these days...
My collection: 7" single no. 5668 & no. 5471
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 23, 2014 & Kringloop Hebbes, Den Haag, July 25, 2014
Cost: 1 euro each
Tracks: 'Last Christmas' / 'Blue (live in China') & 'Last Christmas' / 'Everything she wants'
Thursday, 20 October 2011
Wham Rap (US remix) - Wham!
![](http://web.archive.org./web/20200817225855im_/https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y1vxIkEVDBs/TqB9wR-i0uI/AAAAAAAALVE/mtnl8CibVzk/s200/wham15.jpg)
It gets better. Whereas the sleeve and label of this single speak of a 'Special US remix' and a 'Special club mix', the tracks included on this disc are in fact part 1 and part 2 of a special US remix, which is also included on the 12" single as the A-side. This single was released in 1983 as a reissue, which - contrary to the 1982 release - charted in the UK and Australia, peaking at number 8 and 9 respectively.
My collection: 7" single no. 5212
Found: Sister Ray, London, October 16, 2011
Cost: 1 pound
Tracks: 'Wham rap (Special US remix) [= Special US remix part 1]' / 'Wham rap (Special Club mix) [= Special US remix part 2]'
Saturday, 25 December 2010
Last Christmas - Wham!
![](http://web.archive.org./web/20200817225855im_/https://3.bp.blogspot.com/_HvCNHaaadrI/TRYQzHfuevI/AAAAAAAAKj8/w9OyiYM_esA/s200/wham22.jpg)
It's less wellknown that the first release of this single appeared in a limited edition gatefold sleeve. I certainly didn't know this until January this year, when I bought this single in Amsterdam. The inside of the gatefold features the lyric of the song and an extra photograph of the popular duo.
My collection: 7" single no. 4488
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, January 30, 2010
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Last Christmas' / 'Everything she wants'
Saturday, 26 December 2009
Last Christmas - Wham!
![](http://web.archive.org./web/20200817225855im_/https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_HvCNHaaadrI/SwBm_qnktYI/AAAAAAAAG1E/2cBN7mB1G5I/s200/wham12.jpg)
Since then, the single has been re-released almost every year. This single is the re-release from 1989, featuring a different sleeve. The rest is the same: the Christmas song and its B-side, the great track 'Everything she wants', which kept the single in the charts in January 1985.
My collection: 7" single no. 4206
Found: Flea market, Den Haag, November 15, 2009
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Last Christmas' / 'Everything she wants'
Tuesday, 15 September 2009
Where did your heart go - Wham
![](http://web.archive.org./web/20200817225855im_/https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_HvCNHaaadrI/Sq-65Vl6wwI/AAAAAAAAFiw/wPpGyjwW23o/s200/wham11.jpg)
The song was not written by George Michael, like most of Wham!'s material, but instead was a cover of the 1981 track by Was Not Was. It was written by David and Don Was.
My collection: 7" single no. 4034
Found: Vinylfabriek, Haaksbergen, September 14, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Where did your heart go?' / 'Wham! Rap '86'
Wake me up before you go-go - Wham!
![](http://web.archive.org./web/20200817225855im_/https://2.bp.blogspot.com/_HvCNHaaadrI/Sq-46XrTunI/AAAAAAAAFio/LbhWRPHpZEc/s200/wham10.jpg)
Released in May 1984, Wham! presented themselves as a sunnier, less pretentious band, moving away from their politically charged songs from their previous album. The song reached number 1 in both the UK, the USA and the Netherlands.
My collection: 7" single no. 4035
Found: Vinylfabriek, Haaksbergen, September 14, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Wake me up before you go-go' / 'Wake me up before you go-go (instrumental)'
Monday, 10 August 2009
Bad boys - Wham!
![](http://web.archive.org./web/20200817225855im_/https://3.bp.blogspot.com/_HvCNHaaadrI/SoAmxUszIRI/AAAAAAAAEr0/3ZDATugAZ6s/s200/wham9.jpg)
The single reached number 2 in the UK singles chart, number 14 in the Dutch Top 40 and number 60 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. George Michael later denounced 'Bad boys' as a song he hated, stating it was 'like an albatross round my neck'. The song was omitted from the 1997 compilation album 'If you were there (The best of Wham)', despite the album including tracks that weren't even released as singles.
My collection: 7" single no. 3964
Found: Record Exchange, London, August 5, 2009
Cost: 30p
Tracks: 'Bad boys' / 'Bad boys (instrumental)'
Tuesday, 21 July 2009
Wham Rap - Wham
![](http://web.archive.org./web/20200817225855im_/https://2.bp.blogspot.com/_HvCNHaaadrI/SmYVN9YOMQI/AAAAAAAAERM/E5qYnW-yS4c/s200/wham8.jpg)
Although rap was still an underground and almost exclusively American phenomenon in the early Eighties, George rapped a number of verses about the joys of living every day to the fullest, which meant that being employed was not an option, and that 'having fun with the boys down the (welfare) line' was a better way to spend the day.
My collection: 7" single no. 3892
Found: Plaatboef, Rotterdam, July 20, 2009
Cost: 0,25 euro
Tracks: 'Wham rap!' / 'Wham rap! (Club mix)'
Wednesday, 8 July 2009
Freedom - Wham!
![](http://web.archive.org./web/20200817225855im_/https://2.bp.blogspot.com/_HvCNHaaadrI/SlUYSu1I54I/AAAAAAAAD9s/wFt0tiDcJJw/s200/wham7.jpg)
Meanwhile, the duo went on tour in China. The music video showed images from that tour. Wham were the first 'western' band to tour the Asian country.
My collection: 7" single no. 3848
Found: Zeeheldenfestival, Den Haag, July 4, 2009
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Freedom' / 'Freedom (instrumental)'
Sunday, 5 July 2009
Young guns (Go for it) - Wham!
![](http://web.archive.org./web/20200817225855im_/https://3.bp.blogspot.com/_HvCNHaaadrI/SlD4HsGiFII/AAAAAAAAD54/4IE9W4F-dVE/s200/wham5.jpg)
'Young guns' became Wham!'s first hit, reaching number 3 in the UK and number 4 in the Netherlands. Due to this success, the previous single 'Wham Rap' was re-released, becoming a top 10 hit for the band in both countries as a result.
My collection: 7" single no. 3847
Found: Zeeheldenfestival, Den Haag, July 4, 2009
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Young guns (Go for it)' / 'Going for it'
Saturday, 4 July 2009
Club Fantastic megamix - Wham!
![](http://web.archive.org./web/20200817225855im_/https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_HvCNHaaadrI/Sk9_QVLmIOI/AAAAAAAAD3w/972EMYcr6ss/s200/wham6.jpg)
The megamix was a medley of three album tracks from Wham's debut album 'Fantastic': 'A ray of sunshine', 'Love machine' and 'Come on'. The band members George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley did not approve of this release. It was released three months after Wham! had begun proceedings to leave the label Innervision records.
My collection: 7" single no. 3846
Found: Zeeheldenfestival, Den Haag, July 4, 2009
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Club Fantastic megamix' / 'A ray of sunshine (instrumental mix)'
Tuesday, 5 May 2009
Club Tropicana - Wham!
![](http://web.archive.org./web/20200817225855im_/https://3.bp.blogspot.com/_HvCNHaaadrI/SgCZvAg4LUI/AAAAAAAACo4/bWqodzAsj4c/s200/wham4.jpg)
The B-side is what interests me the most on this single. It's the track 'Blue (Armed with love)', which is a bit of a rarity in Wham!'s catalogue. I've known this track for a long time, but I didn't know it was the B-side of 'Club Tropicana'. I'm glad to finally have it on 7" vinyl.
My collection: 7" single no. 3702
Found: Empire Records, Den Haag, May 5, 2009
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Club Tropicana' / 'Blue (Armed with love)'
Saturday, 25 April 2009
I'm your man - Wham!
![](http://web.archive.org./web/20200817225855im_/https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_HvCNHaaadrI/SfNhUuTpMLI/AAAAAAAACbw/kna6lcgBBQg/s200/wham3.jpg)
Within a few months, Wham! announced their split. 'I'm your man' did not appear on any studio album, and so its only appearance on an album was on 'The final', the compilation album that was released in 1986 to commemorate the end of Wham!'s career. In 1995, Lisa Moorish covered the song.
My collection: 7" single no. 3684
Found: La La Land, Den Haag, April 25, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'I'm your man' / 'Do it right (instrumental)'
Saturday, 21 February 2009
The edge of heaven - Wham
![](http://web.archive.org./web/20200817225855im_/https://2.bp.blogspot.com/_HvCNHaaadrI/SaA80gUJcXI/AAAAAAAABns/de1y5ma1wQk/s200/wham2.jpg)
The single reached number 1 in the UK and the Netherlands that summer. It was sold as a double single including four tracks. One of them was 'Where did your heart go', which was also released separately as a single in some territories. The song, originally recorded by art-rock ensemble Was (Not Was), was a downbeat and sombre affair that would fit seamlessly onto George Michael's later solo albums.
The band had been together five years, selling close to 20 million albums and 10 to 15 million singles.
My collection: 7" single no. 483
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1986
Cost: 6,5 guilders
Tracks: 'The edge of heaven' / 'Battlestations' // 'Wham Rap '86' / 'Where did your heart go?'
Thursday, 25 December 2008
Do they know it's Christmas? - Band Aid
![](http://web.archive.org./web/20200817225855im_/https://4.bp.blogspot.com/_HvCNHaaadrI/SVOjyKGSosI/AAAAAAAAAi8/KEDMxCv2MuQ/s200/bandaid.jpg)
I bought the single as soon as it came out, although, strangely, I didn't like the song that much. There were just so many of my eighties idols participated that I felt I couldn't pass up on this historic single. Two decades later, it's somehow reassuring (or troubling) that everything has stayed the same in Africa: it's still a continent of war, hunger and drought.
My collection: 7" single no. 249
Found: Wouters, Den Haag, 1984
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Do they know it's Christmas?' / 'Feed the world'
Download: 12" single 'Do they know it's Christmas?', including both tracks (password: burningtheground-djpault.blogspot.com )
Labels:
Bananarama,
Band Aid,
Culture Club,
Duran Duran,
Eighties,
Frankie Goes To Hollywood,
Heaven 17,
Midge Ure,
Paul McCartney,
Paul Young,
Phil Collins,
Spandau Ballet,
Status Quo,
Sting,
U2,
Wham
Wednesday, 24 December 2008
Everything she wants / Last Christmas - Wham!
![](http://web.archive.org./web/20200817225855im_/https://4.bp.blogspot.com/_HvCNHaaadrI/SVN4NtxIyBI/AAAAAAAAAik/UBKTuCncH70/s200/wham1.jpg)
Still, I do own the track on 7" vinyl, because of the early 1985 release of 'Everything she wants', a double A-side with 'Last Christmas'. 'Everything she wants' is an early example of George Michael's songwriting capabilities, which he would develop further as the years progressed.
My collection: 7" single no. 1043
Found: Record Exchange, London, October 17, 1989
Cost: 50p
Tracks: 'Everything she wants' / 'Last Christmas'
Download: cd-single 'Last Christmas', including both tracks (password: burningtheground-djpault.blogspot.com)
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