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Going for It: New Wham! Compilations Offer Singles, New to CD Mixes and More

April 27, 2023 By Mike Duquette 7 Comments

Echoes from the Edge of Heaven

BUY NOW FROM AMAZON U.K.

More than 40 years after they took the U.K. - and then the world - by storm, the story of pop duo WHAM! will be told in a multi-format compilation, issued just after a new documentary set for release this summer.

The Singles: Echoes from the Edge of Heaven is arguably the most comprehensive look at the work of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley as they combined their glossy good looks with an almost unsuspecting penchant for pop brilliance. In just five short years, the pair notched nearly a dozen singles into the U.K. Top 10, helping establish Michael as one of the decade's most gifted artists. The collection will be available July 7 in several different physical formats:

  • A 10CD set replicates the artwork of their original singles, while also offering nearly every track from their U.K. 7" and 12" releases - including dozens of remixes and B-sides that have not been widely available in decades
  • A companion 7" singles box sticks to the 45s, adding extras including a hardcover booklet of liner notes (including a new interview with Ridgeley), a cassette of 12" mixes, a key ring, postcards and a numbered certificate of authenticity - all in a collectible carrying case
  • Finally, there's a basic overview of the group's A-sides (plus a varying assortment of 12" mixes and B-sides) available on one CD or two LPs. A zoetrope picture disc will also be separately available.

The sets arrive two days after a new documentary on the group, simply titled WHAM! The film premieres worldwide on Netflix and a press release boasts the inclusion of rare footage and unseen interviews with the pair.

The story of WHAM! is a pop fairytale: George Michael - the son of Greek immigrants in England - and Andrew Ridgeley were school friends who'd formed a short-lived ska band called The Executive. Eventually, they got serious about working together as a duo and secured a deal with the Innervision label. Critics didn't know what to make of their early singles, which fused sticky pop melodies with tongue-in-cheek lyrics (delivered in a hip-hop patter) that praised England's social services and a carefree, bohemian lifestyle against the conservatism that Margaret Thatcher brought to the country as prime minister. None of this made much of an impact on the British charts until a fateful call from the BBC to appear on Top of the Pops when a last-minute cancellation happened. The duo's charismatic, theatrical performance of "Young Guns (Go for It!)" - in which George, Andrew and backing vocalists Helen "Pepsi" DeMacque and Shirlie Kemp put on an arresting shadow play about a pair of friends threatened by a new romantic relationship - pushed the single all the way to No. 3. Their next four singles from debut album Fantastic - "Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do?)," "Bad Boys" and "Club Tropicana" all became Top 10 hits.

While the duo wrote most of the material for Fantastic together, both realized that Michael (just barely 20 when the LP hit stores) was becoming a once-in-a-generation talent as a songwriter and studio craftsman. His musical vision propelled the next album, 1984's aptly-titled Make It Big: from the horn-laden sugar rush of "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" and the Motown-lite "Freedom" to the brooding "Everything She Wants." (Ironically, the duo wrote one of the album's biggest hits, one that's not included here as it was released in the U.K. as George's debut solo single: the immortal "Careless Whisper.")

Nonetheless, Make It Big became another blockbuster, and broke the band around the world. In America, it too topped the charts, going platinum six times over and pushing all the singles into the Top 5 on both sides of the Atlantic. ("Everything She Wants" was the only one in the U.K. kept from No. 1, thanks to Band Aid's charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas," on which Michael and Ridgeley both participated; nonetheless, the "Everything" B-side, a stunning seasonal original called "Last Christmas," became a standard in its own right, topping the U.K. charts in 2020 and 2022 while peaking at No. 4 in the U.S. during the latter year.) While 1985 only yielded one single, the ebullient "I'm Your Man," it was the year WHAM! toured relentlessly, appearing unbilled at London's Live Aid (George duetted with Elton John on "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" while Andrew sang back-up) and breaking ground for Western audiences with a 10-day goodwill visit and concert series in China.

The next year, following the release of a fifth No. 1, "The Edge of Heaven," George and Andrew did something few groups get to do: they left on top. A blockbuster concert at Wembley was billed as their swan song before amicably parting ways: Ridgeley took up rally car driving and started a family with Bananarama singer Keren Woodward, while George's solo career kept ascending throughout the '80s and '90s. The duo only briefly reunited in concert twice: once in 1988, when Andrew led a group of family members to celebrate George's 25th birthday, and again in 1991 as a surprise encore for George's Rock in Rio set. George's sudden death on Christmas Day 2016 shocked Ridgeley and the world, but he remains a vital steward of WHAM!'s work, making a cameo appearance in 2019's Last Christmas, a romantic comedy inspired by Michael's music.

The Singles: Echoes from the Edge of Heaven will be available worldwide on July 7. A full breakdown of each format and rapidly-populating pre-order links are below.

WHAM!, The Singles: Echoes from the Edge of Heaven (Epic/Legacy (U.K.), 2023)

Wham singles box

BUY NOW FROM AMAZON U.K.

10CD box set: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

Disc 1: Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do?)

  1. Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do?)
  2. Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do?) (Club Mix)
  3. Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do?) (Social Mix)
  4. Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do?) (Unsocial Mix)
  5. Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do?) (Special US Remix)
  6. Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do?) (Special Club Remix)

Tracks 1-2 released as Innervision U.K. single IVL A2442, 1982
Tracks 3-4 released as Innervision/Epic U.K. 12" single 12-2442, 1982
Tracks 5-6 released as Innervision U.K. 12" single IVL A13-2442, 1982

Disc 2: Young Guns (Go for It!)

  1. Young Guns (Go for It!)
  2. Going for It!
  3. Young Guns (Go for It!) (12" Mix)

Tracks 1-2 released as Innervision U.K. single IVL A2766, 1982
Track 3 released on Innervision U.K. 12" single IVL A13-2766, 1982

Disc 3: Bad Boys

  1. Bad Boys
  2. Bad Boys (Instrumental)

All tracks released as Innervision U.K. single A3143, 1983

Disc 4: Club Tropicana

  1. Club Tropicana
  2. Blue (Armed with Love)
  3. Club Tropicana (Instrumental)

All tracks released as Innervision U.K. 12" single TA3613, 1983

Disc 5: Club Fantastic Megamix

  1. Club Fantastic Megamix
  2. A Ray of Sunshine (Instrumental Mix)

All tracks released as Innervision U.K. 12" single TA3586, 1983

Disc 6: Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go

  1. Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go
  2. Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go (Instrumental)

All tracks released as Epic U.K. single A4440, 1984

Disc 7: Freedom

  1. Freedom
  2. Freedom (Instrumental)
  3. Freedom (Long Mix)

Tracks 1-2 released as Epic U.K. single A4743, 1984
Track 3 released on Epic U.K. 12" single TA4743, 1984

Disc 8: Everything She Wants/Last Christmas

  1. Last Christmas (Single Version)
  2. Everything She Wants
  3. Last Christmas (Pudding Mix)
  4. Everything She Wants (Remix)

Tracks 1-2 released as Epic U.K. single QA4949, 1984
Tracks 3-4 released as Epic U.K. 12" single QTA4949, 1984

Disc 9: I'm Your Man

  1. I'm Your Man
  2. Do It Right (Instrumental)
  3. I'm Your Man (Extended Stimulation)
  4. I'm Your Man (A Cappella)

Tracks 1-2 released as Epic U.K. single A6716, 1985
Tracks 3-4 released on Epic U.K. single TA6716, 1985

Disc 10: The Edge of Heaven

  1. The Edge of Heaven
  2. Wham Rap '86
  3. Battlestations
  4. Where Did Your Heart Go?

All tracks released as released as Epic U.K. double 7" single FIN1, 1986)

Wham singles vinyl box

BUY NOW FROM AMAZON U.K.

10 x 7" box set: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

Single 1: Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do) b/w Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do) (Club Mix) (released as Innervision U.K. single IVL A2442, 1982)

Single 2: Young Guns (Go for It!) b/w Going for It (released as Innervision U.K. single IVL A2766, 1982)

Single 3: Bad Boys b/w Bad Boys (Instrumental) (released as Innervision U.K. single A3143, 1983)

Single 4: Club Tropicana b/w Blue (Armed with Love) (released as Innervision U.K. single A3613, 1983)

Single 5: Club Fantastic Megamix b/w A Ray of Sunshine (Instrumental Mix) (released as Innervision U.K. single A3586, 1983)

Single 6: Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go b/w Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go (Instrumental) (released as Epic U.K. single A4440, 1984)

Single 7: Freedom b/w Freedom (Instrumental) (released as Epic U.K. single A4743, 1984)

Single 8: Everything She Wants b/w Last Christmas (released as Epic U.K. single QA4949, 1984)

Single 9: I'm Your Man b/w Do It RIght (Instrumental) (released as Epic U.K. single A6716, 1985)

Single 10: The Edge of Heaven b/w Wham Rap '86 (released as Epic U.K. single FIN1, 1986)

Single 11: Battlestations b/w Where Did Your Heart Go? (released as Epic U.K. single FIN1, 1986)

Single 12: Interviews (released as Wham! Fan Club U.K. single FC-001, 1984

Wham singles vinyl

BUY NOW FROM AMAZON U.K.

2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

LP 1

  1. Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do?)
  2. Young Guns (Go for It!)
  3. Bad Boys
  4. Club Tropicana
  5. Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go
  6. Freedom
  7. Last Christmas (Single Version)
  8. Everything She Wants
  9. I'm Your Man
  10. The Edge of Heaven
  11. Where Did Your Heart Go?

LP 2

  1. Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do?) (Social Mix)
  2. Blue (Armed with Love)
  3. A Ray of Sunshine (Instrumental Remix)
  4. Freedom (Long Mix)
  5. Everything She Wants (Remix)
  6. Last Christmas (Pudding Mix)
  7. Battlestations
  8. I'm Your Man (A Cappella)

CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

  1. Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do?)
  2. Young Guns (Go for It!)
  3. Bad Boys
  4. Club Tropicana
  5. Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go
  6. Freedom
  7. Last Christmas (Single Version)
  8. Everything She Wants
  9. I'm Your Man
  10. The Edge of Heaven
  11. Where Did Your Heart Go?
  12. Blue (Armed with Love)
  13. A Ray of Sunshine (Instrumental Remix)
  14. Freedom (Long Mix)
  15. Everything She Wants (Remix)
  16. Battlestations

Categories: News Formats: Box Sets, CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl Genre: Disco/Dance, Pop Tags: Andrew Ridgeley, George Michael, Wham!

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Mike Duquette

Michael Duquette (Founder) was fascinated with catalog music ever since he discovered there was more than one version of John Williams' soundtrack to E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. A 2009 graduate of Seton Hall University with a B.A. in journalism, Mike paired his profession with his passion through The Second Disc, one of the first sites to focus on all reissue labels great and small. His passion for reissues turned into a career, with bylines on catalog at Discogs, City Pages and Ultimate Prince and credits on titles including the Grammy-winning 'Squeeze Box: The Complete Works of "Weird Al" Yankovic.' Born and raised in New Jersey, Mike lives in Astoria, Queens with an ever-expanding collection of music.

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Comments

  1. Robert Lett says

    April 27, 2023 at 9:04 am

    I feel like the price is missing a 1? Lol I ordered it for 22 dollars.

    Reply
  2. Jamie says

    April 27, 2023 at 9:30 am

    I have the Japanese singles CD so I'm not sure this is necessary for me. Compilations are nice, but could we please get a reissue of the individual albums? I'm surprised we haven't at least seen Make It Big by now.

    Reply
    • BillyD says

      April 27, 2023 at 10:29 pm

      The Japanese Singles is the way to go.
      All the hits (minus the dreadful megamix) on one high quality disc + a dvd with all of the video clips.

      Reply
    • Jbirdp says

      July 6, 2023 at 5:40 pm

      Why didn’t they include the 12” version of Bad Boys?!!!

      Reply
  3. Harry N Cohen says

    April 27, 2023 at 10:04 am

    Why oh why is the 1 cd version not available at Amazon U.S,? 7.35 shipping from UK is more than half the price of the cd.
    Hopefully there will be a U.S. release soon.

    Reply
  4. BillyD says

    April 27, 2023 at 10:42 pm

    A thoughtful collection, BUT some of the discs contain less than ten minutes of material.
    Plus this takes up valuable space for those with overflowing hoarding tendencies.

    I get it that this is aimed at the fans who have been demanding a singles box.
    Personally, I'm not.
    And I'm sure there will be a lot of complaints that George's first solo hit isn't included.

    They should have crammed all of the tracks onto three discs like the Japanese reissue of the first Duran singles box.

    What the fans are waiting for is super deluxe editions of the albums at a reasonable price.
    (I'm talking about the overpriced Older fiasco.)

    Reply
  5. Brian says

    July 7, 2023 at 4:10 am

    There is a mistake on the digital version of the set... track 5, "Wham Rap (Special U.S. Remix)" is actually the extended version of "Young Guns." This seems to be true on all venues. Not sure if this will be repeated on the CD single set as my copy has not arrived yet.

    Reply

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