WHAM! The dance-pop duo's name immediately called to mind the fantastical, onomatopoeic pop art exclamations that would appear on the '60s Batman television show. George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley had everything going for them: good looks, great voices, and a knack for pure pop songcraft. In a mere handful of years, WHAM! launched nearly a dozen singles into the Top 10 of the U.K. singles chart. - a lucky seven entries. Their first album was entitled Fantastic; it was. The second was Make It
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles in stores today! Pool-Pah, The Flasher: Original Soundtrack Recording (Real Gone/Second Disc) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Real Gone Music) Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music celebrate 50 years of the best album you've never heard: Pool-Pah's The Flasher. In 1973, the sexual revolution was on, streaking was taking college campuses by storm, and Deep Throat was edging pornography ever
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
Welcome to The Weekend Stream, a relaxing weekly review of notable digital-only catalogue titles. There may be no CD or vinyl, but there's plenty of great new/old music to discover! From new remixes of old favorites and throwback remixes of new hits, to deep dives into '80s alt-rock, mid-century easy listening, '70s live folk and '90s tracks to run on the beach in slow motion to...we're pulling out all this stops this Sunday! Beyoncé & Madonna, Break My Soul (The Queens Remix)
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Chet Atkins, The Complete RCA Victor and Columbia Christmas Recordings (Second Disc/Real Gone) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music are proud to present The Complete RCA Victor and Columbia Christmas Recordings from legendary guitarist-producer Chet Atkins on a deluxe 2-CD, 46-song anthology remastered by Vic Anesini at Sony's Battery Studios and featuring new liner notes by the set's
An upcoming holiday film is taking its cues from a classic song from George Michael and Wham! On November 8 in the U.S. and November 15 in the U.K., Last Christmas will arrive in cinemas. Legacy Recordings will issue the soundtrack, featuring one previously unheard George Michael song and an array of his classics, on November 8 in CD, vinyl, and digital formats. In spring 2013, screenwriter-actress Emma Thompson visited Michael to earn his blessing for the film. Michael consented, leading to
Cherry Pop is returning to the early days of the 1990s with expanded editions from the small discographies of two beloved artists: Andrew Ridgeley of Wham!, and Martika. After breaking up Wham! in 1986, George Michael graduated to bona fide solo superstar, while his musical partner Andrew Ridgeley had largely shunned the spotlight to pursue other interests such as acting and motor racing. By 1990, however, Ridgeley was ready to return to music. The result was Son of Albert, his only solo
Last night, the shocking news came that George Michael had died at the age of 53. Born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, the artist created music that lived up to the title of WHAM!'s second album Make It Big. Michael's fearlessness was big; his ambition was big; his talent, of course, was big. Whether crafting bright, ebullient and danceable pop, sensual balladry or funky dancefloor jams, the passionate Michael (as writer, producer, musician, and vocalist) wore his heart on his sleeve.
Yes, it’s that time of year again. Thanksgiving is here, and with each Thanksgiving comes another Black Friday, the day for consumers to start off the holiday shopping season on a mad, frenetic note. This year is just in the latest one in which numerous retailers in the U.S. have made headlines by blackening Thursday, or Thanksgiving Day itself, with sales starting on the holiday. So many might give thanks that the folks behind Record Store Day are waiting until the traditional Friday for the
It’s that time of year again! Announcements are finally coming in for Record Store Day’s annual Black Friday event happening on Friday, November 28. Rather than storming malls and big box stores, maybe you’ll want to pay a visit to your favorite local independent record store for an assortment of exclusive vinyl goodies. Legacy Recordings certainly hopes you will; the label’s roster for Black Friday’s RSD event includes titles from heavy-hitters including David Bowie, Joe Satriani, Miles
Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we take a look back at notable albums and the reissues they could someday see. Twenty-five years after one of pop's guiltiest pleasures said goodbye to a packed live audience, we wonder what a release of that show would look like. On June 28, 1986, twenty-five years ago today, WHAM! became a past-tense pop act. It wasn't your typical pop meltdown, however; it was a breakup for the ages. What other group bids their fan base (80,000
Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we reflect on well-known albums of the past and the reissues they could someday see. With the reissue of George Michael's most flawless pop album, today's installment takes you into the corners of the world pop music scene to prove how part of the musical culture he really was. The reissue of George Michael's iconic Faith album has your humble catalogue correspondent excited. Really excited. So excited that today's Reissue Theory talks