News‘New’ George Michael single featuring Nile Rodgers is released
A ‘new’ George Michael single was played on Chris Evans’ BBC Radio 2 show this morning that features the guitar and production talents of Nile Rodgers.
The song is actually a reworked version of an old track called Fantasy, a rare non-album B-side that was issued on the flip-side of Waiting For That Day, the second single from 1990’s Listen Without Prejudice, Vol 1.
Friend and songwriter David Austin (described on the radio as “George’s manager”) wrote a note to Chris Evans, which the DJ read out on air, just before he played the song. The contents were as follows:
“Fantasy was originally meant to be on Listen Without Prejudice and was intended to be one of the singles from the album. But somehow, it got lost in the ether in what was going on at the time. Although George did then release it as a B-side in 1990. However, years later – just last year – when looking for a lead single for the reissue of George’s Listen Without Prejudice / MTV Unplugged album – and to accompany the new film Freedom that George had just finished working on, before Christmas – Fantasy was his first and obvious choice. So, George phoned up Nile Rodgers, his good pal, in early 2016, because the two of them have always spoken the same musical language, as long as they’ve known each other, and Nile reworked the record…”
You can listen to the new version below. The compressed horns and ’90s rhythm track of the original are gone and in their place is Rodgers’ trademark rhythm guitar and a lighter touch.
If you don’t know it, here’s the original version:
George clearly loved this track since it was also remixed in 1998 by James Jackman and Niall Flynn for inclusion on George’s Outside single. In fact, Fantasy really got around, since, for no logical reason that anyone can think of, it was also included on the bonus disc of the 2011 reissue of his 1987 album Faith.
So the question you might now be asking is whether this new version of Fantasy going to be included on the delayed reissue of Listen Without Prejudice, or is it just a promotional single?
SDE can confirm that the two CD edition will indeed include it, at the end of the MTV Unplugged performance on CD 2 of the double-disc package. For the four-disc (3CD+DVD) super deluxe edition the sets had already been manufactured, so the song will be included as a download, if you buy that package. The original Fantasy and Fantasy ’98 both feature on CD 3 of the super deluxe edition.
Listen Without Prejudice will be reissued on 20 October 2017. What do you think of this new version of Fantasy? Leave a comment!
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George Michael
Listen Without Prejudice: 3CD+DVD super deluxe
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George Michael
Listen Without Prejudice: 2CD deluxe
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George Michael
Listen Without Prejudice: remastered vinyl
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Listen Without Prejudice, Vol 1 – 2CD deluxe
CD 1 Listen Without Prejudice remastered
1. Praying for Time
2. Freedom! ’90
3. They Won’t Go When I Go
4. Something to Save
5. Cowboys and Angels
6. Waiting for That Day – George Michael / The Rolling Stones
7. Mothers Pride
8. Heal the Pain
9. Soul Free
10. Waiting (Reprise)
CD 2 – MTV Unplugged
1. Freedom! ’90
2. Fastlove – George Michael / Patrice Rushen
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
11. Fantasy (featuring Nile Rodgers)
Listen Without Prejudice, Vol 1 – 3CD+DVD super deluxe
CD 1 Listen Without Prejudice remastered
1. Praying for Time
2. Freedom! ’90
3. They Won’t Go When I Go
4. Something to Save
5. Cowboys and Angels
6. Waiting for That Day – George Michael / The Rolling Stones
7. Mothers Pride
8. Heal the Pain
9. Soul Free
10. Waiting (Reprise)
CD 2 – MTV Unplugged
1. Freedom! ’90
2. Fastlove – George Michael / Patrice Rushen
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
CD3: B-Sides And Mixes
1. Soul Free (Special Radio Edit)
2. Freedom! ’90 (Back To Reality Mix)
3. Freedom! ’90 (Back To Reality Mix Edit)
4. Fantasy ’90
5. Freedom! ’90 (Edit)
6. Cowboys and Angels (Edit)
7. If You Were My Woman
8. Too Funky (Edit)
9. Crazyman Dance
10. Do You Really Want to Know
11. Happy
12. Too Funky (Extended)
13. Too Jazzy (Happy Mix)
14. Fantasy ’98
15. Heal the Pain – George Michael with Paul McCartney
16. Desafinado – George Michael with Astrud Gilberto
Disc: 4 – DVD
1. The South Bank Show 1990
2. Freedom! ’90
3. Praying for Time
4. Freedom! ’90 (MTV 10th anniversary)
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