Wham! / Original Album Classics
Sony are putting out a trio of Wham! releases in one tidy Original Album Classics package next month.
The budget three-CD set combines the only two ‘proper’ studio albums from George Michael and Andrew Ridgely – 1983’s Fantastic and 1984’s Make It Big – and might be mildly interesting to casual fans thanks to the inclusion of Music From The Edge of Heaven, the 1986 compilation that was issued in America (and a few other territories) instead of The Final.
Make It Big was actually the first album in the US, so understandably issuing a greatest hits called ‘The Final’ wasn’t something that appealed to the marketeers – hence Music From The Edge Of Heaven.
Unlike The Final, the American compilation included Wham! Rap ’86 which was part of the UK Edge of Heaven EP / 12-inch. This remix runs to 6.33 and Music From The Edge Of Heaven is the only place to find it on CD. Other differences to The Final are a unique extended version of I’m Your Man (i.e. it’s different to the ‘extended simulation’ version) and the inclusion of Blue (Live in China). Different Corner is also unique. It has an extended intro which bizarrely wasn’t on the UK 12-inch but was on the instrumental B-side!
Don’t expect any remastering. These will almost certainly just use whichever is the lastest available version.
Wham! Original Album Classics is out on 23 March 2015.
- • UK Pre-order: Original Album Classics
- • GERMANY Pre-order: Original Album Classics
- • ITALY Pre-order: Original Album Classics
Disc: 1 / Fantastic
1. Bad Boys
2. A Ray Of Sunshine
3. Love Machine
4. Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do?)
5. A Ray Of Sunshine
6. Love Machine
7. Club Tropicana
8. Nothing Looks the Same In the Light
9. Come On!
10. Young Guns (Go for It!)
11. Nothing Looks The Same In The Light
Disc: 2 / Make It Big
1. Wake Me up Before You Go-Go
2. Everything She Wants
3. Heartbeat
4. Like A Baby
5. Freedom
6. If You Were There
7. Credit Card Baby
8. Careless Whisper
Disc: 3 / Music From The Edge of Heaven
1. The Edge of Heaven
2. Battlestations
3. I’m Your Man* [unique extended version – not indicated on packaging]
4. Wham Rap ’86*
5. A Different Corner* [extended intro]
6. Blue (Live in China)*
7. Where Did Your Heart Go?
8. Last Christmas
*Not on The Final.
By Paul Sinclair
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