Wham! (briefly known in the US as Wham! U.K.) were an English pop duo formed in Bushey in 1981. The duo consisted of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. They became one of the most commercially successful pop acts of the 1980s, selling more than 30 million certified records worldwide from 1982 to 1986.
Influenced by funk and soul music and presenting themselves as disaffected youth, Wham!’s 1983 debut album Fantastic addressed the United Kingdom’s unemployment problem and teen angst over adulthood. Their second studio album Make It Big in 1984 was a worldwide pop smash hit, charting at number one in both the UK and the United States. Associated with the MTV-driven Second British Invasion of the US, the singles from the album—”Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”, “Everything She Wants” and “Careless Whisper”—all topped the US Billboard Hot 100. In 1985, Wham! made a highly publicised 10-day visit to China, the first by a Western pop group. The event was seen as a major watershed moment in increasing friendly bilateral relations between China and the West.
In 1986, Wham! broke up. Michael was keen to create music targeted at a more sophisticated adult market rather than the duo’s primarily teenage audience. Before going their separate ways, a farewell single “The Edge of Heaven”, and a greatest-hits album titled The Final would be forthcoming, along with a farewell concert entitled The Final.
The Final is a greatest hits album released in 1986 to summarize the career of British pop duo Wham!. The album was not initially released in North America, where an album entitled Music from the Edge of Heaven was released instead. Six songs from that album appear on this compilation. The compilation album was followed by the farewell concert of the same name on 28 June 1986, at Wembley Stadium.
The CD edition omits “Blue (Armed with Love)” and the extended mixes. A deluxe edition of the album was released on CD/DVD and download in November 2011, with the DVD featuring all of Wham!’s music videos, including the video for “Young Guns (Go for It!)”, “Last Christmas”, and a remix version of the video for “Everything She Wants”. It follows the track listing of the CD, with the exception of “Battlestations”, as it was a B-side and not an official single.
When George Michael guested on the Aspel & Company talk show on 1 March 1986, he announced that Wham! were to split and perform one last concert, later titled The Final. In addition to that, he also announced that he were to be recording the last Wham! single with Andrew Ridgeley the following week in Los Angeles.[2][3] As it turned out, he revealed to journalist Paula Yates on The Tube that he was recording four tracks, two of which – “Where Did Your Heart Go” and “The Edge of Heaven” – had been previously played on the Whamamerica! tour and the other two being new tracks he was experimenting with. This was prior to the filming of the video for Michael’s then-forthcoming solo single, “A Different Corner”. Michael was planning to release three of the tracks as part of a Wham! EP, but wasn’t sure which one of the songs was going to be the main single at that point – all of these would appear on “The Final”.
As of 12 March 1986, the album and single had been completed and ready for release under the Wham! name. (wikipedia)
The Wham! collection The Final stands as the most accurate compilation of the duo’s hits, even including the correct single versions of hits that were not available on their respective albums. From the early bubblegum silliness of “Bad Boys,” “Wham! Rap,” and “Young Guns” to the singles that made them an international pop phenomenon (“Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go,” “Everything She Wants,” “Careless Whisper,” and “I’m Your Man”), the hits are all here. “Everything She Wants” and “Freedom” are included in their single versions which did not appear on the multimillion-selling Make It Big.
Also included is George Michael’s first true solo hit, “A Different Corner,” which, along with “Careless Whisper,” hints at the later, more sophisticated styles of music that would further propel him into international superstar status. To round out the collection are other hits including their last U.S. Top Ten, “The Edge of Heaven,” their yearly resurrected Christmas single “Last Christmas,” and the overlooked “Where Did Your Heart Go.” For fans of their brief but very successful reign at the top of the pop charts, this hard-to-find collection packs the most bang (or Wham!) for its buck. (by Jose F. Promis)
Personnel:
George Michael (vocals)
Andrew Ridgeley (guitar)
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Tracklist:
01. Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do) (Special US Re-Mix) (from “Fantastic”) (Michael/Ridgeley) 6.42
02. Young Guns (Go for It!) (from “Fantastic”) (Michael) 5.11
03. Bad Boys (from “Fantastic”) (Michael) 3.20
04. Club Tropicana (from “Fantastic”) (Michael/Ridgeley) 4.28
05. Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go (from “Make It Big”) (Michael) 3.50
06. Careless Whisper (7″ version) (from “Make It Big”) (Michael/Ridgeley) 5.03
07. Freedom (7″ version) (from “Make It Big”) (Michael) 5.20
08. Last Christmas (Pudding Mix) (from “Music From The Edge Of Heaven”) (Michael) 6.45
09. Everything She Wants (Remix) (from “Music From The Edge Of Heaven”) (Michael) 6.29
10. I’m Your Man (from “Music From The Edge Of Heaven”) (Michael) 4.04
11. A Different Corner (from “Music From The Edge Of Heaven”) (Michael) 3.58
12. Battlestations (from “Music From The Edge Of Heaven”) (Michael) 5.30
13. Where Did Your Heart Go? (from “Music From The Edge Of Heaven”) (Dave Was/Don Was) 5.42
14. The Edge Of Heaven (from “Music From The Edge Of Heaven”) (Michael) 4.35
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