Category: George Michael

March 27, 2014

Wham! – I’m Your Man (Japan 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1985

“I’m Your Man” is a song by British pop duo Wham!, released in 1985 on Epic Records in the UK and most of the world, and Columbia Records in the U.S. It was written and produced by George Michael, one half of the duo.

The song was long-awaited, as Wham! had spent much of 1985 touring and then resting. A groundbreaking appearance in China had been followed by a stint at Live Aid, but there had been no new Wham! material until November and the release of “I’m Your Man”, a straightforward song of seduction through personality.

The video was similar to that of previous hit “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” (which had been a huge success the previous year), in that it was essentially an “as live” performance of the song in front of a crowd of fans. It was also shot in black and white rather than colour. It was shot inside and outside of London’s historic Marquee Club.

“I’m Your Man” became Wham!’s third #1 but did not feature on a studio album, and was essentially an isolated single which was only followed up by a re-issue of the previous year’s Christmas hit, “Last Christmas”. Already the signs were there that George, now bearded, was ready to move his career into an adult market. The song also reached #3 in the US singles chart, prevented from further chart movement by “Burning Heart” by Survivor and “That’s What Friends Are For” by Dionne and Friends.

Within six months of “I’m Your Man”, Wham! had announced their split. They had a fourth and final number one and released a farewell album, prior to a concert at Wembley Stadium, at which “I’m Your Man” was the last song Michael performed with partner Andrew Ridgeley.

An extended mix of the song was released on Wham!’s 1986 album Music from the Edge of Heaven (the U.S. version of their final album The Final).

SIDE A:
I’m Your Man (Extended Stimulation) 6:52

SIDE B:
Do It Right (Instrumental) 4:04
I’m Your Man (Acappella) 4:15

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1985	I’m Your Man	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#3
1985	I’m Your Man	U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks	#13
1985	I’m Your Man	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play	#42
1985	I’m Your Man	U.S. Billboard Hot Black Singles	#55

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Epic ‎– 12.3P-699
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Poster
Country: Japan
Released: 1985
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop
Credits: Producer, Written-By, Arranged By – George Michael
Recorded By – Chris Porter

NOTES:
Includes 1986 calendar / poster / lyric insert.

Find the 12″ On DISCOGS

EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut III
Cartridge: Ortofon Super
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 30
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Speed Control: Pro-Ject Speed Box S
Phono Pre-amp: Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Tube: Tung-Sol 12AX7ECC803-S Gold Electron Tube
Soundcard: ESI Juli@
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans: Brother MFC-6490CW Professional Series Scanner

SOFTWARE USED:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removeal: ClickRepair (DeClick Level 3)
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

March 26, 2014

Wham! – Everything She Wants (Japan 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1984

“Everything She Wants” is a million-selling Gold-certified hit by British pop duo Wham!, originally released in 1984 on Epic Records. The song was the forth single taken from the duo’s second album Make It Big.

“Everything She Wants” is written from the angle of a man rapidly approaching desperation at the material demands of his partner which seems to be coming to a head, despite the amount of work he does to keep her happy. In a twist, the second verse takes the story a step further by revealing that the woman is pregnant but the man cannot find any happiness in the announcement because of the extra pressure a baby will put upon him.

Although George Michael bemoaned much of Wham!’s material as he began his solo career, “Everything She Wants” remained a song of which he was proud, and he continued to perform it in his shows. Furthermore, Michael remarked in an interview (to promote 25 Live tour) that “Everything She Wants” is his favourite Wham! song.

In the UK “Everything She Wants” peaked at #2 while in the US the topped the Billboard Hot 100 peaking at #1.

Of note the sleeve on this Japanese pressing says that the b-side is “Last Christmas” this information is incorrect. The b-side is actually the album track “Like A Baby”.

SIDE A:
Everything She Wants (Remix) 6:32

SIDE B:
Like A Baby 4:13

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1984	Everything She Wants	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#1
1984	Everything She Wants	U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks	#4
1984	Everything She Wants	U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles	#12
1984	Everything She Wants	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play	#7

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Epic ‎– 12•3P-587
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Misprint
Country: Japan
Released: 1984
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Synth-pop
Credits: Photography By – Martyn Goddard
Recorded By – Chris Porter
Written-By, Arranged By, Producer – George Michael

NOTES:
Comes with a full color fold out calendar.

Back cover says Everything She Wants (Remix) and Last Christmas this is a misprint. Side B is actually “Like A Baby”.

Taken from the LP: “MAKE IT BIG”

Find The 12″ On DISCOGS

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

March 25, 2014

Wham! – Freedom (Japan 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1984

“Freedom” is a song by British pop duo Wham! released in 1984, becoming the group’s second UK #1 hit. It was written and produced by George Michael, one half of the duo.

Wham! had already enjoyed a successful 1984 by the time “Freedom” was released in August of that year. “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” had given them their first UK #1 and had then reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in the USA. George had then gone to #1 with a solo single, “Careless Whisper”.

“Freedom” was #1 in the UK for three weeks and featured on the album Make It Big, which was issued at the same time. “Freedom” was the 10th biggest selling single of 1984. This song also reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US the following year. The music video, coinciding with the 1985 US release, features the band touring around Beijing, China. Wham! were the first western pop group to tour that country.

The melody of the song was used by George Michael as an introduction to his song, “Faith”, played on a church organ.

Included as a bonus is the single remix of “Freedom” which was taken from the US 12″ promo. This version contains an alternate ending.

SIDE A:
Freedom (Long Version) 7:05

SIDE B:
Freedom (Instrumental) 5:04

BONUS TRACK:
Freedom (Single Remix) 5:19

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1984	Freedom	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#3
1984	Freedom	U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks	#4

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Epic ‎– 12•3P- 573
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: Japan
Released: 1984
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop
Credits: Photography By – Chris Craymer
Written-By, Arranged By, Producer – George Michael

NOTES:
Taken from the LP: “MAKE IT BIG”

Find The 12″ On DISCOGS

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

March 24, 2014

Wham! – Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go (Japan 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1984

“Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” is a two-million-selling, Platinum-certified 1984 song by the English pop duo Wham!, which became their first American and UK #1 hit. It was written and produced by George Michael, one half of the duo.

The song entered the UK singles chart at number four — after much hype from the duo claiming they would go straight in at number one, which was a rare occurrence then — and climbed to the top spot seven days later, staying there for two weeks.

SIDE A:
Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go 3:51

SIDE B:
A Ray Of Sunshine (Specially Recorded For The Tube) 4:52
Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go (Instrumental) 4:02

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1984	Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#1
1984	Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go	U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks	#4
1984	Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play	#27

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Epic/Sony ‎– 12-3P-536
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: Japan
Released: 1984
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop
Credits: Arranged By – George Michael
Producer – George Michael
Written By – George Michael

NOTES:
Special thanks to Siobhan (Who has the unviable task of “WAKING” us up)
Photography by Koh Hasebe (Music Life)
Wham! Fan Club, PO Box, 1AP, London, W1AP

Find The 12″ On DISCOGS

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi