Burning The Ground Exclusive 1986
NEW 2023 Transfer
NEW Meticulous Audio Restoration
Originally posted September 25, 2013
AN 80S AUDITORY ICON
“A Different Corner” is a song written and performed by George Michael that was released on Epic Records (Columbia Records in the US) in 1986.
“A Different Corner” was written by Michael while Wham! were at their peak as a duo, and during a low point in his life:
“I felt like shit. I went in and recorded exactly the way I felt, and that’s the way it sounds. It was partly Wham! and partly the end of a relationship. It was the farthest I’d ever fallen and in a very short period of time. I had to get rid of it somehow, I had to write about it. That’s a really perverse side that I’m sure a lot of writers have—’I feel like shit, but maybe I’ll get a good song out of it.'”
Michael admitted that “A Different Corner” was the “most honest” and personal song he had ever done. He elaborated further on the song’s meaning:
“That was about a very quick relationship, a here today gone tomorrow one. It’s amazing how emotional you can get in a short period of time and how long it can last. Someone can really shake you up and it takes you a long time to get yourself back on your feet; that was what that was about.”
According to Michael, the song took roughly 14 hours to write and record from beginning to end. The synthesizer textures were created with a Roland Juno-60 synthesizer.
At the time of its release in March 1986, Michael was still a member of pop duo Wham! (the song is included on Wham!’s album Music from the Edge of Heaven only released in Japan and North America, as well as their compilation album The Final, released worldwide), though he and partner Andrew Ridgeley had announced that they would split in the summer after a farewell single, album and concert. Michael had already enjoyed a solo number one on the UK Singles Chart in 1984 with “Careless Whisper”, which was credited as Wham! featuring George Michael in the US.
After radio DJ Simon Bates first aired “A Different Corner” on Radio 1, he rated the song so highly that he immediately played it again from the beginning. Michael went back to the top of the UK chart with “A Different Corner”, becoming the first solo act in the history of the UK chart to reach number one with his first two releases, although he was hardly an unknown or new act on either occasion due to his previous hits with Wham!. The song reached number 7 on the US Billboard Hot 100, thus becoming the first single credited solely to Michael to become an American top-ten hit which was enough to make American executives at Epic Records confident that Michael would be viable as a solo artist and helped get the gears in motion for his solo album debut Faith. It was the first song to reach number one in the UK charts to be written, performed and produced by the same person.
The song was also remixed for his compilation Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael. This version omitted the guitar and Michael’s background vocals during the instrumental break.
SIDE A:
A Different Corner (Single Edit) 3:57
SIDE B:
A Different Corner (Instrumental) 4:13
BONUS TRACK:
A Different Corner (Full-Length Version) 4:30
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
ONI: Near Mint
Insert: Near Mint
CHART HISTORY:
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | A Different Corner | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | #7 |
| 1986 | A Different Corner | U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary | #6 |
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Epic – 12-3P-740
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: Japan
Released: May 21, 1986
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Downtempo, Synth-pop
CREDITS:
- Engineer – Chris Porter
- Performer [All Instruments By] – George Michael
- Written-By, Lyrics By, Producer, Arranged By – George Michael
NOTES:
Comes with OBI Strip, and Gatefold Lyric Insert.
“This record is dedicated to a memory”
Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS
VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net
THE GEAR:
Turntable: Technics SL-1200MK7
Cartridge/Stylus: Ortofon 2M Black PnP MkII
Turntable Isolation Platform: ISO-Tone™ Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro Spin Acrylic Mat
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Phono Pre-amp: Pro-Jec Tube Box DS2
Tubes: Genalex Gold Lion 12AX7 ECC83/B759 Gold Pins Vacuum Tube – Matched Pair
DAC: Alpha Design Labs GT40a USB DAC
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans: Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner
SOFTWARE:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling/Dither: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator
RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi
**24bit FLAC Only Available For Seven Days!
Password: burningtheground
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One of my all time favorites! Thank you Paul !!!!
Thank you so much for the new transfer! George Michael and instrumentals are always appreciated!
Thank you for this – this is my second-favorite GM track (Fastlove is just a monster of a track). This takes me back to high school, and that one girl that got away. (such a cliche, I know…)
Anyway – I was just thinking about the Ladies & Gentlemen remix the other day – haven’t heard it in 20 years. And it’s been 10 years since I heard the instrumental version – so thank you again:)
thank you for your excellent job
Thanks for this Paul!!
Where is the bonus track (full-length version) taken from?
Best
Nubben
Wow, I missed the first upload. Thx Paul for the new upload.
Great quality and a fantastic song.
Such a beautiful song, so raw and open and honest. Never fails to bring a tear to my eye.
Thanks for the new transfer Paul. You actually originally posted this in 2011…your posting in 2013 was re-transfer.
George Michael in full Gloria Estefan mode. I always liked that this had a gatefold 12″. It’s a bit humanizing to think here he was at the top of his game and someone out there still thought he was not good enough….
George Michael is PERFECTION!
Holy cow, I’ve never noticed that the Ladies & Gentlemen version omits the guitar! Thank you for enlightening me, Paul 🙂
I´m not ashamed to say this brings tears to my eyes, Paul. As you know I´ve always adored George Michael. “A Different Corner” and “Nothing Looks The Same In The Light” (Wham!) are amongst my favourite tracks by GM. My favourite live version is the one way back then at the British talk show “Parkinson”. Check it out at you-know-where. And the new Wham! documentary on Netflix is brilliant, as well. He´s sorely missed, George. Sorely missed. ;-(
I admit, I’m just not as familiar with this like his other hits – both solo and with Wham! But looking forward to giving your new transfer a spin. Thanks Paul!!
Wow! Thanks for the background information. As a teenager I mostly dismissed Wham! as too bubblegum since I was discovering so many cool UK acts like New Order, etc. But this ing gave me pause, like wow this guys the real deal, more like this please! Probably this track and Listen Without Prejudice Volume One are my go-to favorites to this day… oh and Hard Day Shep Pettibone remix!
Same here! I (lightly) enjoyed Wake Me Up Before You Go Go, etc. … but his solo stuff really took me by surprise! The Faith album is a MASTERPIECE and the Hard Day Shep Pettibone remix was on repeat for a long time for me! And then he impressed me even more with his Stevie Wonder cover “They Won’t Go When I Go“.
Paul, thank you for another fantastic vinyl transfer!
Yes, he did Stevie proud no doubt! Always was sad Volume 2 never saw the light! Other Wham! tracks that I discovered later such as Battlestations really did capture my attention, and thus I did retrospectively enjoy a greater appreciation for the duo, but his solo career is where he got my attention!
My favourite song by George. Didn’t know about the full length version. Many thanks 🙂
One of my favourite George Michael songs. I still have your 2013 rip and play it regularly on various audio gear.
Looking forward to hearing this 2023 remaster.
Thanks Paul 🙂
You’re welcome, Marco. I think the new transfer sounds much more open and dynamic. i hope you like it 🙂
Ah, Paul. This is my favorite George Michael song. I first heard it on my college radio station, of which I was a part of. Time stood still when it played, and I was so moved by the ethereal production and Georges’ vocals. A friend and I played the instrumental B-Side and were enraptured by the gorgeousness of this version. And all these years later, I still become emotional whenever it is played. I am thrilled to be getting your re-rip of this song. I’ve been disappointed over the years because compilation albums remove the short introduction to the song.… Read more »
One of George’s best that doesn’t get enough love really surprised it was not a #1 in the U.S.
The mastering on Music From The Edge Of Heaven is terrible. I don’t know what they did to it, actually most of their first USA CDs sound bass heavy and squashed. The imports were so much clearer, and this rip from a Japanese vinyl!!! well, the Japanese imports typically we’re high quality.
That’s why I love what Paul does so much. He brings us maximum pleasure from a 12-inch!! (This didn’t come out right.) <LOL>
Jeff
Now you’re sounding like text on a Frankie Goes To Hollywood single!
“Rage Hard!!!”
Jeff
Thank you, Paul. This will forever be my favorite George song.
You’re welcome, Scott M. 🙂