Wham! Featuring George Michael – Careless Whisper (Japan 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1984

35 years ago today July 24, 1984, George Michael released ‘Careless Whisper’. The song went on to be a defining moment in his career.

“Careless Whisper” is a pop ballad written by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley of Wham!. It was released on 24 July 1984 on the Wham! album Make It Big.

The song features a prominent saxophone riff, and has been covered by a number of artists since its first release. It was released as a single and became a huge commercial success around the world. It reached number one in nearly 25 countries, selling about 6 million copies worldwide—2 million of them in the United States.

The song went through at least two rounds of production. The first was during a trip Michael made to Muscle Shoals, Alabama, where he went to work with producer Jerry Wexler at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio. Michael was unhappy with the original version produced by Wexler, and decided to re-record and produce the song himself; the second version was the one ultimately released as a single.

After the backing track and George’s vocal had been recorded, Wexler had booked the top saxophone player from Los Angeles to fly in and do the solo. “He arrived at eleven and should have been gone by twelve”, recalled Wham! manager Simon Napier-Bell. “Instead, after two hours, he was still there while everyone in the studio shuddered with embarrassment. He just couldn’t play the opening riff the way George wanted it, the way it had been on the demo. But that had been made two years earlier by a friend of George’s who lived round the corner and played sax for fun in the pub.”

While the saxophonist appeared to be playing the part perfectly, Michael told him, “No, it’s still not right, you see …” and he would lower his head to the talkback microphone and patiently hum the part to him yet again. “It has to twitch upwards a little just there! See …? And not too much.”

Napier-Bell consulted with Wexler over Michael’s dispute with the sax sound. “Is there really something George wants that’s different from what the sax player is playing?” Napier-Bell asked.

“Definitely!” replied Wexler.

The version Wexler produced was released later in the year, as a B-side “Special Version” on 12″ in the UK and Japan.

The record label Innervision were going to put out the Wexler version of “Careless Whisper” after the Club Fantastic Megamix as far back as 1983. Song publisher Dick Leahy said that while he could not stop the release of the Club Fantastic Megamix, he could stop the release of this single on the basis that as a publisher they “have the right to grant the first license of the recording of a tune of which he controls the copyright”. He was unable to do anything about the Club Fantastic Megamix because it was already released material. He said: “We knew how big that song could be, so it was necessary to upset a few people to stop it.”

Michael later went back to London’s Sarm West’s Studio 2 to rework the track. According to English jazz musician Dan Forshaw, saxophonist Steve Gregory had received a call to re-record the song’s distinctive solo; he was the eleventh saxophone player to record the solo, for Michael was determined to get the sound he wanted. “Session musicians do not have much idea what they are going to be recording until they arrive, and this was the case for Steve and another saxophonist who was ahead of him in the (queue)”, Forshaw recalled.

The officially released single was issued in August 1984, entering the UK Singles Chart at number 12. Within two weeks it was at number one, ending a nine-week run at the top for “Two Tribes” by Frankie Goes to Hollywood. It stayed at number one for three weeks, going on to become the fifth best-selling single of 1984 in the United Kingdom; outsold only by the two Frankie Goes to Hollywood tracks, “Two Tribes” and “Relax”, Stevie Wonder with “I Just Called to Say I Love You”, and Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”. The song also topped the charts in 25 other countries, including the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States in February 1985 under the credit “Wham! featuring George Michael”, Spending three weeks at the top in America, the song was later named Billboard’s number-one song of 1985.

Despite the success, Michael was never fond of the song. He said in 1991 that it “was not an integral part of my emotional development … it disappoints me that you can write a lyric very flippantly—and not a particularly good lyric—and it can mean so much to so many people. That’s disillusioning for a writer.”

SIDE A:
Careless Whisper (Extended Mix) 6:29
Arranged By, Producer – George Michael
Written-By – Andrew Ridgeley , George Michael

SIDE B:
Careless Whisper (Special Version) 4:42
Producer – Jerry Wexler
Written-By – Andrew Ridgeley , George Michael

Careless Whisper (Instrumental) 5:04
Arranged By, Producer – George Michael

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year Single Chart Position
1985 Careless Whisper U.S. Billboard Hot 100 #1
1985 Careless Whisper U.S. Billboard Hot Black Singles #8
1985 Careless Whisper U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks #1

 

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Epic ‎– 12・3P-570
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: Japan
Released: 1984
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Ballad, Synth-pop

NOTES:
Manufactured by Epic/Sony Inc., Tokyo, Japan
From the LP “MAKE IT BIG”

Find the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL RESTORATION BY:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net

EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC)
Cartridge: Ortofon 2M
Stylus: Ortofon 2M Bronze
Isolation: Auralex Acoustics ISO-Tone Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck 
Phono Pre-amp:
Schiit Mani
Soundcard:
ESI Juli@ XTe Audio Interface
Monitiring:
Novation Audiohub 2×4 Audio Interface
Record Cleaning:
VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans:
Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner

SOFTWARE USED:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling: iZotope RX Advanced 2, ocenaudio
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)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

Username: btg
Password: burningtheground

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Jason
Jason
July 12, 2023 6:33 am

Thanks Paul, I love that you’re sharing these! But the download links don’t seem to be working on this one, or “Edge of Heaven.” I get redirected to an error page. What am I doing wrong?

Screenshot 2023-07-12 at 7.32.37 AM.png
Earffman
Earffman
Reply to  Jason
December 6, 2023 6:29 pm

Find on rutracker.org

neeel
neeel
Reply to  Jason
February 11, 2024 9:44 pm

same issue I Got

neeel
neeel
Reply to  DjPaulT
February 15, 2024 10:31 pm

is it possible to get the link again?

opoder
opoder
June 7, 2022 8:22 pm

The first rip was in 16/03/2011. The second in 15/08/2013. I’ll check this one from 24/07/2019 😉

GRATO

Last edited 2 years ago by opoder
Muff Diver
Muff Diver
September 26, 2020 11:54 pm

Thank you Paul for the ‘new and improved’ Careless Whisper.

NIco
NIco
August 18, 2019 1:50 pm

Thank you for the memory of George Michael

David Miller
David Miller
July 28, 2019 1:08 am

thanks so much for this. Happy to add this to my collection.

polacocesar
polacocesar
July 27, 2019 4:46 pm

Gracias por compartir esta “gema” de nuestro querido George, todavia es increible que no este mas con nosotros.

gonzalo76
gonzalo76
July 25, 2019 11:51 am

Thank you very much Paul!!!!
I have the “Re-Rip Newly Remastered!” posted on August 15th 2013.
This song is in my top 5 80s list. I could listen all day, all night!!!
Best wishes from Argentina,
Gonzalo

mothloop
mothloop
July 25, 2019 6:22 am

Best Wham! song ever

wolfeffect
July 25, 2019 4:30 am

thanks for this one Paul.
wow 35 years. feels like yesterday I was listening to this when it came out in high school!!

John
John
July 24, 2019 11:57 pm

Great post, thanks!!!

Eddie
Eddie
July 24, 2019 10:39 pm

Thanks for posting this classic!

Pablo
Pablo
July 24, 2019 9:52 pm

thanks Paul

José Luis Vizcaya
José Luis Vizcaya
July 24, 2019 8:37 pm

Gracias amigo por tus excelentes aporte

Dreammy Core
Dreammy Core
July 24, 2019 8:10 pm

Awesome!! Thank you very much Paul.

popwaverock
popwaverock
July 24, 2019 8:09 pm

Thanks Paul

Como siempre sorprendiendonos con tu calidad, eres el mejor en esto!

Jermajesty
Jermajesty
July 24, 2019 4:03 pm

Hey Paul – so glad to see BTG back up and running. Love the new look, with the random sleeves running down the side.

I’ve always enjoyed pointing out to people that Andrew Ridgley co-wrote this when they claim he was just a hanger-on in Wham!, but recently (after George died) I’ve heard rumours that George just credited Andrew on this song as a ‘favour’. I hope it’s not true and just idle gossip. ISTR reading it was one of the earliest songs they wrote together. Do you know more on the matter?

OMAR
OMAR
July 24, 2019 2:54 pm

Love it. A sad classic in every way. Especially now when George is gone, listening to his beautiful voice . Sony should reissue everything by Wham as well as George’s entire solo back catalogue .

Joey
Joey
July 24, 2019 2:42 pm

Wow 35 years… So did you order the signed copy of the new Andrew Ridgeley Book? I’m curious do you have the UK 12″ of this as well, I ignorantly passed on the UK 12″ long ago thinking it was just another edit and not a completely different recording. I found the sound on the Japan 12″ to be a bit muffled like there was too much noise reduction, and wondered if you know if that is just the recording or the Japan pressing. I’ve also read about a Japanese promo with a “sunshower remix” so being you, Paul, are… Read more »

Joey
Joey
Reply to  DjPaulT
July 24, 2019 8:42 pm

Hey Paul. Thanks for the info. Yes the Japanese pressings 99.9% of the time are just done better… nicer sleeve, better detail, better vinyl, it is as if the grooves begin to sing when you put them under the light. Yes the discogs entry for the Sunshower mix. I tend to believe it is a fake, like the “High Tension Mix” of The Hurting that was listed for Tears for Fears on a non-existant 3″ CD. If it exists i think someone would have posted something or have heard it by now. And thanks for letting me know about the… Read more »

amos
amos
July 24, 2019 1:18 pm

Thank you, Paul! 35 years! Dang!!!!

Fred
Fred
July 24, 2019 1:08 pm

Hi Paul! Is this a re-rip? I have this from August 2013 from your site and it was a re-rip then (2011 is when you first posted it).

Great song and I love the instrumental!

-Fred

Fred
Fred
Reply to  DjPaulT
July 24, 2019 5:04 pm

Ah…I didn’t see the tiny print under the 35th Anniversary text. 🙂 Some of us are now using glasses and don’t always see things when the glasses are not on! 🙂

Ian
Ian
Reply to  Fred
July 25, 2019 3:30 am

Yes actually first posted 2011, then 2013 and now 2019. Could be the first DJPaulT re-re-rip…?

Jeff
Jeff
July 24, 2019 12:52 pm

I’m so happy to comment about this track Paul. As you know, I love George Michael and your site has celebrated him over the years with miraculously sounding vinyl rips. I love when you do a “re-visit” because your gifts of audio prowess keep getting better and that, coupled with new equipment, make my ear canals gape wide open in astonishment and appreciation. I’m so happy you did this track. I fell in love with George over this one in particular. (My swoon worthy go -to though is his “A Different Corner,”) Thanks a lot Paul for doing what you… Read more »

reda
July 24, 2019 12:36 pm

thnxx paul great post

Reda Boudemala
Reda Boudemala
Reply to  DjPaulT
July 26, 2019 7:15 am

im very happy the blog is still alive

redaboudemala
Reply to  Reda Boudemala
July 26, 2019 7:19 am

im very happy the blog is still alive