George Michael: “Lists Without Prejudice Vol. I” – Track by Track Review
With “FAITH” George Michael published the best -selling record of 1987, to this day he set an estimated 30 million units. A few other mega fields of the decade appeared that year. There were the solid veterans, Michael Jackson with “Bad”, Springsteen and his “Tunnel of Love”, Prince with “Sign” O “The Times”.
In addition, the established musicians, who stuck new territory with unexpectedly experimental works. U2 with “The Joshua Tree” and Stings “… Nothing like the Sun”. Of course also the von-null-on-hundred-newcomer Guns N ‘Roses (“Appetite for Destruction”) and Terence Trent d’Arby (“Introducing the Hardline Accord to …”). It was a densely pushed in 1987.
George Michael, 23, once chipping songwriter at Wham!, She all trumped, if not with the best music. “Faith” offered Plastic Soul, but later received the Grammy for the “album of the Year”. The man with the rivet leather jacket, aviator sunglasses and the accurately cut seven-day beard looked down from every poster wall.
Jacket on fire
Three years later, in the video for his new song “Freedom” ’90 “, George Michael lets the same jacket open in flames. With the successor album “Listen Without Prejudice Vol. I” he determined his departure from the scene. Even the hidden object on the record cover, Weegees photo “Crowd at Coney Island”, was an expression of diving. In videos, George Michael no longer wanted to play along, mostly presented ballads, sat down alone on the piano and ventured to indiePop (“Something to Save”) and jazz (“Cowboys and Angels”).
The most complex plate has been created to date. However, one with whom the singer, as he was supposed to provide later, was dissatisfied. Only he knows why. In any case, the announced “Vol. II” has never been published. And “Lists Without Prejudice Vol 1” sold eight million times – no shame.
Lists without prejudice Vol. I: Review Track by Track
1. Praying for time
George Michael’s last number a single single in the American Billboard charts proved involuntarily suitable timing. “Praying for time appeared eleven days after the outbreak of the second Gulf War, on August 2, 1990. For the song about hostile peoples, he wrote a text touching to this day.” GOD’s stopped keeper /i guess somewhere Along the way /he must have us all out to play /gymnastics his back and all God’s children Door ”. No anger, rather horror that God loses his belief in people. The official video (above) is a kind of forerunner of today’s simple lyric video, which works like a promo to the actual clip that still needs to be turned. But George Michael no longer appeared. “Praying for Time” is the rare example of a protest song that is credible even when a star writes it.
2. Freedom! `90
Second single release and to this day one of his most popular songs, even if “Freedom! ’90” only made it into the US tops (eighth place). The song had to capture a lot of content, George Michael drives up two different choruses after the Bridge. In any case, the piece is a cynical continuation of the Wham hit “Freedom!” From 1985, when the then 22-year-old walked through the world with open eyes. Here Michael sees the show business as a eating or fed-up milieu, in which self-service is the only way of survival. The no less famous clip shows its iconic “faith” jacket and how it rises in flames. In addition, the nineties of the nineties around Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista and Naomi Campbell. So a film with strongly antiquarian value.
3. They Won’t GHen i go
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-alpz4_lsss
Albumtrack three takes out the pace radically. In the booklet the emphasis that this ballad was recorded live by George Michael on the piano. The original from Stevie Wonder already set an accent with his burial mood, Michael works a little more with Hall and Echo as well as his own, ghostly choir voice, but it only sounds lonely-a masterful effect.
The Great Idol Wonder would employ Michael more often over the years; With Mary J. Blige, he later published a cover version of “AS”, which it could take on intensity with the original. And just like every big songwriter, George Michael also recognized that it is not a sign of a lack of own ideas if you play the songs of others more and more, but a challenge for him as an interpreter – who hopes that your own pieces equalize with the role models. On his last tour in 2012, a quarter of the setlist already consisted of cover.
4. Something to Save
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pieyvid0zkk
The reduced performance continues, here the acoustic guitar, gently accompanied by strings, is in the foreground. In addition one of the main topics of the album: be satisfied with what is the most beautiful at the moment. This probably the most inconspicuous song on the album also strips the topic of suicide.
5. Cowboys and Angels
After “Praying for Time” the second largest, second -opulent and second best song of the plate. This seven-minute jazz waltz revolves around irritation to be completely at the mercy of a person who does not replace his own feelings. Basically, “Cowboys and Angels” also anticipates the concert hall atmosphere of the cover plate “Songs from the Last Century” (1999). The play should develop into one of the singer’s favorites over the years, and it was most recently played on its “Symphonica” tour.
6. Waiting for that day
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hssdbefgc8i
The rhythm is not well aged: James Brown’s “Funky Drummer” sample was that Weapon of Choice Many artists at the end of the 1980s, early in the nineties. After the Fine Young Cannibals and Sinead O ‘Connor, it was now George Michael. However, the separation song also contains one of his most daring lines, in which he expresses his speechlessness: “It’s not as though we just broke up / it’s not as though it was YesterDay / But Something I Just Can’t Explain / Somets This This Pain / I Know I’ll Never Face Again”. The song epilog with the Stones quote “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” would not have needed it anymore.
7. Mother’s Pride
A piano with a string ballad about the unconditional love of a mother to her child, no matter what fights it still has to carry out in his life. The unfortunately narrow-minded song contained an upgrading during the Gulf War in 1991 when it was played up and down on the US radio, the DJs dazzled greetings from the relatives of soldiers.
8. Heal the Pain
Paul McCartney, who tackled a new recording as a duet with George Michael in 2008, also recognized the stupid-di-dumm potential of this guitar loving song. The common version sounds even more after campfire than the album version. “Heal the Pain” was decoupled as a fourth single, but already after the coupling two, “Freedom ’90”, the air from “Listen Without Prejudice Vol. I” was out for the fans. Only 31st place in the UK charts.
9. Soul Free
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2RGY5_PZY8
A secret favorite of the album, in an inconspicuous, penultimate position. As a kind of dirty dub, “Soul Free” pulls its circles and, despite his slowness, is the only dance floor song of the plate alongside “Freedom! ’90”. And unfortunately one of the few pieces that are still waiting for their live premiere.
10. Waiting (reprise)
As the title announces, a kind of epilogue and variation of “Waiting for that Day”. The formerly abandoned now sees a glimmer of hope: “But You Once Said / There’s a Way Back for Every Man / So here I am / Don’t People Change, here I am / is too late to try again”. The song was also the opening piece of his “2 Live” tour of 2006, the “Here I Am”, followed by headlights on the singer, caused delight with the fans at the time.