Twenty Five (Deluxe Edition) [Digipak] - George Michael

I always felt that George Michael's music has considerably been overlooked, in recent years because of his personal life and in the past probably because he wasn't seen as credible having been one half of the sugarpop Wham!

As an introduction to George's music, this compilation is fairly comprehensive, featuring several of Wham's biggest hits (Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, Freedom (2 UK No 1's) and both of the double A-side 'Last Christmas' ...
...for the compilation and the title of the compilation certainly matches the track listing. Had this been called 'the ultimate,' a substantial number of criticisms could have been made.

I am reviewing the deluxe edition which contains a third disc and I shall indicate which discs are present on both the standard and deluxe editions.

N.B. This is going to be a really long review so in short I think this compilation is a ... more

I always felt that George Michael's music has considerably been overlooked, in recent years because of his personal life and in the past probably because he wasn't seen as credible having been one half of the sugarpop Wham!

As an introduction to George's music, this compilation is fairly comprehensive, featuring several of Wham's biggest hits (Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, Freedom (2 UK No 1's) and both of the double A-side 'Last Christmas' and 'Everything she wants,' right up to songs specifically recorded for the compilation and the title of the compilation certainly matches the track listing. Had this been called 'the ultimate,' a substantial number of criticisms could have been made.

I am reviewing the deluxe edition which contains a third disc and I shall indicate which discs are present on both the standard and deluxe editions.

N.B. This is going to be a really long review so in short I think this compilation is a fantastic introduction to George's music but I add a caveat - there are certain tracks on disc 2 which I feel could have been left out to ensure key George classics (namely 'Cowboys and angels,' 'Kissing a fool' and 'I can't make you love me') were included. You should buy Ladies & Gentleman : The Best of George Michael to hear these.

Disc 1 : For Living (both editions)

This disc contains I suppose what could be regarded as the more uptempo/mid-tempo tracks from George's career and an impressive 12/15 of them are UK Top 10 hits including 3 No. 1's and 3 No. 2's. Chart statistics aside, disc 1 certainly shows the more 'fun' side to George's music I guess though at the same time the deeper side to his songwriting is present throughout 'Amazing,' (which is about the loss of his partner, Anselmo and finding love again) 'An Easier Affair' (which is kind of introspective about George's life) and of course the infamous 'Shoot the Dog,' (which was I guess an anti-Iraq war protest of sorts.)

The three Wham! songs featured on disc 1 are definitely some of the best material released by the duo - catchy choruses on all three and instantly memorable from the intro to the end. 'Wake me up before you go go' and 'Freedom' are pure 80s pop at its finest whilst 'Everything she wants' is an absolute club classic of its time and released as the double A-side to 'Last Christmas,' boasting one of the best basslines of the day. My one criticism here is that it would have probably been a much stronger start to the disc to have put either 'Wake me up' or 'Freedom' first as they have powerful intros but this is only a minor point.

Disc 1 then contains hits from all of George's solo albums other the last 20 years - the title track 'Faith,' 'Freedom '90' (from Listen without prejudice - not to be confused with the Wham song!) and 'Fastlove' have got to be three of George's best solo efforts to date and are certainly three of his most well-known. All three songs are uplifting and have a very summery sound demonstrate the depth of George's influences from gospel on 'Freedom 90,' soft rock of 'Faith' and the disco flashback on 'Fastlove.' Something for everyone.

Other tracks worth noting are 'Outside' (the slightly comical context to this makes the song that much more hilarious - but a funky number nevertheless) whilst 'Too Funky' (which was an AIDS related charity song does what it says on the label - a great song), one of the best Stevie Wonder cover's ever with Mary J Blige on 'As' and finally George's 2004 hit 'Flawless' which contained a nifty sample from the dance anthem 'Flawless' - George's take on it proves he is still relevant today and keeps up with the times.

Disc 2: For Loving

The title of this disc is pretty self-explanatory as far as the content goes. For me disc 2 contains George's finest work because I personally feel he writes and sings some of the most moving ballads with lyrics that convey a whole range of deep thoughts. George is an intelligent man but unfortunately this is disregarded quite often but listen to his lyrics on disc 2 and hopefully this will build a greater appreciation. George's vocals are to say the least impressive!

Everybody knows 'Careless Whisper' and 'Last Christmas' - admittedly they are probably both overplayed but it is worth noting that George was barely out of his teens when he wrote both songs and they set the tone for his deep songwriting. Extremely catchy and absolute classics.

However, I feel that it is every other song on disc 2 which reveals George's best. 'A Different Corner' and 'Father Figure' are for me two of the best songs to come out of the 80s for different reasons. 'Father Figure' is more uplifting and is very nice to unwind to. 'A different corner' is a belting ballad but doesn't sound dated, considering it was recorded over 20 years ago. A league above the rest of the ballads out in the mid-80s.

'Praying For Time' has to be one of George's most relevant for the time songs, especially today and considering he recorded it at the turn of the 1990s, many of the issues he confronts are still as important today. 'Praying' will require a few listens before it becomes catchy admittedly but definitely worth it.

'Jesus to a child' was a massive comeback number 1 for George in 1996 and tells a tragic tale of George's personal life and at times is very emotive. The vocals are little short of outstanding and this definitely one of Mr Michael's crowning moments.

'You Have Been Loved' is a notable track but I was more impressed with the new duet on George's classic 'Heal the pain' with Sir Paul McCartney - their vocals really compliment each other and it is nice to hear a new take on a nice uplifting song - perfect for break-ups!

I would also highlight the need to listen to 'Round Here' on disc 2, which was a top 40 hit from 'Patience' (2004) and like most of George's best work, deserving of a higher chart position. 'Round Here' will require more than one listen but I was hooked by its unusual sound from the word go.

Criticism of disc 2 : There are several George classics severely lacking on this collection. As much as I love 'One more try' and 'John and Elvis are dead' I don't feel that their inclusion (as well as the track 'Older') can justifiably excuse the lack of 'Cowboys and angels' (from Listen without prejudice) 'Kissing a fool (from Faith) and 'I can't make you love me.' 'Cowboys and angels' and 'Kissing...' are two of George's takes on swing/jazz and demonstrate his vocal prowess and unique songwriting talent - both uplifting in varying ways and feature some of the best piano and sax on record. I would sooner have included 'Kissing the fool' as opposed to 'one more try' from the 'Faith' album on disc 2 because it is a far superior song.

The lack of 'I can't make you love me' is inexcusable in my opinion. This song was a double A-side with the song 'Older' and undoubtedly the more superior of the two song. Unfortunately 'I can't make you love me' is only available generally now on the Ladies & Gentleman compilation but as one of George's peaks, I can't understand why it was overlooked and consigned to becoming a rare album track. Daft!

Disc 3 : The additional disc - For The Loyal

This disc contains many of the tracks featured on George's 'Songs from the last century' - a cover album with a difference. Such classics as 'Brother can you spare a dime?' 'My baby just cares for me' and 'Roxanne' were given a completely different treatment and George made them his own. There are also other album tracks featured from 'Patience' and 'Older.' Personally I seldom listen to the third disc (perhaps I'm not loyal enough!) but there are some worthy tracks - each to individual choice. I think 'Cowboys and angels' and 'I can't make you love me' should have reached disc 3 at least as they are fan favourites and defining moments.

All in all, this compilation's lack of certain songs is disappointing - I would have also liked to have seen some of Wham's other key hits like 'I'm your man' and 'the edge of heaven' but I guess this isn't a Wham compilation.

Worth buying though as an introduction.

The music is largely excellent but as a whole, this only gets 3 stars from me. 

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