Scorp said:

that's the thing though, the Whitney album did not take Whitney to greater heights because her debut album "Whitney Houston" was her best selling album.....

w/the exception of George Michael who didn't release his first major album until 1987.....

1987 marked the beginning of music's overall decline compared to the period that proved to be its apex some 2-3 years earlier....music started to decline in increments beginning that year but cleverly disguised through the years of the music video

the Pop ascension led to immediate downward sales for Michael Jackson, Prince, Whitney, Lionel Richie, and eventually other stalwart contributors such as the late George Michael.....

HIs album faith sold 25 million copies worldwide just like Michael Jackson's Bad did.....

But after that mark, George MIchael was pressed by the Pop ascension mold and he never had another studio album that sold over 10 million copies...

1987 was the beginning of music's decline to what we are seeing today.

Not really true. George was in Wham! which in reality was 99% him, he wrote most of the songs, did 90% of the singing and the whole sound and feel of Wham! was him Andrew played guitar and some keyboards, but it always seems to be George's voice on the songs.

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The first Wham! album Fantastic was a band effort, with George and the female backing singers Pepsi and Shirley doing all the vocals, Andrew and a couple of other guys took care of the rhythm section. From the start they were promoting the sex combination of George and Andrew out front.

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Like George, Andrew Ridgeley was also of an exotic background, having an Italian/Egyptian father Mario Rashik (Changed to Ridgeley to sound less "wog") and was clearly eye candy, but had very little musical talent. Unlike George Andrew was very straight.

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Fantastic was not a big seller outside of the UK, and only sold a few hundred thousand on release in mid 1983. Sales took off after Careless Whisper though and it was a couple of million.

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The second album - Make it big, was more George and less Pepsi and Shirley and Andrew. The sound was more synthesised, and thus the rhythm section was dispensed with. Also the smash hit Careless Whisper was released as George Michael solo tune and went way beyond the kiddie pop/boy band sound of most of the Wham! material (Although it was great). They then hit big with Wake me up before you go go!, which was a global smash and #1 everywhere and became iconic for its "Choose Life" tshirts and general mid 1980s colourful ness and the poppy upbeat sound of the song with George's incredible singing.

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They kept the momentum up through 1984 and into 1985, with 4 or 5 more big hits. In 1985 they went to China, but George wanted to move away from the boy band sound and do more mature and thoughtful music. There was a 1 year hiatus in new music between I'm your man and "A different corner" and the latter song was a moodier more introspective GM solo number. At the same time, George sang backing vocals on Elton's hit Nikita, which went Top 10 in late 1985.

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In May 1986, they announced that Wham! would be breaking up, which angered and scared a lot of young fans. A new collection - The Final was released with 10 of their biggest hits and 5 new songs including the new hit - A different corner and the next hit "Edge of Heaven". Wham! played their farewell concert in London in July 1986 and then it was over. The Final album sold at least 10 million copies worldwide and was a major album for GM, along with "Make it Big" which also went multiplatinum.

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In mid 1986 George started writing and recording the songs that became "Faith", yet he also recorded a duet with Aretha Franklin which promptly went platinum and another Global hit at the start of1987. Then the first single from Faith - I want your sex was rushed released in June 1987, in promotion of the Beverley Hills Cop 2 movie. It was another smash and by the time, the album and single dropped a few months later - Faith! was a big hit.

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Faith was another smash single, with the uber cool video and then came Father figure, one of the most mature sounding songs ever, this was followed by "One More Try" and all 3 of these songs were Top 5 or #1 on global charts. The 5th single Monkey did less well, but is still one of his catchiest songs ever. About drug addiction, the song hinted at George's only developing drug problems. The momentum from faith carried through until the end of 1988, and 1989 was the first year where we were not met with a deluge of George Michael material.

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Of course July 1990 saw the release of Praying for time, which was another Global number 1. The album Listen without Prejudice 2 was great as well, but many of the fans who bought Faith, did not get it and Sony did not promote it much. Freedom 90 was less of a smash (But still a decent hit) and then the next singles were essentially flops. George joked about this calling the album "Listen without Purchasing" - still the album sold some 4 million copies globally.

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It proved George was more of a singles artist than an album one, as through to the millennium at least, George Michael would have hit after hit, but only really ahd 3 major albums - Faith was his Rubicon, he knew he could never top that, but the Wham! albums Make it big (1984) and The Final (1986) are pretty much George Michael albums.