This is one of those lost albums... I'd love to see it get released sometime, although who knows how many of the songs have already been released. From what I understand, Vol. 2 was to be more dance-oriented than Vol. 1. After some disagreements with Sony, some of the tracks were included on Red Hot and Dance (Too Funky, Happy, and Do I Really Want To Know), so I'm guessing Crazyman Dance (the b-side to Too Funky) may have also been considered for Vol. 2.

Anyone know any more details? Was the album finished? What other songs were included? Is the info I have correct?

All I know is that it didn't happen because of his "issues" with Sony and that indeed some of the tracks ended up on other projects. I've no idea how close to completion the album was, tho'.


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[Edited 8/18/05 7:36am]

Sony sucks.

They screwed up the release of this album, then they messed with Will Smith and now Michael Jackson..Gosh this label is so $ hungry it is disgusting.

I've always wondered when Vol.2 would appear but didn't realise many of the tracks released around this period were intended for it. Interesting.

booyah said:

In a nutshell, all of the tracks you listed were slated for Listen...Volume 2. When George and Sony started fueding, he donated those three tracks to the Red Hot project, and then threw on "Crazyman Dance" as a B-side to get out all of the completed tracks. From what I understand, there were a few more tracks worked on, but these four were the only completed ones.

The released tracks, supposedly, are very representative of what the disc would have sounded like. It was going to be a sharp contrast to Vol. 1, focusing on more straitfoward dance numbers. Too bad, since I LOVE all the songs from those sessions.

JediMaster said:

JediMaster said:

Yeah, me too. I wonder if any of the other unfinished tracks were re-worked later for Older, or if they're just sitting in the vault somewhere. The rest of GM's output at the time was made up of live tracks, which were stand-alone and unlikely to be on Listen... Vol. 2.

booyah said:

Probably unlikely. Older is a very sombre album.

booyah said:

From what I understand, no. None of the Vol 2 songs were included on Older, and that album was made up of material he had done in the two years prior to its release. Now, I'm not nearly as up on George's material as I am Prince's, so I can't be sure, but this is what I've read.

Well at least with those four songs we essentially have a "listen without prejudice EP" ... you could look at it like the bonus EP that comes with "Songs In The Key of Life.

So would any of the tracks from the "Five Live" EP been included?

I'm thinking probably not - but is it possible...?

Can't see that being possible. The Five live project was completely separate from the LIP2 project. Certainly none of the Queen covers. Killer/Papa Was a Rolling Stone? Hmmm. I haven't heard that in years as I never replaced my copy of 5 Live after some girl ganked it from me. Is it a dance number?

smokeverbs said:

I don't think it is a dance number as much as it is a live number, from what I heard from the samples on Amazon.

jasonstar said:

It's a live cover of Seal/Adamski's hit Killer, with the second half being the beat of Killer with the lyrics of Papa Was A Rolling Stone. As a huge Seal fan from way back, it was a thrill to hear George give him respect. But no, this would have been completely out of place on a studio album.

I thought Listen Without Prejudice 2 was put on hold in favor of "Extended Plaything", which was the album that was supposed to include all of the dance oriented material that ended up on Red Hot + Dance.

piepie1976 said:

Never heard of this. Do tell me more.

I remember when I was a kid, listening to the weekly Top 40, and the DJ was talking about the new George Michael album coming. And I got excited cuz I was really looking forward to LWP2. Then he said THAT album would be put on hold for a new dance album by George with the working title, "Extended Plaything."

Being "connected", I have a bootleg copy of Georgie's follow-up to Listen Without Prejudice Volume 2. It came out a few years ago, after everyone had moved on to more significant artists. I put it on when I need a good laugh. As with most everything after "Faith" he sings as if sincerity is dribbling out of his arse. Here is the tracklist:


1. Praying for More Time
2. Don't Flush My Heart (Down the Crapper)
3. Flash Me (And I'll Flash You)
4. I'll Show My Ass If You'll Like Me Again, America
5. (I'm Truly) Soul Free
6. Take Me Back, Andy
7. Playing Piano Earnestly
8. If I Could Sing (I Would Sing You a Song)
9. Hey Where Are You Going (Please Come Back)
10. Freedom'96