as a fan of his since the Wham ! days I am sooo disappointed at the quality of his recent output....his new single is so forgettable and it just goes on and on.....and didnt he say only a year ago he wasnt releasing cds anymore ????? looking forward to his concerts later in the year (if he can keep his act together)

As with loads of talented people that have too much money and get out of touch with every day life, he started believing his own press.

Sad. He should lay off the pot, really. He should go out dancing and romancing. The last great thing he did was a cruise-song, go figure.

peppeken said:

I think its all the drugs...smoking that weed and doing god knows what...And also he purposely seems to not want to make "catchy pop" music. He seems to be going against his greatest strengths. IMO

I liked Patience.

GangstaFam said:

I did too but it just seems like he is going out of his way to be too serious and an "artist" I think he needs to realize he already is....screw the critics

some of 'patience' was classic George, such as ''my mother had a brother', but it is the first cd of his which has tracks I just cant listen to, such as 'cars and girls' (or whatever it's called) ...even his bsides from 'Older' singles were better than 'amazing' and 'flawless'' e.g. 'still' and ''you know that I want to''

peppeken said:

"Cars and Trains" is one of the best songs on there.

GangstaFam said:

That's my fave on that album. Really shoulda been a single.

Cloudbuster said:

Wasn't it the main song of an EP that came out?

GangstaFam said:

I thought that was John & Elvis Are Dead.

peppeken said:

No, he hasn't lost his talent, just some of his focus. I agree with you that the latest single is the worst single he's ever released (lyrics read like chatshow transcript circa 1998, and the music is dull), but I think it's a temporary blip. 70% of Patience was superb, and I credit him with writing the most surreal protest song ever in "Shoot The Dog". His voice is still sublime and he has a knack of writing infectious, hook-laden songs which, at their best, hark back to classic Motown.

As for this "I'm never releasing another album again" bollocks, don't forget that this is the same guy who took Sony to court and vowed never to record for them again, only to release his latest album on the label. He's a temperamental guy prone to histrionic outbursts and quite a large dose of self-pity. But, you know what? He's the same guy who's written "Fastlove", "Everything She Wants", "Praying for Time", "Father Figure", "Shoot The Dog", "Outside", "A Different Corner" and "jesus to A Child", so he's allowed to wallow in whatever trough of moroseness he wants.

Enjoy the gig. I will.
[Edited 6/30/06 4:44am]

Cloudbuster said:

Maybe you're right. I'll have to check.

peppeken said:

Lost his talent? Bite your tongue!!

George may not be a media hound and we all know he doesn't like to tour, but the man has more natural talent than most artists out there. His voice is stunning and his ability to write meaningful, profound lyrics just gets better and better.

Yes, George has had some problems in the past. I think the loss of his lover several years ago sent him into a downward spiral and I also believe he suffers from depression (just my opinion), but he is more talented now that he's ever been, especially since his Wham days!

I will never lose interest in his music (unless he decides to become a country singer or rapper )

.
[Edited 6/30/06 7:45am]

kisscamille said:

Hey, great post...at least someone who acknowledges that sometimes the ups and downs in life can indeed affect an artist´s or anybody´s , behaviour and output.
The guy lost his mother, his lover and he´s a sensitive Cancer on top of all that.
I have great respect for people like him or Prince who´ve been through a lot of tragedies and still come out as quite strong and victorious.
No wonder he smokes pot....I´m surprised he isn´t on other drugs.

At least he admits he´s got a pot habit, he´s not really proud of it.
I can fully relate tro that.

KoolEaze said:

I don't believe there is anything wrong with smoking a little pot once in a while. It's the harder drugs that will ruin a person.

I forgot that he lost his mom too. I think he's a troubled man, but he has enormous talent and yes I agree that he seems extremely sensitive and caring.

I have not heard his new stuff, so I may be speaking out of turn.

But it sounds like he is trying to market/project a more mature image. Unfortunately, his poor behavior and sad personal circumstances indicate otherwise.

He has not lost his talent - he has lost his way. Personally and professioanlly.

It's just one lousy song. It happens sometimes, doesn't mean his whole career is over. George Michael has a wonderful voice, and has always put out solid albums overall, despite the occasional boring track here and there.

He needs to lay off whatever he is smoking!
I saw the video for this song a few days ago and it was lame and forgetable. I'm hoping this is just a dip in his form. I loved 'Patience', except every song was about a minute too long.