JayCrawford said:

All of it!!

Empress said:

All of it!!

This is the only answer.

All this divisive bullshit is redundant and reductive at this point. GM had one solo record in the 80s. Three in the 90s (only two of which were original material, plus a live EP of covers). And one in the aughts. Anything else was a live set, or a best of type package. The man put out less material, but it was fucking stellar. Symphonica was fucking brilliant and beautiful front to back.

What's next? "Which hairstyle was more interesting?" "What shoe did you prefer: the left or the right?"

It's stupid as hell.

TrivialPursuit said:

JayCrawford said:

What a... [mercy snip]

TrivialPursuit said:

Jay, your threads suck as hard as your opinions. All you are trying to do is to divide.

TrivialPursuit said:

funkaholic1972 said:

funkaholic1972 said:

Jay, your threads suck as hard as your opinions. All you are trying to do is to divide.

Amen.

Empress said:

I have to agree with this. I've been a fan of GM since the early 80's and I have a real soft spot for his solo work as I find the lyrics and maturity of the music stellar. I don't care about his issues with his record company, the quality of his music and voice is what has kept me a fan for all these years.

You nailed it. Artists often talk about how they put themselves into a song, but a lot of stuff is still so generic, it's hard to tell where a fictional story ends and their experiences begin.

But with GM (and others), it's just laid out. He really had a talent that most didn't. And we know a lot of Brit music (not all, calm down y'all) is just trash. It's big over there, but it never really hits in the US. Robbie Williams is a great example. I can think of two RW songs: "Rock DJ" and "Let Me Entertain You," the former of which I can hum, the latter I can't think of any of it. Kylie is another one. Sparse and random hits to the US market, but she's like Madonna everywhere else.

But GM really knew how to write a pop song, albeit a dance song or a ballad, that appealed to people on both sides of the pond. His layering of vocals, harmonies, storylines in songs, plus the visual imagery in videos - it's brilliant stuff.

That Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award that MTV tosses out was originally the George Michael Video Vanguard Award. Two titans putting out amazing videos. I think for imagery, GM wins it. MJ had concepts and stories, GM created living art in his videos.

I used to say, and still stand by it, that Prince put out his best music when he was in conflict. When he got all happy and free, his music declined a tiny bit (IMO). But when he was angry or in a season of change, that's when he really made mind blowing music (eg: SOTT when The Revolution was breaking up; Come, TGE during the darkest days of his WB fight). GM was sorta the same way.

TrivialPursuit said:

Empress said:

I have to agree with this. I've been a fan of GM since the early 80's and I have a real soft spot for his solo work as I find the lyrics and maturity of the music stellar. I don't care about his issues with his record company, the quality of his music and voice is what has kept me a fan for all these years.

You nailed it. Artists often talk about how they put themselves into a song, but a lot of stuff is still so generic, it's hard to tell where a fictional story ends and their experiences begin.

But with GM (and others), it's just laid out. He really had a talent that most didn't. And we know a lot of Brit music (not all, calm down y'all) is just trash. It's big over there, but it never really hits in the US. Robbie Williams is a great example. I can think of two RW songs: "Rock DJ" and "Let Me Entertain You," the former of which I can hum, the latter I can't think of any of it. Kylie is another one. Sparse and random hits to the US market, but she's like Madonna everywhere else.

But GM really knew how to write a pop song, albeit a dance song or a ballad, that appealed to people on both sides of the pond. His layering of vocals, harmonies, storylines in songs, plus the visual imagery in videos - it's brilliant stuff.

That Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award that MTV tosses out was originally the George Michael Video Vanguard Award. Two titans putting out amazing videos. I think for imagery, GM wins it. MJ had concepts and stories, GM created living art in his videos.

I used to say, and still stand by it, that Prince put out his best music when he was in conflict. When he got all happy and free, his music declined a tiny bit (IMO). But when he was angry or in a season of change, that's when he really made mind blowing music (eg: SOTT when The Revolution was breaking up; Come, TGE during the darkest days of his WB fight). GM was sorta the same way.

Kylie Minogue is Australian.

I agree these JC and HD04 Threads are childish and may intend to divide, but they are also a chance to state opinions.

I don't think UK music is mostly trash, some definitely is but a lot of it is just great too. For every Spice Girls and Jive Bunny you have an Oasis or a Duran Duran.

I mean take the big boyband craze of the late 90s - yes the Brits had 5ive, Steps, S club 7 etc - but the USA had Nsync and Backdoor boys too.

I think George Michael is one of the most gifted artists ever, a gifted songwriter and one of the very best voices of all time. Yet even I agree his 80s period was the strongest, while his post 1998 period was his weakest. Songs like Careless Whisper and A different corner along with Faith, Father Figure and Praying for Time stand head and shoulders above Freeak! and Shoot the dog (Funky dance cuts with little lyrical meat).

Part of the reason was the Label hassles and the fact he was taking a lot of drugs and doing daft things like bog cruising and getting stoned. Yet even in the late period you have gems like As and Jesus to a child.

I am also more worried about the high number of George threads being started here, any more and we will be punished with a GM sticky.

Since we are discussing him, I love how Faith in some ways was a Sign deriative with songs like I want your sex and those symbols on the cover are reminsecent of the ones on Sign!

funkypixie said:

Kylie Minogue is Australian.

I understand that. My purpose was to highlight how a lot of non-American music has a certain way about that doesn't always land in the U.S. I didn't mean to imply I thought Kylie was British. I actually wish I clicked more with her music, but goddamn it, it's just so bad sometimes. (not that 100% of American music is stellar). I did take a slight gander at Disco (I think that's her new album), and it was decent. I may give it a listen again while I quilt.

mechanicalemotion17 said:

I love Listen without Prejudice, but I have to say the Faith album is my favourite. The latter album is more positive and upbeat - but LWP has deeper songwriting, Cowboys and Angels, Mothers Pride, Soul Deep and of course Praying for time.

.

I really think the Wham! phase needs some love, Wham! really was 90% George, he wrote most if not all of the songs and its his voice you hear on them (What did Andrew do, just play synth and some guitar and look pretty?). Wham was a 5 or 6 piece group in the early phase with the backing singers Pepsi and Shirley who had a few hits of their own later.