Essential Albums of the '80s: George Michael - Faith (1987)

It's hard not to feel a little sorry for George Michael. He was one of the '80s biggest pop acts, but lately he's not exactly setting the world on fire. His last top 10 hit in Britain was 7 years ago, in the U.S., it was 15 years ago. His most recent chart activity has been to re-release his 2008 Christmas single, which isn't anything near as grand as Wham's "Last Christmas." When he's in the news, it's usually for having done something risque, illegal or both.

So it's nice to see that this special remastered re-release of Faith has given Michael his best press in years. I opted for the 2-disc set with a DVD of his videos, but it's also available as just a 2-CD (original album plus a remixes disc) and a limited edition set with all sorts of memorabilia. I've seen lots of major outlets review the album, all generally lavishing it with praise as a landmark '80s pop album, which, frankly it is. Listening to it intently over the last week just underscored for me what a great work of pop music it is.

There isn't a bad track here, but mostly it's the singles that shine the brightest. From the opening church organ that kicks off the minimalist, uptempo title track, the album grabs your attention and never lets go. Seductive "Father Figure" is followed by controversial "I Want Your Sex" and then emotionally bare "One More Try." All of these are excellent songs--most of them were also #1 hits. Musically, it's clear this is an '80s album, but there is a timelessness to many of the songs as well. Only "Monkey" feels absolutely stuck in time, especially the Shep Pettibone remix, although that's not really a strike against it.

The album's second half isn't quite as golden as its first, but still offers quite a few decent tracks. Many people forget that "Hard Day" wasn't actually a single--had they released a seventh, it would have been the obvious contender. Silky "Hand to Mouth" glides along its mid-tempo drum programming and glossy keyboard chords. The more assertive "Look at Your Hands" offers up contrasting horns and electric guitar, although it sounds like it was recorded in a warehouse. Michael closes the set with "Kissing a Fool," a retro-sounding ballad that typifies the jazz-pop sound he would return to frequently on later albums.

As a solo debut after the collapse of Wham!, Faith proved without a doubt that George Michael was more than just a pretty face who could sell magazines to teen girls (and teen boys). He wrote and produced the album, which is quite an achievement, considering its varied sound. Although his next two albums, Listen Without Prejudice (1990) and Older (1996), were also quite good, it was Faith that was his crowning achievement.

My personal story with Faith is worth sharing. Of course I wanted the album back in 1988, but my parents wouldn't let me have it because they thought it was too risque. This was unusual, as my parents weren't in the habit of censoring my media, but whatever. Sometimes parents just like to assert their parental authority. But the gay pop music gods were shining down on me. One weekend when my family was gardening in the front yard, my mom handed me a cassette someone had discarded in the bushes, and lo and behold, it was George Michael's Faith. "Do you know what this is?" asked my mother. I played dumb. "I dunno. I'll go inside and play it and probably throw it out." Of course I listened to it nonstop. The copy retrieved from the shrubs was missing the insert and I guess my mom didn't bother to look at the actual cassette itself. "I Want Your Sex" was a bit distorted at one point from the dirt that had caked onto the tape, but otherwise it played fine. Eventually I bought a better copy from, of all places, a church sale. I guess they took a broad interpretation to spreading "faith." And yes, I had George Michael's poster on my bedroom ceiling. Right next to Madonna.

Best: Faith, Father Figure, One More Try, I Want Your Sex, Hard Day, Monkey.

Further listening

Wham! - Make it Big (1984)

Definitely more carefree than Faith and although not as good, this was the album that made George Michael and his co-conspirator Andrew Ridgeley international stars. "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" and "Freedom" are '60s-kissed pieces of pop candy that taste great with every bite. Moodier "Everything She Wants" points more to George Michael's potential as a serious pop musician. I've always really liked it, actually, as it's a sexy song with great bass keyboards (we used to walk to it on the runway when I was a kid model). As good as that is, soulful closing number "Careless Whisper" is even better. A true '80s pop classic. Best: Careless Whisper, Everything She Wants, Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, Freedom.

Music of 1990: December

This is the last of this series. If I have time, I have an albums post I'd also like to do.

United States

In the US, the biggest hit of December was Stevie B's "Because I Love You (The Postman Song)," far and away the singer's biggest hit, although not his only one. He had a couple of singles that reached the top 40 in 1989. In 1990, he hit #29 with "Love Me for Life," then #15 with "Love and Emotion" before finally reaching #1 with hits fifth top 40 hit. "Because I Love You" is a tender love ballad with minimal instrumentation--pretty much just keyboard, synthesizer and some light drumming. Although it was one of the year's biggest hits, in retrospect, it's a pretty lightweight song that doesn't really hold up. Stevie B followed it up with his second-biggest hit, "I'll Be By Your Side," which hit #12 in early 1991, and he had one more top 40 single in 1995.



With "I'm Your Baby Tonight," Whitney Houston worked with Babyface to transform her '80s pop sound into an edgier '90s R&B/pop sound. It's a great track, one that I've actually appreciated more with age. It became the singer's 8th #1 hit in early December, the first single from her third album, also titled I'm Your Baby Tonight.



After reviving her pop music career in 1989 with the #1 hit "Wind Beneath My Wings," Bette Midler released Some People's Lives in 1990, which became the most successful album of her career. Its first single, "From a Distance," was a major hit for the singer, hitting #2 and receiving a Grammy Award nomination for Record of the Year.



The coolest hit single of December 1990 was Suzanne Vega's "Tom's Diner." As remixed by DNA, it gave Vega her second and last major pop single, following her #3 hit from 1987, "Luka." (see the August post in the UK section for more info).

Wilson Phillips finished out 1990 with a third top 5 hit, "Impulsive," another mid-tempo pop song, although by hitting #4, it was their first single to miss the top spot. They would have one more #1 hit in 1991, "You're in Love," before their chart fortunes would fade away (although, as John will attest from his recent interview with them(!), they are still around and going strong).

Rockers Poison had their last major hit with the ballad "Something to Believe In," which hit #4. It was their sixth and last top 10 hit. Two more top 40 singles from 1990 album followed in 1991, but weren't major hits.

George Michael's "Freedom '90" was another notable release from the singer. This, more than any other track on Listen Without Prejudice, stated his desire to step away from the sexy pop singer image cultivated for Faith, to make music on his own terms. The video, like that for "Praying for Time," does not feature Michael, although it does include images of Michael burning the props from his Faith days, including his iconic leather jacket going up in flames and the jukebox from the "Faith" video exploding. The video also features a number of big-name supermodels lipsynching to Michael's lyrics, including Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford and Linda Evangelista. Such a great song--another one that I appreciate more today than when it came out.



United Kingdom

In Britain, the biggest single of the month was Vanilla Ice's "Ice Ice Baby," a recent US #1 that spent 3 weeks at #1 in the UK. It relinquished the top spot for Cliff Richard's "Saviour's Day," which was the Christmas #1. The single was Richard's 13th #1 hit and third Christmas #1. His most recent #1 hit in 1999, "Millennium Prayer," gave the singer his 14th #1. At present, he is tied with Westlife for the third most #1 hits after Elvis Presley (21) and The Beatles (17). Madonna is a close fifth with 13 chart-toppers.

Speaking of Madge, she had a hit in December, "Justify My Love," which reached #2. The track was the first single released from The Immaculate Collection, her greatest hits set released in late 1990. That album deserves its own entry (I really need to write that too, okay this series is going to extend into 1991 a bit). "Justify My Love" is sexy spoken-word song with a minimal arrangement produced by Andre Betts and Lenny Kravitz, the latter also doing backing vocals. The song is great of course, but it was its racy video that got it the most attention. As directed by Jean-Baptiste Mondino, the video was stylishly filmed in grainy and black and white and featured highly sexualized images of Madonna and other leather-cladded friends (including her then-boyfriend, Tony Ward) romping through an old hotel. Famously, MTV banned the video, which led it to be released on videocassette as the first ever video single. It sold handsomely.



English indie rock band EMF achieved major mainstream success with "Unbelievable," an upbeat track that hit #3 in Britain and, the following year, #1 in the US. Another British band, The Farm, also had their biggest hit in December with "All Together Now," which hit #4. The song was inspired by the famous Christmas Day truce of World War I during which soldiers from both sides put down their arms and actually met in "no man's land" to exchange gifts.



Rod Stewart and Tina Turner teamed up for a top 5 remake of "It Takes Two," a song originally released in the '60s by Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston. Despite Stewart being pretty big in the US at the time, this was not released there. As cool as that is, my vote for coolest hit single in Britain for December goes to "Falling" by Julee Cruise. The austere, synth-laden track, in its instrumental form, was the theme song to the acclaimed but short-lived series Twin Peaks. It's quite lovely and it's cool that it was a hit. In the US, the single was popular on modern rock stations, but was not a mainstream hit.



Also reaching the top 10 in December were "Mary Had a Little Boy" (#8) by Snap!, the group's fourth top 10 hit, and "This One's for the Children" (#9), another top 10 hit for New Kids on the Block, which had been a US hit the previous holiday season.

Finally there was "Wicked Game" by Chris Isaak (#10), a seductive song with a gentle guitar melody under his expressive, crooning vocal. The single was also a top 10 hit in the US the following year. Its black and white video, directed by Herb Ritts, is certainly the sexiest music video ever made.

1990 Album Review: George Michael - Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 (5/5)

Faith was a massive commercial success, particularly in the US, where it went 10 times platinum and scored six top 5 hits, including four #1s. Apparently daunted by its success, George Michael took a new path for the album's follow-up, Listen Without Prejudice, penning a collection of more serious songs with a more acoustic sound. Some people didn't like it--it wasn't nearly the hit that Faith was--but others, like myself, found it enthralling. "Praying for Time," a US #1, pushes for social consciousness amid layers of keyboard chords and acoustic guitars. "Freedom," also a top 10 hit, as well as "Waiting for That Day," sample James Brown's "Funky Drummer" beat to great effect. "Freedom," in particular, is as potent, funky and upbeat as anything from Faith. Although at the time it was viewed as a personal statement of George Michael wanting freedom from his iconic image--a story portrayed in the song's video by burning his iconic leather jacket--it later took on new meaning once Michael came out of the closet. "Waiting for That Day" is as tinged with hope as it is with retro sensibility, making it another fantastic track.

There's some great ballads here too. "They Won't Go Where I Go" can be a bit gloomy, but reaches a poignant emotional peak at its bridge. "Cowboys and Angels" is a particular highlight, employing the style of romantic jazz that Michael has used to such great effect both earlier ("Kissing a Fool") and later ("You Have Been Loved"). Sparsely instrumented "Mother's Pride," a tribute to fathers and sons lost to war, became an anthem for families with relatives serving in the Gulf War. Although it's just a reprise, "Waiting" is as emotionally involved as any of the songs that precede it. The album was a stunning work for its new direction, personal yet enigmatic sentiments and overall quality.

Best: Freedom, Cowboys and Angels, Praying for Time, Waiting for That Day, Mother's Pride