So So Gay
When we think of Wham! here at SoSoGay, like many others, we are reminded of throwing ridiculous shapes on the dance floor towards the end of a big, gay night out.
The UK super-group, led by national treasure George Michael sporting a questionable haircut, will be familiar to many for the odd song or two. Their retro sound is easily associated with 80s themed discos or the odd recognizable hit on VH1 on a Friday evening. However, listening to ‘WHAM! The Final’ reveals that that the boys really do have a good catalogue of music. What we thought might have been a bit of giggly nostaglia turned out to be a solid and enjoyable album.
Wham! are one of the UK’s biggest boy bands to date, and a quick listen to this CD explains just why. Track by track the listener is able to re-live their journey through UK music – we were surprised at the fact almost every song is recognisable on the disc – they hardly sound dated.
Featuring classics such as ‘Careless Whisper’, ‘Everything She Wants’ and ‘I’m Your Man’, the CD could be classed as pop at its cheesiest, but it’s impossible to argue with the fact that this is also cheesy pop at its absolute best. Yes, it is music from decades ago, but we think ‘Wham! The Final’ stands the test of time and would not be out of place on party playlists today. In fact, we intend to continue playing it again after listening to it for review.
The track listing for the CD is as follows:
1. Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do?)
2. Young Guns (Go For It!)
3. Bad Boys
4. Club Tropicana
5. Wake Me Up Before You Go Go
6. Careless Whisper
7. Freedom
8. Last Christmas (Pudding Mix)
9. Everything She Wants (Remix)
10. I’m Your Man
11. A Different Corner
12. Battlestations
13. Where Did Your Heart Go?
14. The Edge Of Heaven
Listening to this greatest hits collection, it is easy to understand how the group scored eleven top tens in the UK (including six number ones), with a combined 25 million records sold across the world. The EP is in parts chirpy, in parts melancholic and downbeat and in others provide you a perfect party atmosphere. Highlights include the Wham! rap, all-time favourite ‘Wake Me Up Before You Go Go’ and the oddly (and yet aptly) ‘pudding remix’ of the classic ‘Last Christmas’. To even the biggest of scrooges, this will bring out the festive fever.
Wham! super-fans may well not need to buy this latest release, as it is a ‘greatest hits’ album and they would therefore be expected to already have all of the classics tracks in their collections. Furthermore, as the catch 22 with all such releases in this vein, a ‘Wham!’ album in 2011 may only appeal to a super-fan to begin with. Whether there is enough reason for you to purchase it yourself, or for whatever reason you hear it playing nearby, you will certainly not be disappointed!
