Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
Release Date: July 7th 2023
Reviewed by: Joshua Andre
Wham!– The Singles: Echoes from the Edge of Heaven (Expanded) (Amazon mp3/iTunes)
Track Listing:
- Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do?)
- Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do?) [Club Mix]
- Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do?) [Social Mix]
- Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do?) [Unsocial Mix]
- Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do?) [Special US Remix]
- Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do?) [Special Club Remix]
- Young Guns (Go for It!)
- Go for It!
- Young Guns (Go for It!) [12″ Mix]
- Bad Boys
- Bad Boys (Instrumental)
- Club Tropicana
- Blue (Armed with Love)
- Club Tropicana (Instrumental)
- Club Fantastic Megamix
- A Ray of Sunshine (Instrumental Remix)
- Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go
- Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go (Instrumental)
- Freedom
- Freedom (Instrumental)
- Freedom (Long Mix)
- Last Christmas (Single Version)
- Everything She Wants
- Last Christmas (Pudding Mix)
- Everything She Wants (Remix)
- I’m Your Man
- Do It Right (Instrumental)
- I’m Your Man (Extended Stimulation)
- I’m Your Man (Acappella)
- The Edge Of Heaven
- Wham! Rap ’86
- Battlestations
- Where Did Your Heart Go?
Wham!, a pop duo in the 80’s, where pretty big in their hey-day. George Michael (who then forged on to be a successful solo artist) and Andrew Ridgeley, created 3 chart topping albums and respected bodies of work in the U.K. and globally around the world. The band split up when George went solo, but the duo lived on through many of their hit singles- the original Christmas tune “Last Christmas” in particular. With deluxe edition albums and however-old-anniversary-edition albums being re-recorded and remastered of late (with Taylor Swift leading the way with her may ‘Taylor’s Version’ renditions of albums!), it’s time for the label to compile a set of songs for yet another updated ‘greatest hits’ package. The Singles: Echoes from the Edge of Heaven (Expanded) released this past July; and while I’m not the most avid fan of Wham!, I thought to myself… why not? This will be another year where I expand my musical tastes beyond what I am comfortable with; so why not dive deep into a 33 track project that I literally know nothing about?
You know the saying- the more you proclaim that you know or think you know, the more you realise you don’t know and never will. I don’t think that’s the saying at all- perhaps I am paraphrasing it a bit. But the essence of the saying is that there is so much information out there- in terns of music, movies, TV shows, podcasts, sports, even YouTube videos; and sometimes you have to quit while you’re ahead. Pick the music you want to listen to, the show you want to watch, the movies you want to see, the books you want to read… and then go bypass everything else. I know it’s harsh, simply because sometimes you might want to check out that new artist or revisit that artist you never had time to listen to. But often, maybe 9 times out of 10; there might not be any reason to check out something new than to satisfy your morbid curiosity. This is the case with Wham!. There were only a few songs that I knew about… and diving into a 33 track greatest hits project, consisting of multiple remixes; was an exercise that did make me objectively appreciate their music but subjectively was an experience that I was indifferent to.
That’s not to say that Wham! Is a bad band. No, not by any means, But this release and listening to it and reviewing it felt like a chore and a bore. It shouldn’t have been, but perhaps one of the reasons why it seemed dated and out of place was because it is. There are no re-recorded songs, no guest vocalists, and it seems to me that these recordings were done before, just dusted from the archives. And unlike forthcoming albums from Switchfoot and Casting Crowns, the lead singer for Wham! is dead. And this means that the only thing the label can do is remastering. It’s not the label’s fault with this album. There’s only so much you can do with remastering and remastering. But this means that what could feel fresh in the 80’s feels stale right now. “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go”, “Last Christmas” and “Freedom” somewhat have stood the test of time, and for a greatest hits project, it’s nice to hear lesser known songs and be reminded of what could have been. But if you’re looking for an album to be proud of and spin around at dinner parties to all of your hip friends… this isn’t it. Unless they love George Michael too!
3 songs to listen to: Wake Me Up Before You Go Go, Last Christmas, Freedom
Score: 3/5
RIYL: Robbie Williams, George Michael, Guy Sebastian, Westlife, Josh Groban, Boyzone, Backstreet Boys