GEORGE MICHAEL – Listen Without Prejudice/MTV Unplugged Out 20th October

Listen Without Prejudice/MTV Unplugged, the reissue of the late George Michael’s iconic album Listen Without Prejudice Vol.1, released 20th October

 
Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 was Georges second solo album. Arranged, produced and almost completely written by George himself, it eloquently confirmed him as a pioneering, agenda-setting artist. A remastered version of George’s stunning 1996 MTV Unplugged performance will also be available as an album for the very first time as part of the Deluxe box set, 2CD and digital editions. 

George Michael: Freedom airs on Channel 4 on Monday 16th October at 9pm.
G Michael press image credit Caroline True
Peess image credit Caroline True

In celebration of the album’s reissue, Sony Music together with Channel 4 have commissioned George Michael: Freedom a stunning new film, narrated by George. Directed by George Michael and David Austin, Executive Produced by David Austin, Produced by Lisa Johnson and commissioned for Channel 4 by Jonny Rothery, it co-stars Stevie Wonder, Nile Rodgers, Elton John, Mark Ronson, Mary J Blige, Tony Bennett, Liam Gallagher, James Corden, Ricky Gervais, Kate Moss, the Freedom! ’90 video supermodels (Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford, Tatjana Patitz and Linda Evangelista) and more. International distributor BBC Worldwide will also be make the film available to broadcasters around the world. The US premiere will air on Showtime.

‘George Michael: Freedom’ will air on Channel 4 on 16 October at 9.00pm and 19 October at 10.50pm.

A remastered version of George’s stunning 1996 MTV Unplugged performance will also be available as an album for the very first time as part of the Deluxe box set, 2CD and digital editions. The concert took place at the Three Mills Island Studios in East London on Friday 11 October, 1996 and featured George playing ten of his finest songs from the Wham!, Faith,Listen Without Prejudice Vol.1 (Freedom ’90) and Older eras in an intimate setting.  Listen Without Prejudice Vol 1 will also be reissued on vinyl.

Fantasy a reworked single by George Michael featuring Nile Rodgers is currently available to stream and is on A-list rotation on BBC Radio 2.

The staggering success of George’s first solo album Faith resulted in him becoming one of the few artists who could shift millions of albums worldwide.  This, of course, was a dream scenario for the label but George had different plans.  Unable and unwilling to be a 24-hour pop star, constantly in the media spotlight, George felt he needed to follow his artistic instincts regarding how his work should be presented. He decided he would not appear on Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1s album cover or be available to physically promote the album beyond select interviews, but instead gave the label the David Fincher-directed Freedom! ‘90, which featured five of the most recognizable beauties on the planet, lip-syncing in place of George. This resulted in a difference in opinion between George and the label over how the album was promoted.

A multi-platinum-selling worldwide chart-topper which reached Number 1 in the UK (where it outsold Faith and went 4X platinum), Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 was the sound of a precedent-setting, boundary-pushing global superstar going his own way.

Shortly after the album’s release, George met his great love Anselmo Feleppa. His anger at Anselmo’s tragic early death, together with his frustration over how the US label had marketed his album contributed to his decision to embark on the traumatic court case with Sony. This left him blocked creatively for almost two years, during which time he made a conscious decision to channel all his energy into challenging the standard recording contract and fighting a corner for all artists. George lost the case but gained the personal and artistic freedom he craved.

Nearly twenty-seven years on, George and Sony have long reconciled. Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 remains a remarkable, timeless work, from the beautifully judged protest songs Praying For Time and Mothers Pride, to the intimate Cowboys & Angels, via the autobiographical Freedom! ‘90. This was music George Michael felt truly committed to.

‘George Michael: Freedom’ tells the gripping, dramatic story of the making of Listen Without Prejudice Vol 1, the court case which followed and George’s personal struggle and pain as he loses Anselmo. Many have tried and failed, but George succeeded in reuniting the Freedom! ’90 video’s five supermodels. Other contributors include world famous artists such as Stevie Wonder whose They Won’t Go When I Go was Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1’s only cover; Elton John who describes the album as George’s “masterpiece”; Liam Gallagher who says George has “Lennon in him”; Mary J Blige who reminds us that George “broke all the rules for everybody”; Tony Bennett, Nile Rodgers, Mark Ronson, Kate Moss, Tracey Emin, Ricky Gervais, French Vogue editor Emmanuelle Alt, Jean-Paul Gaultier and James Corden. There are contributions from some of the record company executives who were so uncomfortable facing one of their major artists in court and from the case lawyers.

GEORGE MICHAEL – LISTEN WITHOUT PREJUDICE/MTV UNPLUGGED TRACKLISTINGS

3 CD/1 DVD LIMITED EDITION BOX

Includes download codes

CD1 Listen Without Prejudice (Remastered)

1          Praying For Time

2          Freedom! ’90

3          They Won’t Go When I Go

4          Something To Save

5          Cowboys And Angels

6          Waiting For That Day

7          Mother’s Pride

8          Heal The Pain

9          Soul Free

10       Waiting (Reprise)  

CD2 MTV Unplugged

1          Freedom! ’90

2          Fastlove

3          I Can’t Make You Love Me

4          Father Figure

5          You Have Been Loved

6          Everything She Wants

7          Strangest Thing

8          Older

9          Star People

10       Praying For Time

11       Fantasy featuring Nile Rodgers

CD3 B Sides & Rarities

  1. Soul Free (Special Radio Edit)
  2. Freedom! (Back To Reality Mix)
  3. Freedom (Back To Reality Mix Edit)
  4. Fantasy 90
  5. Freedom (Edit)
  6. Cowboys & Angels
  7. If You Were My Woman
  8. Too Funky (Edit)
  9. Crazy Man Dance
  10. Do You Really Want To Know
  11. Happy
  12. Too Funky (Extended)
  13. Too Jazzy (Happy Mix)
  14. Fantasy 98
  15. George Michael with Paul McCartney – Heal The Pain
  16. George Michael with Astrud Gilberto – Desafinado

DVD

  1. The Southbank Show 1990
  2. Freedom! ’90 promo
  3. Praying For Time promo
  4. Freedom 90 MTV 10th Anniversary

 

 
 2CD EDITION

CD1 Listen Without Prejudice (Remastered)

1          Praying For Time

2          Freedom! ’90

3          They Won’t Go When I Go

4          Something To Save

5          Cowboys And Angels

6          Waiting For That Day

7          Mother’s Pride

8          Heal The Pain

9          Soul Free

10       Waiting (Reprise)  

CD2 MTV Unplugged       

1          Freedom! ’90

2          Fastlove

3          I Can’t Make You Love Me

4          Father Figure

5          You Have Been Loved

6          Everything She Wants

7          Strangest Thing

8          Older

9          Star People

10       Praying For Time

11       Fantasy featuring Nile Rodgers

LISTEN WITHOUT PREJUDICE VINYL

SIDE A

1          Praying For Time      

2          Freedom! ’90     

3          They Won’t Go When I Go            

4          Something To Save             

5          Cowboys And Angels

 SIDE B

1          Waiting for That Day

2          Mothers Pride

3          Heal The Pain  

4          Soul Free     

5          Waiting (Reprise)           

George Michael was working on George Michael: Freedom up right until Christmas 2016 and it is his final work.


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