Hug Me Baby

About 11 years ago I moved into a flat with my then girlfriend (who has since become my wife). There are many arduous tasks associated with starting up a home-particularly when you've only been dating for six weeks (yes I know)-but few things cause as much strife as the "merging the record collections". Do you write your name on them all in case it doesn't work out, and she tries to do a runner with your cherished copy of Head Hands & Feet's Old Soldiers Never Die ? What order do you put them in -alphabetical, chronological, order of preference? Whichever one you choose it's likely to be wrong. In the end I just put all of Trish's CDs (she's too young to get records) in a rack on their own-mainly because I thought they were bloody awful- an over abundance of Take That & compilations with Rubik's cubes on the front. And every one of these compilations had one thing in common-Wham! would inevitably feature on all of them.

I didn't like Wham! In my defence there was no earthly reason why I should-as a 12 year old I liked Iron Maiden & Van Halen-bands for teenage males with raging hormones. Wham! were a group for girls-no man could be seen wondering around with a copy of Make It Big, with its Voguesque cover and those hairdos. As I progressed into my twenties and thirties I still didn't get the "George Michael is a genius" claims from girlfriends, popsters-even my Father In Law. Yes he had a nice voice but he was no more a songwriting genius than Gary Barlow (and don't get me started on him.....) But when I saw a copy of Make It Big in my local charity shop for a pound yesterday I felt it only fair that I should go back and listen without prejudice.....

It doesn't start well. I've always hated Wake Me Up Before You Go Go- the line "don't leave me hanging on like a yo-yo " is right up there with Duran Duran's "you're about as easy as a nuclear war" when it comes to terrible lyrics. And there was the video too-those bloody Choose Life T-Shirts and enough hair lacquer to single handedly destroy the ozone layer...Even as I approach 45, it still brings me out in hives.

And I've never liked. Careless Whisper either-mainly because of the saxophone, which sounds like it's been airbrushed to within an inch of its life. And there's the "literal" storytelling video, which like so many 1980s videos now seems surplus to requirements. A standard it may be, but it's one that still had me reaching for the mute button.

Thankfully things do get a lot better. One thing you could never accuse George of is having poor taste in covers. When I discovered The Isley Brothers 3+3 about 25 years ago I knew I had heard If You Were There before-and George's vocal is up there with the Isleys-sweet and heavenly.

The 12 year old me would die if he heard me saying this-but Freedom is a fantastic pop single-nostalgic yes but a smashing attempt to recreate the joy of 60s pop. George's vocal is fantastic-tender, soulful and the refrain "hug me baby" could have come from any Motown 45 you care to mention......

But if Make It Big has a crowning glory it is Everything She Wants-the tale of a man stuck in a bad relationship where he appears to be doing all of the work and getting no thanks. "If my best isn't good enough than how can it be good enough for two"....I've been there, and I suspect you have too. Slung away on the B-Side of Last Christmas-it may be the one performance in George Michael's career that can be labelled "genius". https://youtu.be/Yf_Lwe6p-Cg So...is Make It Big likely to rival Get Happy!! As my favourite album soon? No. But it has taught me that George Michael was a talented songwriter & performer, with a magnificent soulful voice. So much better than Gary Barlow. And a finer human being too. Thanks George-rest in peace.