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.
Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 was George’s
second solo album. Arranged, produced and almost completely written by
George himself, it eloquently confirmed him as a pioneering,
agenda-setting artist.
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. 1’s 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 worldwi de 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 Mother’s 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.