Fantastic

by Wham!

Overview

Fantastic is the misguided 1983 debut release from the U.K. duo Wham. With Fantastic, George Michael and partner Andrew Ridgeley introduced themselves as leather jacket-clad, street-smart "rebels." This approach proved wildly popular in the U.K., where Fantastic was a Top Ten hit, but the album went largely unnoticed in the States. While Fantastic showcases the ability of the young (20 at the time of the album's release) George Michael to craft engaging, hook-filled melodies, much of the material on Fantastic suffers from the duo's pretentious, tough-guy posturing. The empty funk of the U.K. hits "Bad Boys," "Young Guns (Go for It)," and the embarrassing "Wham Rap" barely registers, and Michael's smart-aleck, self-conscious lyrics are often unintentionally hilarious. Although Michael eventually became well-known as a reasonably successful emulator of R&B trends, neither these tunes nor Fantastic's stupefying remake of the Miracles' "Love Machine" give any indication of his abilities. At best, Fantastic can be viewed as a testament to George Michael's maturity. "Nothing Looks the Same in the Light" and "Club Tropicana," two of Fantastic's best tunes, lean toward the lush, adult pop of Michael's later solo work. Fortunately, Michael and Ridgeley would later ditch the superficial, leather-jacketed approach for the more sophisticated pop of later Wham releases like "Everything She Wants" and "Freedom" (both from 1984's Make It Big) and "The Edge of Heaven" (from 1986's Music From the Edge of Heaven), finding major U.S. success in the process. Fantastic isn't a good album, but it's oddly entertaining. It's certainly interesting hearing the difference between the frothy Fantastic and Michael's later, "serious" solo work like Listen Without Prejudice and Older. And Fantastic is also good for a few chuckles. Unfortunately, that probably wasn't George Michael's intention. But even he might get a good laugh out of it. ~ William Cooper

Product Details

Release Date:	03/22/2024
Label:	Sony Music
UPC:	0196588150111

Tracks

1. Bad Boys
2. A Ray of Sunshine
3. Love Machine
4. Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do?) [Special U.S. Remix]
5. Club Tropicana
6. Nothing Looks the Same In the Light
7. Come On!
8. Young Guns (Go for It!)

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Wham!   Primary Artist
Bob Carter   Keyboards,Keyboards,Shouts
Jess Bailey   Keyboards
Geoff Daley   Horn
Tony Jackson   Vocals (Background)
Paul Ridgeley   Guitar,Shouts
Katie Kassoon   Vocals (Background)
Stevie Langer   Vocals (Background)
J. Healey   Horn
Iain MacKintosh   Horn
Chris Hunter   Horn
Ian Ritchie   Horn
Luis Jardim   Percussion
Roddy Lorimer   Horn
Josie James   Vocals (Background)
Katie Kissoon   Vocals (Background)
Jimmy Chambers   Vocals (Background)
Ruby Mason   Vocals (Background)
Tommy Eyre   Keyboards
Martin Drover   Horn
Linda Hayes   Vocals (Background)
Guy Barker   Horn
George Michael   Shouts,Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Anne Dudley   Keyboards
Brad Lang   Bass
Andy Duncan   Drums,Percussion
Andrew Ridgeley   Guitar,Shouts
Graham Broad   Drums
Robert Ahwai   Guitar
Andrew MacKintosh   Horn
Stevie Lange   Vocals (Background)
Baps   Horn
Colin Graham   Horn
John MacKenzie   Bass
Dave Mortimer   Shouts
Shirlie Holliman   Vocals (Background)
George Chandler   Vocals (Background)
Sylvia Mason   Vocals (Background)
Raoul ?   Horn
Dion Estes   Bass,Vocals (Background)
Bert Ezard   Horn
D.C. Lee   Vocals (Background)
Tony Moroni   Percussion
Trevor Murrell   Drums
Paul Cox   Horn

Technical Credits

Linton Ace   String Arrangements
Ian Ritchie   Horn Arrangements
Warren "Pete" Moore   Composer
George Michael   Arranger,Composer,Musician,Producer,Horn Arrangements
William Griffin   Composer
Steve Brown   Producer
Andrew Ridgeley   Arranger,Composer
Janusz Guttner   Photography
Bob Carter   Producer,Producer
Chris Craymer   Photography