Showing posts with label Andrew Ridgeley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Andrew Ridgeley. Show all posts

Sunday, June 12, 2022

Book Review: Wham! George Michael and Me


In 1975 Andrew took a shy new boy at school under his wing. They instantly hit it off, and their boyhood escapades at Bushy Meads School built a bond that was never broken. The duo found themselves riding an astonishing roller coaster of success, taking them all over the world. They made and broke iconic records, they were treated like gods, but they stayed true to their friendship and ultimately to themselves. It was a party that seemed as if it would never end. And then it did, in front of tens of thousands of tearful fans at Wembley Stadium in 1986.

Andrew Ridgeley—one half of one of the most famous bands in the world—tells the inside story of Wham!, his lifelong friendship with George Michael, and the formation of a band that changed the shape of the music scene in the early eighties. Andrew’s memoir covers in wonderful detail those years, up until that last iconic concert: the scrapes, the laughs, the relationships, the good, and the bad. It’s a unique and one-and-only time to remember that era, that band, and those boys.

Friday, July 1, 2016

Wham! - Music From the Edge of Heaven

Today (July 1st) marks the thirtieth anniversary of Music From the Edge of Heaven, the third and final studio album in the 1980's from Wham! This 1986 record went to number 10 on the US Billboard Album chart (with a twenty-eight week total run) and number 9 in Canada and Japan. North America and Japan were the only marks for this release; the rest of the world got The Final on May 31st, 1986, instead (which was a greatest hits compilation with four identical tracks from this album also included).

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Wham! - Make It Big

Today (October 23rd) marks the thirtieth anniversary of Make It Big, the second studio album from Wham! The multi-Platinum seller hit number 5 in France and Germany, number 4 in Austria, and number 3 in Sweden. It held the number 1 spot on the charts in Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the UK. It also went to number 1 here in the US, with a total of eighty weeks on the Billboard Album chart.

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Wham! - Fantastic (30th anniversary)


Today (July 9th) marks the thirtieth anniversary of Fantastic, the debut album from the boys from Wham! (Andrew Ridgeley and George Michael).

For the full details of my review of this album, one which I played a ton over the 80's, click here.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Wham! - Fantastic


Before Wham! “made it big” with their second studio album, George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley (along with over a dozen musicians and a few back-up singers) released their 1983 debut album (on July 9th) that was - appropriately titled - Fantastic. Powered by a trio of singles that quickly became dance club favorites, the duo was soon on their way to international super-stardom.

The album charted at number 83 on the US Billboard Hot 200, eventually going Gold. It also reached number 25 in Switzerland, number 17 in Japan, number 15 in Sweden, number 8 in the Netherlands and Norway, number 7 in Germany, number 5 in Australia, and number 1 in the UK (where it went triple Platinum in sales).