Songs from the Last Century

George Michael

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 14, 1999)
• Original Release Date: December 14, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Virgin Records Us
• ASIN: B000026AYH
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (121 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #27,702 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

A hint: there are no Wham songs on George Michael's 10-tune tribute to the music of the 20th century. There is a song by the Police ("Roxanne"), but the reggae ballad is rendered in such a turgid manner, it resembles nothing so much as a lounge singer stoned on Quaaludes. Elsewhere, the silver-tongued former club kid covers Rodgers & Hart ("Where or When"), U2 ("Miss Sarajevo"), and Ewan MacColl ("The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face"). He pours so much calculated sentiment on top of each track that the entire record oozes a prefab corniness even Hallmark would recoil at. This is not to deny the power of George Michael's velvety, potent voice (although it does sound much better singing catchy dance-pop ditties) nor the fact that he's selected an interesting selection of ballads and folk and torch tunes. And Phil Ramone's production never veers from the middle of the road, unobtrusively shifting from smooth big-band jazz to Disney movie-ish harp accompaniment. If this CD is Michael's attempt to join the company of great song interpreters of the past, from Frank Sinatra to Billie Holiday, he will have to take a lot more chances and lose the sappy reserve. --Mike McGonigal

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Song Standards, September 1, 2001

By	J. M. Zuurbier (Canada) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Whatever you want to say about the ubiquitous George Michael, you can't brand him as lacking in the confidence department. It somehow isn't surprising that he would take it upon himself to capture the legacy of the past hundred years on SONGS FROM THE LAST CENTURY. What is surprising are the unique choices--this isn't a standard set of standards. George has managed to span and reflect the last hundred years with 10 tracks, few of which come close to belonging to that fraternity of the century's hackneyed covers.

The songs are all presented, whether they be Depression-era ballads ("Brother Can You Spare a Dime") or punk/new wave anthems ("Roxanne"), in a blowsy, bluesy, super-laid-back style. With all his pop-dance leanings and overblown hits, it's almost easy to overlook a key facet of George Michael's success; the man can sing. On tracks like Rodgers & Hart's "Where or When" and the breathy, breathtaking cover of that U2/Eno side project the Passengers' "Miss Sarajevo," George's lilting tenor smooths its wayright into the heart. The perfect time capsule for upcoming generations regarding the 1900s it's not, but it does stand as a fine collection of timeless tunes from timed eras.

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Mixed bag, March 16, 2000

By	John (South Africa) - See all my reviews

Although I love some of the tracks on this CD I cannot help but be a bit disappointed with others. Ever since George Michael's sexy rendition of 'Kissing a Fool' I've been looking out for a whole album of similar songs and I guess this is it ... well sort of.

Favourites on this album are Roxanne, You've Changed, The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face and Secret Love (the big band backing is superb!) These he does exceedingly well. As for the rest, Brother Can You Spare A Dime is over-dramatic, My Baby Just Cares For Me is not bad, but too short and badly scored (the instruments sound very synthetic) and the harp backing on I Remember You destroys an otherwise listenable song - a fuller backing would have been a great improvement.

The other choices are OK, but quite unmemorable, which brings me to my next gripe about this album - the selection can hardly be called representative of the century's music, with some pretty obscure songs on this album. It would have been helpful to have the rationale behind the choice of each song included in the CD cover notes.

And finally, why so short? I was just getting into the mood of the album when it ended far too abruptly.

My overall impression of this album is that George Michael wanted to get out an album before the century ended and left it a bit late, resulting in a mediocre offering that does not live up to expectation, at least from this fan.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Experiment with Mixed Reactions., August 20, 2000

By	Bhavesh (Mumbai, Maharashtra India) - See all my reviews

George Michael , the artist who has made his presence felt in the music industry for the past two decades is still going strong. A Person who is very well respected and looked up to as an idol for a lot of new artist(s) , and who's voice is one of the most distinguished ones. He's an artist with a lot of talent in song writing and music composition , be it a fast or a slow song.

His " Songs from the past century " is a however a unique collection of classic hits previously recorded by very well known artists , but now they have the touch of George Michael to them. Result : A must buy for every George Michael Fan.

The album comprises exclusively of slow tracks with the spice of Jazz and Blues , something different , something nice though. If you're a George Michael fan looking some uptempo numbers , this is not the cd for you. However if you like a quiet evening with good slow music playing in the background , this is one cd to buy. Some of the tracks which make the artist and the album worth the recognition are " Roxanne " , " Ms.Sarajevo " , " The First time ever i saw your face ".

The album is perfect for those into slow songs or easy listening , don't expect fast tracks or jazzy uptempo numbers. It's a good buy , I'm George Michael Fan , but it took me time to really like the album , the songs grow on you as and when you listen to them and now i like atleast six tracks out of the 10 tracks.

This album proves that George Michael can truly adjust to different styles of music which most of the artist(s) fail to achieve.