Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

George Michael

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 10, 1998)
• Original Release Date: November 10, 1998
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Epic/Sony BMG
• ASIN: B00000DHRX
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (238 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,972 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  Music > Pop > Adult Contemporary > Contemporary

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Bathroom escapades aside, there's no denying that George Michael has been responsible for some of the biggest party jams of the '80s and '90s. Have you ever noticed what happens to a room when "Faith" erupts from the speakers? Aside from the funk-fueled "Fastlove," the material from his most recent album, Older, is well and truly overshadowed here by the megahits from days gone by. The first disc starts off slow, with "Careless Whisper" and his remake of "I Can't Make You Love Me" the only real high points among otherwise bland ballads. It's disc 2 that exudes the essence of Michael, with "Fastlove," "Too Funky," and "Freedom 90" providing a nonstop dance-athon, and "I Want Your Sex" and "Faith" picking up the slack. The package also includes his rather unexciting (but hugely popular) duets with Queen and Elton John, his perfect pop pairing with Aretha Franklin, and two new tracks. Set aside some serious time for this one, folks. The hits don't stop. --Rebecca Wallwork

New Musical Express

Split into two CDs, "For The Heart" and "For The Feet," Ladies And Gentlemen highlights the division between raunchy playboy and bland soulboy, both compelled to end every line with "baby" but very different sides of the same beard.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent career overview, but try to get the UK version, August 15, 2005

By	Robert Johnson (Richmond, KY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A well done hits compilation, spread across two discs and including some interesting rarities and new songs. The songs are divided up in non-chronological order, with ballads on one disc and dance tracks on the other. I personally would have preferred the tracks to have been sequenced chronologically, but the current sequencing is satisfactory, and isolating the dance tracks leaves you with a great party disc. Just for the record, no songs with Wham are included ("Careless Whisper" and "A Different Corner" were released as solo songs), the UK hit "Older" is missing, and the hit version of "I Want Your Sex" has been replaced with the "Part II" reprise of the song. The remainder of the songs are all presented in their original single versions, which makes it a great buy even if you have all of Michael's proper albums.

The US and UK versions of the compilation have slightly different track listings. The newly-recorded dance single "Outside" (#2 UK) is present on both version, but the stirring cover of Stevie Wonder's "As" (#4 UK), with Mary J. Blige) is only found of the UK issue. The UK version also includes a 1997 remix of "The Strangest Thing" and the killer B-side "Fantasy," but inexplicably omits the smash hit "Monkey," which is on the US version. Both versions included two generous booklets with lyrics and many beautiful photos of Michael. Given the inclusion of the few rare tracks, I suggest listeners pick up the UK version (after all, "Monkey" is easily found on the Faith album). Either way you go, however, this is a great compilation that includes some of the best pop singles of the eighties and nineties.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars YOU ARE MISSING OUT ON A GREAT DUET....."AS", June 2, 2000

By	Julie (England) - See all my reviews

This duet is with Mary j Blige. It is missing on the U.S. version as her record label refused to list it in the U.S. due to George's bathroom escapade. This is a shame as it is a fantastic song with a killer video.

Below is the U.K. cd listing copied from Amazon.co.uk

As always... if you can get your hands on a copy... you won't regret it!

1. Jesus to a child 2. Father figure 3. Careless whisper 4. Don't let the sun go down on me 5. You have been loved 6. Kissing a fool 7. I can't make you love me 8. Heal the pain 9. Moment with you 10. Desafinado 11. Cowboys and angels 12. Praying for time 13. One more try 14. Different corner 15. Outside 16. As 17. Fastlove 18. Too funky 19. Freedom 90 20. Star people 97 21. Killer/Papa was a rollin' stone 22. I want your sex 23. Strangest thing 97 24. Fantasy 25. Spinning the wheel 26. Waiting for the day 27. I knew you were waiting (for me) 28. Faith 29. Somebody to love

Even if you can't get a copy of the U.K. version this album is still worth your time....

16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great But Not "The Greatest Hits", March 6, 2002

By	Paul Allaer (Cincinnati) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Where in the world is George Michael nowadays? Who knows? His last album, the cover CD "Songs from the Last Century" tanked mightily and his last proper album before that, "Older", is by now 6 years old... So while we wait for George to wake up and smell the coffee, we have this 1998 sprawling (2 CDs, 140 min) "Best of" to remember what George was/is capable of.

The compilation is divided in "From the Heart" (CD1, read: the ballads) and "For the Feet" (CD2, read: the dance tunes). Nobody is going to question his genius for writing great songs, and they are all here: Careless Whisper, Freedom, Too Funky, Kissing a Fool, Faith, Heal the Pain, Cowboys and Angels, Monkey, Waiting for that Day, and go on and on. Marvelous!

Here is the problem: there are simply too many filler songs on this compliation (such as Desafinado, You Have Been Loved, A Moment with You, Spinning the Wheel, etc.) What would have worked better is a single CD, compiling all his greatest hits, no more, no less. Another beef I have is that one of his greatest hits, "I Want Your Sex", appears here as "Part 2", which is radically different from the song we all know and remember. What is up with that? So what could've, should've been a compliation of George Michael's greatest hits, isn't... Not that this compilation is bad, but it could've been greater.