To mark the album’s reissue, Channel 4, BBC Worldwide and Sony Music in England have commissioned Freedom: George Michael, a new documentary narrated by George. It includes commentary from Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Mark Ronson, Mary J Blige, Tony Bennett, Liam Gallagher, James Corden, Ricky Gervais, the Freedom! ’90 video supermodels (Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford, Tatjana Patitz and Linda Evangelista) and more.
BBC Worldwide will be making the film available to broadcasters. The US premiere will air on Showtime, broadcast date TBA.
A remastered version of George’s 1996 MTV Unplugged performance will also be available as an album for the very first time as part of the Deluxe box set and 2CD Edition. The concert took place at the Three Mills Island Studios in East London on Oct. 11, 1996 and featured George playing 10 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 and digital.
Listen Without Prejudice Vol 1. was George’s second solo album. It was arranged, produced and almost completely written by George himself.
The 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 worldwide 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 Feleppo. 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.
Twenty-six years on, George and Sony are 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.
Directed by BAFTA nominee Phillip Smith, Freedom: George Michael, 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, Mark Ronson, Tracey Emin, Jean Paul Gaultier, Ricky Gervais, French Vogue editor Emmanuelle Alt 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.
This year has seen an unprecedented amount of film, TV, and game sync licenses using his music.
Formats:
Deluxe, Limited Edition Box Set 3CD and DVD
2CD Edition
Vinyl Edition
Listen Without Prejudice, Vol 1 – 3CD+DVD super deluxe
CD 1
1. Praying for Time
2. Freedom! ’90
3. They Won’t Go When I Go
4. Something to Save
5. Cowboys and Angels
6. Waiting for That Day – George Michael / The Rolling Stones
7. Mothers Pride
8. Heal the Pain
9. Soul Free
10. Waiting (Reprise)
CD 2 – MTV Unplugged
1. Freedom! ’90
2. Fastlove – George Michael / Patrice Rushen
3. I Can’t Make You Love Me
4. Father Figure
5. You Have Been Loved
6. Everything She Wants
7. The Strangest Thing
8. Older
9. Star People
10. Praying for Time
CD3: B-Sides And Mixes (super deluxe only)
1. Soul Free (Special Radio Edit)
2. Freedom! ’90 (Back To Reality Mix)
3. Freedom! ’90 (Back To Reality Mix Edit)
4. Fantasy ’90
5. Freedom! ’90 (Edit)
6. Cowboys and Angels (Edit)
7. If You Were My Woman
8. Too Funky (Edit)
9. Crazyman Dance
10. Do You Really Want to Know
11. Happy
12. Too Funky (Extended)
13. Too Jazzy (Happy Mix)
14. Fantasy ’98
15. Heal the Pain – George Michael with Paul McCartney
16. Desafinado – George Michael with Astrud Gilberto
Disc: 4 – DVD (super deluxe only)
1. The South Bank Show 1990
2. Freedom! ’90
3. Praying for Time
4. Freedom! ’90
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