''Older'' is the third studio album by English singer-songwriter

George Michael George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was an English singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the most significant cultural icons of the MTV generation and is one of the best-selling musici ...

, released on 13 May 1996 in Europe by

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman. It grew to be a worldwid ...

and

Aegean Records Aegean Records is an independent record label founded by George Michael and his cousin Andros Georgiou in January 1991. The label was set up after Michael broke from Sony Music after his Panayiotou v Sony Music Entertainment (UK) Ltd, court ca ...

one day later in the United States. The American release was the first album released by

DreamWorks Records DreamWorks Records (often referred in copyright notices as SKG Music, LLC) was an American record label founded in 1996 by David Geffen, Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg as a subsidiary of DreamWorks Pictures. The label operated until 200 ...

. It was Michael's first studio album since 1990's ''

Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 ''Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1'' is the second solo studio album by the English singer-songwriter George Michael, released on 3 September 1990 by Columbia Records (Epic Records in the UK). The album was Michael's final album of all-new materi ...

'' – the five-and-a-half-year gap was due to the

legal battle - A lawsuit is a proceeding by a party or parties against another in the civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used in reference to a civil acti ...

that Michael experienced with his former record company

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment ...

. Michael dedicated three years to the recording of ''Older'', and the album found him exploring new musical territories in a more serious fashion compared to his previous work. At the time of release, the album was a huge commercial hit, particularly in Europe, but was received in America with lukewarm commercial approval. In the UK, the album was particularly notable for producing a record six top three hit singles in a two-year span. The high sales of the album prompted a re-issue of the album, titled ''Older & Upper'', eighteen months after the original release.

Background

Following the release of ''Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1'' (1990), George Michael accused record label owners

of failing to promote the album as well as lacklustre support for his charity recordings (particularly contributions to the

Red Hot AIDS Benefit Series Red Hot Organization (RHO) is a not-for-profit, 501(c) 3, international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture. Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors have contributed to over 15 compilati ...

) and requested to be released from his contract. A bitter

ensued through the courts, ultimately resulting in a loss to Michael. During the court battle, Michael stated that he would refuse to release any new material through Sony under his name should he lose the lawsuit. Whilst essentially holding true to his word, Michael was not completely absent from the recording world during the six years between ''Listen Without Prejudice'' and ''Older''. After a huge hit with a live duet with

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

on "

Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" is a song written by English musician Elton John and his lyricist Bernie Taupin. It was originally recorded by John for his eighth studio album, '' Caribou'' (1974), and was released as a single that peaked a ...

" (that reached number one in both the UK and the US), Michael contributed several tracks to the charity album ''

Red Hot + Dance ''Red Hot + Dance'' is an album produced by the Red Hot Organization, an organization dedicated to raising money and awareness to fight the onslaught of HIV/AIDS. Pop star George Michael was instrumental in bringing the project to fruition and t ...

'' in 1992 (with one song, "

Too Funky "Too Funky" is a song written and performed by English singer and songwriter George Michael and released by Columbia Records in the United States and Epic Records elsewhere in 1992. The song was Michael's final single for his recording contr ...

", being released as a single and reaching worldwide top 10 positions). The same year, he performed live at the

Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness was a benefit concert held on Easter Monday, 20 April 1992, at Wembley Stadium in London, United Kingdom for an audience of 72,000. The concert was produced for television by Ray Burdis, d ...

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...

(in 1993, an EP of Michael's performances with

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

and

Lisa Stansfield Lisa Jane Stansfield (born 11 April 1966) is an English singer, songwriter, and actress. Her career began in 1980 when she won the singing competition ''Search for a Star''. After appearances in various television shows and releasing her first ...

, entitled ''

Five Live BBC Radio 5 Live is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that broadcasts mainly news, sport, discussion, interviews and phone-ins. It is the principal BBC radio station Broadcasting of sports events, covering sport in ...

'' was released, and reached in the UK).

Music

''Older'' found Michael experimenting with new musical styles and expanding his artistic horizons. Particularly notable was the

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

flavour of the album's sound. The album marked a departure from the synthesised production of his previous projects, delivering a more organic sound with the inclusion of

brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other with ...

and

strings String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

. Michael was particularly inspired by the music of Brazilian composer

Antônio Carlos Jobim Antônio Carlos Brasileiro de Almeida Jobim (25 January 1927 – 8 December 1994), also known as Tom Jobim (), was a Brazilian composer, pianist, guitarist, songwriter, arranger, and singer. Considered one of the great exponents of Brazilian mu ...

, who died in 1994, and to whom the album was dedicated. Another big influence was the album's producer, Johnny Douglas, who has mixed several George Michael songs as B-sides. They first met when Douglas produced

Lisa Moorish Lisa Moorish (born 16 January 1972)A life on the edge
(Miranda Sawyer, ''

's version of " I'm Your Man" in 1995, to which Michael added backing vocals. They both began to work together soon after, and they co-wrote "Spinning the Wheel" together and also co-wrote and produced "Fastlove". Douglas also played keyboards on those tracks. Overall, the style of the album was melancholy, dark and sad. Michael complemented this departure making a dramatic change of his clothes, hair style and overall appearance. The long blonde hair, beard and jeans that Michael was known for during the late eighties were replaced with a

buzz cut Lovelytheband (stylized in all lowercase) is an American indie pop band that formed in 2016 in Los Angeles, California, United States. The band consists of vocalist Mitchy Collins, guitarist Jordan Greenwald, and drummer Sam Price. The band is ...

black hair and mostly leather clothes. Michael commented, on ''

The Oprah Winfrey Show ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', often referred to as ''The Oprah Show'' or simply ''Oprah'', is an American daytime broadcast syndication, syndicated talk show that aired nationally for 25 seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in Chicag ...

'' about that new appearance:

"The way my image changed in Europe was that I looked very different, I had very short hair—I had really a kind of gay look in a way. I think I was trying to tell people I was okay with it eing gay I just really didn't want to share it with journalists. The album I made in the middle nineties called ''Older'' was a tribute to Anselmo, really; there was a dedication to him on the album and fairly obvious male references. To my fans and the people that were really listening, I felt like I was trying to
come out Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBT people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. Framed and debated as a privacy issue, coming out of ...
with them."

Michael grew back a longer hair style during 1998, as was first shown on the video he recorded for " Outside", premiered near the end of that year.

Reception

Upon release, ''Older'' was met with critical acclaim from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

Commercial performance

''Older'' was a huge commercial success, especially in the European markets. In the UK the album was largely anticipated, and debuted at with an impressive 281,000 copies, becoming one of the biggest debuts ever in British history (it currently ranks as the 23rd fastest-selling album in the UK). It is also Virgin's fastest-selling album of all time. It became Michael's biggest-selling album in his homeland, achieving over 1.8 million copies sold, and receiving a 6× Platinum certification by the BPI on 5 December 1997. In the UK, it spent a total of 147 weeks inside the top 200, 99 of them on the top 75, and 35 of them on the top 10 (including 23 consecutive weeks). The steady sales of the album were the result of good promotion market and the release of six hit singles throughout a two-year period. All of these singles (except for the one for the title track) were released and promoted as EP's, in two available formats, most of them containing previously unreleased material (including live tracks, alternate versions and, in the case for the ''Spinning the Wheel EP'', two new studio recordings of brand-new George Michael compositions). None of these singles were promoted with live performances at ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...

'' only music videos were recorded for the four first singles and were played there. All of this helped to push the album sales from one week to another, with the album usually returning to the top 10 in the British charts. For example, when "Star People '97" was released in mid-1997, ''Older'' achieved a 21–14–10–7 progression on the charts. Very much the same happened when "You Have Been Loved/The Strangest Thing '97" was issued as the sixth single (sixteen months after the original release of the album), and ''Older'' showed a 24–14–7 move on the UK charts. In all, ''Older'' currently sits as the 97th best-selling album of all time in the United Kingdom. In the United States, however, the album somewhat stalled and was received with lukewarm success. There (and in Canada), the album release was particularly notable as it was the first album released by the now-defunct

. Despite leading singles "Jesus to a Child" and "Fastlove" reaching the top 10 of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, debut sales for the album were disappointing. The album debuted and peaked at on the ''Billboard'' 200 the week of 1 June 1996 with 99,000 units sold, the next week it dropped to and remained on the chart for 24 weeks, it was certified platinum by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

on 21 August 1996 for shipments of one million units. As of October 2006 it has sold 881,000 copies in the US according to

Nielsen SoundScan Luminate (formerly Nielsen SoundScan, Nielsen Music Products, and MRC Data) is a provider of music sales data. Established by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett in 1991, data is collected weekly and made available every Sunday (for albums sales) and eve ...

. By February 1997, the album is said to have sold 5,000,000 copies worldwide, according to Billboard.

Singles

''Older'' was particularly notable for the release of its six singles. All of them reached the UK top 3, hitting a record for the most singles in the British top 3 released from a single album. At the time of release of the fifth of them, "Star People '97", chart specialist James Masterson noted George Michael's success on the UK Singles Chart, writing: "Ironically enough denied by the very man who some say he is trying to emulate (

Gary Barlow Gary Barlow (born 20 January 1971) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He is the lead singer of the British pop group Take That. Barlow is one of the United Kingdom's most successful songwriters, havi ...

), George Michael nonetheless makes an impressive top 3 entry with this single. The ''Older'' album has now proved itself to be far and away his most commercially successful recording ever. Five singles now lifted and every single one has been a top 3 hit. Compare this with the two top 3 hits produced by ''

Faith Faith, derived from Latin ''fides'' and Old French ''feid'', is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or In the context of religion, one can define faith as "belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". Religious people often ...

'' and '' Listen Without Prejudice''s scant total of one top tenner and one single which missed the top 40 altogether. This sustained single success has, of course, been achieved with a little help from marketing tricks such as remixes – or in this case a new recording of the album track which gives it a much-needed transformation into a deserved commercial smash." *"

Jesus to a Child "Jesus to a Child" is a song by British singer and songwriter George Michael. It was released in January 1996 the first of six singles from his third studio album, ''Older'' (1996). The song peaked at number one in Australia, Finland, Hungary, ...

". The song had already debuted at the MTV European Music Awards in 1994, and was used to raise £50,000 for the charity "Help a London Child" with George matching every listener's pledge on a pound for pound basis. It was first performed on ''Top of the Pops'' just four days before the release date of the single in the UK. After its official release, the song debuted at number one in the UK in January 1996 replacing

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

's "

Earth Song "Earth Song" is a song written and performed by American singer and songwriter Michael Jackson for his ninth studio album, '' HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I'' (1995). It was released on November 27, 1995, by Epic Records as the third ...

" after six weeks at the top. "Jesus to a Child" was Michael's first number one single in the UK as a solo artist since "

A Different Corner "A Different Corner" is a song written and performed by George Michael that was released on Epic Records (Columbia Records in the US) in 1986 . Background & Writing "A Different Corner" was written by Michael while Wham! were at their peak as a ...

" reached the summit back in 1986. The single was certified Silver in the UK by the BPI, recognising over 200,000 copies sold. In the US the song was a hit, reaching number 7 in the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. (The

awarded the single with Gold status just as the follow-up, "Fastlove", was released.) Two formats of the single were released, both including an instrumental version of the track "Older" (the sung version wasn't revealed until the release of the album five months later). Also the music video for the song found Michael lip-synching lyrics in front of a camera for the first time since the video for "

Kissing a Fool ''Kissing a Fool'' is a 1998 American romantic comedy film directed by Doug Ellin. It primarily stars David Schwimmer, Jason Lee, Mili Avital, Kari Wührer, and Vanessa Angel. Schwimmer was one of the executive producers. Plot Max (David Schwi ...

" from 1988. *"

Fastlove "Fastlove" is a song by English singer-songwriter George Michael, released on 22 April 1996 by Virgin Records in the United Kingdom and DreamWorks Records in the United States as the second single from his third album, ''Older'' (1996). Writte ...

". It was released in the UK on 22 April 1996 and debuted straight at number one, where it stayed for three weeks. It was certified Gold for over 400,000 copies sold. This was the first time that a George Michael album included two singles released before the album itself. The song includes a riff from the 1982 hit "

Forget Me Nots "Forget Me Nots" is a 1982 song co-written and performed by American R&B musician Patrice Rushen. It appears on her seventh album, '' Straight from the Heart''. Making a radical shift in her music, Rushen would continue to harness the particular ...

" by

Patrice Rushen Patrice Louise Rushen (born September 30, 1954) is an American jazz pianist and R&B singer. She is also a composer, record producer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and music director. Her 1982 single "Forget Me Nots" received a Grammy Awar ...

(in this case sung by Jo Bryant). The track earned Michael the Ivor Norvello Award for most performed work in 1996. The single was also released in two formats in the United Kingdom, and both included a revised dance version of " I'm Your Man" (entitled "I'm Your Man 96"), that was produced by George and Jon Douglas. The single also premiered a "Fastlove Part II", linking the original song and the new version of "I'm Your Man" into one mix. The video for the song was also one of Michael's most memorable, and won the ''MTV Europe International Viewers Choice Award'' at the

MTV Music Video Awards The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honour the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category) ...

in September 1996. Michael also performed the track on ''Top of the Tops'', on 18 April 1996. The song reached number 8 in America, where it was certified Gold by the

, and became his last single to appear on the ''Billboard'' charts to date. *"

Spinning the Wheel "Spinning the Wheel" is a song by English singer-songwriter George Michael. The song was co-written and co-produced by Michael and Jon Douglas. It was released on Virgin Records as the third single from Michael's third studio album, ''Older'' ...

". It was released in the UK on 19 August 1996. It debuted at number 2; the single was kept off the top spot by

Spice Girls The Spice Girls are a British girl group formed in 1994, consisting of Melanie Brown, also known as Mel B ("Scary Spice"); Melanie Chisholm, or Melanie C ("Sporty Spice"); Emma Bunton ("Baby Spice"); Geri Halliwell ("Ginger Spice"); and Vict ...

' "

Wannabe "Wannabe" is the debut single by English girl group the Spice Girls. Written and composed by the group members in collaboration with Matt Rowe and Richard "Biff" Stannard during the group's first professional songwriting session, it was produ ...

". It reached also Silver status. Also released in two formats, it was particularly notable for including (and being promoted for) two brand-new studio recordings of previously unknown George Michael songs (namely "Safe" and "You Know That I Want To"), that were exclusive to the first CD. "Spinning the Wheel" was first performed on ''Top of the Pops'' on 16 August 1996. *"

Older Older is the comparative form of "old". It may also refer to: Music: * ''Older'' (album), the third studio album from George Michael (released in 1996) ** "Older" (George Michael song) * "Older", a song on the 1999 album '' Long Tall Weekend'' ...

" / " I Can't Make You Love Me". It was released in the UK on 20 January 1997. Due to its only-one-format release, it was the poorest-seller of all the ''Older'' singles, and also the one with the lowest chart position (number 3) (this poor commercial performance was despite being released after the post-Christmas session and the inclusion of new material). It stayed in the top 10 for one week, and slipped out the UK top 40 just three weeks later. The single was promoted as a

double A-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

with a previously unreleased recording of " I Can't Make You Love Me", and was counted that was in the UK Singles Chart. The song received airplay and was also available as a

promo CD A promotional recording, or promo, or plug copy, is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as ...

issued to British radios and clubs. The track was recorded live at Michael's ''

MTV Unplugged ''MTV Unplugged'' is an American television series on MTV showcasing musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999 and less frequently from 2000 to 2009, when it was usually billed as ''MTV Un ...

'' performance at Three Mills Island Studios in London, on 11 October 1996 (the applause was edited out of the track, apparenting to be a studio recording). The single also included a live version of "The Strangest Thing", recorded live at the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

...

Radio Theatre on 8 October 1996. The song "Older" was performed on ''Top of the Pops'' on 31 January 1997. *" Star People '97". It was released in the UK on 28 April 1997. It reached number 2 there, kept off the top spot by

's " Love Won't Wait". "Star People '97" was a re-recording and remixed version of the album version of "Star People". The vocals were recorded soon after George Michael lost his mother. The new recording incorporates extensive sampling from "Burn Rubber on Me" by

The Gap Band The Gap Band was an American R&B and funk band that rose to fame during the 1970s and 1980s. The band consisted of three brothers: Charlie, Ronnie, and Robert Wilson, along with other members; it was named after streets (Greenwood, Archer, an ...

. The single was released in two formats, including ''MTV Unplugged'' performances of Wham's "

Everything She Wants "Everything She Wants" is a song by British pop duo Wham!, originally released as a single in 1984 on Epic Records on a double A-side with "Last Christmas". It was written and produced by George Michael, one half of the duo, becoming their th ...

" and "Star People". The single is noted for being the last official George Michael single to be released in the US, but it did not reach the charts there. "Star People '97" was performed on ''Top of the Pops'' on 9 May 1997. *"

You Have Been Loved "You Have Been Loved" is a song by English singer and songwriter George Michael, recorded for his third studio album, ''Older (album), Older'' (1996). It was written by Michael and David Austin (singer), David Austin and produced by Michael. On ...

" / "The Strangest Thing '97". It was released in the UK on 8 September 1997. The final single issued from ''Older'', it reached number 2 in the UK, where it was kept off the summit by

's blockbuster charity single "

Candle in the Wind '97 "Candle in the Wind 1997", also known as "Goodbye England's Rose" and "Candle in the Wind '97", is a song by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, a re-written and re-recorded version of their 1973 song " Candle in the Wind" ...

". It was also released as a double-A sided single, with a remixed version of "The Strangest Thing". The song "You Have Been Loved" was a tribute to Anselmo Feleppa, Michael's lover who died from AIDS in 1993. The song was first performed on ''Top of the Pops'' on 5 September 1997. Michael dedicated ''Older'' to both Feleppa "who changed the way I look at my life" and Jobim "who changed the way I listened to music."

Awards and live shows

In 1996, George was voted 'Best British Male', at the MTV Europe Awards and the BRITs; and at The Ivor Novello Awards, he was awarded the prestigious title of 'Songwriter of The Year' for the third time. At the beginning of October 1996, George performed his first live shows for five years with a gig for Radio 1 FM followed by an ''Unplugged'' Session for MTV. The Radio 1FM audience consisted of just 200 people and the ''MTV Unplugged'' session slightly larger at 500. Both audiences included competition winners, some of whom had flown to London from all over the world, as well as various specially invited guests.

Re-releases

The album was re-released on 1 December 1997 in a CD box set titled ''Older & Upper'' including two discs, both in gold (instead of the original black from ''Older''): # the original album; # an extra disc, titled ''Upper'', packaged in a cardboard sleeve with the same cover as the box (which was a close-up of Michael's green eye from the original ''Older'' album). Alongside interactive elements, the ''Upper'' compact disc includes six tracks previously released on the singles from the album, notably featuring a version of "Fastlove (Part II)", only found on the second "Fastlove" promo single as "Fully Extended Mix – edit", differing both from the one included on the "Fastlove" single (running at 9:27) and from the edited version (4:39) included on the first "Fastlove" promo. When released, ''Older & Upper'' was not listed in the UK charts as a different album than the original ''Older'', and helped the album to jump from No. 65 to No. 36 during the competitive

Christmas season The Christmas season or the festive season (also known in some countries as the holiday season or the holidays) is an annually recurring period recognized in many Western and other countries that is generally considered to run from late November ...

. The album received a remastered expanded edition reissue on September 30, 2022, comprising the original ''Older'' album, the ''Upper'' disc and three bonus CDs, containing remixes and live recordings of ''Older''-era tracks. The album charted at number 2 on the UK Official Albums Chart Top 100 on 7 October 2022.

Track listing

All tracks written and produced by

, except where noted.

Personnel

– lead vocals, bass guitar, keyboards, drums, percussion, programming, arranger, producer *Hugh Burns – guitar *Danny Jacob – guitar *Alan Ross – guitar *

John Themis John Themis is an Australian-born musician, songwriter and record producer, best known for his long-term work with Boy George and Culture Club, collaborating on many of their songs and albums since the 1990s. He also worked on ''Taboo'', a music ...

– guitar * David Austin – keyboards *Chris Cameron – keyboards, strings *David Clews – keyboards *Nick Murdoch – piano *Jon Douglas – keyboards, producer , arranger *Jo Garland – backing vocals *David Clayton – programming *Pete Gleadall – programming *Steve McNichol – programming *Stuart Brooks – trumpet, flugelhorn *

John Thirkell John Thirkell is a British trumpet and flugelhorn player, who has appeared on hundreds of pop, rock, and jazz recordings. Through the 1980s and early 1990s he was on at least one album in the UK Charts continuously, without a break, for over ...

– trumpet, flugelhorn *Steve Sidwell – trumpet *Chris Davis – saxophone *

Andy Hamilton Andrew Neil Hamilton (born 28 May 1954) is a British comedian, game show panellist, television director, comedy screenwriter, radio dramatist, novelist and actor. Early life and education Hamilton was born in Fulham, southwest London. He ...

– saxophone *Phillip Smith – saxophone *Fayyaz Virji – trombone * Steve Sidwell – trumpet *Brad Branson – photography *Charlie Brocco – engineer *Paul Gomersall – engineer *Chris Porter – engineer *Ren Swan – engineer

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 1996 albums George Michael albums Virgin Records albums DreamWorks Records albums