Too Funky For Me: George Michael's Post-Peak Singles

killer/papa

Inspired by the latest Freaky Trigger post. I'm surprised by how fondly his "Somebody to Love" is remembered.

My vote is for either "Too Funky," one of the big summer '92 singles but which has unfortunately vanished from most radars, and "Fastlove."

The moment I brought the CD single of "Too Funky" home is, I'm sure, the moment my parents knew without a doubt.

I like many of these better than the peak singles.

EVERYBODY WANTS A LOVER LIKE THAT

YEAH, YEAH!

Didn't he release more fastlove on a Red Hot Rio thing later?

I like "Outside" as an upbeat but mellow summer jam, and "Too Funky" is a less dramatic "Monkey," in a good way.

Outside.

Christ i love this guy.

this was amazing http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2009/jun/02/george-michael-faith

Too Funky

Not a bad remix:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xz7G-gcdkZ0

Would you stop playing with that radio of yours?

"You Have Been Loved". Other Than "Careless Whisper", I consider "Older" to be his solo peak.

(The album, that is)

"Fastlove" some way ahead of "Jesus"

had no idea Older outsold Faith in England and Europe.

The moment I brought the CD single of "Too Funky" home is, I'm sure, the moment my parents knew without a doubt

In one sense this might be a silly question, but when did George Michael code as gay? I ask because as far as I can tell he's always been a campy figure in the US (even when he was straight) but I don't remember him being obviously so in the UK before Jesus To A Child. And then I was in Tunisia in 1997, where the only English-language records on sale that I saw were by him, Madonna and Michael Jackson, which I doubt would've been the case if he were out.

I think it would be April 9, 1998.

Fun fact: A record shop in Karl Johan Street, the main street of Oslo, put up an enormous "Older" banner on its facade around that album's release.

The shop went defunct shortly after, but the banner remained and has been there to this day. Now the building is supposed to be demolished, though, finally ending "Older"'s 16 year reign. :)

:)

"Amazing" is an utterly incredible song in every way

Yes and that album, although a flop of sorts, was not at all bad.

I actually picked up Older for a buck at Amoeba clearance last week, in that I figure I should finally hear the whole thing in full one of these days.

I think it would be April 9, 1998

Well yeah. I reckon one or two folk had suspected as much beforehand though.

TOO FUNKY

'Fastlove'!

Always used to love the way the headphones said 'FONY' in the video, too.

I'm very fond of Outside, but this is Too Funky all the way.

No "Shoot the Dog" on here? I like that one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwZAYdHcDtU&ob=av2e

Really liked him up to Too Funky. Never bothered with the Older album as every subsequent single was a meh-rethon to me. Should I snap it up for a quid or so?

"Fastlove" is slinky!

this era of George never connected with me. I'll stan for Faith and to a lesser degree, Listen without Prejudice, Part 1 until the end of time, though.

I feel like he should name his next album Listen Without Prejudice Part III just to piss people off.

IN THE ABSENCE OF SECUUUURITEEE!

The video is slightly unnerving, all these beautiful young things dancing & doing stuff rhythmically and lustfully, intercut with George doing same, only arrhythmically and sleazily. I was never sure if that's precisely what he was aiming for.

when did George Michael code as gay?

Not really sure, but I'm a lot more sure that most 12-year-old boys at the time weren't strutting around to "Too Funky."

"Too Funky" is great, but I've always had a thing for his slow ones, so I went with "Jesus To A Child," which a lot of people probably hate.

Nah, that one's gorgeous. And creepy.

Well if you must strut, Too Funky is as good a choice as any.

Aerosmith is right, "Amazing" is excellent. But my heart is with "Too Funky".

I also quite liked the single he did which was basically him singing on top of The Ones' "Flawless"?

I found his hair and beard in the Older era a bit supervillainish.

he looked awful! Every photo of that era shows him frowning most unconvincingly.

And I loathed how the George Clooney buzz cut and beard were all of a piece.

The hair always reminded me of Roy Keane's at its worst too. I wonder how those two'd get along?

And I loathed how the George Clooney buzz cut and beard were all of a piece.

YES.

"Too Funky" is probably my least favourite in this bunch.

lol of course

"Jesus to a Child" hit the American top ten on the strength of sales and reputation; I doubt any radio station played it more than once, as a tip of the hat. I used to think that it and "Praying For Time" were courageous in that they were the dullest top tens ever released by a superstar, but years of loving "A Different Corner" has warmed me to "Jesus."

Then I didn't really like anything on "Faith" much apart from the ballads either.

"Fastlove" as the first uptempo George Michael solo single I really liked. (And I guess it is more midtempo than uptempo)

he was considered pretty camp even in the Wham days Cf that bit in the Wake Me Up.. video
http://www.80s-fashion-fancy-dress.com/images/80s-george-michael.jpg

i sorta forgot that he was then considered much less camp after that when he went all serious and beardy in the early solo years.

The beardless George Michael as a bigtime teenybopper, the young girls having no idea he was actually gay.

Was a bigtime teenybopper (the W key on this keyboard doesn't work very well, so I often miss it)

But he wasn't at the time aiui, hence my question. Obviously actual details are sketchy, but for his first ten years his public and private personae seem to have been pulling in opposite directions, first one way, then the other.

Where is Freeek?

"Freeeek" did the funky dance number thing much better than "Too Funky".

Btw was Richard X involved on "Shoot The Dog"? Sampling Human Leage seems so typical of him around that time.

"As" was a duet with Mary J. Blige that was an import only. It was included on his double CD greatest hits overseas.

His vulture hairdo era was pretty rubbish

http://www.thebuzzonhr.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Red-headed_vulture.jpg

Amazing and Fastlove are both genuinely great.

"As" was never a single in the US as apparently Mary J. Blige's people didn't want her associated with an old-fashioned act like George Michael. In reality, it probably had more to do with his then recent involuntary coming out as gay, and how they feared Blige singing a duet with a gay man might not go down too well with part of her "urban" audiences....

Have you proof of this?

man, asking Geir that question is kinda like knowingly sticking a fork in an electric socket...

Why did she appear in the video so many times then?

the Mary J thing? mm well that same story did the rounds around the time of the Missy/Faith mash up that Erol did that was going to come out as a B side and then.. didn't..

"..George did get in touch, and this was going to be the B side to his comeback single ‘Freak’ – i had been in talks with his manager and both record labels involved were ready to clear the track (this would have been the first official ‘Bastard Pop’ release ever!) but there was a problem at the final hurdle.. Its been well documented elsewhere, but lets just say that George’s lifestyle didn’t quite mix as well with somebody else’s image..”

http://erolalkan.co.uk/?p=183

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Fastlove by a wide margin

For kicks I should have included "Waiting For That Day." How do we feel about it?

i am obsessed with "waiting for that day." and with george michael, for that matter.

THE YEARS WILL COME AND GOOOOOOO
SOME OF US WILL TAKE OUR LIVES
SOME OF US STILL HAVE NOTHING TO SHOW

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

YEAH, YEAH!
― Eric H., Friday, March 9, 2012 9:25 PM (1 week ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink