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Wham! were a British duo formed in 1981 by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. They were briefly known in the United States as Wham! UK because of a naming conflict with another existing U.S. band.
Wham! sold 25 million certified records from 1982 to 1986.

History

Michael and Ridgeley met at Bushey Meads Comprehensive School in Bushey near the suburb of Watford in Hertfordshire, England, UK. At first they performed in a short-lived ska band called The Executive, alongside three of their former school friends David (Austin) Mortimer, Harry Tadayon and Andrew Leaver. When this group split, Michael and Ridgeley eventually formed Wham!, signing with Innervision Records, a contract they later sued to be released from. Once that situation was resolved, they signed with CBS (Columbia Records in the United States and Canada, and Epic Records for the rest of the world).
Michael took on the majority of roles and responsibilities within the band—composer, producer, singer, and occasional instrumentalist—but the contribution of Ridgeley as the group's image specialist and spokesman was crucial[citation needed] to the band's initial success. Ridgeley convinced[citation needed] a reluctant[citation needed] George Michael that Wham! needed to change their image and their sound frequently, from the leather-clad moody singers of "Bad Boys" and "Young Guns (Go For It!)" to the more fashionable pop superstars of "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go."
Still teenagers, they promoted themselves as hedonistic youngsters, proud to live a carefree life without work or commitment. This was reflected in their earliest singles which, part-parody, part-social comment, briefly earned Wham! a reputation as a dance protest group.
The début record to be released by the band was "Wham Rap!" in June 1981. It was one of the first singles by a British group to include rapping, and was a double A-side including the Social Mix and the Anti-Social Mix. The record was not playlisted by BBC Radio 1 in the UK, partly because of the profanity in the Anti-Social Mix. Separate videos were recorded for each set of lyrics. "Wham! Rap" did not chart for the group, but in October 1982 "Young Guns (Go For It!)" was issued. An appeal from one youthful lad to his friend to not throw his life away so early on marriage, it also stalled outside the UK Top 40. But soon, Wham! got lucky when the BBC programme "Top of the Pops" scheduled them. An important weekly BBC chart show on television, it had to look outside the Top 40 to fill a gap created by an act which had unexpectedly pulled out of the show. Nearest to the 40 mark and still climbing, Wham! was summoned, and a phenomenon immediately began. The "Top of the Pops" performance of "Young Guns" is still considered a watershed moment in the group's history—critical acclaim is given for the 'nightclub' feel of the dance routine by all four of the performers.

Albums (5)
Songs (41)
Vinyl Vinyl
Fantastic
Wham
Songs 8 Comments 0
0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 / 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Added on 20 July 2011
Released 1983
Format Vinyl
Type
Length 0:00
N discs 1
Label Inner Vision
Genre All Genres
Price 0.00 €
Cat N IVL 25328
Make It Big
Wham
Songs 8 Comments 0
0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 / 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Added on 20 July 2011
Released 1984
Format Vinyl
Type
Length 0:00
N discs 1
Label Columbia
Genre All Genres
Price 0.00 €
Cat N FC 39595
The Final
Wham
Songs 15 Comments 0
0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 / 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Added on 20 July 2011
Released 1986
Format Vinyl
Type
Length 0:00
N discs 2
Label Epic
Genre All Genres
Price 0.00 €
Cat N 88681
Music From The Edge Of Heaven
Wham
Songs 0 Comments 0
0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 / 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Added on 20 July 2011
Released 1986
Format Vinyl
Type
Length 0:00
N discs 1
Label Columbia
Genre All Genres
Price 0.00 €
Cat N C 40285
Music From The Edge Of Heaven
Wham
Songs 10 Comments 0
0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 / 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Added on 02 October 2011
Released 1986
Format Vinyl
Type
Length 0:00
N discs 1
Label Columbia
Genre All Genres
Price 0.00 €
Cat N C 40285

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