Grim Reaper, stop taking great musicians
Jitterbug. Jitterbug. As the final days of 2016 continue to tick down, The Grim Reaper was busy taking the life of another music superstar, this time one of the best vocalists from the 1980s. George Michael was 53. Add him to the list. Members of The Police and Culture Club should be careful crossing the street between now and Sunday.
It’s sad that it takes death for some artists to be appreciated. If I checked down at the Grooveyard, my guess is they hadn’t sold a George Michael CD in ages, much the way Michael Jackson was very uncool in the months leading up to his untimely death. Now with George’s unexpected passing, legions of Wham fans are coming out of the closet.
There’s no shame in that. Wham offered well-crafted, bouncy and likable pop songs. I’m Your Man and Freedom — two of my favourites — were both incredibly catchy and could pack a dance floor.
After the short lived success of the UK boy band, George Michael surprised everyone, even his harshest critics, with his debut album Faith which mixed gospel, rockabilly, jazz, country and funk, along with social commentary and humour, winning Album of the Year at the 1989 Grammy Awards. (The album was released in October 1987.)
Counting his work with Wham, Michael reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 (U.S.) on 10 occasions — Wake Me Up Before You Go Go, Careless Whisper, Everything She Wants, I Knew You Were Waiting for Me (with Aretha Franklin), Faith, Father Figure, One More Try, Monkey, Praying for Time, and Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me (with Elton John). His singles did even better in his native UK.
His defining moment when people had to stand up and take notice was when he performed alongside the three surviving members of Queen (including bassist John Deacon in what was his final appearance) and belted out 39, These Are the Days of Our Lives and Somebody to Love. If you haven’t seen the clip from the Freddie Mercury Tribute concert, it can be found on The Herald’s Facebook page.
George also helped give Elton John a career boost when he lent his vocals to both Nikita and Wrap Her Up on Elton’s Ice on Fire album. George was the star of the moment playing alongside a yet-to-be ordained musical legend who some believed was past his prime by 1986. The two would later duet in a remake of Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me, never mind it wasn’t written as a duet, it sounded great and went to No. 1. All royalties were shared among 10 charities.
On a personal note, one of the most bizarre concerts I attended was in 1991. It was George’s Cover to Cover tour.
The gal I was dating told me the discussion in the ladies’ room was on how much they “want to (expletive deleted) his brains out” (the most intriguing conversations often occur in the washroom). He definitely had stage presence.
Rather than do a night of hits or the obligatory seven songs from the new album, at least half of his set list featured remakes of his favourite songs from the 1970s. They were well delivered covers and great songs (Fame by David Bowie, Elton John’s Tonight, Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone, to name a few) but many and went home disappointed he didn’t do Monkey.
Just when I thought 2016 couldn’t get any worse for a child of the late 70s and early 80s came the news of Carrie Fisher’s death. (Her career defining moment: choking Jabba the Hutt to death in Return of the Jedi.)
—Jon Anderson may or may not join the other members of Yes at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction. Steve Perry could show up but it’s unknown if he will sing with Journey.
Last year Peter Cetera famously declined a reunion with Chicago because he was dissatisfied with the chosen setlist. (The Hall allows the inductees to perform three songs followed by an allstar jam to end the evening.) When The Beatles were inducted, George, Ringo and Yoko were all there but Paul stayed home. The Beach Boys were all there and Mike Love proceeded to make an ass of himself.
Sometimes these artists forget how many blessings they have. We’ve all had to get along with difficult co-workers. The fans made them who they are. A three-song reunion isn’t asking for a whole lot.
The other controversy is the old school Journey line-up is the one being inducted and it won’t include its current vocalist Arnel Pineda. Arnel wasn’t around during the band’s glory years but he single-handidly resurrected it into what’s now a traveling nostalgia act. How is Arnel handling all of this? Like everything else Arnel does, with class. He doesn’t mind and publicly stated that Steve belongs in the Hall and he’s happy to see the others being recognized.
Let’s pause for a moment. All together — “Just a small town girl, livin’ in a lonely world.”