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George Michael: Songs from the last Century

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: Virgin Records
Released: 1999
Time:
 43:11
Category: Pop
Producer(s): George Michael, Phil Ramone
Rating: ********.. (8/10)
Media type: CD
Web address: www.georgemichael.com
Appears with: Wham!
Purchase date: 1999.12.18
Price in €: 12,99



 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] Brother, Can You Spare a Dime (J.Gorney/E.Y.Harburg) - 4:22
[2] Roxanne (Sting) - 4:11
[3] You've Changed (B.Carey/C.Fischer) - 4:25
[4] My Baby Just Cares for Me (W.Donaldson/G.Kahn) - 1:45
[5] First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (E.Maccoll) - 5:19
[6] Miss Sarajevo (Bono/A.Clayton/Edge/B.Eno/L.Mullen) - 5:11
[7] I Remember You (J.H.Mercer/V.Schertzinger) - 4:12
[8] Secret Love (S.Fain/P.Webster) - 2:39
[9] Wild Is the Wind (D.Tiomkine/N.Washington) - 4:02
[10] Where or When/Its Alright with Me (L.Hart/C.Porter/R.Rogers) - 7:00

Hidden track:
[11] It's alright with me - Instrumental (Cole Porter)

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


George Michael - Vocals, Main performer, Liner Notes, Design

Rob Mounsey - Piano, Arranger, Conductor
Corky Hale - Harp
Lewis Nash - Drums
Abe Appleman - Violin
Diane Barere - Celli
Elena Barere - Violin, Concert Master
Herb Besson - Trombone
Virgil Blackwell - Clarinet
Lawrence Feldman - Woodwind
David Finck - Bass
Barry Finclair - Violin, Concert Master
Crystal Garner - Viola
Juliet Haffner - Viola
Joyce Hammann - Violin
Kenneth Hitchcock - Woodwind
Regis Iandiorio - Violin
Jean Ingraham - Violin
Tony Kadleck - Trumpet
Carol Landon - Viola
Kim Laskowski - Bassoon
Jeanne LeBlanc - Celli
Ann Leathers - Violin
Richard Locker - Celli
Rob Mathes - Piano, Arranger, Conductor
Jeff Mironov - Guitar
John Moses - Clarinet
Jan Mullen - Violin
Shawn Pelton - Drums
Sue Pray - Viola
Tim Ries - Woodwind
Marcus Rojas - Tuba
Roger Rosenberg - Woodwind
Mark Orrin Shuman - Celli
Pamela Sklar - Flute
Andy Snitzer - Woodwind
Byron Stripling - Trumpet
Marti Sweet - Violin
Donna Tecco - Violin
David Tofani - Woodwind
Ellen Westerman - Celli
Torrie Zito - Arranger
Laura Hamilton - Violin
Jim Hynes - Trumpet
Jacqui Danilow - Bass
Diane Lesser - Oboe
Carol Webb - Violin
Chris Komer - French Horn
Maura Giannini - Violin
Dave Mann - Woodwind
Jeff Kievit - Trumpet
Caryl Paisner - Celli
Charles Pillow - Woodwind
Marji Danilow - Bass
Sheryl Henze - Flute
Karen Griffen - Flute
Arvil Brown - Violin
Laura Oatts - Violin
Stacy Shames - Harp
Jeff Lang - French Horn

Andrew McPherson - Photography
Frank Filipetti - Engineer, Mixing
Ted Jensen - Mastering
Scott Parker - Assistant Engineer
Phil Ramone - Producer, Liner Notes
Greg Jakobek - Design
Jason Stasium - Mixing

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


Recorded at Right Track Studios, New York, New York. Includes liner notes by Phil Spector.

Whatever you want to say about the ubiquitous George Michael, you can't brand him as lacking in the confidence department. It somehow isn't surprising that he would take it upon himself to capture the legacy of the past hundred years on SONGS FROM THE LAST CENTURY. What is surprising are the unique choices--this isn't a standard set of standards. George has managed to span and reflect the last hundred years with 10 tracks, few of which come close to belonging to that fraternity of the century's hackneyed covers.

The songs are all presented, whether they be Depression-era ballads ("Brother Can You Spare a Dime") or punk/new wave anthems ("Roxanne"), in a blowsy, bluesy, super-laid-back style. With all his pop-dance leanings and overblown hits, it's almost easy to overlook a key facet of George Michael's success; the man can sing. On tracks like Rodgers & Hart's "Where or When" and the breathy, breathtaking cover of that U2/Eno side project the Passengers' "Miss Sarajevo," George's lilting tenor smooths its way right into the heart. The perfect time capsule for upcoming generations regarding the 1900s it's not, but it does stand as a fine collection of timeless tunes from timed eras.



Kurz vor der Jahrtausendwende hat Superstar George Michael mit Songs From The Last Century sein viertes Solo-Album vollendet. Seit er sich 1987 mit dem legendären Aretha Franklin-Duett als Connaisseur von R&B und Soul bewies, kennt man seine Vorliebe für Klassiker aus diesem Genre. Keinem anderen weissen Künstler ist im laufe seiner Karriere eine derart stilsichere und erfolgreiche Verschmelzung von Musikgeschichte und aktuellem Pop gelungen.

Songs From The Last Century wird George Michaels Leidenschaft nun in Form einer ganz persönlichen, eklektizistischen Songauswahl präsentieren: Die Titel stammen von den größten Entertainern und Vokalisten unseres Jahrhunderts - wenn nicht aus ihrer Feder, dann als unsterbliche, von ihnen interpretierte Aufnahmen. Eingesungen wurden sie mit sparsamer Jazz-Instrumentierung; für den Feinschliff als moderne, zeitgemässe Pop-Arrangements sorgte der legendäre Phil Ramone (Billy Joel, Barbra Streisand, Paul Simon). Als Songs des Jahrhunderts lässt George u.a. Frank Sinatra mit "It's Alright With Me" aufleben, verkündet "You've Changed" mit der unvergessenen Billie Holiday und zitiert 50er Jahre-Ikone Doris Day mit "Secret Love". Auch die Soul-Diven Roberta Flack ("The First Time") und Nina Simone ("Wild Is The Wind") werden respektvoll gewürdigt. Als neuere Songs sind der Police-Klassiker "Roxanne" und das aktuelle "Miss Sarajewo" (Bono und Luciano Pavarotti) auf dem Album verewigt. Unübersehbar ist die gesangliche Güteklasse der Originale. Ein hoher Anspruch, dem George Michael mit seinen Adaptionen souverän gerecht wird. Hörgenuss pur!

from www.virgin.de



His first real release since his misadventures in a Beverly Hills public bathroom, George Michael's Songs From the Last Century, on which he reinterprets classic songs from the 1900s, is likely intended to signal his arrival as a formidable, grown-up pop star. A collection of tracks ranging from '30s show tunes to fluffy '50s pop to fairly obscure U2 side-project takeoffs, Songs is admirably diverse in theory, if not in execution: Michael gives almost every track here either a jazzy or low-key swing feel. His version of the Police's "Roxanne" is loping and doleful, and doesn't benefit from its reinvention, but other tracks fare better, like a similarly sleepy version of Roberta Flack's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," which he handles with great aplomb. Michael's idea -- to filter songs from varying genres and time frames through the same vaguely piano-bar pop prism -- may not be the best one he's ever had, but Songs' occasional detours into camp prove redeeming. There are passing references to Ricky Martin and a cover of the old Doris Day ballad "Secret Love," a paean to forbidden romance that, given Michael's recent outing, has a subtext of which its authors surely never dreamed.

Allison Stewart - CDNOW



"Happy Y2K everyone," the normally reticent Michael wishes us on the sleeve. The reference to calamity makes you think he's taking the term "Last Century" too seriously. As such, this mixed bag of cover versions should be considered a time capsule for future civilizations. What the Pepsi generation will get is an intriguing portrait of a singer who easily came out of the closet, but found it harder to grow up. With George tackling songs best associated with singers like Nina Simone ("My Baby Just Cares for Me"), Roberta Flack ("The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face"), Doris Day ("Secret Love") and, er, David Bowie ("Wild Is The Wind"), he plays with gender roles in both subject matter and whenever he hits a high note. Without ever straying into camp, George brings a cinematic sense of drama to "Brother, Can You Spare A Dime," a swelling march through misery, and makes "The First Time ..." cry out for Ali McGraw running through a snowbound Harvard campus. You believe him. However, there are several moments where the interpreter confuses dawdling with gravitas and acoustic jazz with high society. Fine stuff, but if these nods to the past keep up, the century's biggest loss could be the young fool who wrote deathless masterpieces like "Careless Whisper."

© 1999 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved.



Songs from the Last Century is not what you might expect from George Michael -- in fact, his regular audience might be a little dismayed when they first listen to the album, anticipating a mirror-balled, hip-wiggler of a record, only to find something all together different. George has gone soft. Sure, he's the king of "Careless Whisper," but this new body of work, co-produced by Phil Ramone, is something else. More to the point, he's singing a collection of eclectic (and I mean eclectic) tunes from the 20th Century. There are a few songs from the '30s, a few from the '60s, a couple from the '50s. George Michael has issued a very grown-up album that sets a very specific rainy-day-candle-lit-build-a-fire-draw-a-bath mood. Yes, the man who so badly wanted your sex is now taking it easy. Each song, whether it's the Police's seminal prostitute rock song, "Roxanne," or the Depression era anthem, "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime," is lushly orchestrated, soulfully sung, and beautifully arranged. There are harps and horns and jazzy little sequences, but nothing to jar you. Standards like "My Baby Just Cares For Me," "I Remember You," and Rodgers and Hart's "Where or When" don't lose anything in George Michael's microphone-caressing translation. So if George Michael decides to give up pop music for good, he can always now tour with Tony Bennett...

© 1999 MTV Networks. All Rights Reserved.



George Michael, the pop singer, has had a tortured career: He hates fame, hates performing, hates the music business, hates himself a good amount of the time. In the early '90s, he told the Los Angeles Times he was going to give up performing and crawl into a hole somewhere. Frank Sinatra wrote a letter to George via the newspaper: "Hey pisher!" the great man yelled (and I'm paraphrasing), "You seem like a nice young man. Don't disappoint your fans!" On Songs From the Last Century (Virgin/Agean), Michael heads to Sinatra land. With Phil Ramone steering the ship, he sails through "Brother Can You Spare a Dime?" "Secret Love," "Where or When," stuff like that. With lots of strings, tons of brass, a wild and crazy harp, and more, George Michael lets loose. You know what? He's a hell of a singer, with attractive, full-throttle emotional schmaltz on the ballads, where his studio-enhanced breathiness is reminiscent of Johnny Mathis. Frank'd be proud of the boy (although you wouldn't want to know what he'd say about all that public toilet business).

Lee Jeske - Jazziz



Nach seinem Best Of-Album Ladies & Gentlemen 1998 präsentiert George Michael mit Songs From The Last Century sein neues. Wie schon Bryan Ferry mit seinem Swing-Album hat auch er seine persönlichen Lieblingssongs aus diesem Jahrhundert eingesungen. Produziert hat das sensible und filigrane Werk Phil Ramone. Mit "Brother Can You Spare A Dime" wird der Tonfall der nostalgischen LP festgelegt, die von den unglaublich virtuosen Phrasierungen des Sängers lebt. Nicht zu vergessen die eigenwillige Songauswahl, mit der George Michael viel Geschmack beweist. Aus dem Police-Hit "Roxanne" wird eine Big Band-Nummer im Stile Frank Sinatras, von dem Michael "Where Or When" aufgegriffen hat. Als Entertainer mit "You‘re Changed" edel und elegant, als Crooner mit "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" besinnlich -- was für ein Spektrum an Stimmungen und Stilen, die er mit seinen Interpretationen harmonisch vereint. Von Bing Crosby und Billie Holiday über Nina Simone und Doris Day bis "Miss Sarajevo" beweist er seine vokale Wandlungsfähigkeit. Ein Album, das in eleganten Bars und zu später Stunde auch auf Parties Furore machen wird. Da hat man fast Lust, sogar ein Standardtänzchen zu wagen. Superb!

Ingeborg Schober - Amazon.de
 

 L y r i c s


Brother Can You Spare A Dime

once I built a railroad, made it run
made it race against time
once I built a rairoad, now it's done
brother can you spare a dime?
once I built a tower to the sun
brick and rivet and lime
once I built a tower, now it's done
brother can you spare a dime?

once in khaki suits
gee, we looked swell
full of that yankee Doodle De Dum
half a million boots went slogging through hell
I was the kid with the drum
say don't you remember, they called me Al
It was Al all the time
say don't you remember, I'm your pal!
buddy can you spare a dime?

once I built a railroad, made it run
made it race against time
once I built a rairoad, now it's done
brother can you spare a dime?
once I built a tower to the sun
brick and rivet and lime
once I built a tower, now it's done
brother can you spare a dime?

once in khaki suits
gee, we looked swell
full of that yankee Doodle De Dum
half a million boots went slogging through hell
I was the kid with the drum
say don't you remember, they called me Al
It was Al all the time
say don't you remember, I'm your pal!
buddy can you spare a dime?


ROXANNE

Roxanne
You don't have to put on the red light
Those days are over
You don't have to sell your body to the night

Roxanne
You don't have to wear that dress tonight
Walk the streets for money
You don't care if it's wrong or if it's right

Roxanne
You don't have to put on the red light

I loved you since I knew you
I wouldn't talk down to you
I have to tell you just how I feel
I won't share you with another boy
I know my mind is made up
So put away your make up
Told you once I won't tell you again
It's a bad way

Roxanne
You don't have to put on the red light
Roxanne
You don't have to put on the red light


You've Changed

you've changed
that sparkle in your eyes has gone
your smile is just a careless yawn
you're breaking my heart, you've changed

you've changed
your kisses are now so blase
you're bored with me in every way
I can't understand you've changed

you've forgotten the word I love you
each memory that we've shared
you ignore every star above you
I can't realise you ever cared

you've changed
you're not the anges I once knew
no need to tell me that we're through
it's all over now, you've changed

you've forgotten the word I love you
each memory that we've shared
you ignore every star above you
I can't realise you ever cared

you've changed
you're not the anges I once knew
no need to tell me that we're through
it's all over now, you've changed
I miss you


My Baby Just Cares For Me

my baby don't care for shows
my baby don't care for clothes
my baby just cares for me

my baby don't care for cars and races
my baby don't care for high tone places

Elizabeth Taylor is not his style
and even Ricky Martin's smile
is something he can't see
my baby don't care who knows it
my baby just cares for me

I wonder what's wrong with baby
my baby just cares for
he just says his prayers for
my baby just cares
for me


The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

the first time ever I saw your face
I thought the sun rose in your eyes
and the moon and the stars were the gifts you gave
to the dark and endless skies, my love
to the dark and empty skies

the first time ever I kissed your mouth
I felt the earth move in my hands
like the trembling heart of a captive bird
that was there at my command, my love
that was there at my command

the first time I ever lay with you]
and felt you heart so close to mine
and I knew our joy would fill the world
and would last till the and of time, my love
it would last till the end of time
the first time ever I saw your face
your face, your face

Miss Sarajevo

Is there a time for keeping a distance
A time to turn your eyes away
Is there a time for keeping your head down
For getting on with your day

Is there a time for kohl and lipstick
A time for cutting hair
Is there a time for high street shopping
To find the right dress to wear

Here she comes
Heads turn around
Here she comes
To take her crown

Is there a time to walk for cover
A time for kiss and tell
Is there a time for different colors
Different names you find it hard to spell

Is there a time for first communion
A time for east 17
Is there a time to turn the mecca
Is there a time to be a beauty queen

Here she comes
Beauty plays the crown
Here she comes
Surreal in her crown

(Pavarotti)
Dici che il fiume
trova la via al mare
E come il fiume
giungerai a me
Oltre i confini
e le terre assetate
Dici che come fiume
come fiume
L'amore giunger
L'amore
E non so pi pregare
E nell'amore non so pi sperare
E quell'amore non so pi aspettare

English translation:

You say that the river
finds the way to the sea
And as the river
you'll come to me
Beyond the borders
and the thirsty lands
You say that as river
As river
Love will come
Love
And I cannot pray anymore
And I cannot hope in love anymore
And I cannot wait for love anymore

(Bono)
Is there a time for tying ribbons
A time for Christmas trees
Is there a time for laying tables
When the night is set to freeze


I Remember You

I remember you
you're the one who made my dreams come true
a few kisses ago

I remember you
you're the one who said I love you too
didn't you know

I remember too
a distant bell
and stars that fell
like rain out of the blue

when my life is through
and the angels ask me to recall
the thrill of them all
then I will tell them I remember you

I remember you
you're the one who made my dreams come true
a few kisses ago

I remember you
you're the one who said I love you too
didn't you know

I remember too
a distant bell
and stars that fell
like rain out of the blue
I miss you darling

when my life is through
and the angels ask me to recall
the thrill of them all
then I will tell them I remember you


Secret Love

once I had a secret love
that lived within the heart of me
all too soon my secret love
became impatient to be free

so I told a friendly star
the way that dreamers often do
just how wonderful you are
and why I'm so in love with you

now I shout it from the highest hill
I even told you the golden dafodill
at least my heart's an open door
and my secret love's no secret anymore

now I shout it from the highest hill
I even told you the golden dafodill
at least my heart's an open door
and my secret love's no secret
my secret love's no secret
my secret love's no secret anymore


Wild Is the Wind

love me, love me, love me, love me
say you do
let me fly away with you
for my love is like the wind
and wild is the wind
wild is the wind

give me more than one caress
satisfy this hungriness
let the wind blow through your heart
oh wild is the wind
wild is the wind

you touch me
I hear the sound of mandolins
you kiss me
with your kiss my life begins
you're Spring to me
all things to me
don't you know
you're life itself!

like the leaf
clings to the tree
oh my darling cling to me
for we're like creatures of the wind
and wild is the wind
wild is the wind

you touch me
I hear the sound of mandolins
you kiss me
with your kiss my life begins
you're Spring to me
all things to me
don't you know
you're life itself!

like the leaf
clings to the tree
oh my darling cling to me
for we're like creatures of the wind
and wild is the wind
wild is the wind, wild is the wind
wild is the wind, wild is the wind


Where Or When

when you're awake
the things you think
come from the dreams you dream
thought has wings,
and lots of things
are seldom what they see
sometimes you think you've lived before
all that you live today
things you do come back to you
as though they knew the way
oh, the tricks your mind can play

it seems we stood and talked like this before
we looked at each other in the same way then
but I can't remember where or when
the clothes you're wearing and the clothes you wore
the smile you are smiling you were smiling then
but I can't remember where or when
some things that happen for the first time
seem to be happening again
and so it seems that we have met before
and laughed before
and loved before
but who knows where or when

it seems we stood and talked like this before
we looked at each other in the same way then
but I can't remember where or when
the clothes you're wearing and the clothes you wore
the smile you are smiling you were smiling then
but I can't remember where or when
some things that happen for the first time
seem to be happening again
and so it seems that we have met before
and laughed before
and loved before
but who knows where or when
 

 M P 3   S a m p l e s


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