Despite the potentially damaging scandals of recent years (although nothing really ranks on the scale of the child-molestation debacle that devastated Michael Jackson’s career), George Michael remains a formidable figure in the topsy-turvy world of pop. Since emerging as one-half (and the real brains behind the operation) of fluffy duo Wham!, Michael has led a virtual hit parade, all throughout the early years of gigantic permed hair and toothy smiles, to the latter years of designer stubble and nasty legal spats with giant multinationals (cf. the protracted mid-1990s battle with Sony, although he returned to their warm embrace almost a decade later).
This double-disc set practically reads like a chronicle of the top echelons of the pop charts of the past 25 years (hence the title, which is also an indicator of the number of years Michael has spent in the industry). There is no denying that Michael’s songs are primed for maximum impact on the charts: hummable, radio-friendly melodies, sing-along choruses that stay in your head all day long, and song topics that everyone can relate to (the joys of puppy love, the pains of failed relationships, gentle social commentary, and of course, that old standby, unrequited love).
While there has been one previous Michael compilation (1998’s Ladies and Gentlemen), Twenty Five can boast the obvious distinction of being more up to date, and also features not only material from his solo jaunt, but also stuff from the Wham! period). A generous 29 tracks are surveyed here, including the obligatory two somewhat colourless new tracks, although neither two really adds anything to overall quality of the collection, given the indisputable pop-tastic values of their predecessors.
The two discs that comprise Twenty Five address the two different primary aspects of the George Michael artistic sensibility: optimistic, upbeat tunes that present his more insistent qualities; and slower, more sombre tracks that highlight his talents as a crooner of ballads and weepies. Some quarters might want to take note that this constitutes a similar configuration to Ladies and Gentlemen, although completists who already own the earlier compilation will probably cough up the cash for this anyway.
The first disc tracks Michael’s dancier numbers, encompassing both solo and Wham! tunes: the almost insultingly bright Wake Me Up Before You Go Go, the cynically slick Everything She Wants, the propulsive, acoustic guitar-driven Faith and the club-influenced Fastlove, all instantly recognisable to even the most casual of radio listeners. Also present are the stadium chant-along Freedom ’90, the funky Outside (a direct response to Michael’s high-profile 1998 public-indecency arrest), the Bush-baiting Shoot the Dog and Freeek!, Michael’s wry commentary on the cyber-sex phenomenon. However, the controversial I Want Your Sex is conspicuous by its absence.
Michael slows down for the second disc, showing a more mellow side that is responsible for songs like the deathless karaoke evergreen Careless Whisper, the wistful seasonal favourite Last Christmas, the somewhat creepy, self-explanatory Father Figure, the perpetual fan favourite One More Try, and the plodding, pedantic Praying for Time. There are also a functional, if unremarkable live version of Elton John’s Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me (featuring the Captain Fantastic himself on guest vocals), the autobiographical childhood yarn Round Here, and the slow-burning John and Elvis Are Dead, a slightly scornful analysis of zealous fans still in worshipful awe of dead celebrities. On the other hand, Michael’s competent take on Tin Pan Alley, the jazzy Kissing a Fool, and the Beatle-esque, melodic Cowboys and Angels both miss the cut, although unfussy listeners will not be bothered too much by their exclusions.
In conclusion, Twenty Five does give credence to the long-standing conviction that Michael’s songs are sparkling examples of the straightforward pop-song aesthetic, with the requisite danceability and balladry factors neatly incorporated too. While there is nothing here that comes close to being challenging or adventurous in any real sense, it’s still a definitive anthology that fully explores the extent of Michael’s talents. A terrifically comprehensive overview of the works of one of the most controversial and gifted personalities in pop.