Wham!: The Singles - Echoes From The Edge Of Heaven (2LP, 180g) [SONY]

Why you'll love it

This 180g 2LP set lines up the duo's singles in the order they arrived, then adds a whole disc of remixes and B-sides. It reached No. 2 in the UK and went gold there.

This edition

• 2LP set
• 180g vinyl
• 40th anniversary collection

About the album

George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley met at school in Bushey, formed a band, conquered the world and called it a day, all within about five years. This collection marks 40 years since they started, and it arrived in 2023 two days after Netflix put out the documentary Wham!, which sent a whole new generation off to find out what the fuss was about.

The first record runs straight through the hits in order: the cheeky "Wham Rap!" and "Young Guns (Go for It!)," "Bad Boys," the sunshine of "Club Tropicana" and "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go," the Motown-flavoured strut of "Freedom," then the grown-up turn of "Everything She Wants," "I'm Your Man" and the farewell "The Edge of Heaven." The second disc digs into extended mixes and B-sides, including the long mix of "Freedom," "Blue (Armed with Love)," "Battlestations" and the festive "Pudding Mix" of "Last Christmas."

Ridgeley called their time in the band almost exclusively joyful, and you can hear it in every groove. We keep it filed under W, though in December it tends to wander off on its own.

Also at Kops: more Wham! on vinyl · browse Pop

Tracklist

Listen

On Sony, a reissue of the 2023 compilation.