Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1

A mature statement from one of the great mainstream pop artists shooting for eternal air play on Smooth FM, and the album that made it OK for me as a red blooded and masculine male to like George Michael.

I took your advice, George Michael, and you know what? This shit slaps. Best track: Freedom! '90

George Michael’s hits were an ever present constant in the 80’s and 90’s, but other than Faith, which sold 25 million copies, I hadn’t thought about his work in terms of albums. One day last year I heard his duet with Elton John for the bazillionth time and started to think about Michael’s talent. So I sat there and listened to Faith again and then to his entire solo discography and was blown away by his musical range and depth of feeling. A truly great artist and this album is worth absorbing every track.

George Michael peut se vanter de porter à bout de bras ce courant musical qu'est l'homosexual pop. L'album est une réussite de bout en bout. L'intro nous fait entrer dans un univers très riche, très marquée par une attirance envers la gente masculine. On slalome entre les pistes tel George Michael entre les passants sur son char lors des marches de fierté. L'album se conclue sur un coming out explosif. En bref, on en redemande.

One good song. Freedom! ‘90

Une homosexualité debordante de la part de notre ami George Michael, qui reprend tous les codes de la homosexual pop, très chère à notre ami robbière. En effet, ce genre musical porté par George Michael et Ricki Martins, n'a plus rien à prouver, et vient recolter un nouveau 4/5. Bien dommage donc de ne pas voir ce genre figurer dans le classement des genres du générateur. Un manque d'ouverture d'esprit peut-être? Je vous tiendrais au courant dès que j'en saurai un peu plus sur les motivations réelles de Robert.

Isn’t it annoying when someone tells you, “Don’t look over there, but…”? The first thing you’re going to do is look over there, right? So when George Michael tells me to “Listen Without Prejudice”, I’m going to be listening with a more critical ear than usual. Big mistake, George Michael. So here’s my prejudiced take after listening: there’s so much reverb on George Michael’s voice on every track of this record that it sounds like he fell down a well and instead of trying to get him out, his producers lowered a microphone down into the well so they could record his vocals.

Classic. More ballads than I remember. Gifted writer, composer and voice.

Other than 'Freedom 90' the rest of the album is kinda repetitive and slow

Freedom is awesome, but the rest of it is weak boring sauce.

I was ready to write this one off based just on the artist's clownish pose on the cover and goofy shades, but I reread the album title and promised myself that I would give it a fair shake. Thankfully, the music is just as clownish. The music is well-produced but takes itself much too seriously while saying nothing important.

Somber. Honestly, I was expecting more soaring vocals but it feels like he was trying to be restrained so as not to be one-dimensional. That's not to say his incredible vocals aren't on display but it's not like a Celine Dion album where every song is rising to a climax. Sometimes it's just even, intense vocals throughout a song. You've got to respect his decision to put his vocals and lyrics front and center. I guess with vocals like his that's an easy choice. I think his lyrics got better over time - he hadn't quite found it yet. But you can see the potential in Mother's Pride, Cowboys and Angels, and Praying for Time. Soul Free was a disappointment - like the record producers got their way with a track. Too cheesy. Fortunately Waiting takes it out on a big high note. From a pure enjoyment perspective I probably give the album a 4. But from a concept perspective and what he was trying to accomplish and the raw emotion, it's a 5.

If this album was a biscuit, it would be a plain digestive Not necessarily bad - just plain and not really anyones favourite 3 ⭐️

So very different to Faith or his work with Wham, this album is the pinnacle of George Michael's career. Even to a casual listener and not a super fan like my wife, it is hard to deny that this is pop perfection

No. 58/1001 Praying for Time 4/5 Freedom 90' 5/5 They Won't Go When I Go 4/5 Something to Save 5/5 Cobowys and Angels 4/5 Waiting for that Day 5/5 Mothers Pride 5/5 Heal the Pain 5/5 Soul Free 4/5 Waiting (Reprise) NR Average: 4,56 Wow, I'm super surprised about this. Incredible voice and songwriting. Influences ranging from gospel to funk to to rock. Had multiple relistens today and it got better every time. Pop Perfection. This is now my best rated album taking over from Born To Run - Bruce Springsteen (4,5)

A lot of stylistic variety. I really enjoyed the first portion of the album especially.

It's not bad, but extremely dull and forgettable in most places

it sounded okay i guess but i couldnt get into it or connect with it at all.. felt nothing throughout.

No idea why this one should deserve a spot on this list. Certainly one of the most unremarkable albums we've listened to so far. Boring songs, adequate execution, subpar production. I did like Soul Free, the only track that stood out to me.

Started strong, but I lost interest pretty quick. Freedom! 90 fucks, but the rest I could take it or leave it. 2/5

Freedom is just one of those songs that you hear once and can never get out of your head. Phenomenal album from George Michael. A super strong album.

When I listen to George Michael a couple of things cross my mind (and my heart). One, I just feel joy in everything he does, he was so very, very good. Everything he created was a gift. But now I also feel a sadness for the way we lost him, essentially to his fame. One thing is for sure, pop music probably would have taken a different trajectory without George Michael. There's a depth and maturity to some of his work that pop music is just starting to come back around to, after so many frivolous years. Listen Without Prejudice is not a perfect album. But it stands out so starkly from pop music of the 80s, from everything Michael had made up to that point. It's smart, seriously crafted pop that really cracked open the possibilities in 1990 of what a pop album could or should be. Another reviewer commented that the album essentially kicked off pop for the 90s, which is so true. The arrangements are more sophisticated, the lyrics are deeper, this is music for grown ass adults, not the teenagers who listened to Wham! in the 80s. That's not to say the album doesn't have fun, because that’s in there too. Maybe not as much fun as Faith, but that would be a hard one to top. There's another vibe at work here, one of introspection, one of growth. I can't think of a better opener than "Praying for Time." It has this lush, atmospheric arrangement that just pulls you in. Michael's vocal is so silky, so infectious, so gorgeous. I want to hear it forever. “Freedom '90” is damn catchy, a perfect pop song. It’s smooth, funky, more than a little angry. I have special fondness for it knowing it really is George Michael's declaration of independence from his image and our expectations of him. Being frank about the costs of stardom made Michael a far better artist. As I listen now, the album is a touch more dated than I expected it to be. But seriously, who cares? Pop music is specifically a time sensitive genre, but excellent is excellent. In that sense, Listen Without Prejudice is timeless. Fave Songs: Freedom! '90, They Won't Go When I Go, Praying for Time, Soul Free, Cowboys and Angels

It's always fun to be pleasantly surprised, but I should have taken the advice of the album title. When I read it was a move away from George Michael's dance music, I imagined something boring. I ended up loving it. I will steal the comment of a contemporary critic and say that this felt "personal, not commercial." I really felt connected to it and loved its sound. "Freedom! '90" is the song I well remember and always liked, but I liked digging into it a bit deeper and listening to its lyrics about the emotional consequences of his fame. "Cowboys and Angels" is a lovely heartfelt waltz with a saxophone solo. I enjoyed the seamless transition to the Rolling Stones in "Waiting for that Day." And the rest! I liked all the songs on this. It was perfect music for the day.

So far above his debut it's not even funny. Poignant, catchy, fun, and interesting in historical context. This does everything it can to fight it's way to a 5 for me, and who am I to deny it?

Wow, I haven't listened to this album in decades. They Won't go When I go is a beautiful song. It really highlights George Michaels range.

An album that pulled pop music out of its 80s malaise to kick off the 90s in style - hip hop beats, r&b and gospel influences, supermodels in the video and George Michael’s powerful, soulful voice (the greatest pop singer of his era?). Freedom 90 is a perfect pop record (and what a singalong) and the ballads have real staying power. You feel George Michael is starting to be the artist he wants to be, getting ever more comfortable writing confessional (perhaps?), personal lyrics. A significant improvement on Faith, which also appears on this list, Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 (is there a more pretentious album title - vol.1 indeed?!?! - I love it!) fully deserves its place on this list.

What a voice. His music is dramatic and soulful and there really can only be one George Michael. Some of it is a little over the top and I prefer his upbeat hit on this album ("Freedom.")

I just listened to this less than a month ago because Apple Music put it on their list of 100 best albums. I wasn’t impress then and am still not. Somehow, it’s more bearable, though. It depends on the mood I’m in, I suppose. If I’m not in a “heal the world, let’s all sing kumbaya” mood, then I won’t enjoy it as much. Also, I need to mention that what he does to “They Won’t Go When I Go” is a shame. It’s not bad, but doesn’t deserve to be on either list. 3/5

The credit card song! This was fine.

All a bit cheesy, like a mega Glee choir. I liked a few but nothing amazing

A few good songs, but overall a little schmaltzy for me. I'd give it a few more listens to see if it grows on me.

yeah prejudice isn't why i don't like this, it's just boring as fuck George

They try to be all inspirational, but it just comes off as insincere.

Not for me. Accessible but a bit too sappy. Favorite: Freedom! '90

If there's one thing I'm not interested in it's generic pop albums from the past

If Last Christmas was an hour long...

okay

I thought half was decent and the other half was pretty boring

Boy this is a boring album. Like... inoffensive soft-pop that very very quickly faded into background at the dentist office pap for me.

I listened without prejudice, but still thought it was shit. Sorry George lad.

I tried to listen without prejudice but it really was shit. Clearly he was trying to be taken seriously as an artist but there's no substance just pretension added to basic ballads

Can't believe I listened to this whole thing. That will not happen again.

Overproduced torch songs, I'd imagine this would go down well at Tescos.

An incredible album, power ballads and pop perfection. Standout Tracks: Praying for Time, They Won't Go When I Go, Something to Save, Cowboys and Angels, Mothers Pride

Really amazing album, loved it!!!

Nunca pensé que un disco que prácticamente contiene puras baladas me gustara tanto. Lo escuché sin prejuicio como dice y me encantó.

The best

damn good. most of his best songs come from this one.

Geez this album slaps.

Yndislegt albúm. Svo fáránlega góð túlkun á öllum lögum. Elsk <3

love it

Had to give this a 5. I could try to be nitpicky with a couple of songs I didn't enjoy as much as the rest, but that would be wrong as they were both still good (Heal The Pain and Soul Free). There is a nice balance of ballads interjected with some dance and folk numbers. George Michael's vocals are out of this world too. Thankfully this album also doesn't feature much of the 80s sax. Favourite songs are Cowboys and Angels, Freedom!90 and Praying For Time.

Never heard the entire album. What a gorgeous piece of work. Loved "Praying for Time". Added without prejudice.

I love this album and am very happy to see it recognized on this list. “Praying for Time” is one of my favorite songs of the 90’s. It’s a sober song that is as relevant today as it was then. What surprised me when I first listened to this back in 1990 was how serious most of the songs on this album were. The cover of Stevie Wonder’s “They Won’t Go When I Go” is closer to the overall tone of this album than “Freedom! ‘90”. I remember being surprised at this. And even the really fun, dance-y “Freedom! ‘90” has some pretty cynical lyrics. “Waiting for That Day” is a really nice track with its organ background. I love the groove of this song. Other highlights on this album for me are “Something to Save,” “Cowboys and Angels” (a great waltz!), “Heal the Pain” (great song - one of the more optimistic tracks!), and “Soul Free.” I also love “Waiting (Reprise)” which is a lovely closing to the album. I hadn’t listened to any of the extra discs from the 2017 reissue (Listen Without Prejudice / MTV Unplugged). I’m glad I did this time. The MTV Unplugged performance is pretty incredible and made me sad that George Michael left us too soon. The unplugged “Freedom! ‘90” rivals the original as do many of the other tracks, and you hear a lot off the other albums as well as some cool covers like “I Can’t Make You Love Me.” It’s a really nice listen. Still I’ll keep my ranking focused on the original release… George Michael died 5 years 1 week ago and I had not really revisited his music since then. I’m glad this provided me the kick I needed to check out the re-issue and get this back into the rotation because it is a really great album.

I love this album, although I became most familiar with it years after its release. There are a couple of dance-tracks, but for the most part it is a serious album. The melodies really draw me in and make me want to listen over and over.

Me encantó. Me transmitió mucha paz su voz, las letras me encantaron, realmente me pareció un proyecto muy coherente.

Loved it!

this was actually a really good album, I’ll give it a 9/10 I only really knew George Michael from Careless Whisper and the jokes on Arrested Development so hearing this album was actually a really nice surprise

Great album. Is it George Michael's best? I personally think Patience is his best, but that one doesn't have Freedom! '90 and that's a JAM. The rest of the album is noticeably more subdued, but Michael executes this perfectly. During listening yesterday it was Mother's Pride that really struck me, which unfortunately remains topical as ever.

What a lucky week: Stevie Wonder, Radiohead, and now George Michael. This album is great from start to finish. Happy songs and sad songs. All so beautiful; his voice makes you melt.

Awesome

Incredible

First album I bought for myself on CD. So much gold here!

10/10

Ik ben echt groot fan van George Michael. Dit is wat mij betreft zijn magnum opus en staat bij mij zeer hoog in mijn lijst van beste albums. Dus zonder moeite 5 sterren.

Listened to this over a couple breakups growing up. Good stuff.

Very impressed by this. Lyrically introspective, with some pieces of pop and wonderfully crafted ballads sung with deep emotion. Though Cowboys & Angels overstays its welcome, there are amazing nuggets all the way through from Praying for Time all the way to Waiting.

The video for a song, Freedom, shouldn't define an album. The song itself was brilliant, but the video with all the supermodels, and how they knew all the words to the song, took it over the top. The destruction of all the iconic items from the Faith video reinforced what this album was all about. It's such a change from his earlier release. Crazy.

First George Michael album. The only George I am familiar with would be Faith and Careless Whisper, and now Freedom (in hindsight). I had no real expectations going into this one, however I finished it pleasantly surprised. I was afraid it would consist of boring pop songs with a lack of depth and meaning, but it was quite the opposite. I felt like every song on the LP had thought and intention put into it. I suppose the fact that George produced and arranged every song helps with that. The general atmosphere of the album is one that I can appreciate. I'll certainly have to visit his discography again.

ea ea

Beautiful soulful voice. Honest

Very good

Super great album. So relaxing and so good. Just mesmerizing and makes me feel euphoric and calm.

Beautiful album, beter dan i expected…

George's voice is timeless! Besides freedom! '90, for me heal the pain and waiting are super hits.

10/10

Freedom is a 5/5 song Wasn't expecting to hear a stevie wonder cover Production on soul free was amazing

Need to study how he wrote songs in 3/4

Intense and beautiful. A gem. Beautiful to listen to it all again after all these years.

In my mind, a perfect pop album. Blue-eyed soul (at it's finest) matched with masterful production and great songwriting equals a classic.

A work of art by one of the great musical geniuses of my lifetime. Outstanding songwriting and a beautiful singer and it is amazing this was not actually a massive hit.

One of my all-time favourite albums. Even better now than when I first heard it in 1991. Beautiful and powerful.

I don't know why it took me until now to realize how much I ADORE George Michael's voice. His vocals, plus the instrumentals, lyrics, and general song composition, made for a great album. For some reason, I don't like Freedom! (yeah I know) but the rest of it was exquisite.

Really excellent

Pero que buenísimo que está. Ni una canción mala. No es repetitivo y el opener es increíble. Dudé mucho en darle las 5, pero cada vez que lo escuchaba me convencía más de ello, simplemente no pude evitarlo.

Wonderful

cool

:) make me think of me mom

This is one of my all time favourite albums, thanks.

Excellent

Haven't listened to a lot of George Michael in my life, which right now seems criminal. Just a phenomenal showcase of musical talent on this album. I don't know if it's just me, but at times it sounds like Freddy Mercury singing. Not a knock against it; if anything it just goes to show how great Michael's voice is. I don't have anything bad to say about this album, it was a joy from start to finish.

This was great

What an accurate album title. From what I've previously heard from George Micheal I was expecting to hate this but I thoroughly enjoyed the entire album. It's a solid pop album with very interesting lyrics and a nice stylistic variety. Give it a go, you won't regret it.

Brilliant. I must confess I'd never listened to a George Michael album before today but this blew my mind. Such a great voice and some real heartfelt lyrics. Pleasantly surprised and defo 5 stars

I love this album. It's one of the best albums ever released, in my view, definitely top 20. This is a rare example, from this otherwise hopeless list, of an album that everyone actually should hear before they die. George Michael was the great white hope of soul, a wonderful voice and brilliant songwriter. The story of his life and tragic death will make an amazing film, one day.

george michael is the loml

Love this album!

Classic George Michael, brilliant album and sounds fantastic on this. Really enjoyed listening to the full album, some great instrumentals throughout also.

I loved this but I listened with (personal) prejudice, as I had completely forgotten but I’ve heard this before, it was in heavy rotation in my mom’s car growing up. Love this one! Also it takes massive balls to cover Stevie Wonder, and he nails it

Some lovely songs and an amazing voice. What's not to like?