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George Michael News from 1997December 19, 1997According to ÆGEAN NET, the Members Online CD won't be available to order until January 13th because of problems they had while testing the system. December 17, 1997The Trading Post at ÆGEAN NET is now completely open. It has CDs, cassettes, t-shirts, baseball caps, a mouse pad, a key chain, and a record bag. For more information, visit the ÆGEAN website or write to sales@aegean.net. December 15, 1997Fans will be able to become members of ÆGEAN NET's Members Online on December 20, 1997. Many fans received an e-mail from ÆGEAN president, Andreas Georgiou, today. Mr. Georgiou welcomed everyone to ÆGEAN Members Online and addressed a number of issues. In summary, he:
Trading Post at ÆGEAN NET is now open. It currently has an ÆGEAN NET mouse pad, key chain, and record bag available. The minimum order is 15 pounds. More items will be available. November 10, 1997George is once again leading the pack on the Internet. This time he is the first artist to have his fan club (Members Online) exclusively on the web, according to this week's DotMusic. Members Online will begin on November 12th; it will include demos, unreleased recordings and links to George Michael fan-created websites. Although Andreas Georgiou, president of ÆGEAN, acknowledges that not all fans own a computer, he believes that they can find a way to get access to a computer, possibly through school or cyber cafes. (A note from the Yours Only George editor: If you know fans without a computer, tell them that local libraries sometimes have free access to the Internet too.) The article also details how ÆGEAN has spent the last year closing down official and unofficial mail order clubs that were shortchanging the fans. The membership will be 21.99 pounds a year. Once they have subscribed, fans will receive a CD-Rom that will give them access to the Members Online area of the ÆGEAN website. Another article in the same issue of Dotmusic, gave Dreamworks' take on the "relative dismissal" of Older in North America. In a letter to his fans at the ÆGEAN site, George had blamed Dreamworks for his lack of sales in the U.S. Dreamworks, in turn, has blamed George, saying that success in the U.S. requires heavy promotion and public appearances, which George has decided not to do. Nonetheless, Older & Upper will be released worldwide, as reported earlier. (In Yogmæl, Shirlie said that it will be released on December 1st. We don't think this release date is for North America because George's letter [see November 1, 1997 News] says that it will be released in Dreamworks territory in the "new year.") Also of note is that George did not win "Best Male" at the MTV Europe Music Awards. Jon Bon Jovi won instead. November 1, 1997The ÆGEAN web channel premiered phase 2 of its website today. For those of you unable to view the ÆGEAN channels, you may wish to look at our totally update page dedicated to the ÆGEAN site, which is in our ÆGEAN links section. In the Artists channel of the ÆGEAN site, George wrote a beautiful, touching letter for his fans: Hi everyone, Just thought I should say thank you to you all for your unbelievable support over the years, and tell you that I am very touched by the various and impressive sites that I have found all over the Internet. Never thought I'd say it, but I am truly hooked on the web! The hours of browsing have further confirmed that my supporters are a very special group of people. Thank you especially for your messages of concern after my Mother's death earlier in the year, they were thoughtful and genuinely helped me. Another reason for this letter is to thank you for bearing with us at ÆGEAN.NET as we find our feet on the Internet. We have taken longer than planned to put a members page together, but believe me when it arrives you will see that the wait was worth it. In addition to the regular George Michael site we also have very exciting plans to bring music to you with some unbelievably good new technology, (but more of that later). Lastly and probably most importantly, I would like to apologise to many of my fans, especially those in the U.S.A, for the lack of availability of my work in your country, and I hope that you all realise that the relative dismissal of 'Older' in America, (especially considering its great success in the rest of the world), is just as bewildering to me as it is to you. I am afraid that my time so far with Dreamworks has been a frustrating and disappointing one. However, largely as a result of your comments ,not to mention a visit to the Virgin record store in Los Angeles earlier this year which revealed a singles chart with various import singles of mine at numbers 1, 2, 8, and 9, (Thank you Los Angeles!!!),in the new year I have asked Dreamworks to release a new double cd package of 'Older' (at a price as close to the original price as the retailers will allow) which will include my own remixed versions of 'Star People' and 'Strangest Thing', the forthright remix of 'Spinning The Wheel', 'Fastlove part 2', and two b-sides, 'Safe' and 'You Know That I Want To'. As for the two remaining songs as yet unreleased in America, ('Desifinado' and 'I Can't Make You Love Me'), they will be included on next year's 'Best Of' album. My apologies to those of you that were keen enough to buy the imported singles over the last year, but there are still a lot of people out there who have no idea that this stuff even exists, so I think it's a good idea to get it out there. Hopefully it will be distributed and made easy to get hold of by Dreamworks in January..... It only remains to thank you all again, and hopefully see you when I tour beginning at the end of next year!!! Love and thanks, George Michael October 30, 1997According to Business Age magazine, George Michael ranks 11th among the richest British rock stars, with an estimated wealth of 95 million pounds. The list was compiled by analyzing the company accounts, record sales and other earnings of all major British pop acts over the past 35 years. (It also looks like he's the youngest of the richest top 20.) The British pop top 20 are: 1. David Bowie - 550 million pounds; 2. Sir Paul McCartney - 520 million; 3. Tom Jones - 275 million; 4. Phil Collins - 220 million; 5. Elton John - 200 million; 6. Mick Jagger - 135 million; 7. Eric Clapton - 120 million; 8. George Harrison - 105 million; 9. Gordon Sumner (Sting) - 97 million; 10. Keith Richards - 96 million; 11. George Michael - 95 million; 12. Ringo Starr - 93 million; 13. Mark Knopfler - 85 million; 14. Dave Gilmour - 75 million; 15. Roger Waters - 70 million; 16. Rod Stewart - 66 million; 17. Robert Plant - 60 million; 18. Jimmy Page - 55 million; 19. Sir Cliff Richard - 52 million; 20. Charlie Watts - 50 million. ($1 = 0.599 British Pounds) George will contribute "You Have Been Loved" to the upcoming Diana, Princess of Wales - Tribute CD. It will be released by the The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund on December 1, 1997. The double CD listing is as follows (an "a" means that it is an exclusive track to the Tribute CD): Album One 1. Queen - "Who Wants To Live Forever" 2. George Michæl - "You Have Been Loved" 3. Annie Lennox - "Angel" (a) 4. Sinead O Connor - "Make Me A Channel of Your Peace" (a) 5. U2/Pavarotti - "Miss Sarajevo" 6. Bryan Ferry - "Shakespeare's Sonnet No. 18" (a) 7. Paul McCartney - "Little Willow" 8. Eric Clapton - "Tears In Heaven" 9. R.E.M. - "Everybody Hurts" 10. Bruce Springsteen - "Streets of Philadelphia" 11. Neil Finn - "Don't Dream It's Over" (a) 12. The Pretenders - "Hymn To Her" 13. Rod Stewart - "Love Minus Zero/No Limit" (a) 14. Peter Gabriel - "In the Sun" (a) 15. Enya - "Watermark" 16. Barbra Streisand - "Love Theme From `A Star Is Born' ("Evergreen")" 17. Red Hot R&B All Stars - "Every Nation" (a) 18. Aretha Franklin - "I'll Fly Away" (a) Album Two 1. Puff Daddy - "I'll Be Missing You" 2. Celine Dion - "Because You Loved Me" 3. Michael Jackson - "Gone Too Soon" 4. Whitney Houston - "You Were Loved" 5. Des'ree - "You've Gotta Be" 6. Mariah Carey - "Hero" (Live Version)(a) 7. Seal - "Prayer For The Dying" 8. Diana Ross - "Missing You" 9. Bee Gees - "Wish You Were Here" 10. Toni Braxton with Kenny G - "How Could An Angel Break My Heart" 11. Tina Turner - "Love Is A Beautiful Thing"(a) 12. Cliff Richard - "All That Matters"(a) 13. Spice Girls - "Mama" 14. Gloria Estefan - "Don't Wanna Lose You" 15. Simply Red - "Stars" 16. Placido Domingo/Michael Bolton - "Ave Maria" 17. Lesley Garrett - "Pavane"(a) 18. Chicken Shed Theatre Co. - "I'm In Love With the World"(a) The new Older & Upper CD will include "extra tracks, enhancement of four videos, and a showcase of George Michæl Web pages," according to Yogmæl and Gnotes. October 28, 1997The ÆGEAN website will be premiering Phase 2 of their website on November 1st. For those of you unable to view the ÆGEAN, we will be updating our links page dedicated to ÆGEAN as soon as possible. Older and Upper (also known as The Special Edition) will include an interactive element on the second CD, along with the songs as reported earlier. (Thanks to Yogmæl and Gnotes.) George is being listed as one of the singers having contributed to the Princess Diana Tribute CD. The CD will be released on December 1st. October 4, 1997The release date for "Everything She Wants 97" is October 27th in the UK-- according to EQS. September 30, 1997ÆGEAN (George's record label) is on the move again and setting new standards on the 'Net. Read more about it in the Dotmusic article, "AEGEAN Jump in for Liquid Audio Downloads". George was nominated for a CableAce Award this year for his performance with Stevie Wonder at the VH1 Honors program in the category of "Performance in a Music Special or Series." The awards are announced on November 14th and 15th in Los Angeles. (Thanks to Yogmæl.) September 27, 1997Here is the track listing for the new 'Older' 'Upper' CD.
September 26, 1997It looks like the rumors about a Wham! Reunion are false. The new 'Older' 'Upper' CD will be released on November 17 (and of course it's NOT being released in North America.) Yogmæl is getting clarification on the song list at the moment. It looks like it will have all the "b" sides from singles. MTV news reported that LL Cool J is sampling "Father Figure." (Thanks to Yogmæl.) PA News recently had an article about the program "An Audience with... Elton John." (George was scheduled to appear, but was sick at the time.) During the show, the Spice Girls asked Elton who he would have in his version of the Spice Boys. Of course, he named George... and George could be called Hairy Spice. The single "You Have Been Loved" reached the #2 spot in the UK, held back from the #1 spot by Elton John's beautiful tribute to Princess Diana, "Candle in the Wind." Here is the updated track listings of the Wham! Greatest Hits. (Thanks to Gnotes.)
September 18, 1997Rumors are flying that George and Andy (our beloved Wham!) will reunite in concert in December. The song list (at the moment) for the upcoming Wham! Greatest Hits collection, If You Were There, is very similar to The Final. (For those living in North America, The Final was Wham!'s final [double] album, which included new tracks [at the time] and their greatest hits. In North America, we got Music From the Edge of Heaven because Wham! had only had one successful album in North America and thus couldn't release a greatest hits double album.) Here's a side by side comparison.
(Thanks to Amanda of Yogmæl for asking Shirlie of Ægean for this information.) Last but not least, George has been nominated as Best Male at the MTV Europe Music Awards. September 15, 1997The Wham! Greatest Hits CD will be entitled, If You Were There. It will have 15 Wham! hits and a new version of "Everything She Wants." September 2, 1997MTV had part of George's statement about the tragic loss of Princess Diana:
September 1, 1997According to Yogmæl and Shirlie of ÆGEAN:
August 30, 1997According to postings from Shirlie (ÆGEAN) in Gnotes and Yogmæl, the next single in the U.K. will be "You Have Been Loved." It will be released in September. The tracks will be:
August 29, 1997According to the Daily Mirror, George will be appearing as a guest at the September 14th taping of "An Audience with Elton John." August 4, 1997"The Strangest Thing" will be the next single off Older in the UK. Its release date is September 1st, according to EQS Music. August 3, 1997You can try out the high-tech, creative ÆGEAN chat at http://aegean.coloc.web.xara.net/chat/ July 31, 1997According to the Daily Mirror, George was a guest at Tony Blair's Downing Street party last night (July 30). July 24, 1997This posting isn't news... The featured artist at Jon's Joint for this month is our very own George. There are midi files of "Too Funky," "Careless Whisper," "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me," "Everything She Wants," "Faith," "FastLove," "Freedom," "The Edge of Heaven," "I'm Your Man," "Jesus to a Child," "One More Try," "Last Christmas," "Monkey," "Praying for Time," and "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go." July 9, 1997From the July 8, 1997, Daily Mirror: "Stars Will Quiz Elton in TV Gala" "SUPERSTAR Elton John is to be quizzed in a warts-and-all TV special. He will answer questions from top celebrities in An Audience With Elton John. Fergie, Rod Stewart and George Michæl will be among the guests in the ITV autumn spectacular." June 25, 1997Today is George's 34th Birthday. Happy Birthday, George! June 24, 1997At last Monday's British Interactive Multimedia Association awards, "FastLove" won for most performed work and George won for songwriter of the year. June 15, 1997ÆGEAN's newest band, Trigger, is working on their first video, according to the ÆGEAN site. Their first song is "Chameleon (Shed Your Skin)." June 1997In MTV's Top 500 of all time, George was in 7 videos.
May 30, 1997At the 1996 Ivor Novello Awards, George won for Most Performed Work: Fast Love and Songwriter of the Year. He dedicated the award to his mother, Lesley. George reportedly said, "I would like to thank my mother whose soul is in every note I have ever written." He also is reported as saying, "The first time I received this award I cried, the second time I was p****d out of my head. I could have managed a nice combination of the two today - but the wine is not very nice." May 18, 1997For all of you who have missed it like we have, we'd like to tell you that the A Different Corner website is up and running again. Its new location is: http://www.noornet.com/~axatta/dcorner/ May 13, 1997The AEGEAN Backstage area is now open. Here is the message they have:
Here is the direct link: Aegean: Official George Michæl Website April 22, 1997From the ÆGEAN Records site: "Aegean Records' first release 'Waltz Away Dreaming' by Toby Bourke with George will be getting its first national network radio play in the UK on Sunday 27th of April at 7pm GMT. If you're not in the UK to hear it, get RealAudio Player and listen to it via the net at www.capitalfm.co.uk. The single is released in the UK on the 26th of May." April 12, 1997For pictures of George and Stevie Wonder at the VH-1 Honors, check out http://vh1.com/honors/webcast/s32097412.html April 10, 1997George will appear with Stevie Wonder at the VH-1 Honors. According to the VH-1 website, show times are as follows: April 11 at 9 PM; repeats April 11 at 11:30 PM, April 12 at 1 PM, April 13 at 6 PM, April 14 at 1 PM, April 15 at 12 AM, April 19 at 1 AM, April 19 at 9 PM, April 20 at 4 PM, and May 3 at 10 PM. April 8, 1997A clip of "Star People" (97 Mix) is available via RealAudio at Capital FM's website. From what we've heard, it's the best of all the mixes.
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