George Michael News
We have made it to the seventh day of 17 Days of Symphonica, a series of video clips celebrating the release of George Michael’s Symphonica on March 17.
Today’s song is “Roxanne,” from the Songs from the Last Century CD. The clip is half concert footage and half video and photos from the recording of Symphonica (Paid Link).
It’s eleven days until the release of Symphonica, George Michael’s new CD. On day six, we have “Praying for Time,” originally from the Listen Without Prejudice CD in 1990, as the sample clip of Symphonica (Paid Link) from George Michael’s official Facebook page.
“Praying for Time” includes the new lyrics: “I sang 20 years and a day. Nothing changed. The human race found some other god and walked into the flames.” Today’s clip is primarily photos and video footage from the Symphonica tour.
Although George Michael didn’t show up for the playback of Symphonica at Hamilton’s Gallery in Mayfair yesterday, there were still plenty of articles about the event and the new CD.
George Michael’s PR company is calling the exhibition of photographs taken by his long-term collaborator, Caroline True, and the playback of the album, A Four-Day Celebration.
The Daily Mirror focused on David Austin’s comment that George has quit cannabis: “He has not smoked dope for over a year and a half now. It has completely changed his life.” He also mentioned George’s accident on the M1 last year: “That was just an unfortunate accident – that is all that was.”
The Guardian’s article George Michael’s Symphonica: five things we learned looked at the music:
Billed as his sixth studio album and the follow-up to 2004’s Patience, Symphonica is basically a slightly confused live album. On the one hand we learn that the string arrangements were recorded in a studio, and there are photos of Michael in a studio environment working on the album with the legendary producer Phil Ramone, but on the other we’re told that live vocals from each of the shows on the tour were sent over to Ramone who then selected the best ones and arranged the songs from there.
The Times only gave Symphonica 3 out of 5 stars, saying, “And his new album, his first since 2004’s Patience, is not really a new album at all.”
The Daily Mail has the photographs of all the celebrities attending the event, with the main focus on Hannah Janes, the model in the “Let Her Down Easy” video. Other photos include Jack, George’s father, and Shirlie Kemp.
It’s day five of 17 Days of Symphonica, and today’s song is “Wild Is the Wind,” which was on George Michael’s 1999 release Songs from the Last Century.
Until March 17, the release date for Symphonica (Paid Link), George Michael’s official Facebook page is showing clips of concert footage and the making of Symphonica.
“Wild Is the Wind” once again shows concert footage and photos from the Symphonica tour as well as George backstage. It also has photos of George with the orchestra both on tour and in the studio.
Some lucky people have already heard George Michael’s Symphonica. It has been given its first public airing.
Speaking at the playback, the album’s executive producer David Austin said: “George contracted pneumonia and when he came back and did that run of shows… we ended up getting the whole album from maybe just those three nights… there was that energy.”
George is also working on a new studio album, according to Universal Music UK boss David Joseph.
He told MusicWeek: “Right now his absolute compete attention and focus is … on that next studio record.
“I’ve heard bits and pieces… it is stunning. It is brilliant. There is one song in particular that I’ve heard that is beyond exceptional.”
He added: “I think the global anticipation for a totally new collection is going to be enormous. Whether that’s 10, 11 or 12 years after the last one, I don’t really mind, because I know he won’t even entertain the thought of release until it’s perfect.”