The Final (album)

For the Enrique Iglesias album, see Final (Vol. 1).
The Final
Greatest hits album by
Wham!
Released7 July 1986[1]
Recorded1982–March 1986
Length80:24 (double LP and cassette version)
71:07 (CD version)
LabelEpic
Producer
Wham! chronology
Music from the Edge of Heaven
(1986) 		The Final
(1986) 		The Best of Wham!: If You Were There...
(1997)
Singles from The Final
  1. "Last Christmas"
    Released: 3 December 1984
  2. "I'm Your Man"
    Released: 11 November 1985[2]
  3. "A Different Corner"
    Released: 24 March 1986[3]
  4. "The Edge of Heaven"
    Released: 9 June 1986[4]
  5. "Where Did Your Heart Go?"
    Released: October 1986
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]

The Final is a greatest hits album released in 1986 to summarise the career of English pop duo Wham!. The album was not initially released in North America, where the album Music from the Edge of Heaven was released instead. Six songs from that album appear on this compilation. The compilation album coincided with the farewell concert of the same name on 28 June 1986, at Wembley Stadium.

The CD edition omits "Blue (Armed with Love)" and the extended mixes of "Bad Boys", "Careless Whisper" and "I'm Your Man". A deluxe edition of the album was released on CD/DVD and download in November 2011, with the DVD featuring all of Wham!'s music videos, including the video for "Young Guns (Go for It!)", "Last Christmas", and a remix version of the video for "Everything She Wants". It follows the track listing of the CD, with the exception of "Battlestations", as it was a B-side and not an official single.

Background

When George Michael guested on the Aspel & Company talk show on 1 March 1986, he announced that Wham! were to split and perform one last concert, later titled The Final. He also announced that he planned to record the last Wham! single with Andrew Ridgeley the following week in Los Angeles.[6][7] In fact, as he revealed to journalist Paula Yates on The Tube, he was planning to record four tracks, two of which—"Where Did Your Heart Go?" and "The Edge of Heaven"—had been previously played on the Whamamerica! tour, with the other two being new tracks he was experimenting with. This was prior to the filming of the video for Michael's then-forthcoming solo single, "A Different Corner". Michael was planning to release three of the tracks as part of a Wham! EP, but was not sure which one of the songs was going to be the main single at that point. All of these would appear on The Final.[8] As of 12 March 1986, the album and single had been completed and ready for release under the Wham! name.[9]

Track listing

All songs written by George Michael, except where noted.

Double LP/Cassette

Side one

  1. "Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do)" (Special US Re-Mix) (Michael, Andrew Ridgeley) – 6:43
  2. "Young Guns (Go for It!)" (12" version) – 5:09
  3. "Bad Boys" (12" version) – 4:52
  4. "Club Tropicana" (Michael, Ridgeley) – 4:25

Side two

  2. "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" – 3:51
  3. "Careless Whisper" (12" version) (Michael, Ridgeley) – 6:30
  4. "Freedom" (7" Version) – 5:20
  5. "Last Christmas" (Pudding Mix) – 6:47

Side three

  2. "Everything She Wants" (Long Remix) – 6:34
  3. "I'm Your Man" (Extended Stimulation) – 6:50
  4. "Blue (Armed with Love)" – 3:50

Side four

  2. "A Different Corner" – 3:59
  3. "Battlestations" – 5:27
  4. "Where Did Your Heart Go?" (David Was, Don Was) – 5:45
  5. "The Edge of Heaven" – 4:37

CD

  1. "Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do)" (Special US Re-Mix) (Michael, Ridgeley) – 6:43 from Fantastic
  2. "Young Guns (Go for It!)" (12" version) – 5:09 from Fantastic
  3. "Bad Boys" – 3:20 from Fantastic
  4. "Club Tropicana" (Michael, Ridgeley) – 4:25 from Fantastic
  5. "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" – 3:51 from Make It Big
  6. "Careless Whisper" (7" version) (Michael, Ridgeley) – 5:02 from Make It Big
  7. "Freedom" (7" version) – 5:20 from Make It Big
  8. "Last Christmas" (Pudding Mix) – 6:47 from Music from the Edge of Heaven
  9. "Everything She Wants" (Remix) – 6:30 from Make It Big
  10. "I'm Your Man" – 4:04 from Music from the Edge of Heaven
  11. "A Different Corner" – 3:59 from Music from the Edge of Heaven
  12. "Battlestations" – 5:27 from Music from the Edge of Heaven
  13. "Where Did Your Heart Go?" (Dave Was & Don Was) – 5:45 from Music from the Edge of Heaven
  14. "The Edge of Heaven" – 4:37 from Music from the Edge of Heaven

DVD

VHS

Charts

Certifications and sales

Certifications and sales for The Final
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia — 50,000[29]
Belgium (BEA)[30] Platinum 50,000*
France (SNEP)[31] Platinum 300,000*
Germany (BVMI)[32] Gold 250,000^
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)[33] Platinum 20,000*
Japan (RIAJ)[34] Platinum 147,000[15]
Netherlands (NVPI)[35] Platinum 100,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[36] Platinum 15,000^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[37] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[38] Platinum 300,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "BPI".
  2. ^ "BPI".
  3. ^ "BPI".
  4. ^ "BPI".
  5. ^ Promis, Jose F. Review: The Final. AllMusic. Retrieved on 18 July 2010.
  6. ^ Internet Movie Database: Aspel & Company – George Michael – Episode 3.8 (1 March 1986)
  7. ^ George Michael on Michael Aspel Show 1986. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021.
  8. ^ George Michael interview – The Tube 1986. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021.
  9. ^ "Political Flap Breaks Up The Rock Group Wham! (Philadelphia Daily News, 1986)". gmforever.com. 8 July 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  10. ^ a b Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  11. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Wham! – The Final" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  12. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Wham! – The Final" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  13. ^ "European Hot 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. 25 October 1986. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  14. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Wham!". Sisältää hitin – 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 280. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  15. ^ a b Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  16. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Wham! – The Final" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  17. ^ "Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 10 June 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Wham!".
  18. ^ "Charts.nz – Wham! – The Final". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  19. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Wham! – The Final". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  20. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Wham! – The Final". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  21. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Wham! – The Final". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  22. ^ "Wham! | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  23. ^ "Official Album Chart: Top 100 Official UK Albums". Official Charts Company. 6 October 2017. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
  24. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Jahreshitparade 1986" (ASP) (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
  25. ^ "Dutch charts jaaroverzichten 1986" (ASP) (in Dutch). Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  26. ^ "Les Albums (CD) de 1986 par InfoDisc" (in French). infodisc.fr. Archived from the original (PHP) on 9 February 2012. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
  27. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 1986 – The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  28. ^ "Dutch charts jaaroverzichten 1989" (ASP) (in Dutch). Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  29. ^ Barker, Glenn A. (15 November 1986). "Majors (Australia Spotlight)". Billboard. p. A-10. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  30. ^ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 1995". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  31. ^ "French album certifications – Wham – The Final" (in French). InfoDisc. Select WHAM and click OK. 
  32. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Wham; 'The Final')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
  33. ^ "IFPIHK Gold Disc Award − 1988". IFPI Hong Kong. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  34. ^ "Japanese album certifications – ワム! – ザ・ファイナル" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 1992年12月 on the drop-down menu
  35. ^ "Dutch album certifications – Wham – The Final" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 14 October 2018. Enter The Final in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1986 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  36. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Wham! – The Final". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  37. ^ "Solo Exitos 1959–2002 Ano A Ano: Certificados 1979–1990". Solo Exitos 1959–2002 Ano A Ano.
  38. ^ "British album certifications – Wham – The Final". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 26 February 2012.