Fantastic (Wham! album)
Fantastic is the debut studio album by British pop duo Wham!, released on 9 July 1983. It reached number one on the UK Albums Chart. It included the previously released singles "Young Guns", "Wham! Rap" and "Bad Boys". "Club Tropicana" was released as a single to coincide with the album's release. Although not on the album, "Club Fantastic Megamix" (a medley of songs from the album) was released against the band's wishes by Innervision soon after "Fantastic", and whilst they were in proceedings to leave the label. According to Andrew Ridgeley in his 2019 book  Wham! George and Me it was during the early stages of writing and recording of this album, that the pair agreed that George Michael should take sole responsibility for writing the groups material. Before securing their first record deal, they had written songs together, and made their first demos with these songs. When work started in the studio, George Michael – according to Ridgeley – started working "at lightning speed", and it quickly became clear that he was far the better songwriter. Andrew Ridgeley would later say, that it was not something that he particularly wanted, but there was no doubt it  was the way to go to achieve the success they both wanted. Two new songs, "Golden Soul" and "Soul Boy", were written by George and Andrew for the album but both were shelved as "neither of them were any good". (They have never been officially released but can be found on YouTube). They were replaced by tracks written and arranged by George Michael. The album features a hidden track (played on a honky-tonk-style piano), after the final 20 seconds of "Young Guns (Go for It!)". In the U.S., the album was originally released as the group "WHAM! U.K. , due to a conflict with a U.S. group with the same name (Columbia BFC-38911). Track listing. Reissue. The track listing of the first edition of the CD and the original cassette tape feature three bonus tracks interspersed within the original track listing, consisting of instrumental remixes. This track listing was again used for the 1998 reissue of the CD. Personnel. Wham! Additional musicians Shouting on Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do?)" Handclaps on "Club Tropicana" Club Fantastic Tour. Michael and Ridgeley embarked on a UK tour to promote the album in October 1983, opening at Aberdeen's Capitol Theatre, before  going on to dates in Scotland, England and Wales ending in November at the Centre in Brighton.