George Michael - Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1

Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 is the second solo studio album by British singer songwriter George Michael, originally released in September 1990 via Columbia Records in the US and Epic Records in the UK.

This album followed the massive commercial success of his debut solo album Faith (1987) which had topped the UK and US Albums charts and sold more than 20 million copies.

Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 was a much more serious and sombre album than Faith and arrived to mixed reviews from music critics and the record buying public, especially in the US.

For “The Captain”, this album is by far my favourite of his solo releases. The album just works on all levels, from the running sequence of the songs to the more sparse and laid back arrangements on the slower numbers.

His cover of Stevie Wonder’s “They Won’t Go When I Go” was an inspired choice and the album showcases his vocal abilities. He was one of the very best pop rock singers of all time.

The up-tempo tracks “Freedom! 90” and “Soul Train” are funky and provide a contextual link to his previous album Faith. “Freedom! 90” lyrically seems to address Michael wanting to move away from a teen pop idol to a more serious artist, whilst not explicitly addressing his then hidden sexual orientation (it would be another eight years before this would become public knowledge).

The opening track and first single “Praying For Time”, was a sharp commentary on social injustice, which remains just as relevant today as it did now more than twenty years ago. He sings the song at a lower register and with emotional expressiveness, that make you feel how helpless he feels, singing “It's hard to love / There's so much to hate / Hanging on to hope / When there is no hope to speak of / And the wounded skies above / Say it's much too late / So maybe we should all be praying for time”.

The album title implied there might be a follow-up but unfortunately a sequel never emerged, maybe due to Michael’s subsequent feud with this US Sony label, whom he thought had not invested in promoting the album sufficiently.

The album cover without any titles harks back to some of the 1970s acts who relied on the visuals of the album to represent their art, rather than a flashy logo or photograph of the artist. This helped “The Captain” approach the album with an open mind, and it is definitely less “poppy” or “commercial” than its predecessor.

Five singles were released from the album, helping to propel the album to the top of the UK Albums charts – “Praying For Time”, “Waiting For That Day”, “Freedom! 90”, “Heal The Pain” and “Cowboys And Angels”.

This album is “The Captain’s” go-to George Michael album, and as the title says you need to listen to it without prejudice.

This album is a 2023 repress on 180 gram black vinyl housed in a single pocket sleeve with a printed inner sleeve, pressed in Europe via Epic Records.