This original import pressing was doing practically everything right, with both sides earning incredible Nearly Triple Plus (A++ to A+++) grades, just shy of our Shootout Winner – fairly quiet vinyl too
Dramatically more “natural” than almost all other copies (the scare quotes are there for a reason; it’s clear that George has never been interested in that kind of sound) – feel free to donate your dubby domestic pressings to the Goodwill, they’re a joke next to this
Michael’s second studio release, a far superior album to Faith in our opinion, shows the maturation of his skills in songwriting and production – it’s a Personal Favorite of mine to this day
The sound may be too heavily processed and glossy for some, but we find that on the best copies that sound really works for this music
4 stars: “… the highlights — the light, Beatlesque harmonies of “Heal the Pain,” the plodding number one “Praying for Time,” and also “Waiting for That Day” as well as the Top Ten “Freedom” — make a case for his talents as a pop craftsman.”
The domestic pressings are a dubby joke next to these British originals – finally, here is the size, clarity and Tubey Magic you’ve always wanted this music to have
With six (6!) Top Ten hits, this album is chock full of brilliantly produced and passionately performed material
5 stars: “A superbly crafted mainstream pop/rock masterpiece, Faith made George Michael an international solo star… All of it adds up to one of the finest pop albums of the ’80s, setting a high-water mark that Michael was only able to reach in isolated moments afterward.”
Two incredible sides each earning Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) grades or very close to it
Both sides here are super big, full-bodied and Tubey Magical with wonderfully present vocals and a solid bottom end
Exceptionally quiet vinyl throughout — Mint Minus to Mint Minus Minus
“They succeeded on a grander scale than they ever could have imagined, conquering the world and elsewhere with this effervescent set of giddy new wave pop-soul, thereby making George Michael a superstar… It was an instant classic, and it was the first indication of George Michael’s strengths as a pop craftsman…” – All Music, 4 1/2 Stars
