Forty years after its release, Wham!’s The Final remains the definitive document of one of pop’s most successful and short-lived partnerships, capturing the rise and conclusion of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley’s chart-dominating duo.
by Paul Cashmere
Forty years ago, on 7 July 1986, Wham! released The Final, a greatest hits collection that arrived just days after George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley’s farewell concert at London’s Wembley Stadium. The album served as both a retrospective and a closing chapter for the duo, assembling the songs that had transformed Wham! from a youthful British pop act into one of the defining international success stories of the 1980s.
The release of The Final was unusual in that it was conceived not merely as a compilation but as the official ending of the Wham! story. The album coincided with The Final concert on 28 June 1986, when more than 70,000 fans gathered at Wembley to witness the duo’s last performance together. For audiences in Europe and Australia, the compilation became the definitive Wham! release, while in North America the studio album Music From The Edge Of Heaven was issued instead.
By the time The Final arrived, Wham! had packed an extraordinary amount into just four years of recording. The collection charted the group’s evolution from early hits such as Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do), Young Guns (Go For It), Bad Boys and Club Tropicana through to global pop landmarks including Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, Freedom and Careless Whisper.
The album also documented the final creative burst from Michael and Ridgeley. It included the festive perennial Last Christmas and a run of songs recorded in the months leading up to the split, among them A Different Corner, The Edge Of Heaven and Where Did Your Heart Go?. Michael had announced Wham!’s impending breakup during an appearance on the British television programme Aspel & Company on 1 March 1986, revealing plans to record one final Wham! single with Ridgeley in Los Angeles.
At the time, Michael was already preparing for a solo career. He later disclosed that several tracks were being considered for release as part of a Wham! EP and that he had not yet decided which song would lead the project. By mid-March 1986, both the album and accompanying single releases had been completed under the Wham! name.
The Final’s track listing reflected the breadth of the duo’s catalogue. The double LP and cassette editions ran for more than 80 minutes and featured extended versions and remixes, including the 12-inch versions of Young Guns (Go For It), Bad Boys and Careless Whisper, along with the Pudding Mix of Last Christmas and the long remix of Everything She Wants. The more concise CD edition omitted several extended tracks and the song Blue (Armed With Love).
Commercially, the album became another international success for Wham!. It reached No. 5 in Australia and topped the charts in both the Netherlands and New Zealand. The collection also performed strongly throughout Europe, reaching No. 2 in both Germany and the United Kingdom. In Australia, The Final sold more than 50,000 copies and was one of the country’s top 50 albums of 1986.
The compilation’s legacy has only grown over time. A deluxe edition released in 2011 expanded the package with a DVD collecting Wham!’s music videos, including Young Guns (Go For It), Last Christmas and Everything She Wants. Following George Michael’s death in December 2016, renewed interest saw The Final re-enter the UK Albums Chart.
The album also stands as a reminder of the unusual trajectory of Wham!. Unlike many of their contemporaries, the duo ended their partnership at the height of their popularity. Michael went on to establish one of the most successful solo careers in modern pop history, while Ridgeley stepped away from the intense spotlight that had accompanied Wham!’s rapid rise.
Four decades on, The Final remains more than a greatest hits package. It captures the complete arc of Wham!’s recording career, from the exuberance of their earliest singles to the sophistication of their final recordings. As an album designed to say goodbye, it remains one of pop music’s most effective farewell statements and the enduring record of a partnership that reshaped mainstream pop in the 1980s.
Track Listing
Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do) (Special US Re-Mix)
Young Guns (Go For It) (12″ Version)
Bad Boys
Club Tropicana
Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go
Careless Whisper (7″ Version)
Freedom (7″ Version)
Last Christmas (Pudding Mix)
Everything She Wants (Remix)
I’m Your Man
A Different Corner
Battlestations
Where Did Your Heart Go? (12″ Version)
The Edge Of Heaven
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