Disco de Wham!: “Fantastic!”

Although it's only 8 songs deep, "Fantastic" is simply a fantastic album, I only wish that Wham's later albums would have been as good as this one. What makes "Fantastic" a good album is because it so much seemed to be about having fun and a good time. Songs like "Come On," "Ray of Sunshine," "Love Machine," Club Tropicana," and "Wham rap," just make you want to get up and dance. Although this album was released in the early 80's, it still has a late 70's disco vibe going on. The one ballad on the album, "Nothing Looks The Same In The Light," is classic. If you didn't become a Wham fan until their second album, be sure to check out this one too. It's a bit short but it's very sweet!

The debut album of two Brits set out to be one of the defining pop-bands in the 80's. This was the first vinyl album I bought.

The songs are all great - excellent fun and dance records. Nothing like the serious Georg Michael of today (who shouldn't be embarrassed today that he recorded this album).

I rate 'Bad Boys' and 'Young Guns (Go For It)' as some of the best singles ever released, 'Club Tropicana' is not my personal favorite (but has an excellent video!) and 'WHAM! Rap' is a classic.

But the songs 'Nothing Looks The Same In The Light' and 'A Ray of Sunshine' are classics too! A must for a every fan of '80s pop and dance music!

If you can afford it, try to get a european version of this album, since you will get remixes of 'A Ray Of Sunshine', 'Love Machine' and 'Nothing Looks The Same In The Light', which extends the album to well over 50minutes of fantastic (George and Andrew were quite modest with their title:-)

I wasn't expecting a whole lot from Wham's early days. That was where I was sorely mistaken.

Right from the get-go, this album explodes onto the scene with the hilarious "Bad Boys." You'd never have thought that even George Michael could sing that high (wooo WOOO!). This song indeed sets the tone for the rest of the album.

"Love Machine" was sort of funny as well. I actually like this original "Wham! Rap" better than the '86 version, which seems to go on a bit too long. "Young Guns" was also a personal favorite of mine.

This is one of those albums that you can discover for yourself, and fondly remember your '80s music days.

It's true that the following years 'Make It Big' was a far

bigger US hit this debut but 'Fantastic!' is far more true to

the bands British R&B roots.While "Young Guns" and the excellent

"Wham Rap" are the hits it's the album tracks that really get

me going."Club Tropicana" is a wonderfully festive example of

catchy,uptempo funky pop and is my favorite track on the album-

VERY,VERY period Kool & The Gang but great none the less!It's

followed by the slow,seductive "Nothing Looks The Same In The

Light",my second favorite here!

If there is one complaint about this album it would

the blatant immaturity of some of the lyrics,especially on the

rap song.But George Michael's delivers them with such authority

that even I buy it,and he wasn't too far off base and nobody got hurt.It's all in clean,youthful fun!A cover of "Love Machine" gives Andrew Rigdley,always in Michael's looming shadow,a chance to shin on guitar a bit.So is this the one Wham!

album to own?Yes it is-it has the most artistic merrit and is

a good treasure from the ol' days of Britosh soul-pop with

early Spandau Ballet and Scritti Politi!So worth it!

Their serious faces on the cover notwithstanding, this is a pretty fun album. Despite one pretty lame cover ("Love Machine"), the songs are good (and, with "Come On" and "Young Guns", semi-interchangeable). "Club Tropicana" is over-silly, but the ballad "Nothing Looks the Same in the Light" is very good and more than makes up.