Anti Marketing: Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1
The promotional machine to support George Michael’s legendary debut solo album Faith (1987) coupled with the extensive tour would lead him to what he described as “the brink of insanity” and would have a significant impact on where he would go next musically, as well as with his public image.
After the release of Faith, George would continue to push himself as a musician and writer, exploring new territory and genres as his musical influences continued to evolve, away from the pop and dance heavy elements of Faith and more into acoustic sounds, Brazilian influenced sounds, and even further more into jazz. He notes for the New York Times, “I decided to listen a bit more closely to the music that had happened just before I began. I went back and analysed a lot of 60’s stuff that was popular before the advent of the synthesiser : The Beatles, the [Rolling] Stones, Joni Mitchell and Brazilian music. It made me decide to strip everything down.”
With this evolution, George would then look outward to the public persona he had created with Faith and look to dismantle this image as a way to bring focus back to the most important element, the music. He told Los Angeles Times, “It’s quite simple, really, I decided that the thing I really enjoy… the thing I really needed was my songwriting. I didn’t need the celebrity.”
