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''Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1'' is the second solo album from British pop star George Michael (from this album on, stylised as ''George Michæl''), released in September 1990. The album was Michael's final album of all-new material on Columbia Records until 2004's ''Patience''. It was the album's disappointing sales in the U.S. that led to Michael's legal battles against Sony Music, in which he accused the corporation of not fully supporting him as an artist. ==History and project== After the massive success of Michael's 1987 ''Faith'' album, the expectations for his follow-up album were also high. In September 1990, ''Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1'' was released to mixed reviews (with the more dance-oriented ''Vol. 2'' ostensibly scheduled to follow in June 1991). The album was a stark departure from the previous LP, with largely acoustic instrumentation and a sombre intensity in many of the lyrics and melodies. George Michael wanted to be taken more seriously as a songwriter, which resulted in a more thoughtful, often moody recording. The album peaked at number two on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Top 200 albums chart. The first single released from the album was "Praying for Time", which reached No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The second single "Freedom '90" reached No. 8 in the U.S., and in early Spring 1991, "Waiting for That Day" peaked at No. 27 in the U.S. "Mother's Pride" achieved Top 40 success outside the U.S., but received considerable airplay in the States during the Gulf War, despite its not being released as a single. Even though the album sold 8 million copies worldwide, it was viewed as a commercial disappointment in the U.S., with barely 2 million in sales, compared to the multi-platinum success of ''Faith'' (which had been certified 7× Platinum for 7 million sales the year before). The album is largely devoted to ballads and folk-styled rock songs, although there are a few dance tracks like "Freedom" and "Soul Free". There was also a remix of "Freedom" that incorporated elements of Soul II Soul's "Back to Life", which was released as a twelve-inch single and received a good deal of club play. Like ''Faith'', each track was produced and arranged by Michael himself. Michael refused to appear in many of the singles' videos for this album. Accordingly, the video for "Praying for Time" consists of the lyrics projected onto a dark background, while the video for "Freedom" featured several supermodels lip-syncing its lyrics. Directed by David Fincher, who directed Madonna's "Vogue" video, it featured the destruction by fire and explosion of several icons from Michael's recent ''Faith'' period. The follow-up album ''Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 2'' was scrapped for reasons known only to Michael and his record company. Three of the tracks intended for that album appear on the AIDS benefit album ''Red Hot + Dance'', while a fourth ("Crazyman Dance") turned up on the B-side of that album's first single, "Too Funky". 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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