Retro Spins: Wham! - Make It Big

Make It Big was appropriately titled considering the massive success which came with it for British duo Wham!. It was the group's second album, and the one which turned them into household names in 1984, ushering in a fair amount of chart topping hits.

It's unfortunate that this was also the beginning of the end for George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley and the group, Wham!. Despite the popularity of the album, Michael was growing continuously unhappy with writing and singing music geared more towards a generation of teens. Instead, he wanted to focus on a more adult audience.

They released two final studio albums in 1986, The Final (May - UK and Japan only) and Music From The Edge (July - USA and Japan only) and went their separate ways. For George Michael, this of course turned out to be the beginning of a massive solo career. For Ridgeley, not so much. He tried his hand at Formula 1 Racing, acting and a solo career. However, nothing seemed to top his years in Wham!. Considering he was reported as receiving over ten million pounds in royalties for the group since 1982, I don't think he's hurting too badly.

Make It Big is a fun pop album, and it's certainly helped with the likes of Wake Me Up Before You Go Go, Everything She Wants, Freedom and Careless Whisper, the latter being the bands biggest single of all time. It feels innocent, in terms of its style. It's just trying to be good, clean music, rather than sending some form of message.

At the same time, I can see why this wasn't the kind of music George Michael wanted to produce his entire career. It's definitely bubblegum at its best. Fun and clean can still be met with a fair amount of cheese, and there's certainly a thick layer of it on the album. It's up there with Kidz Bop, in comparison to its wholesomeness.

The thirty-eight minutes of the album feel like they fly by, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's a decent album, but it's by far superior to others of the era. It's enjoyable, but it's cheesy. In other words, I wouldn't necessarily want my friends knowing I listen to this kind of stuff, let alone enjoy it. I suppose this too may have been how George Michael felt. Then again, I'm sure he didn't lose much sleep with the millions of dollars he raked in.

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