Fantastic (Wham! album)


Fantastic is the debut studio album by British pop duo Wham! released on 9 July 1983. It reached number one on the UK Albums Chart. It included the previously released singles "Young Guns", "Wham! Rap" and "Bad Boys". "Club Tropicana" was released as a single to coincide with the album's release. Although not on the album "Club Fantastic Megamix" was released against the band's wishes by Innervision soon after Fantastic, and whilst they were in proceedings to leave the label.
Two songs, Golden Soul and Soul Boy, were written by George and Andrew for the album but both were shelved as 'neither of them were any good'.
According to Andrew Ridgeley in his 2019 book Wham! George and me it was during the writing and recording of this album that the pair realised how much stronger a songwriter George was, and they resolved amicably to let George take over all future Wham! songwriting duties in order to achieve the success they both wanted for the band.
The album features a hidden track, after the final 20 seconds of "Young Guns ".
In the U.S., the album was originally released as the group "WHAM! U.K.", due to a conflict with a U.S. group with the same name.

Track listing

Original

Reissue

The track listing of the first edition of the CD and the original cassette tape feature three bonus tracks interspersed within the original track listing, consisting of instrumental remixes. This track listing was again used for the 1998 reissue of the CD.

Personnel

Adapted from AllMusic.

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Club Fantastic Tour

Michael and Ridgeley embarked on a UK tour to promote the album in October 1983, opening at Aberdeen's Capitol Theatre, before going on to dates in Scotland, England and Wales ending in November at the Centre in Brighton.