Fantastic (Wham! album)

Fantastic
Fantastic
Studio album by Wham!
Released	1 July 1983
Recorded	1982–1983
Studio	Maison Rouge (London)
Genre	Pop; dance-pop; post-disco;
Length	36:42
Label	Innervision 25328; Columbia CK-38911;
Producer	Steve Brown; George Michael; Bob Carter;
Wham! chronology
Singles from Fantastic
	"Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do)"; Released: 11 June 1982; "Young Guns (Go for It)"; Released: 17 September 1982; "Bad Boys"; Released: 6 May 1983; "Club Tropicana"; Released: 22 July 1983;

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[2]
Q	^[3]
Rolling Stone	^[4]
Uncut	^[5]

Fantastic is the debut studio album by the English pop duo Wham!, released on 1 July 1983.^[6] 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" (a medley of songs from the album) was released against the band's wishes by Innervision soon after Fantastic, and whilst they were in proceedings to leave the label.^[7]

According to Andrew Ridgeley in his 2019 book Wham! George and Me, it was during the early stages of writing and recording of this album that the pair agreed that George Michael should take sole responsibility for writing the group's material. Before securing their first record deal, they had written songs together, and made their first demos with these songs. When work started in the studio, Michael—according to Ridgeley—started working "at lightning speed", and it quickly became clear that he was by far the better songwriter. Ridgeley would later say that it was not something that he particularly wanted, but there was no doubt it was the way to go to achieve the success they both wanted.^[8] Two new songs, "Golden Soul" and "Soul Boy", were written for the album but both were shelved as "neither of them were any good".^[9]

The album features a hidden track (played on a honky-tonk-style piano) after the final 20 seconds of "Young Guns (Go for It!)".

In the US, the album was originally released as the group "WHAM! U.K.", due to a conflict with a US group with the same name (Columbia BFC-38911).

Track listing

Original

All tracks are written by George Michael, except where noted.

Side one
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Bad Boys"		3:19
2.	"A Ray of Sunshine"		4:43
3.	"Love Machine"	Pete Moore Billy Griffin	3:19
4.	"Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do)"	Michael Andrew Ridgeley	6:41

Side two
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
5.	"Club Tropicana"	Michael Ridgeley	4:28
6.	"Nothing Looks the Same in the Light"		5:53
7.	"Come On"		4:24
8.	"Young Guns (Go for It!)"		3:55
Total length:			36:42

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.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Bad Boys"	George Michael	3:19
2.	"A Ray of Sunshine"	Michael	4:43
3.	"Love Machine"	Pete Moore Billy Griffin	3:19
4.	"Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do)"	Michael Andrew Ridgeley	6:41
5.	"A Ray of Sunshine" (instrumental remix)		5:40
6.	"Love Machine" (instrumental remix)		3:28
7.	"Club Tropicana"	Michael Ridgeley	4:28
8.	"Nothing Looks the Same in the Light"	Michael	5:53
9.	"Come On"	Michael	4:24
10.	"Young Guns (Go for It!)"	Michael	3:55
11.	"Nothing Looks the Same in the Light" (instrumental remix)		6:40
Total length:			52:30

Personnel

Wham!

George Michael – lead vocals (1–4, 7, 8), backing vocals (1–3), arrangements (4–7), all vocals (5, 6), horn arrangements (5), instruments (6)
Andrew Ridgeley – guitars (1–5, 7, 8), arrangements (4)

Additional musicians

Jess Bailey – keyboards (1)
Anne Dudley – keyboards (1, 8)
Tommy Eyre – keyboards (2, 3, 5, 7)
Bob Carter – keyboards (4)
Robert Ahwai – guitars (1–3, 7, 8)
Deon Estus – bass (1–3, 5, 7), backing vocals (1)
John McKenzie – bass (4)
Brad Lang – bass (8)
Trevor Murrell – drums (1–3, 5, 6)
Andy Duncan – drums (4), percussion (4, 5)
Graham Broad – drums (7, 8)
Luís Jardim – percussion (1, 3)
Tony Moroni – percussion (2)
Jeff Daly – saxophones (1)
David Baptiste – saxophones (2, 3, 7)
Chris Hunter – saxophones (4)
Ian Ritchie – saxophones (5), horn arrangements (5)
Andy Mackintosh – saxophones (8)
Paul Cox – trumpet (1)
Martin Drover – trumpet (1)
Colin Graham – trumpet (2, 3, 7)
Raul D'Oliveria – trumpet (2, 3, 7)
Guy Barker – trumpet (4)
Roddy Lorimer – trumpet (5)
Bert Ezard – trumpet (8)
J. Healey – trumpet (8)
Linton Ace – string arrangements (3)
Dee C. Lee – backing vocals (1, 8)
Ruby Mason – backing vocals (1)
Jimmy Chambers – backing vocals (3)
George Chandler – backing vocals (3)
Tony Jackson – backing vocals (3)
Katie Kissoon – backing vocals (7)
Stevie Lange – backing vocals (7)
Sylvia Mason-James – backing vocals (7)
Lynda Hayes – backing vocals (8)
Shirlie Holliman – backing vocals (8)
Josie James – backing vocals (8)

Shouting on "Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do?)"

Bob Carter, George Michael, David Mortimer, Andrew Ridgeley and Paul Ridgeley

Handclaps on "Club Tropicana"

Deon Estus, Steve Evans, George Michael, Andrew Ridgeley and Phil Wilcox

Production

George Michael – producer (1–3, 5–8)
Steve Brown – producer (1–3, 5–8)
Bob Carter – producer (4)
Tony Taverner – engineer
Wham! – cover design
Shoot That Tiger! – cover design
Chris Craymer – front cover photography, inner sleeve photography
Janusz Guttner – inner sleeve photography

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for *Fantastic*
Chart (1983–85)	Peak position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)^[10]	6
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[11]	8
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)^[12]	8
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[13]	7
Japanese Albums (Oricon)^[14]	17
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[15]	1
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)^[16]	8
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)^[17]	15
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[18]	25
UK Albums (OCC)^[19]	1
US Billboard 200^[20]	83

Chart (2024)	Peak position
Greek Albums (IFPI)^[21]	70
Hungarian Physical Albums (MAHASZ)^[22]	24

Year-end charts

1983 year-end chart performance for *Fantastic*
Chart (1983)	Position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)	69
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[23]	37
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[24]	13
UK Albums (OCC)^[25]	5

1984 year-end chart performance for *Fantastic*
Chart (1984)	Position
Japanese Albums Chart (Oricon)^[26]	80
UK Albums Chart^[25]	60

Certifications and sales

Certifications and sales for *Fantastic*
Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)^[27]	Gold	35,000^{^}
Japan	—	218,000^[28]
Netherlands (NVPI)^[29]	Gold	50,000^{^}
New Zealand (RMNZ)^[30]	Platinum	15,000^{^}
United Kingdom (BPI)^[31]	3× Platinum	900,000^{^}
United States (RIAA)^[32]	Gold	500,000^{^}
^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone.

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, and ending in November at the Centre in Brighton.

References

^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 17 June 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ Cooper, William. "Fantastic – Wham!". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
^ Maconie, Stuart (March 1999). "Wham!: Fantastic / Make It Big". Q. No. 150.
^ Shewey, Don (15 September 1983). "Wham!: Fantastic". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 12 October 2007. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
^ Booth, Daniel (February 1999). "Wham!: Fantastic / Make It Big". Uncut. No. 21. p. 91.
^ "BPI certifications".
^ Davis, S. (2012). 80s Chart-Toppers: Every Chart-Topper Tells a Story. Mainstream Publishing. p. 264. ISBN 978-1-78057-411-0. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
^ Ridgeley, Andrew (2019). Wham! George & Me (First ed.). Penguin. p. 182. ISBN 9780241385807.
^ Ridgeley, Andrew (2019). Wham! George & Me (First ed.). Penguin. p. 184. ISBN 9780241385807.
^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Wham! – Fantastic" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
^ Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Wham!". Sisältää hitin – 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 280. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Wham! – Fantastic" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
^ "Yamachan Land (Japanese Chart Archives) – Albums Chart Daijiten – Wham!" (in Japanese). Original Confidence. 30 December 2007. Retrieved 26 February 2012.^{[permanent dead link]}
^ "Charts.nz – Wham! – Fantastic". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Wham! – Fantastic". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
^ "Swedishcharts.com – Wham! – Fantastic". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
^ "Swisscharts.com – Wham! – Fantastic". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
^ "Wham! | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
^ "Wham! Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
^ "Official IFPI Charts – Top-75 Albums Sales Chart (Combined) – Εβδομάδα: 15/2024". IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on 17 April 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista (fizikai hanghordozók) – 2024. 13. hét". MAHASZ. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. 1983. Archived from the original on 5 October 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
^ "Top Selling Albums of 1983 – The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
^ ^a ^b "Complete UK Year-End Album Charts". Archived from the original on 11 January 2012. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
^ "日本で売れた洋楽アルバムトップ10 (Top-ten international albums on the Japanese Oricon Year-End Charts 1984". Archived from the original on 21 October 2007. Retrieved 21 October 2007.
^ "ARIA Top 20 Vinyl Albums for week of 1 April 2024". Australian Recording Industry Association. 1 April 2024. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
^ "Dutch album certifications – Wham – Fantastic" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 14 October 2018. Enter Fantastic in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1984 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
^ "New Zealand album certifications – Wham! – Fantastic". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
^ "British album certifications – Wham – Fantastic". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
^ "American album certifications – Wham – Fantastic". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 26 February 2012.

[1] "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 17 June 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[2] Cooper, William. "Fantastic – Wham!". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 June 2025.

[3] Maconie, Stuart (March 1999). "Wham!: Fantastic / Make It Big". Q. No. 150.

[4] Shewey, Don (15 September 1983). "Wham!: Fantastic". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 12 October 2007. Retrieved 29 June 2025.

[5] Booth, Daniel (February 1999). "Wham!: Fantastic / Make It Big". Uncut. No. 21. p. 91.

[6] "BPI certifications".

[Davis_2012_p._264-7] Davis, S. (2012). 80s Chart-Toppers: Every Chart-Topper Tells a Story. Mainstream Publishing. p. 264. ISBN 978-1-78057-411-0. Retrieved 17 June 2019.

[8] Ridgeley, Andrew (2019). Wham! George & Me (First ed.). Penguin. p. 182. ISBN 9780241385807.

[9] Ridgeley, Andrew (2019). Wham! George & Me (First ed.). Penguin. p. 184. ISBN 9780241385807.

[auchart-10] Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.

[ac_Netherlands_Wham!-11] "Dutchcharts.nl – Wham! – Fantastic" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2022.

[12] Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Wham!". Sisältää hitin – 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 280. Retrieved 9 June 2022.

[ac_Germany_Wham!-13] "Offiziellecharts.de – Wham! – Fantastic" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 9 June 2022.

[Jachart-14] "Yamachan Land (Japanese Chart Archives) – Albums Chart Daijiten – Wham!" (in Japanese). Original Confidence. 30 December 2007. Retrieved 26 February 2012.^{[permanent dead link]}

[ac_New_Zealand_Wham!-15] "Charts.nz – Wham! – Fantastic". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2022.

[ac_Norway_Wham!-16] "Norwegiancharts.com – Wham! – Fantastic". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2022.

[ac_Sweden_Wham!-17] "Swedishcharts.com – Wham! – Fantastic". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2022.

[ac_Switzerland_Wham!-18] "Swisscharts.com – Wham! – Fantastic". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2022.

[ac_UK_Wham!-19] "Wham! | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 9 June 2022.

[ac_Billboard200_Wham!-20] "Wham! Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 June 2022.

[21] "Official IFPI Charts – Top-75 Albums Sales Chart (Combined) – Εβδομάδα: 15/2024". IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on 17 April 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2024.

[22] "Album Top 40 slágerlista (fizikai hanghordozók) – 2024. 13. hét". MAHASZ. Retrieved 4 April 2024.

[23] "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. 1983. Archived from the original on 5 October 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2022.

[24] "Top Selling Albums of 1983 – The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 1 February 2022.

[UKYearend-25] "Complete UK Year-End Album Charts". Archived from the original on 11 January 2012. Retrieved 26 February 2012.

[JPYearend84-26] "日本で売れた洋楽アルバムトップ10 (Top-ten international albums on the Japanese Oricon Year-End Charts 1984". Archived from the original on 21 October 2007. Retrieved 21 October 2007.

[ARIA1Apr24-27] "ARIA Top 20 Vinyl Albums for week of 1 April 2024". Australian Recording Industry Association. 1 April 2024. Retrieved 30 March 2024.

[JPCB-28] Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.

[NetherlandsWhamFantasticalbumCertRef-29] "Dutch album certifications – Wham – Fantastic" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 14 October 2018. Enter Fantastic in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1984 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".

[New_ZealandWham!FantasticalbumCertRef-30] "New Zealand album certifications – Wham! – Fantastic". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 20 November 2024.

[United_KingdomWhamFantasticalbumCertRef-31] "British album certifications – Wham – Fantastic". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 26 February 2012.

[United_StatesWhamFantasticalbumCertRef-32] "American album certifications – Wham – Fantastic". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 26 February 2012.

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v t e Wham!
George Michael Andrew Ridgeley
Studio albums	Fantastic Make It Big Music from the Edge of Heaven
Compilations	The Final The Best of Wham!: If You Were There... The Singles: Echoes from the Edge of Heaven
Singles	"Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do)" "Young Guns (Go for It!)" "Bad Boys" "Club Tropicana" "Club Fantastic Megamix" "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" "Careless Whisper" "Freedom" "Everything She Wants" "Last Christmas" "I'm Your Man" "The Edge of Heaven" "Where Did Your Heart Go?"
Concerts and tours	Club Fantastic The Big Tour Whamamerica! The Final
Filmography	Wham! in China: Foreign Skies Wham!
Related articles	Discography Deon Estus Dee C. Lee Pepsi & Shirlie Tommy Eyre Whamageddon Last Christmas soundtrack
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