Music from the Edge of Heaven

Music from the Edge of Heaven is the third and final studio album from British pop duo Wham!. It was released on 1 July 1986 by Columbia Records.

Music from the Edge of Heaven
North America cover artwork
Studio album by
Wham!
ReleasedJuly 1, 1986 (Japan and North America only)
Recorded1984–1986
GenrePop
Length45:14
Label
ProducerGeorge Michael
Wham! chronology
The Final
(1986)		 Music from the Edge of Heaven
(1986)		 The Best of Wham!: If You Were There...
(1997)
Singles from Music from the Edge of Heaven
  1. "Last Christmas"
    Released: 3 December 1984
  2. "I'm Your Man"
    Released: 14 September 1985
  3. "A Different Corner"
    Released: 2 April 1986
  4. "The Edge of Heaven"
    Released: 18 June 1986
  5. "Where Did Your Heart Go?"
    Released: 14 October 1986

The album was only released in Japan and North America; in other territories, The Final was released instead. Both albums are related and have similar tracks, except The Final also contains all of the band's main singles and is more of a greatest hits album. Because it was not released in the UK, Music from the Edge of Heaven was not included in the CD remastering series, though The Final was.

"The Edge of Heaven", "Battlestations", "Wham Rap! '86" and "Where Did Your Heart Go?", according to the liner notes, are newly recorded for the album, with "The Edge of Heaven", "Battlestations" and "Where Did Your Heart Go?" also appearing on The Final; the other half was slightly changed for the collection, with the exception of the Pudding Mix of "Last Christmas":

  • The version of "A Different Corner" featured has an intro that does not appear elsewhere, aside from the song's music video.
  • The version of "I'm Your Man" is slightly edited down from the Stimulation Mix and features a newly-recorded spoken bridge.
  • This marks the only appearance of "Blue" (live in China) on CD.

A box set of the three studio albums by the band entitled Original Album Classics was released on 20 March 2015, including this album.

The album was released in the UK on iTunes for the first time to download in late 2017.[1]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Rolling Stone(not rated)[3]
Stylus Magazine(Positive)[4]

Track listing
Hot Side
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Edge of Heaven"George Michael4:31
2."Battlestations"Michael5:25
3."I'm Your Man"Michael6:05
4."Wham! Rap '86"
6:33
Cool Side
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
5."A Different Corner"Michael4:30
6."Blue" (live in China)Michael5:43
7."Where Did Your Heart Go?"
5:43
8."Last Christmas"Michael6:44

Personnel
  • George Michael – vocals, keyboards, piano, drum machine, arranger, producer
  • Andrew Ridgeley - backing vocals, guitar
  • Danny Cummings – drums, percussion
  • Andy Duncan – drums, percussion
  • Charlie Morgan – drums, percussion
  • Trevor Murrell – drums, percussion
  • Deon Estus – bass
  • John McKenzie – bass
  • Bob Carter – keyboards, piano
  • Richard Cottle – keyboards, piano
  • Tommy Eyre – keyboards, piano
  • Elton John – keyboards, piano
  • Danny Schogger – keyboards, piano
  • Robert Ahwai – guitar
  • David Austin – guitar
  • David Baptiste – saxophone
  • Andy Hamilton – saxophone
  • Guy Barker – horns
  • Simon Gardner – horns
  • Chris Hunter – horns
  • Paul Spong – horns
  • Rick Taylor – horns
  • Shirlie Holliman – background vocals
  • Helen 'Pepsi' DeMacque – background vocals
  • Janet Mooney – background vocals
  • Leroy Osbourne – background vocals
  • Jenny Hallet - background vocals
  • Dee C. Lee – background vocals
  • Chris Porter – engineer, mixing

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[9] Platinum 100,000^
Japan (Oricon Charts) — 158,000[6]
United States (RIAA)[10] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. ITunes - Wham! - Music from the edge of heaven
  2. Ruhlmann, William. Music from the Edge of Heaven at AllMusic. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
  3. Fricke, David (28 August 1986). "Wham: Music from the Edge of Heaven: Music Review". Archived from the original on 21 November 2007.
  4. Inskeep, Thomas (6 December 2005). "Music from the Edge of Heaven – On Second Thought — Stylus Magazine". Retrieved 21 October 2011.
  5. Library and Archives Canada. Archived 12 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 27 February 2012
  6. Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  7. "allmusic ((( Music from the Edge of Heaven > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))". allmusic.com. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
  8. "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1986". RPM. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
  9. "Canadian album certifications – Wham – Edge". Music Canada. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
  10. "American album certifications – Wham – Edge of Heaven". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 26 February 2012. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
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