Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1

{{Short description|1990 album by George Michael}}

{{Use British English|date=July 2011}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}

{{Infobox album

| name = Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1

| type = studio

| artist = George Michael

| cover = George Michael - Listen Without Prejudice Vol 1.png

| alt =

| released = 3 September 1990

| recorded = July 1989 – July 1990

| venue =

| studio = {{hlist|Sarm West|Metropolis{{cite magazine |last=Hall |first=James |date=13 August 2020 |title='The end of George Michael': how Praying for Time led to one of the most savage feuds in pop history |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/artists/end-george-michael-praying-time-led-one-savage-feuds-pop-history/ |url-access=subscription |work=The Daily Telegraph |access-date=30 June 2024}}}} (London)

| genre =

| length = 48:13

| label =

| producer = George Michael

| prev_title = Faith

| prev_year = 1987

| next_title = Five Live

| next_year = 1993

| misc = {{Extra album cover

| header = Alternative cover

| type = studio

| cover = Listen Without Prejudice - MTV Unplugged.png

| border =

| alt = A close up of George Michael seen with a white shirt, a beard, and sunglasses, with its lens showing a reflection.

| caption = Listen Without Prejudice / MTV Unplugged cover

}}

{{Singles

| name = Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1

| type = studio

| single1 = Praying for Time

| single1date = 13 August 1990

| single2 = Waiting for That Day

| single2date = 22 October 1990 (UK)

| single3 = Freedom! '90

| single3date = 30 October 1990 (US)

| single4 = Heal the Pain

| single4date = 4 February 1991

| single5 = Cowboys and Angels

| single5date = 18 March 1991

| single6 = Soul Free

| single6date = July 1991 (Australia)

}}

}}

Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 is the second solo studio album by the English singer-songwriter George Michael, released on 3 September 1990 by Columbia Records in the US and Epic Records in the UK. The album was Michael's final album of all-new material on Columbia until 2004's Patience. Listen Without Prejudice was a stark departure from Michael's previous album, 1987's Faith, with largely acoustic instrumentation and a sombre intensity in many of the lyrics and melodies. While the album topped the UK Albums Chart, disappointing sales in the United States led to Michael's legal battles against Sony Music, in which he accused the corporation of not fully supporting him as an artist.{{Cite web|last=Levine|first=Nick|date=8 September 2020|title=How George Michael transformed pop|url=https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20200908-how-george-michael-transformed-pop|access-date=2021-08-26|website=www.bbc.com|language=en}} Listen Without Prejudice was reissued across a number of formats on 20 October 2017 and again topped the UK Albums Chart, 27 years after it first reached number one on the chart.

Production

After the massive success of George Michael's 1987 album Faith, expectations for his follow-up album were also high. Michael wanted to be taken more seriously as a songwriter,{{Cite web|last=Rose|first=James|date=2015-07-22|title=25 Years Since: George Michael's Listen Without Prejudice Vol I|url=https://dailyreview.com.au/25-years-since-george-michaels-listen-without-prejudice-vol-i/|access-date=2021-08-26|website=Daily Review: Film, stage and music reviews, interviews and more.|language=en-US}} which resulted in a more thoughtful, often moody recording. Like Faith, each track was produced and arranged by Michael himself.

The recording sessions commenced in July 1989{{cite AV media |author=nicktimo11 |date=17 February 2017 |title=George Michael Radio 1 interview – August 1990 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7w8XVtETu98 |time=9:15 |publisher=YouTube |access-date=6 January 2025}} at producer Chris Porter's house, near Guildford, before being moved to Metropolis Studios in Chiswick, London. According to Tony Parsons, Listen Without Prejudice was originally conceived as a double album, with "around sixteen strong originals" written by Michael.{{cite book |last1=Michael |first1=George |last2=Parsons |first2=Tony |title=Bare |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780140132359 |url-access=registration |date=1991 |publisher=Penguin Books |page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780140132359/page/222 223] |isbn=9780140132359}} By late September 1989, these plans were scrapped in favor of two separate albums, both scheduled for release in 1990.

Release

Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 was released in September 1990. The album sold approximately eight million copies worldwide.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-11302224|title=George Michael: A colourful life|publisher=BBC News|date=14 September 2010|access-date=3 February 2013}} The album entered the Billboard 200 at number 22 and peaked at number two. The album spent the rest of 1990 in the top ten, with a total of 42 weeks on the entire chart.

In the United Kingdom, the album was a huge success, eclipsing sales of Faith. Listen Without Prejudice debuted on the UK Albums Chart at number one. It stayed at number two for the following two weeks. It spent 34 consecutive weeks in the top 20, and jumped from number 13 to number three in its 24th week. It spent a total of 88 weeks on the chart, and was certified quadruple platinum by the British Phonographic Industry on 2 January 1992.

The follow-up album Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 2 (ostensibly scheduled to follow in June 1991{{cite magazine|last=Hunter|first=James|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/listen-without-prejudice-vol-1-195061/|title=Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=4 October 1990|access-date=21 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116074004/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/listen-without-prejudice-vol-1-195061/|archive-date=16 November 2018|url-status=live}}) was scrapped for reasons known only to Michael and his record company. Three of the tracks intended for that album appear on the 1992 charity compilation Red Hot + Dance, while a fourth ("Crazy Man Dance") turned up on the B-side of that compilation's first single, "Too Funky".{{cite news |last=Gerard |first=Chris |date=4 January 2017 |title=10 hidden gems by George Michael |url=https://www.washingtonblade.com/2017/01/04/10-hidden-gems-george-michael/ |work=Washington Blade |access-date=30 June 2024}}

=Singles=

The first single from Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1, "Praying for Time", was released in August 1990, reaching number six on the UK Singles Chart and number one on the US Billboard Hot 100—Michael's final US number one as a solo artist.{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/3/george-michael/|title=George Michael|publisher=Official Charts Company|access-date=1 May 2021}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/george-michael/chart-history/hsi/|title=George Michael Chart History (Hot 100)|magazine=Billboard|access-date=1 May 2021}}

The second single (third in the US), "Waiting for That Day", was issued over a month after the album's release. Owing to a borrowed lyric from the Rolling Stones' hit "You Can't Always Get What You Want", co-writer credits were given to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. It reached number 23 in the UK, and, after being released there in spring 1991, number 27 in the US.

In the US, "Mother's Pride", the "Waiting for That Day" B-side, reached number 46; given its subject matter, it received considerable airplay on American radio during the Gulf War.{{cite news|last=Wilson|first=Jeff|url=https://apnews.com/article/b0886e3aa45787e8f7029248ab9d6123|title=U.S. Troops on the Mind of Entertainers; Songs Dedicated to Soldiers|publisher=Associated Press|date=23 January 1991|access-date=1 May 2021}}

The album's third single (second in the US), "Freedom! '90", became one of Michael's signature songs. It was a great success in the US, where it reached number eight and earned a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America.{{cite web|url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=George+Michael&ti=#search_section|title=American certifications – George Michael|publisher=Recording Industry Association of America|access-date=1 May 2021}} It charted lower in Michael's homeland, where it peaked at number 28.

The fourth single, "Heal the Pain", peaked at number 31 in the UK in February 1991.

The fifth single from Listen Without Prejudice, "Cowboys and Angels", entered the UK Singles Chart in March and peaked at number 45.

"Soul Free" was commercially released as the sixth and final single in Australia, where it charted at number 95,{{cite book|last=Ryan|first=Gavin|title=Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010|publisher=Moonlight Publishing|year=2011}} and Japan.{{cite web|url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/88084/products/107734/1/|title=ソウル・フリー {{!}} ジョージ・マイケル|publisher=Oricon|access-date=1 May 2021|language=ja}}

Michael refused to appear in the music videos for the album's singles. Accordingly, the video for "Praying for Time" consisted of the song's lyrics projected onto a dark background, while the video for "Freedom! '90", directed by David Fincher, featured several supermodels lip syncing its lyrics, and the destruction by fire and explosion of several icons from Michael's recent Faith period.

=Reissue=

Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 was reissued on 20 October 2017 as Listen Without Prejudice / MTV Unplugged.{{cite web|last=Sinclair|first=Paul|url=https://superdeluxeedition.com/news/new-george-michael-single-featuring-nile-rodgers-is-released/|title='New' George Michael single featuring Nile Rodgers is released|website=Super Deluxe Edition|date=7 September 2017|access-date=15 September 2017}} The reissue was first announced in September 2016.{{cite web|url=http://www.georgemichael.com/listen-without-prejudice-25-coming-soon/|title=Listen Without Prejudice 25 – Coming soon…|publisher=georgemichael.com|date=14 September 2016|access-date=15 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161109042917/http://www.georgemichael.com/listen-without-prejudice-25-coming-soon/|archive-date=9 November 2016|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://www.georgemichael.com/some-news-from-george/|title=Some news from George|publisher=georgemichael.com|date=2 November 2016|access-date=28 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161226041808/http://www.georgemichael.com/some-news-from-george/|archive-date=26 December 2016|url-status=dead}} The 2CD version includes the original remastered album on the first disc, and Michael's MTV Unplugged concert, recorded at 3 Mills Studios, London on 11 October 1996, on the second disc. MTV Unplugged contains performances of "I Can't Make You Love Me" and "The Strangest Thing" that are identical to those previously released as B-sides to the single "Older", and the 2017 version of "Fantasy", reworked by Nile Rodgers and released as a single in September 2017.

The 3CD+DVD deluxe edition includes two more discs: a CD with B-sides, remixes and rarities, and a DVD with a documentary and music videos. Rarities on the third disc include: "If You Were My Woman" (recorded live at the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute concert in 1988 and featured on the "Praying for Time" single), "Crazy Man Dance", and "Do You Really Want to Know" and "Happy" (from Red Hot + Dance). The original remastered album was also reissued on vinyl. Listen Without Prejudice / MTV Unplugged entered the UK Albums Chart at number one with first-week sales of 56,088 copies, 27 years after the original album first topped the chart.{{cite magazine|last=Jones|first=Alan|url=https://www.musicweek.com/analysis/read/official-charts-analysis-posthumous-no-1-album-for-george-michael/070293|title=Official Charts Analysis: Posthumous No.1 album for George Michael|magazine=Music Week|date=27 October 2017|access-date=27 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171027212634/https://www.musicweek.com/analysis/read/official-charts-analysis-posthumous-no-1-album-for-george-michael/070293|archive-date=27 October 2017|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Savage|first=Mark|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-41779731|title=George Michael goes back to number one|publisher=BBC News|date=27 October 2017|access-date=1 November 2017}}

Critical reception

{{Music ratings

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite web|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/listen-without-prejudice-vol-1-mw0000690256|title=Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1 – George Michael|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=8 June 2011}}

| rev2 = Chicago Tribune

| rev2score = {{Rating|3.5|4}}{{cite news|last=Kot|first=Greg|author-link=Greg Kot|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1990-09-06-9003140814-story.html|title=3 To Watch Out For|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=6 September 1990|access-date=26 February 2017}}

| rev3 = Entertainment Weekly

| rev3score = B−{{cite magazine|last=Sandow|first=Greg|author-link=Greg Sandow|url=https://ew.com/article/1990/09/14/listen-without-prejudice-vol-1/|title=Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=14 September 1990|access-date=8 June 2011}}

| rev4 = Los Angeles Times

| rev4score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite news|last=Willman|first=Chris|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-09-09-ca-261-story.html|title=George Michael 'Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1' Columbia|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=9 September 1990|access-date=8 June 2011}}

| rev5 = NME

| rev5score = 6/10{{cite magazine|last=Maconie|first=Stuart|author-link=Stuart Maconie|title=Pride and Prejudice|magazine=NME|date=1 September 1990|page=30}}

| rev6 = Pitchfork

| rev6score = 8.8/10{{cite web|last=Soto|first=Alfred|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/george-michael-listen-without-prejudice-vol-1/|title=George Michael: Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1|website=Pitchfork|date=26 October 2017|access-date=28 October 2017}}

| rev7 = Q

| rev7score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite magazine|last=Snow|first=Mat|author-link=Mat Snow|title=George Michael: Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1|magazine=Q|issue=49|date=October 1990}}

| rev8 = Rolling Stone

| rev8score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}

| rev9 = Slant Magazine

| rev9score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}{{cite web|last=Cinquemani|first=Sal|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/george-michael-listen-without-prejudice-vol-1/|title=Review: George Michael, Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1|website=Slant Magazine|date=20 September 2003|access-date=8 June 2011}}

| rev10 = The Village Voice

| rev10score = C+{{cite news|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|url=https://robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/ts90-90.php|title=Turkey Shoot|newspaper=The Village Voice|date=4 December 1990|access-date=8 June 2011}}

}}

Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 received widespread acclaim reactions from music critics upon release.{{cite news|last=Gundersen|first=Edna|author-link=Edna Gundersen|url=http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/lmds429.htm|title=George Michael puts 'Faith' in future|newspaper=USA Today|date=10 December 1998|access-date=1 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991007065915/http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/lmds429.htm|archive-date=7 October 1999|url-status=dead}} In a rave review for Q, Mat Snow commented that the album "should prove" Michael's talent "to any lingering doubters". Writing for the Chicago Tribune, Greg Kot found that Michael "makes a convincing case that he's more than just another pretty voice, another disposable pinup", particularly complimenting the album's spare sound, which he welcomed as a contrast to the more dance-leaning music dominating pop radio. James Hunter of Rolling Stone said that Listen Without Prejudice generally "succeeds in its effort to establish Michael's seriousness and deliver him from caricature." Los Angeles Times critic Chris Willman wrote that, "some self-seriousness aside", the album "is an impressive piece of work in which Michael's rich feel for melodies and instinctively perfect production skills have finally met up with songs that have the ring of personal, not commercial, passion." Stuart Maconie opined in NME that it lacks "enough irresponsibility or hooks", but conceded that "it's hard to begrudge George his coming of age."

Entertainment Weekly{{'}}s Greg Sandow was less enthusiastic, finding Listen Without Prejudice less "vital" and "fun" than Faith, "and, for all its noble sentiment, entirely unchallenging". In The Village Voice, Robert Christgau dismissed it as "cocktail music" and was unmoved by Michael's reflections on fame, saying that they merely indicate that "he doesn't know as much about stardom as he thinks".

Listen Without Prejudice won the award for Best British Album at the 1991 Brit Awards.{{cite web|url=http://www.brits.co.uk/shows/archive-59/|title=1991|publisher=Brit Awards|access-date=12 September 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080512171511/http://www.brits.co.uk/shows/archive-59/|archive-date=12 May 2008|url-status=dead}}

Legacy

Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.{{cite book|last=Pemberton|first=Andy|editor-last=Dimery|editor-first=Robert|chapter=George Michael: Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1|title=1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die|title-link=1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die|publisher=Universe Publishing|year=2006|isbn=978-0-7893-1371-3|page=646}} The album was also included in Apple Music's 100 Best Albums list at number 91.{{Cite web |title=Apple Music 100 Best Albums |url=https://100best.music.apple.com/us |access-date=2024-05-25 |website=Apple Music 100 Best Albums |language=en-US}} In 2003, Slant Magazine{{'}}s Sal Cinquemani called the album "a starkly personal statement that effectively set the artist's professional downfall into motion", suggesting that its "overall heaviness" failed to resonate with listeners expecting uptempo material in the vein of Michael's past work; he concluded that "the fact that there was never a Vol. 2, which was rumored to be the feel-good dance record said fans were probably waiting for, makes this one seem all the more sacred." AllMusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine found the album flawed, noting that Michael downplays his gift for "effortless hooks and melodies" and that his "socially conscious lyrics tend to be heavy-handed", but concluded that its best songs "make a case for his talents as a pop craftsman."

Reviewing the album's 2017 reissue, Pitchfork writer Alfred Soto situated Listen Without Prejudice in the context of the then-burgeoning HIV/AIDS pandemic: "[George Michael] understood black music as the product of a familiarity with death leavened by the banalities of earth: love, sex, comfort. Something was happening that autumn to gay artists closeted from their fans. In October [1990], Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe released Behaviour, the quietest album of the Pet Shop Boys' career. The unceasing piling up of bodies killed by HIV had made, for the moment, the bacchanal into a gauche if not repulsive gesture of sentimentality." According to Soto: "For those of us too young for the plague years—who can imagine, at least, a life lived instead of convulsing in agony on a hospital bed—chastising Michael for leaning on elegies and ballads in 1990 strikes me as glib. In its original form, Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 was the follow-up that Faith demanded; in this new incarnation, it's a miscellany unruffled by notions of coherence, an attempt to make art out of George Michael's quarrels with himself."

Track listing

=Original release=

All tracks written and produced by George Michael, except where noted.

{{Track listing

| headline = Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 {{nobold|– Standard edition}}

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| total_length = 48:13

| title1 = Praying for Time

| length1 = 4:41

| title2 = Freedom! '90

| length2 = 6:30

| title3 = They Won't Go When I Go

| note3 = writers: Stevie Wonder, Yvonne Wright

| length3 = 5:06

| title4 = Something to Save

| length4 = 3:18

| title5 = Cowboys and Angels

| length5 = 7:15

| title6 = Waiting for That Day

| note6 = writers: George Michael, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards

| length6 = 4:49

| title7 = Mother's Pride

| length7 = 3:59

| title8 = Heal the Pain

| length8 = 4:41

| title9 = Soul Free

| length9 = 5:29

| title10 = Waiting

| note10 = Reprise

| length10 = 2:25

}}

=''Listen Without Prejudice / MTV Unplugged''=

{{Track listing

| headline = Listen Without Prejudice / MTV Unplugged {{nobold|– Standard edition – Disc 2: MTV Unplugged}}

| title1 = Freedom! '90

| note1 = live

| length1 = 6:02

| title2 = Fastlove

| note2 = live

| length2 = 5:12

| title3 = I Can't Make You Love Me

| note3 = live

| length3 = 5:55

| title4 = Father Figure

| note4 = live

| length4 = 6:19

| title5 = You Have Been Loved

| note5 = live

| length5 = 5:55

| title6 = Everything She Wants

| note6 = live

| length6 = 5:13

| title7 = The Strangest Thing

| note7 = live

| length7 = 6:00

| title8 = Older

| note8 = live

| length8 = 5:47

| title9 = Star People

| note9 = live

| length9 = 6:15

| title10 = Praying for Time

| note10 = live

| length10 = 5:29

| title11 = Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me

| note11 = with Elton John) (Japanese bonus track

| length11 = 5:47

| title12 = Fantasy

| note12 = featuring Nile Rodgers

| length12 = 4:02

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Listen Without Prejudice / MTV Unplugged {{nobold|– Deluxe edition – Disc 3: B-sides, remixes and rarities}}

| title1 = Soul Free

| note1 = Special Radio Edit

| length1 = 4:25

| title2 = Freedom! '90

| note2 = Back to Reality Mix

| length2 = 6:16

| title3 = Freedom! '90

| note3 = Back to Reality Mix Edit

| length3 = 4:07

| title4 = Fantasy

| note4 =

| length4 = 5:02

| title5 = Freedom! '90

| note5 = Edit

| length5 = 5:21

| title6 = Cowboys and Angels

| note6 = Edit

| length6 = 4:36

| title7 = If You Were My Woman

| note7 = live at Wembley Stadium, 11 Jun '88

| length7 = 4:06

| title8 = Too Funky

| note8 = Single Edit

| length8 = 3:50

| title9 = Crazy Man Dance

| note9 =

| length9 = 6:00

| title10 = Do You Really Want to Know

| note10 =

| length10 = 4:49

| title11 = Happy

| note11 =

| length11 = 4:09

| title12 = Too Funky

| note12 = Extended

| length12 = 5:39

| title13 = Too Jazzy

| note13 = Happy Mix

| length13 = 5:55

| title14 = Fantasy '98

| note14 =

| length14 = 4:32

| title15 = Heal the Pain

| note15 = with Paul McCartney

| length15 = 4:45

| title16 = Desafinado

| note16 = with Astrud Gilberto

| length16 = 3:21

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Listen Without Prejudice / MTV Unplugged {{nobold|– Deluxe edition – Disc 4: DVD}}

| title1 = The Southbank Show 1990

| note1 = documentary

| length1 =

| title2 = Freedom! '90

| note2 = music video

| length2 =

| title3 = Praying for Time

| note3 = music video

| length3 =

| title4 = Freedom! '90

| note4 = MTV 10th Anniversary performance

| length4 =

}}

Notes:

  • The track "Waiting for That Day" includes a sample of James Brown's "Funky Drummer" drum break, which was also used in "Freedom! '90". Heretofore regarded as a hip-hop technique, this was deemed unorthodox for a pop song. The song's final line comes from the Rolling Stones' classic "You Can't Always Get What You Want".
  • The album cover image is a cropped section of the 1940 photograph Crowd at Coney Island by Weegee.

Personnel

  • George Michael – vocals, keyboards (1, 6, 9), acoustic guitar (4, 7, 8), keyboard bass (2, 5), bass guitar (4, 9), programming, percussion, backing vocals, horn arrangements, production
  • Chris Porter – mix engineer
  • Danny Cummings – drums, percussion
  • Tony Patler – keyboards
  • Ian Thomas – drums, percussion
  • Deon Estus – bass guitar, backing vocals
  • Phil Palmer – acoustic guitar, electric guitar
  • Chris Cameron – keyboards, piano, horn arrangements, string arrangements
  • Emily Burridge – cello
  • Andy Hamilton – tenor saxophone
  • Alfia Nakipbekova – cello
  • Pete Gleadall – sequencer, programming
  • Shirley Lewis – backing vocals
  • Bradford Branson – inner photography

Charts

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

=Weekly charts=

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
scope="col"|Chart (1990–1991)

!scope="col"|Peak
position

{{album chart|Australia|2|artist=George Michael|album=Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1|rowheader=true|access-date=13 October 2017}}
{{album chart|Austria|5|artist=George Michael|album=Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1|rowheader=true|access-date=13 October 2017}}
{{album chart|Canada|6|chartid=1367|rowheader=true|access-date=13 October 2017}}
scope="row"|Canadian Albums (The Record){{cite magazine|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/90s/1990/BB-1990-10-27.pdf|title=Hits of the World|magazine=Billboard|page=74|date=27 October 1990|access-date=13 October 2017}}

|5

{{album chart|Netherlands|2|artist=George Michael|album=Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1|rowheader=true|access-date=13 October 2017}}
scope="row"|European Albums (Top 100){{cite magazine|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/90s/1990/BB-1990-10-13.pdf|title=Hits of the World|magazine=Billboard|page=76|date=13 October 1990|access-date=13 October 2017}}

|2

scope="row"|Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista){{cite web|url=http://wiki.pomus.net/wiki/Albumit_1990-09_syyskuu|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171016225748/http://wiki.pomus.net/wiki/Albumit_1990-09_syyskuu|url-status=usurped|archive-date=16 October 2017|title=Albumit 1990-09 syyskuu|language=fi|publisher=Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland|access-date=13 October 2017}}

|11

scope="row"|French Albums (SNEP){{cite web|url=http://www.infodisc.fr/Album_ChartRuns.php|title=Les "Charts Runs" de chaque Album Classé|publisher=InfoDisc|language=fr|access-date=13 October 2017}}

|2

{{album chart|Germany4|7|id=1107|artist=George Michael|album=Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1|rowheader=true|access-date=13 October 2017}}
{{album chart|Hungary|23|year=1991|week=7|rowheader=true|access-date=13 October 2017}}
scope="row"|Italian Albums (Musica e dischi){{cite magazine|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/90s/1990/BB-1990-09-29.pdf|title=Hits of the World|magazine=Billboard|page=80|date=29 September 1990|access-date=13 October 2017}}

|6

scope="row"|Irish Albums (IRMA) {{cite web|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1990/MM-1990-09-22.pdf|title=220990|work=Music & Media|page=7|date=22 September 1990|access-date=17 September 2020}}

|2

scope="row"|Japanese Albums (Oricon){{cite magazine|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/90s/1990/BB-1990-09-22.pdf|title=Hits of the World|magazine=Billboard|page=72|date=22 September 1990|access-date=13 October 2017}}

|3

{{album chart|New Zealand|2|artist=George Michael|album=Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1|rowheader=true|access-date=13 October 2017}}
{{album chart|Norway|4|artist=George Michael|album=Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1|rowheader=true|access-date=13 October 2017}}
scope="row"|Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE){{cite book|author=Fernando Salaverri|title=Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002|edition=1st|date=September 2005|publisher=Fundación Autor-SGAE|location=Spain|isbn=84-8048-639-2}}

|2

{{album chart|Sweden|3|artist=George Michael|album=Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1|rowheader=true|access-date=13 October 2017}}
{{album chart|Switzerland|3|artist=George Michael|album=Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1|rowheader=true|access-date=13 October 2017}}
{{album chart|UK2|1|date=19900909|rowheader=true|access-date=13 October 2017}}
{{album chart|Billboard200|2|artist=George Michael|rowheader=true|access-date=13 October 2017}}
{{album chart|BillboardRandBHipHop|61|artist=George Michael|rowheader=true|access-date=13 October 2017}}

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
scope="col"|Chart (2017)

!scope="col"|Peak
position

{{album chart|Australia|5|artist=George Michael|album=Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 / MTV Unplugged|rowheader=true|access-date=28 October 2017|refname=Australia2017}}
{{album chart|Austria|13|artist=George Michael|album=Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 / MTV Unplugged|rowheader=true|access-date=2 November 2017|refname=Austri2017}}
{{album chart|Flanders|4|artist=George Michael|album=Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 / MTV Unplugged|rowheader=true|access-date=5 November 2017}}
{{album chart|Wallonia|14|artist=George Michael|album=Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 / MTV Unplugged|rowheader=true|access-date=28 October 2017}}
{{album chart|BillboardCanada|34|artist=George Michael|rowheader=true|access-date=31 October 2017}}
{{album chart|Czech|16|date=201743|rowheader=true|access-date=1 November 2017}}
{{album chart|Denmark|7|artist=George Michael|album=Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 / MTV Unplugged|rowheader=true|access-date=1 November 2017}}
{{album chart|Netherlands|6|artist=George Michael|album=Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 / MTV Unplugged|rowheader=true|access-date=28 October 2017|refname=Dutch2017}}
{{album chart|France|12|artist=George Michael|album=Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 / MTV Unplugged|rowheader=true|access-date=30 October 2017}}
{{album chart|Germany4|9|id=1107|artist=George Michael|album=Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1|rowheader=true|access-date=27 October 2017|refname=Germany2017}}
scope="row"| Greek Albums (IFPI){{cite web|url=http://www.ifpi.gr/charts_en.html|title=Official IFPI Charts Top-75 Albums Sales Chart (Week: 43/2017)|language=el|publisher=IFPI Greece|access-date=6 November 2016}}

| 5

{{album chart|Hungary|21|year=2017|week=43|rowheader=true|access-date=2 November 2017|refname=Hungary2017}}
{{album chart|Ireland|3|M|url=http://irish-charts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=george+michael|title=irish-charts.com – Discography George Michael|publisher=Hung Medien|rowheader=true|access-date=28 October 2017}}
{{album chart|Italy|6|artist=George Michael|album=Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 / MTV Unplugged|rowheader=true|access-date=28 October 2017}}
{{album chart|Oricon|35|date=3 October 2017|rowheader=true|access-date=31 October 2017}}
{{album chart|New Zealand|5|artist=George Michael|album=Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 / MTV Unplugged|rowheader=true|access-date=27 October 2017|refname=NewZealand2017}}
{{album chart|Poland|8|id=1107|rowheader=true|access-date=2 November 2017}}
{{album chart|Portugal|3|artist=George Michael|album=Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 / MTV Unplugged|rowheader=true|access-date=4 November 2017}}
{{album chart|Scotland|1|date=20171027|rowheader=true|access-date=28 October 2017}}
{{album chart|Spain|8|artist=George Michael|album=Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 / MTV Unplugged|rowheader=true|access-date=3 November 2017}}
{{album chart|Switzerland|12|artist=George Michael|album=Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 / MTV Unplugged|rowheader=true|access-date=1 November 2017|refname=Swiss2017}}
{{album chart|UK2|1|date=20171027|rowheader=true|access-date=28 October 2017|refname=UK2017}}
{{album chart|Billboard200|41|artist=George Michael|rowheader=true|access-date=31 October 2017|refname=US2017}}
{{album chart|BillboardRandBHipHop|22|artist=George Michael|rowheader=true|access-date=31 October 2017|refname=USR&B2017}}

{{col-2}}

=Year-end charts=

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
scope="col"|Chart (1990)

!scope="col"|Position

scope="row"|Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM){{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.9145&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=mhe12pta2k83e08udtq66ot062|title=Top 100 Albums of 1990|work=RPM|date=22 December 1990|access-date=13 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018073620/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.9145&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=mhe12pta2k83e08udtq66ot062|archive-date=18 October 2015|url-status=dead}}

|31

scope="row"|Dutch Albums (MegaCharts){{cite web|url=http://dutchcharts.nl/jaaroverzichten.asp?year=1990&cat=a|title=Jaaroverzichten – Album 1990 |publisher=Hung Medien|language=nl|access-date=13 October 2017}}

|30

scope="row"|French Albums (SNEP){{cite web|url=http://www.infodisc.fr/B-CD_1990.php|title=Les Albums (CD) de 1990 par InfoDisc|language=fr|publisher=InfoDisc|access-date=13 October 2017|url-status=unfit|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141023045734/http://www.infodisc.fr/B-CD_1990.php|archive-date=23 October 2014}}

|20

scope="row"|German Albums (Offizielle Top 100){{cite web|url=https://www.offiziellecharts.de/charts/album-jahr/for-date-1990|title=Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts|language=de|publisher=GfK Entertainment Charts|access-date=13 October 2017}}

|99

scope="row"|Japanese Albums (Oricon){{cite web|url=http://www.geocities.jp/object_ori/1990a.html|title=1990年 アルバム年間TOP100|trans-title=Oricon Year-end Albums Chart of 1990|publisher=Oricon|language=ja|access-date=13 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331143622/http://www.geocities.jp/object_ori/1990a.html|archive-date=31 March 2019|url-status=dead}}

|82

scope="row"|New Zealand (RMNZ){{cite web|url=https://aotearoamusiccharts.co.nz/archive/annual-albums/1990-12-31|title=Top Selling Albums of 1990|publisher=Recorded Music NZ|access-date=13 October 2017}}

|39

scope="row"|Norwegian Autumn Period Albums (VG-lista){{cite web|url=http://lista.vg.no/liste/topp-40-album/2/dato/1990/periode/høst|title=Topp 40 Album Høst 1990|publisher=VG-lista|language=no|access-date=13 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170929183622/http://lista.vg.no/liste/topp-40-album/2/dato/1990/periode/h%C3%B8st|archive-date=29 September 2017|url-status=dead}}

|14

scope="row"|Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)

|17

scope="row"|Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade){{cite web|url=http://swisscharts.com/charts/jahreshitparade/1990|title=Swiss Year-end Charts 1990|publisher=Hung Medien|access-date=13 October 2017}}

|35

scope="row"|UK Albums (OCC){{cite magazine|title=1990 Top 100 Albums|magazine=Music Week|publisher=Spotlight Publications|location=London, England|page=39|date=2 March 1991}}

|10

scope="row"|US Billboard 200{{cite magazine|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/90s/1990/Billboard-1990-12-22.pdf|title=The Year in Music: 1990|magazine=Billboard|page=12|date=22 December 1990|access-date=13 October 2017}}

|100

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
scope="col"|Chart (1991)

!scope="col"|Position

scope="row"|Australian Albums (ARIA){{cite web|url=http://aria.com.au/pages/aria-charts-end-of-year-charts-top-50albums-1991.htm|title=ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 50 Albums 1991|publisher=Australian Recording Industry Association|access-date=13 October 2017}}

|31

scope="row"|Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM){{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.1702&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=mhe12pta2k83e08udtq66ot062|title=RPM 100 Albums (CDs & Cassettes) of 1991|work=RPM|date=21 December 1991|access-date=13 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140408213817/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.1702&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=mhe12pta2k83e08udtq66ot062|archive-date=8 April 2014|url-status=dead}}

|56

scope="row"|Dutch Albums (MegaCharts){{cite web|url=http://dutchcharts.nl/jaaroverzichten.asp?year=1991&cat=a|title=Jaaroverzichten – Album 1991 |publisher=Hung Medien|language=nl|access-date=13 October 2017}}

|34

scope="row"|UK Albums (OCC){{cite magazine|title=1991 Top 100 Albums|magazine=Music Week|publisher=Spotlight Publications|location=London, England|page=21|date=11 January 1992}}

|30

scope="row"|US Billboard 200{{cite magazine|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/90s/1991/BB-1991-12-21.pdf|title=The Year in Music: 1991|magazine=Billboard|page=12|date=21 December 1991|access-date=13 October 2017}}

|44

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
scope="col"|Chart (2017)

!scope="col"|Position

scope="row"|Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders){{cite web|url=http://www.ultratop.be/nl/annual.asp?year=2017&cat=a|title=Jaaroverzichten Albums 2017|publisher=Ultratop|access-date=21 December 2017}}

|77

scope="row"|Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia){{cite web|url=http://www.ultratop.be/fr/annual.asp?year=2017&cat=a|title=Rapports Annuels Albums 2017|publisher=Ultratop|access-date=21 December 2017}}

|155

scope="row"|UK Albums (OCC){{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/the-top-40-biggest-albums-of-2017-on-the-official-chart__21316/|title=The Top 40 biggest albums of 2017 on the Official Chart|publisher=Official Charts Company|last=White|first=Jack|date=3 January 2018|access-date=3 January 2018}}

|17

=Decade-end charts=

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
scope="col"|Chart (1990–1999)

!scope="col"|Position

scope="row"|UK Albums (OCC){{cite magazine|title=Top 20 Singles and Albums of the Nineties|periodical=Music Week|publisher=Miller Freeman|page=28|date=18 December 1999}}

|61

{{col-end}}

Certifications and sales

{{certification Table Top}}

{{certification Table Entry|region=Australia|title=Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1|artist=George Michael|type=album|relyear=1990|certyear=2016|award=Platinum|number=2|access-date=15 October 2017}}

{{certification Table Entry|region=Austria|title=Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1|artist=George Michael|type=album|relyear=1990|certyear=1991|award=Gold|access-date=15 October 2017}}

{{certification Table Entry|region=Brazil|title=Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1|artist=George Michael|type=album|relyear=1990|certyear=1991|award=Gold|access-date=15 October 2017}}

{{certification Table Entry|region=Canada|title=Listen Without Prejudice|artist=George Michael|type=album|relyear=1990|certyear=1991|award=Platinum|number=2|access-date=15 October 2017}}

{{certification Table Entry|region=France|title=Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1|artist=George Michael|type=album|relyear=1990|certyear=1991|award=Platinum|source=infodisc|accessdate=November 18, 2021}}

{{certification Table Entry|region=Germany|title=Listen Without Prejudice|artist=George Michael|type=album|relyear=1990|certyear=1990|award=Gold|access-date=15 October 2017}}

{{certification Table Entry|region=Japan|title=Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1|artist=ジョージ・マイケル

|type=album|relyear=1990|certyear=1993|certmonth=1|award=Platinum|access-date=15 October 2017}}

{{certification Table Entry|region=Netherlands|title=Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1|artist=George Michael|type=album|relyear=1990|certyear=1990|award=Platinum|access-date=15 October 2017}}

{{certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|title=Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1|artist=George Michael|type=album|relyear=1990|certyear=1991|id=1991-04-19|source=newchart|access-date=2024-11-20|award=Platinum}}

{{certification Table Entry|region=Spain|title=Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1|artist=George Michael|type=album|relyear=1990|certyear=1990|award=Platinum|certref=|access-date=15 October 2017}}

{{certification Table Entry|region=Sweden|title=Listen Without Prejudice Vol.1|artist=George Michael|type=album|relyear=1990|certyear=|award=Platinum|access-date=14 August 2023}}

{{certification Table Entry|region=Switzerland|title=Listen Without Prejudice|artist=George Michael|type=album|relyear=1990|certyear=1992|award=Platinum|access-date=15 October 2017}}

{{certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|title=Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1|artist=George Michael|type=album|relyear=1990|certyear=1992|award=Platinum|number=4|id=3874-3520-2|salesamount=1,435,539|salesref={{cite web|url=http://www.musicweek.com/analysis/read/official-charts-analysis-posthumous-no-1-album-for-george-michael/070293|title=Official Charts Analysis: Posthumous No.1 album for George Michael|author=Alan Jones|work=Music Week|date=27 October 2017|access-date=27 October 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://www.musicweek.com/analysis/read/official-charts-analysis-ball-boe-triumph-in-tight-chart-race/070373|title=Official Charts Analysis: Ball & Boe triumph in tight chart race|author=Alan Jones|work=Music Week|date=3 November 2017|access-date=3 November 2017}}}}

{{certification Table Entry|region=United States|title=Listen Without Prejudice|artist=George Michael|type=album|relyear=1990|certyear=1994|award=Platinum|number=2|access-date=15 October 2017}}

{{Certification Table Summary}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Worldwide|salesamount=8,000,000|salesref=|nocert=yes}}

{{certification Table Bottom}}

Release history

class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
scope="col"|Region

!scope="col"|Date

!scope="col"|Label

!scope="col"|Format

!scope="col"|Edition

!scope="col"|Catalog

scope="row"|United Kingdom

|3 September 1990

|Epic

|rowspan="2"|{{hlist|CD|LP|cassette}}

|rowspan="2"|Original

|467295{{cite web|url=http://www.sonymusic.co.uk/news/2015-09-03/legendary-george-michael-album-listen-without-prejudice-vol-1-is-25|title=Legendary George Michael album Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 is 25|publisher=Sony Music UK|date=3 September 2015|access-date=19 October 2017}}

scope="row"|United States

|11 September 1990

|Columbia

|46898{{cite book|author=Matt Green|title=Celebrity Biographies – The Amazing Life of George Michael|publisher=Matt Green at Google Play|year=2017}}

scope="row" rowspan="2"|Japan

|rowspan="2"|18 October 2017

|rowspan="2"|Epic Japan

|2Blu-spec CD

|Listen Without Prejudice / MTV Unplugged

|SICP-31004-05{{cite web|url=http://www.sonymusic.co.jp/artist/GeorgeMichael/discography/SICP-31004|title=リッスン・ウィズアウト・プレジュディス+MTVアンプラグド スタンダード・エディション【期間生産限定盤】|publisher=Sony Music Japan|access-date=19 October 2017}}

3Blu-spec CD+DVD

|Listen Without Prejudice / MTV Unplugged (Deluxe)

|SICP-31000-03{{cite web|url=http://www.sonymusic.co.jp/artist/GeorgeMichael/discography/SICP-31000|title=リッスン・ウィズアウト・プレジュディス+MTVアンプラグド デラックス・エディション【完全生産限定盤】|publisher=Sony Music Japan|access-date=19 October 2017}}

scope="row" rowspan="3"|United Kingdom

|rowspan="3"|20 October 2017

|rowspan="3"|Sony

|LP

|Original remastered

|888751452718{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01LQV35XK/|title=Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1|publisher=Amazon.co.uk|access-date=19 October 2017}}

{{hlist|2CD|digital}}

|Listen Without Prejudice / MTV Unplugged

|888751580527{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01LQV35Y4/|title=Listen Without Prejudice / MTV Unplugged Double CD|publisher=Amazon.co.uk|access-date=19 October 2017}}

{{hlist|3CD+DVD|digital}}

|Listen Without Prejudice / MTV Unplugged (Deluxe)

|888751580428{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01LQV2Z7C/|title=Listen Without Prejudice / MTV Unplugged (Region Free) Box set|publisher=Amazon.co.uk|access-date=19 October 2017}}

See also

References