Boogie Box High
Encyclopedia
Boogie Box High were a musical project headed by Andros Georgiou in the late 1980s, that featured a range of musical collaborations such as his cousin George Michael
, guitarist Nick Heyward
(of Haircut One Hundred), keyboardist Mick Talbot
(of Style Council), guitarist–songwriter David Austin
, bassist Deon Estus
and others.
Released in 1987 in the United Kingdom, Boogie Box High's first single "Jive Talkin'
" quickly reached number one worldwide, selling over a million copies.
song was originally recorded as a demo, with a studio band made up of Nick Heyward from Haircut One Hundred (guitar), Mick Talbot from Style Council (keyboards), and members of George Michael's studio band.
Once the demo was completed, Andros played a copy for his cousin George Michael, who instantly loved the track. George took the master tapes to Denmark's PUK Studios (where he had recorded tracks for his 8-times-platinum album Faith), and spent three days recording lead and backing vocals. Andros' vocals are still heard in the background mix. Due to contractual obligations to Epic Records
, George Michael was never credited on the original release.
's debut album Fantastic, which itself was originally to be titled "Brilliant."
Outrageous was initially released in the United States, with SBK Records
opting to license the album for worldwide release. The album spawned two singles, "Gave It All Away" and "Nervous." "Jive Talkin'" was appended to the new album, which relied heavily on George Michael-related musicians, Nick Heyward, Mick Talbot and PWL
studios for the recording sessions.
Michael's contributions to the album were two previously unreleased songs he had written for Wham!
's debut album Fantastic, "Golden Soul" and "Soul Boy." He is also thought to have contributed the lead vocal for the single "Gave It All Away." Once again, due to contractual obligations to Epic Records, Michael was not credited for any of this.
George Michael
George Michael is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who rose to fame in the 1980s when he formed the pop duo Wham! with his school friend, Andrew Ridgeley...
, guitarist Nick Heyward
Nick Heyward
Nick Heyward is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for being the frontman of the early 1980s band Haircut One Hundred, and also had a briefly successful solo career after he left the band in 1983.-Haircut One Hundred:Nick Heyward formed Haircut One Hundred after the...
(of Haircut One Hundred), keyboardist Mick Talbot
Mick Talbot
Michael 'Mick' Talbot is a British keyboardist. He played with the late 1970s mod revivalists The Merton Parkas; Dexys Midnight Runners; The Bureau, and later with Paul Weller in The Style Council....
(of Style Council), guitarist–songwriter David Austin
David Austin (singer)
David Austin is a professional songwriter from the United Kingdom, who first had a hit single in 1984 called "Turn to Gold", released on Parlophone. It entered the UK Singles Chart on 21 July 1984. It remained in the chart for three weeks, reaching #68...
, bassist Deon Estus
Deon Estus
Deon Estus is an American bassist and singer, best known as the bass player of Wham! and as George Michael's bassist on all of the latter's subsequent projects.-Biography:...
and others.
Released in 1987 in the United Kingdom, Boogie Box High's first single "Jive Talkin'
Jive Talkin'
"Jive Talkin" is a song by the Bee Gees, which hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached the top-five on the UK singles chart in the summer of 1975. Largely recognized as the group's "comeback" song, it was their first U.S. top ten hit since "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" in...
" quickly reached number one worldwide, selling over a million copies.
"Jive Talkin'"
Georgiou's version of the Bee GeesBee Gees
The Bee Gees are a musical group that originally comprised three brothers: Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was successful for most of their 40-plus years of recording music, but they had two distinct periods of exceptional success: as a pop act in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and as a...
song was originally recorded as a demo, with a studio band made up of Nick Heyward from Haircut One Hundred (guitar), Mick Talbot from Style Council (keyboards), and members of George Michael's studio band.
Once the demo was completed, Andros played a copy for his cousin George Michael, who instantly loved the track. George took the master tapes to Denmark's PUK Studios (where he had recorded tracks for his 8-times-platinum album Faith), and spent three days recording lead and backing vocals. Andros' vocals are still heard in the background mix. Due to contractual obligations to Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
, George Michael was never credited on the original release.
Outrageous
Outrageous, Boogie Box High's only LP, was released in 1989. Originally titled Outrageously Brilliant, the title was seemingly an homage to Wham!WHAM!
Wham! were a short-lived British musical duo formed by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley in the early 1980s. They were briefly known in the United States as Wham! UK due to a naming conflict with an American band....
's debut album Fantastic, which itself was originally to be titled "Brilliant."
Outrageous was initially released in the United States, with SBK Records
SBK Records
SBK Records was a record label of the EMI Group that was founded in 1988.Stephen Swid, Martin Bandier, and Charles Koppelman formed the production company SBK in 1989 after they purchased the music publishing division of CBS Records in 1986....
opting to license the album for worldwide release. The album spawned two singles, "Gave It All Away" and "Nervous." "Jive Talkin'" was appended to the new album, which relied heavily on George Michael-related musicians, Nick Heyward, Mick Talbot and PWL
PWL
Pete Waterman Entertainment is the production company one-time pop and dance record label owned by pop mogul Pete Waterman. The label, originally PWL, is most famous for being the home of hit record producers Stock Aitken Waterman....
studios for the recording sessions.
Michael's contributions to the album were two previously unreleased songs he had written for Wham!
WHAM!
Wham! were a short-lived British musical duo formed by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley in the early 1980s. They were briefly known in the United States as Wham! UK due to a naming conflict with an American band....
's debut album Fantastic, "Golden Soul" and "Soul Boy." He is also thought to have contributed the lead vocal for the single "Gave It All Away." Once again, due to contractual obligations to Epic Records, Michael was not credited for any of this.