The Executive Diana George Michael Andrew Ridgley Wham 45 7" single +Boyfriend

£ 50

$ 66

£ 50 Sold For

Jun 13, 2019 Sold Date

May 24, 2019 Start Date

1 Number Of Bids

Great Britain Country Of Seller

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Description

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Item For Sale

The Executive - Diana
George Michael Andrew Ridgley Wham 45 7" single

George Michael actively pursued a career as a ska musician before going on to find success in Wham and later as a solo artist.

Michael and his best friend Andrew Ridgely formed their 2-Tone influenced band The Executive along with Paul Ridgely and David Austin in 1979. The band banged out happy, sunny syncopated 2-Tone styled ska and later entered a a sixteen-track studio to cut a demo tape, recording an original titled "Rude Boy" plus a ska cover of the old Andy Williams' classic "Can't Get Used To Losing You"and a ska version of Beethoven's "Für Elise."

According to a George Michael fan web site, the band played local gigs close to where they lived and spent a lot of time hawking their demo tape around the A&R departments of London-based record companies. Rumor has it that a copy even made its way to Dave Wakeling of The Beat who were running their own Go Feet label in Birmingham.

"George and Andrew would take time off from school and college, travel to the capital and then sit around in the waiting rooms of the music business until some lethargic talent-spotter finally agreed to see them. But even when they were granted an audience, the A&R man who lolled in his chair on the other side of the desk invariably pressed the STOP button before their tape had gone very far. 'Come back in the next millennium,' seemed to be the general consensus among the major labels, thought Andrew, and even those sympathetic to the ska cause failed to offer them anything resembling a deal. Andrew was cocky enough to attribute the negative response of the record companies to the advanced ages and modest IQs of the men who staffed the industry's A&R departments. George was confident enough to think that perhaps "Rude Boy" was sufficiently derivative to deserve all the rejection it had heaped upon it. He would do better next time..."
Though they lasted only 18 months, Michael and Ridgely ended up using the constant A&R rejection of The Executive to start over with Wham. The truth is that The Executive was part of the many copycat ska bands that popped up all over the U.K. during 1979-1980 in the wake of The Specials, Madness, The Selecter and The Beat's ascent into the charts and on Top Of The Pops..

Solid Centre with Paper Labels

Condition of Vinyl = EX with plain or company sleeve*
*If the correct company sleeve is shown in the picture, then this will be supplied. If not it will depend on whether I have a suitable company sleeve.

Country of Origin = George Michael Andrew Ridgley Wham

Issued : * Apr 1982
Label = Creole Records CR 29

Tracks are :

1. Diana
2. Boyfriend

Shipping discount offered on multiple purchases
For Vinyl items and some CDs, the condition of the item is included in the description. If present this condition supersedes / overrules any condition stated by eBay (as these have not always been set at item level). If there are two conditions defined (separated by a /) for CDs, then the first applies to the disc and the second would apply to any insert / card sleeve / digipack. For CDs with jewel cases, then the condition relates to the disc and any inserts and not the jewel case. Although I do not ship broken CD cases, some may be scratched or have dirty marks on them. For CD's in card sleeves etc, if there is only one condition this relates to both the disc and the card sleeve / digipack.

Once the item has ended please pay for your item within a reasonable time, as I do not like to have to open 'unpaid item' cases. ________________________________________________________

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